The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-03-15

ervation about ZOO miles square.
But the agents had ideas of their
own. They filled the Indian up
with whiskey and had him real
drunk and surveyed the reserva-
ton just to suit themselves. So
instead of being a square piece OF
land, this reservation is shaped
like an ice-cream cone, taking In
all rocks and hills.
Have Little Land
There is always a feeling "a
mong the white people that the
Indians should be we'll off because
they have lands. This is not true,
as this reservation is so small that
only persons that were born be-
fore the year 1890 were allotted
lands, and those who were born
later have no allotments and since
they have no income, have had to
make their living the same as any
other citizen.
There is no doubt that the In
dams would be we'll off financially
today if the government would
only settle all the claims which
are Justly due us, but the govern
ment has ignored all of our treat
les which were made in good faith.
At the present time our most
perplexing question is relief.
/ Before elections last fall the
Democrats, in their speeches made
to the Indians, said: GAS good,
upright citizens of South Dakota,
vote for Tom Berry and all the
other Democrats and you will have
a good hospital and medical care.
You will never be hungry or cold"
On the basis of these promises
the majority of the $4,000 Indians
of South Dakota cast their votes
, for the Democrats.
Election has come and gone, but
! not one of these promises has az
: yet materialized and as usual We
;. are still hungry and cold.
Discrimination
: Soon after elections, all the In
dams were shifted to white relic
in three different counties. TIL
relief officials then said that tn
. Indians, being used to a lowe
standard of living, should be give
less.
This was true 80 years ago whe,
s all sorts of wild game roamed tn
prairies and the word depressio
- was unknown. But during thes
times our standard of living ca
Il be equal to any class of people
- we had the money, since we ca
y eat what they eat. We are denie
~ clothes, bed clothes and coal. A
a result, our children cannot a
l., tend school regularly as they haV
y no warm clothing to wear.
Small Allowance
The white farmers are give
very small cash allowances pt
week, but we are given less. 4
y the present time we. are expecte
o. to buy fuel, clothes and suppo
H. our families on SO per week
n the most, and as low as S1.5O fl
lie some families. In general the Ii
&c ing conditions among the Indial
today are very deplorable.
10 You may wonder what we ha'
m done to protect ourselves in the
ne trying times. We have organic,
y small group, consisting of sew,
w. Indians, to fight for our rights. Y
as called our organization the Indi;
wv Welfare and Protective Associ
ton. Within a short time we HI
or AZ members.
US We have had some good resul
To- through the work of this organi
or alton.
VS.. Indian Office Buys Leaders
OBJ Then the Indian office, which
ed always trying to keep us in m
lis cradle condition, used a differf
scheme to wreck our organizatiC
IN They supplied work with high
at wages to some of the members
cir the executive committee who res
ily accepted these offers and q
at us cold.
me But we are replacing these '
We cancies with new and better me
bers. It is indeed a hard task
m convince the Indians that Of
ay through an organized body can
gain results. This is because ii
Tor have been misled and fooled
are many times before. But throu
ear the evidence of their home con
ay- lions and results gained by
ng' different organizations, they
commencing to realize that o.
'oK through mass action can anythi
'"s be gained.
vas At a meeting called the 10th
box February, a committee of tn
lio' was elected to drive to Britt
ues the county seat. to obtain aid
ooK some families that were not ALL
d ed to work at all. Many dema
uD- were made by the committee ;
Cne some grievances were remedied
eIs The relief administrator '
IN asked whv the Indians were
ing treated equally with the wi
nay workers and were given less
TO lief. He answered by saying
ooo eve are instructed to issue re
To according to how much effort e
Cne individual has made to supT
II himself before the depressiC
the We thought that was the best j
up we ever heard. because we X
also personally most of the relief
ms, ficials in the office. and we E1
RAID that thew have never done an I
lceo est DAVIS work in their lives,
m we asked: "Whv then do the
With lief officials get more than
workers ?" He did not relish
nty- much.
tive Entitled TO Relief
We made him understand
1ccC xrvovI~ l.