The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1913-08-22
DISAPPOINTED

ment all over the resefVatlcr
over the outcome OF Secretary
Lanes recent visit. The people
here honestly believe the secre-
tary has been unduly influenced
by someone whose ideas of the
eternal fitness of things are out
of harmony with the spirit of the
motive which prompted the
resolutions adopted by the joint
meeting of commercial clubs
held in Roman on May Is, which
were said to have received favor
able consideration at his hands
at the time the same were laid
before him prior to leaving
Washington for Montana.
In the first place, all the peo-
pie of the reservation, whether
real estate men or not, are not
hawks They are not all here
for the purpose of preying upon
the Indian and are not coveteous
of the lands owned by the indi-
vidual Indian. The real purpose
of the resolutions was not to de-
fraud the Indian who is now
occupying the land out of his
buildings. but to aid and assist
such Indian in securing the
means by which he might be-
come self-supporting and a pro-
ducing factor of the community.
1t was sought to enable such In
dians as may be heirs of deceased
Indians to sell the allotments of
their deceased relatives and from
the proceeds so derived. be able
to purchase horses, machinery
and provisions to enable them to
improve their own holdings.
According to the honorable sec
rotary, such procedure will not
be countenanced by his depart
ment while he is in charge.
This policy will keep them in
poverty lust as long as it is al
lowed to be the practice. They
are unable to secure the neces-
sary equipment to farm their al
lotments, even had they an in
clination to do so, and there is
not sufficient money in the tribal
fund to furnish the required
money to so equip them. Then
what is to happen?
1t is the general opinion that
the secretary took a very narrow
view Of the settlers position
here, and the rights they have
on the reservation. He says
that all the settlers here are en-
titled to is the surplus. That is
all they ever received, except
that they believe and were given
assurance that all their lands
would be irrigated upon the COM
pletion Of the projects now
under course of construction.
Under the decision of the secre-
tary, none of their lands will be
watered except after the allot-
ments are all provided for in
advance. At the same time
nothing is said as to the home
steader being exempt from pay
ment of the water charges on
his land.
People here believe they have
as good a right to be here and
enjoy the benefits of irrigation
just as much as the allottees.
They came here at the invitation
of the government and home
steaded the lands subject to en-
try, and have relied upon the
promise of the government that
they would be treated fairly. To
deny them now the water to. irri-
gate the land would not be right
and to apply to them the oppro-
brious epithet of ''hawks" is
rather rubbing it in.
The statement that this pro-
ject is being built with Indian
money and that it was not in
tended to use all the tribal fund
for such purpose to water a white
mans land. seems like being un-
acquainted with all the facts.
If the settlers lands are not to
participate in the water, then
how is the tribal fund to ever be
reimbursed for the money al
ready appropriated therefrom?
1t will be the payments ex-