226 OUR FEDERAL LANDS 



established now in twenty-eight reservations, and 

 community organizations similar in kind are organ- 

 ized in eight cities. 



"The Indians in the Southwest," writes Mr. 

 Meritt, "were the first irrigationists in this country. 

 It is of record that they have been irrigating land for 

 more than three hundred years. Congress has ap- 

 propriated about $33,340,000 for irrigation projects 

 on Indian reservations, and there are 1,450,000 acres 

 of land under these projects capable of irrigation, 

 with over 690,000 acres under constructed works 

 and now irrigable. Some of the Indians are making 

 remarkable progress cultivating irrigable lands." 



"The Indian problem is unique," writes Fran- 

 cis M. Goodwin, who handled the Indian office for 

 some years as an assistant secretary of the Interior. 

 "Its solution depends as much upon the capacity of 

 the Indians as it does upon the government pro- 

 gramme. If President Jefferson's solution by as- 

 similation ever becomes reality, it must be by a prac- 

 tical programme under direction of the United 

 States, with State co-operation. Otherwise, the In- 

 dian problem may never be solved. 



"Our original attitude was one of war or force, 

 but treatment of Indians as separate nations has dis- 

 appeared. Our next step was to confine them to res- 

 ervations with large areas of land owned by tribes 

 as common property. Can this property be divided 

 or sold? Or do the Indians need the same common 

 conservation found necessary to protect the white 



