Injuns were on this ditch we had no trouble. All got water, dividing with each other. I was driven from the Medicine Valley country because Mr. Reece B. Brown stole all my water eleven years ago. The Indian Department knew of it, but the Department is afraid of Mr. Brown or stands in with him in that grab. I came over here on the Ahtanum to farm and now they steal my water here. The Shoyahpoo is a hog. He takes all and squeals for more."

It takes no careful observer to ride through the Ahtanum Reservation lands and pick out the Indian tilled lands from those of white owners and lessors. The former invariably present a withered appearance, while those of the whites show fine crops, resultant from sufficient water. There may be exceptions to this rule, but the cases are few. One fair minded white man said, when questioned:

"The Indians get the dirty end of the water deal. The ditch tender has lands leased down near the lower end of the canal. He has, so he was heard to say, now finished irrigating his crops for the present, and turned his water to the orchards owned by whites. It is not right to have an interested man distributing this water."

LOUIS CHARLES MANN

Recognized Head of the Ahtanum Clan of
Yakimas. From "The Crime Against
the Yakimas." (Copyrighted)

Mr. Lew Perkins is Ditch Tender for the Ahtanum section in controversy. His crops on Indian leased lands show that they have suffered no dearth of water this season. It is hard to conceive that the Indian officials are blind to conditions so openly apparent. In 1916 the Ahtanum situation, the gross injustice suffered by these Indians in stolen water rights, was exposed in an illustrated article in an eastern journal of 30,000 copies, under the caption: The Continued Crime Against The Yakimas. Promises from the powers that be was the only result. Louis Mann was referred to by Mr. Dorrington, Indian Inspector, as: "Howling the same old howl that he has put up for ten years." Does it redound to the credit of the Indian Department that one of its Wards should howl vainly for simple justice even for one year? Apropos to this question is the following letter. Mr. L. M. Holt is Chief Engineer, Indian Reclamation Service. Mr. Lee referred to is Supervisor of Ditches for the Yakima Agency.

L. M. Holt,

Yakima, Wash., July 6th, 1920

Dear Mr. Holt:

I have been deprived from my irrigation waters, my neighbors steal my water and I have been studying where to make my report to, as you have all grades of employees on this irrigation system. As there is earth without water no living man can farm his dry lands in the Spring, and the white man has no better system in his body or being he is no better than I am why I write you so because he dies just the same as poor Injuns die so therefore I see why you turn all the water for his side and leave us destitute helpless. Do you be satisfied if I go up to the head gate and burst up the head gate and get my share of this irrigation waters for my crops. Is the white man looking for war path about this irrigation system? I am all time wondering where all these white people came from. They must have come where people are starving and they grab everything they come to. Where did they come from any way, from above the clouds or from hell? This puzzles me. Everything they want to themselves, and they are hogging all the time. Their hunger for more money is not filled; they all time want more, and as I hear them often say "Damn the Indians" now, but where them white devils go when they do die, and who is the man on this earth can tell me I lie. Oh, no, I have been studying these subject for many years, white man ways of living is no good to me, I hate it but I cannot help it, as every year I am fussing about this irrigation system. Now the earth and water is all time here, but me, I shall be gone where everybody go time they do die, and I want to live right while living, now I am losing 5 acres in wheat and 6 acres in alfalfa, now who can protect my rights about this irrigation system. You want cash down every time and from the start my irrigation waters been cut short all time. Now I have six seven rows, that is all for my $60.00 and how do you expect any man to be a farmer that way. It seems to me the government is robbing me out of my money. I want to find out who is the man betrayed my rights on this irrigation system on this Ahtanum creek. Since all the Ahtanum creek is a reservation stream all the creek is ours in first place, and Secretary Garfield robbed us time he gave our water to the whites at the Ahtanum Academy. White ladies sang a song to him for more Hiyou Chuck. Was this fine scheme and now we are robbed today. Who will help us out. Mr. Lee has power to rob us out of our irrigation system, he is the man told the head gate man to shut off. I learn this from one of my white man friends. I remember one time of seeing Mr. Lee at old man Seluskin house time he told the old man Seluskin he was a man from Washington, D. C. to help the Indians on this reservation on the irrigation system, now this day this very same man is no help to us Injuns. I am not mad at him when I write you this. Now this irrigation system is too far beyond the law, don't you take me for a bunch of Coyotes. Look out, do what is right. I am a person just the same as whites are: we all live by eating same food, and I want to be in a right living while living on this earth. I was there in your office twice but you was gone. I want to see you but I do not know when. I shall see what can be done toward protecting our irrigation system on this Ahtanum valley, and you know this earth and water was here and thereon it was the Injuns, and this will be all.

I am your truly poor friend,
LOUIS MANN.

As a substance of fact no white man has a right to any of the water from this Indian ditch, yet year after year the thefts go on unpunished. Is it any wonder that the Indian has learned to look upon the Agent as a conniver with the white man to loot and despoil him of his own? The lame excuse that such things go on unknown to the Indian officials is to be taken with a mountain of allowance. These Ahtanum Indians have for years clamored for justice, and have in turn been branded by the inspectors as "howlers." Such treatment makes Bolshevik and I. W. W. of white people.

Elasticity of Indian Bureau Promises

NOTE: This article was added to after discardure by the Tepee.

There is an unmistakable national wide agitation looking to the complete abolition of the Indian Bureau. The insistent outcry of the Indian against flagrant injustice suffered at the hands of this political incubus with its army of 7,000 employees, is reaching the rank and file of the people and already the Czars are visioning the handwriting on the wall. But as yet the masses know practically nothing about reservation conditions, know nothing about the inner workings of the Agencies, know nothing about the blundering incompetency if not down-right dishonesty of many of the acting officials. Methods employed in letting grazing permits to outside stockmen, leasing of agricultural lands and the distribution of irrigation water, too often appear shady and questionable. On the Yakima Reservation, Wash., water rights of long standing have been ignored, the entire flow of Indian constructed canals seized upon, confiscated by the Department or openly stolen by unprincipled scoundrels who apparently have a stand in with the "higher ups." Why foster a Bureau which will tolerate and