MARCH 27, 1914.

MY DEAR SENATOR: I have received your letter of March 11, submitting for report an amendment, proposed by Mr. Jones to H. R. 12579, for an expenditure of $500 to assist the county commissioners of Stevens County, Wash., in the construction of a county road across the Spokane Indian Reservation, to be reimbursed out of any proceeds arising from the sale or disposition of surplus lands on said reservation.

There is approximately $20,000 in the Treasury to the credit of these Indians, derived from the sale of lands belonging to them, but there is no authority of law to use any part thereof except in connection with the allotment, classification, and sale of lands.

The Commissioner of Indian Affairs has had correspondence with reference to this roadwork. For your information, there is inclosed herewith copy of a report received by the commissioner from the superintendent of the Spokane Indian Reservation, on the subject.

From the records, it appears that the construction of the road across the reservation would be a decided benefit to the Indians. However, owing to the depleted condition of the available funds at the disposal of the service at the present time, which might be used in connection with this road work, if Federal aid is to be given the county commissioners in building this highway, a special appropriation will be

necessary.

In view of the above facts, it is recommended that the proposed amendment receive favorable consideration.

SIR: Answering office letter of January 19, 1913, regarding a request for Indian Office assistance in the matter of building a county road across the Spokane Indian Reservation, right of way for which was recently granted by the department to the commissioners of Stevens County, Wash., the following report is submitted:

Until good wagon roads are provided for the Spokane Reservation progress among the Spokane Indians will necessarily be slow because of the lack of transportation facilities for marketing their products, now confined to three indifferent hill roads that during certain seasons are very bad and at all times require very long hauls for a large majority of the Indians. This road deficiency also prevents or handicaps the development of nearly all allotments except those in the immediate vicinity of the present poor roads over which Indians are obliged to travel with their cayuse teams. With such a handicap and the poor prospect of better conditions, there is little or no incentive for most of them to do much more than cultivate enough land to furnish them with a bare living. Among intelligent and experienced white pioneers or settlers these obstacles to development would gradually be overcome, but such energy can not be expected from the long dependent Red men.

The valley of the Columbia River north of the west end of the Spokane Reservation is very fertile and rapidly being peopled by a fine lot of settlers, practically all of whom have come into the valley with sufficient means to purchase tracts of land that they are vigorously proceeding to develop, but now find themselves unexpectedly in a pocket. Across the river to the west lies the Colville Reservation, eastward is the mountainous divide between the Columbia and Colville Rivers, while to the south the Spokane Reservation is a formidable barrier that must be pierced to enable them to have an outlet to markets on the south side of the river, there being no railroad in the entire territory. To reach these markets at present a long detour must be made from the lower end of the almost water-grade road down the Columbia to the eastward along the reservation boundary lines, thence southward over the hilly, sandy, and rocky road through the reservation to the Nee Bridge over the Spokane River near its mouth, all of which entails a real hardship and great loss of time for the settlers, who have not as much time to spare as their red brethren.

The proposed road follows the water grade down the Columbia until it reaches a point a short distance north of the Government town site at the junction of the Columbia and Spokane Rivers, where it diverges to the east, passing along the east and west dividing line between the town site and the Spokane Agency Reserve, thence south by twists and turns to the Nee Bridge. This diversion involves a series of steep grades in getting down to the bridge which could undoubtedly be avoided by crossing the town site nearer the Columbia over such of the platted streets as may offer a better grade and shorter line of travel.

Stevens County, in which the Spokane Reservation wholly lies, has a very large area, much of which is but thinly settled, and its financial resources are very limitedso much so that it will not be able to construct the proposed road without assistance, owing to an unusual expense that will be necessitated by a lot of rockwork at a point on the reservation known as the "Big Rock," where a bluff butts into the river. Excepting at that point construction will not be a difficult matter, and a water grade can be made practically the entire distance across the reservation, affording an easy and scenic line of communication that would be a godsend to these isolated white settlers, and of equal or greater benefit to the Indians of the west end: for while only seven allotments would be crossed, all with a minimum amount of damage that would be more than offset by the resulting increase in their value, a great many other allotments now unimproved would be placed within easy access to the road, thus leading to their occupancy by the allottees, or give to them a good rental value, now lacking by reason of their isolation.

Of the seven allotments crossed, two are those of deceased children of an old, blind widower, whose near-by allotment will be greatly enhanced in value and bring a fine rental or sale price. Another is that of an intelligent woman to whom a fee simple patent has been issued. Two others belong to an old man and an old woman who will be much benefited, for they are unable to make any improvements and are now dependent upon agency assistance. The remaining allotment directly affected is that of a little schoolgirl. Many minors are allotted in that vicinity, their lands not yet fenced, and no development of the property by parents or lessees can be expected until wagon-road facilities, now nonexistant, are provided.

For the foregoing reasons I strongly recommend that some means be found to enable the Spokane Indians to contribute a fair share of money toward the construction of the proposed road, for every public utility that improves conditions among the whites in the vicinity of the reservation will bring the homes of these Indians in closer touch with civilization, while good roads will aid them equally with the whites and hasten the day of their independence.

Unfortunately the Spokanes are practically destitute of tribal funds, although possessing timber resources of nearly 1,000,000 feet, this being so isolated at present that it can not be economically or profitably marketed until convenient railway transportation facilities and good wagon roads are provided, so that any sum set aside to assist in the building of this much-needed county project would have to come from the general reimbursable fund, or else be specifically appropriated by Congress.

