Arizona weekly miner., 1875-08-20
IRREGULARITY AT APACHE AND THE INDIAN AGENCY AT THAT
 PLACE.

That the policy of removing Indians iron
 place to place is bad, there can be but on'
 opinion by those having any knowledge of In
 dian character. They form attachments fol
 the ground on which they live and are harc
 to make understand that it is best to break
 up their homes when they have put in crops
 and got fixed 10 live comfortably.
 Tue massing of tribe. together that have
 been at war is also source of dissatisfaction
 that is apt 10 lead to trouble. We know
 that the Indian department has theory that
 the Indians can be made self-sustaiDing by
 eventually collecting them all on one reserve and placing them under one superintendent
 but it does seem to be a hazardous experi- ment, so soon after they have ceased hostil- ties, to trihe with them and go back on promises made to them, that they supposed, coming as they did from Gen. Howard, were sacred and unchaDgeable.
 We do not impugn the motives that prompt these changes, nor do we defend them, because it is not given to any one to understand the thoughts and consciences of .otbcrs, but it is safe to say that the policy of frequent removal of half tanned Indians from place to place is wrong, whether it be simp- Iy a mistake, or done corruptly. We are DO partizan of the military nor of the civil ser vice; have no axes to grind, and only seek to represent them fairly. When we are told that the military are all saints and Indian agents all fIends, or that the Indian agents are all cherubs and the military devils, we don't believe word of it; we are 10th to believe in the total depravity of any class of people as a class. Even postmasters are sometimes honest notwithstanding recent de- veiopments. Some arms of the service may present greater opportunities and tempta- tions, but, other things being equal, it will be found in the end that mankind, as to classes, are all endowed with about the same passions, aspirations and desires and the fact of ones being a soldier and another a civil lian is no proof that one is thief and the other an honest man, or Uisa rerSa.
 To secure success in the management of cers of the general government must work together harmoniously, and we think it high time that the authorities at Washington should take pains to define their functions rather than continue to leave them in the distressing state of not knowing at what moment one branch or the individuals there of may encroach upon the other, and again irritate the tender point of authority, and resard the machinery and economy of gov ernment to which they are all servants alike.
 To become the partzan of either in such contest would be to give up one's indepen- dence, and 10 pretend to know the right from the CT pa,te statements of one side would be to form a nasty and unreliable judgement. We therefore propose to give such facts as come into our possession and leave the reader to judge of their import.
 In removing the Indians from White Noun tain agency-which we think was an error in policy--the agent adopted means that are claimed by the military to be harsh, unreason able and opposed to economy, viz: the burn ing of the quarters, thus destroying large amount of property that could have been made useful at Camp Apache.
 We infer from the reading of letter which we publish herewith, and which was brought to Mir. Cooiy, the guide, by an h. dian. to be interpreted, that the Indian agent, or his employee at least, who appears to have written to him, regarded the burn ing as a master stroke of policy in persuad- ing the Indians to be satisfied with the re- moval. Cooley, after reading the letter, sent it to the commandant at Apache, and he to A. A. A. General Wilhelm, who hands it to us f,r publication, with the reports of Major Ogilby and Lieut.. Whitney. We have also received a long letter from Col. Hodge, bear ing on the same matter, but these reports cover the whole ground 30 completely that we omit 1t. Here is the letter of the en- ployee of the Indian agent:
 TIE AFORESAID AGENCY, July 26.
 Crazy Tom and companions have agreed to my opinion, i.e. to go to San Carlos and come back when the corn is ripe Many are weakening; they interpret the burning rightly and seem to think it has all the mean ing of the burning of their huts, viz: the death of affairs connected with them and change of base.
 Now that we have conquered (for know we have), l want to set fire to Migeil's proud insulting nasty castle, and burn ali his hopes and comforts. What do you think 2 will fla ther all that is done, that you do not want to, but would like to have done.
 The parties going to Decebicco have all gone and few except scouts come about ex- cept those have mentioned. I caught tbe Tonto captain selling one sack of four had given him, to Cooh-kie, for powder, and took it away. Tom is saying he is such good Indian, and although he is slow to compre- bend he is very earnest in what he believes, md that is what I like Pitone says be dnas