Our bumbling government to blame
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Editor,
Cow pasture, deep irrigation wells, political ambition, and high paid consulting fees. What do they have in common? In last week’s Journal, individuals who still support the Water Compact shared their views on why giving up the water rights of their neighbors was the only sane thing that would keep the wheels of their bus moving forward. So what’s the connection? It’s one man’s guess, but I can see where supporting the compact, in favor of the BIA’s and Tribal interest would go a long ways in leasing land for cows, providing free well water for irrigation, state wide recognition for a would-be politician on the rise and certainly not the least, a continuing tax base to pay an expert that will help us dispose of any rights that us dumb and naive irrigators think the law reserves to us. A Montana District Judge ruled without question that irrigation water rights were granted with the lands patented to the Homesteader. Federal and State Constitutions grant to the State jurisdiction to administer all in State water claims. Even Federal reserved rights fall under the States’ adjudication authority. It would seem that our friends in the BIA (tribe) would rewrite the laws by taking their claim (lawsuit) to Federal Court. They don’t believe the State of Montana will honor them with a just decision. Good. Now we know that there is nothing that will satisfy their quest for total takeover of reservation lands. Since the BIA exists for the sole purpose of promoting Tribal interest; funded by taxpayers, perhaps all irrigators should stop squabbling, unite and bring counter suit against the Department of the Interior for creating this legal swamp. The enemy in the war on personal rights is not the tribe, it is our own bumbling government.
Joseph G. Brooks
Ronan
