Division over water rights alarming
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Editor,
Jonathan Denton of Charlo, even though “you’ve tried to keep quiet” on the water compact issue, you didn’t. And your letter pertaining to the water issue and directed at Michael Gale was just as ludicrous in my opinion as was his “under 6 feet of manure” letter printed in the Valley Journal of April 10.
The water compact issue discussed by letters to the editor should in no way become a war of personalities or degradingly slanderous words. One of the things we are seeing from this letter exchange is becoming loud and clear: Indians and non-Indians are going to be — after the dust settles on this issue — very divided cultures in the future of this area. My thoughts on all this are that the whole water issue should be dropped before the division gets any wider, or God forbid, violent.
If in fact, the irrigation waters need immediate attentions and better management (and I doubt that’s a fact), it should then be taking care of by the Indians on their own, and for their own – but not ever be off the reservation, and for non-Indians. Those Anglos farming on the rez need to handle their problems with water directly with the CSKT. Others irrigating anywhere else in these parts, or with wells, should never be subjected to, or need to kowtow, or come to the tribe on bended knee for their water needs.
Both local entities, non-Indians and reservation members, are in need of some serious thought about “our” futures in this area. These are crucial times and we need deep foresight. We peoples should not in any way screw up any further, or ruin relationships over the waters we have here in abundance in the first place.
Will Elliott
Polson
