The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1878-05-04
OUR DISGRACE.
Dying by Scores.

The Indian Reservation, above La Paz,
is now occupied by 1900 to 1900 Indians OF
the Colorado River. Among them are now
transporting scenes that disgrace humanity
These Indians have maintained perfect
peace for the past twenty years. Under
promise of assistance and instruction
they were induced to abandon their homes
along the river and concentrate upon the
reservation. This promise was for time
partially fulfilled. But, for the past five
years, there has been no teacher or school
provided for them, and their children are
growing up (what are not dying) in lgnor
ance and superstition far denser than in
their happier days of freedom. They were
induced to abandon their moist planting
grounds by promise of a large ditch for
irrigating the higher ground of the reser-
Walton. Another delusion. For several
years they have had given them neither
food, tools, seeds, instruction, nor fair op
portunity for making living after their
own methods. Since last October neither
Agent nor employees have received dollar
of pay from the Government. These poor
Indian wretches have until lately subsisted
on lizards, roots and seeds produced bv
the desert around their reservation, going
miles for few handsful of grass-seed borne
in some favored spot. This Spring small
pox has sconrged them with a virulence
only possible among starving, shelterless,
medicineless, hopeless wards of the Great
United States. While bloody handed Apa-
ches are getting fat and rich-in-cattle at
San Carlos, these peaceful, humble friends
are dying of want and disease on the Col
orado. The utter dcstituuon of these poor
people cannot be depicted. DR.. Taggart
went up there to attend the Agent, who
has himself been sick at deaths door.
He found a condition of affairs truly shock
ing. In one camp near the Agency, ont
of less than 300 Indians, ninety-four were
down in various stages of smallpox, and
twenty deaths had occurred up to April %.
He searched the entire camp through for
provisions, finding less than ten pounds of
everything edible. The same state of af-
fairs was reported from other camps The
Agent has been authorized to purchase
five hundred dollars worth Of flour for
subsisting 1900 Indians for the year COM
mencing the first of next July. He has
taken the responsibility of buying and
now issuing a little -four on his personal
credit, in an effort to relieve immediate
distress; a mere drop in the bucket. DR..
Taggart found less than five dollars worth
of medicines on the reservation and no
vaccine virus at all, and no authority nor
money for buying any. He came back
here, ordered virus to be sent at once from
San Francisco, via Ehrenberg, gathered up
such medicines as he could get here, and
started back to the reservation by steam
er last Wednesday. He says that if the
government ever pays him for this medi-
cine and attendance, it is all right; if not
he will consider it lent to the Lord; but he
cannot help doing what he may, to relieve
a misery and suffering worse than anything
he ever before heard of. He says that there
are now upon the reservation not single
surgical instrument fit for use, nor medi-
cines adapted to the most common all
ments. But these poor, sick wretches are
dying for want of food, more than for want
of medicine.
DR.. Taggart's statements are more than
corroborated by those of others.
We ask our Delegate to stand up and |
tell Congress that, on the banks of the !
Colorado River, there are 1900 human be-
ings, W rds of the United States, now be-
ing decimated by famine and disease. We
call on him to recite the facts above stated :
and to demand that the same care and |
protection be gwen to what may be left
Of these Indians, as have been afforded to
Apaches. Let him demand official inves-
tigation of these matters, that its record
may so appal Congress, as to prevent their
repetition elsewhere. Let him ask that
the promises of the Nation to these forlorn
Indians be fulfilled at once, and before the
last spark of hope is crushed out of the
survivors of such man-abandoned, God
forsaken woe.
IN denOuncing petitions circu-
lated for personal ends, we a few
l.