The Blackfeet agent responded: “That would be
unfair to the Indians to expend their money in building bridges across the
streams bordering the Blackfeet Reservation, and I see no reason why the county
cannot stand the expense, by reason of the fact that they collect taxes from
approximately 50 miles of railroad through this reservation, together with
other railroad improvements, and that no part of the taxes collected by the
county has ever been used on this reservation, either for building roads,
providing schools, or for any other purpose. The county also collects taxes
from Indian traders and from all the business men of the Blackfeet reservation,
and as there are eight stores within the boundaries of this reserve each
carrying a large stock of goods, the amount received from this source is quite
large, but no part of this tax has ever been used for the building of roads or
bridges, or for making other improvements on the reservation. It is true that
from the taxes received from the stores in the town of Browning, a small amount
has been appropriated for the maintenance of a public school in the town, but
the county has so districted this reservation that the Great Northern Railroad
all comes within the school district in which there is no school located,
consequently, they use no part of the taxes for this road for any purpose
within the boundaries of the Blackfeet reservation.
-The Sacred Buffalo Vision by Robert J. Juneau and Robert C. Juneau
pg.122-123
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