Prominent Indian Urge Immediate Land Sale

Ignatious Ironroad of Cannonball, Says Indians Favor Big Reservation Indian Land Sale Soon

Cannonball, N.D. April 2, 1917

Editor Sioux County Pioneer,
Fort Yates, North Dakota

Dear Sir:

Your valuable paper just at hand, and after carefully reading same, I have decided to ask space to express an opinion which I deem appropriate at the time.

The article headed "No Indian Land Sale Until Sometime This Fall". This article strikes me with a feeling of "awe."

First, the reason as set forth is that the land must be re-appraised and that it will take nearly the entire summer to accomplish this work, and then that they will put up the whole sum of 25 quarters (this amount not to be exceeded) at each sale, instead of a hundred or more, as has been previously advertised when a sale of Indian land was made. And the reason they give for this latter assertion being, that impression had been created that the government was anxious to dispose of the land, etc.

In our (Indians) opinion there should be no delay as far as appraisement is concerned. Particularly, if they are only going to allow 25 quarters to be sold.

Now, we are not going to find fault, and then not offer a remedy. We see no reason why a list of land to be advertised could not be taken, and only those pieces appraised.

Had the first appraisement been made along the lines of good "business, the Agency land office should have field notes of the first appraisement, the same as did the Northern Pacific Railway and other owners of large tracts of land. If the field notes on land previously appraised and advertised are available there should be no necessity for traversing the entire reservation in order to know what additional price should be added to the land to be sold.

We have had considerable to do with the lands owned by the N. P. Ry. Co., and also the Washburn lands, and many times have referred to the field notes which were perfectly reliable, and it was not necessary to spend time and money to go over the land, each time there was a fluctation in the price of land.

Therefore we say emphatically that there is no good reason for holding back the sale of Indian lands at this time. Surely, with what confronts our government today, there is need that as much as possible of the farm lands held by the government, corporations and individuals should be made to produce, and not held back on such a flimsy excuse as stated.

Relative to the putting up of only 25 quarters at each sale, will say that there will be little inducement to people living in the eastern states or coming from a distance to look at and bid on so small an amount of land. It would be altogether too big a game of chance, and we are confident that the results will not be as great as they have been in the past.

One of the obstacles that has done much to hinder the land sales heretofore and will continue to do so in the future, is the right given the Indian (and also the Indian office) to cancel all bids even though they were far in excess of the amount for which the land was advertised. We have heard this brought up by people who have come here and spent time and money to look over this land.

There is every reason that the government should be especially desirous of having the surplus land held by the Indians sold to actual settlers. White people placed among the Indians will do more toward their civilization than any one thing that could be done. This is a fact that has been thoroughly demonstrated, and the reason is that there is constantly object lessons of various kinds always before them. Keeping the Indian land in its wild state is a help to the large cattle industries, and a hindrance to the individual Indian, both financially and mentally.

I also notice the paid advertisement you publish relative the inducements held out by the Canadian government in the same issue. It is quite a contrast and a great incentive for our young citizens to become Canadians. It's time that some of the government officials pinch themselves to see that they are alive to what confronts us and get a hustle on. We are tired of looking at raw prairie that should be productive fields.

The Tribal Business Council should consider the statements above for our betterment and advancement in civilization, and take action on them and refer them to the Interior Department.

Yours respectfully,

- Ignatius Ironroad.