The Weekly Arizonian., 1871-01-28
THE WEEKLY ARIZONANI
JANUARY 2s.......................l87l.
A SUGGESTION TO TIE PEOPLE.


 military supply depot from Tucson and the a. 6sndonment of several impoi tant military sta- tions in Southern Arizona, seem imminent, it behooves the people of this section to take some action that will protect their interests from the general stagnstion in business which seems destined to follow. For the past seven .. eight years it has been the misfortune of our people to depend, for the greater part, upon transactions with the quartermaster's de- pertinent; few, if any, transactions or enterA prises having been undertaken. which did not and cents between the speculator or producer and the quartermaster. This order of business, however objectionable it may appear, to those vho know not or cannot appreciate the neces~ ity under which its was originally established and has been maintained, has been, and is nevertheless, a necessity; and such it must continue while hostile Indians are permitted to hold the country subject to their savage in- s.incts and prevent successes in other pursuits
 Many of the inhabitants of Southern Ari- sons, it is true have amassed considerable uealth in this limited field, but the sameness and routine character of business thus con- ducted have shed an apathy upon the general business character of the country, that is now becoming painfully evident An effort is, very properly being made. to have the military posts aud the depot retained: the representa-. tons through which they are aboutto beremov- ed, being as unjust to the people south of the Gila, as they are groundless and false.
 We do not propose to question the veracity ofGsn. Stoneman, whose stay in the Territory has been insufficient to enable him to speak rom personal observation, but it is very evil dent that bis report was compiled without any knowledge of iacts-perhaps entirely from the represeo atious of others, which upon the best grounds we have no hestarcy in declaring a series of the grossest maislepresentatious Wit ness the following extracts:
 'The Apache nation in this region, com pared with what knew oft more than twenty Yssrs ago. is Iearly harmless.
 "In conclusion it gives me pleasure to be able 10 express the opinion that IndlaD, Ss well As other affairs in tue department are in as satisfactory a condition as can reasonably be l expected
 In the former of these extracts we are as- sured that the Apache Indians are harmless 1 compared with what they were twenty ,ears ago yet we know, and every citizen of Ari- xona knows, that the last three years consti- ute the bloodiest page in the history of Ari, sona. We can go back over the files of this journal, and since the Spring of 1867, find re- corded the names of more han three hundred and fifty settlers and travellers who have fallen st tue hands of these comparatively harmless Indians, without including some fifteen who have already fallen within the present month Fsnd year) lfsuch a startling array Of facts may be regarded as nought, in comparative sense, the writers ofthe past sadly neglected to record the true relation existing between the Apache and his civilized neigbbor twenty agone. But we will here abandon this Aggression and return to the consideration of that which we imagine to be the most judicious course to be 2 pursued by the people of Southern Arizona. should Gen. Stoneman' report succeed in &C., 5 the unwise purpose, which seems C to be its mission. In this event the people will be bIiged to betake themselves 10 an en- u lirey new 6eld of Industry and enterprise The fret principle to be considered, then, is the . lowest prices at which the necessaries of life C may be supplied, and the means by which reduction necessary to encou rage the pursuits U of agriculture and mining, may be brought about The consideration of this subject will g al once suggest the adoption of the cheapest Is route by which freight may be brought into the Territory, It is clearly evident that if succes u ss expected to reward our industrial pursuits, Il under the new regime the freight route by ' ssyef the Colorado river and Fort Yuma must i. be abandoned. While government supplies | were imported by that route, the interests of d .de settlers along the Gila were sufficient ar 5 gament for it's continuance but now, that we 7. ars abocs to De thrown entirely upon the natu~ ti