The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1912-01-05
Major MorganI interviewed
On Reservation Matters

We llluldnS, as IL is the desire to
have the Indians farm their own
: lands whenever and wherever it
is possible. Land that is leased
becomes impoverished. The In
dian who leases will, in most
cases, squander the money he re-
ceives. In the cose of children
say six years old-if their lands
are leased, the land will be ex-
hausted and comparatively worth
less when they are grown, and
their fathers will have spent all
the money. There must be some
way for protecting such interests
as these. Leases, however, will
be given as they have been, un-
der right conditions. The policy
of the department has not been
changed.
las to the issue of titles in
fee, the department held at the
outset, just as it holds now, that
titles will be granted in fee to
such Indians as are competent to
manage their own business af-
fairs. 1t is easy to see why some
restriction is necessary. There
is to be a systematic effort made
to induce the Indian to become a
farmer. He will be encouraged
in planting and cultivating. l
am sure it is better to protect
the Indian and to give him a
chance to become a useful citi-
zen than to have him get his
title, sell his land, squander the
money and then become a charge
upon the county. The expert
ence of the department in other
reservations has been that nine
out of ten of the Indians who re-
celved title to their land, sold the
ground and were speedily sep
arated from. their money.
There is a tendency to criti-
else the department. 1t is
charged in some quarters that
the endeavor is to retard the de-
velopment of the reserve. This
is not so. The conditions have
been stated from one point of
view only. Fairness demands
that both sides of the question
be stated. There have been
some delays which seem unnec-
essary, but there is much routine
in departmental matters; there is
no more delay in this matter than
there is in many other questions
which are referred to Washing
ton. There is no prejudice
against the reservation develop
ment.
There is considerable truth in
what the major says regarding
the action of some of the new
settlers in respect to giving the
right of way to the roads which
must be built all over this reser-
walton. But no one has charged
the Indian with standing in the
way of securing the right to
build the roads. The individual
Indian has at all times shown a
disposition to give the ground
for a road, and it has been the
department which has stood in
the way. The Indian knows that
his land would be worthless
without a road to it, and the new
settler must look at it in the
same light. The situation is just
this: Should the owners of land
between the settler and town re-
fuse to give the required land
for a road he would be shut out
or in, just as the case might be,
and each one must give to Sc
cure road. Those beyond, or
farther from town are at the
mercy of those between, and so
it goes all over the country.
Each one must give the land
alongside his homestead where
road is needed. But after a great
many have given, and given
freely, the department refuses to
countenance the giving by the
Indian and the board of commits
sioners are helpless in the mat
ter.
One portion of the interview
is news to many of us, and it is
good news, too. Reference is
made to the statement that there
is no change in the policy of the
department regarding the leas.
:oo. 20 IrJ;o,, 1o :, Jo ~, %Lo ;o,;,