Salt River herald., 1879-02-05
THE PRESIDENTS ORDER.

The rccent order of President Hayes, withdrawing certain lands from settlement and location in Salt River valley, seems 10 be misunder- stood ny many at least, if not by q majority of the people mes. deeply interested, as well as by many people outside of the limits defined in the order. It does not, as we understand it, propose to make grand rcserva- ton of the Salt Ricer valley. It sim ply withdraws what is now public land, which is really the unoccupied land within the limits described.
 In the constitution of the United States, article 9th, it is declared in plain terms that private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation" This would seem to be answer sufficient to the proposition that the presidents order will take our lands away from Us whether we care to sell or not. The government can only take pri- vate property .Tor public Use, and we do not understand that the establish mcnt of an Indian reservation comes within the meaning of the words of the constitution.
 As 10 the unoccupied lands of this valley, we are of the opinion that the inhabitants need have no fears that the government will ever attempt to settle the Indians in small bands in their midst. The question of d water right and irrigation will be sure 10 arise and interpose itself in the way of any such arrangement, ii it is for q moment contemplated by the author ties.
 However unwisc the issuance of such an order may be-whether il is the result of ignorance as to the real condition of this valley, or the actual necessities of the Indians, or whether it has been instigated by some malig- nant wretch, or wretches,-the fact is evident that it cannot result in any great permanent injury to the valley or the people. The wrong contem- plated by it. if it means what at first appears to be its intent, Is too gross and stupendous to be permitted by any people or any government. Its utter cnormiiy will defeat il, ii that is what is meant and intended. The actual necessities of the Indians dc not require the use of such a vast tract of land, and the welfare of the people of the whole territory demands that the white settlers shall have the land for their use. No matter how much our noble allies may have as sisted us in ridding this territory oi inc ApacheS, they and their particu lar friends and champions. whether military or civil, must remember that until the hardy and daring pioneer, first settled this valley, the Indian: never dared to venture upon the culti vation of any of its broad and fertile acres, and now that We have reclaim ed it, will the government seek tC make Us share il with them, or giv, to them more than half of it, when i is needed to assist its citizens in de vclo?ing the remainder of the terri tory? That the Indians do not nee( it will be apparent to any person whC is at all acquainted with the Indian mode of living and cultivating tn, soil. The whole of both the Pim; and Maricopa tribes have never culti vated five thousand acres of land il one year, and il is not likely they eve will. Then why give them so mucl of the finest portion of this territor, to keep as a barren waste when tn people need it?