In comparison with many other tribes the Spokanes have not fared well at the hands of the Government, though among the most deserving, and a good opportunity is here offered to do a double act of justice by aiding worthy settlers who are struggling against adverse circumstances to develop a most promising section of this new country, at the same time assisting our willing but ignorant red wards in getting on their feet. If $500 contributed in behalf of the Spokane Indians will assure the building of this road it will be about the most profitable investment that could be made for them with that amount of money, which would be many times returned in future benefits. It would also go far toward removing a natural and almost excusable prejudice existing in the minds of many good western people against the Indian and his reservation as obstacles in the path of progress.

I have marked the course of the proposed road across the reservation on the map accompanying the office letter, and this, with the letter from Senator W. L. Jones and its inclosures, is herewith returned.

Respectfully,

JOHN MCA. WEBSTER,
Superintendent and S. D. A.

Your committee after carefully considering the bill recommend it be amended as follows:

Strike out all of the words after the word "of" in line 3 and all of words in line 4, and insert in lieu thereof the following: "any funds in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the Spokane Indians in the State of Washington not otherwise appropriated the. The committee reports the bill favorably as amended and recommends that it do pass.

O

RELIEF OF CERTAIN SETTLERS UNDER THE YUMA RECLAMATION PROJECT, ARIZ.

MAY 8, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. HAYDEN, from the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands, submitted the following

REPORT.

To accompany H. R. 10116.]

The Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands, to which was referred the bill (H. R. 10116) for the relief of certain settlers under reclamation projects, having carefully considered the same, reports the bill to the House with amendments and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:

That any person who has heretofore established residence upon and improved any tract of land within the irrigable area of the Yuma reclamation project in Arizona, withdrawn from entry under the provisions of the reclamation law and acts supplementary thereto and amendatory thereof, and who shall have made valuable improvements upon such lands, and who has resided thereon in good faith for two years prior to the passage of this act, may make entry for the farm unit upon which his residence is established, and that such residence and improvements heretofore made shall be credited upon his final proof.

Amend the title to read: "A bill for the relief of certain settlers under the Yuma reclamation project, Arizona."

The Department of the Interior favored the enactment of this measure as originally introduced, as is shown by the following letter: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, February 15, 1916.

Hon. W. R. SMITH,

Chairman Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands,

House of Representatives.

MY DEAR MR. SMITH: I am in receipt of your letter of January 28, 1916, transmitting a copy of H. R. 10116, entitled "A bill for the relief of certain settlers under reclamation projects," requesting my views thereon and any suggestions regarding the

same.

The bill in question provides that persons who have heretofore established residence upon and improved lands within the irrigable area of a reclamation project, withdrawn

from entry under the provisions of the reclamation act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat., 388), and acts supplementary thereto and amendatory thereof, and who shall have made bona fide improvements upon such lands and have resided thereon in good faith for two years prior to the passage of the proposed legislation, may make entry for the farm unit embracing the tract upon which such residence has been established, notwithstanding the provisions of section 5 of the act of June 25, 1910 (36 Stat., 835), and acts amendatory thereof; and further provides that the homestead entry of any entryman who has heretofore establsihed residence upon any such tract of land and who shall have resided thereon in good faith for two years prior to the passage of the proposed legislation and who has placed bona fide improvements on the land, is thereby validated.

This bill will afford relief to a few persons who have, in good faith established residence upon withdrawn lands, without knowledge of the specific prohibition contained in the act of June 25, 1910, above referred to, and who had no intention of trespassing upon the lands on which they settled. In line 8, page 1, the word "have" should read "has". With this change I see no objections to the proposed legislation and recommend the enactment thereof.

Cordially, yours,

FRANKLIN K. LANE, Secretary.

Upon mature consideration, however, the committee arrived at the conclusion that it might be unwise to pass a general act affecting all reclamation projects and therefore decided to recommend that the bill be amended so as to confine it to the Yuma project which, so far as the committee is aware, is the only reclamation project where settlers on withdrawn lands are at present seeking relief.

According to information furnished by the Department of the Interior the enactment of this bill, as amended, will enable 13 settlers, who have heretofore made application to enter an aggregate area of 840 acres of withdrawn land, to make entry for the farm units on which they have made valuable improvements and have resided for two years prior to the passage of this act.

The lands in question were withdrawn from settlement and entry by the Secretary of the Interior on July 1, 1904, and July 20, 1905, under the provisions of section 3 of the act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat., 388), and the withdrawals are still in force. The names of the. settlers and the years in which they made settlement are as follows: George A. Evinger, 1911; J. F. Margrave, 1909; Verne V. Margrave, 1909; John W. Gray, 1909; George W. Sells, 1906; Joseph B. Emberly, 1913; M. L. Sells, 1908; M. D. Babb, 1907; L. T. Jackson, 1907; Ysmael Rico, 1908; Caesario Chavez, 1907; R. W. Cavanagh, 1906; and Thomas B. Cheely, 1911.

The committee is of the opinion that there is no good reason why settlers in actual occupation of the land and who have made valuable improvements thereon should not be permitted to enter the particular farm unit on which they are now residing. As between the actual occupant of the land, who has been living upon and cultivating it, and one who merely presents an application therefor after the land is opened to entry, it would appear that the actual occupant should be given the preference.