National Republican., 1880-09-22
onR ARIzONli LETrER.
"The Most UninViting Country out OF Doore,
But KRmned iull of Mineral Wealth.

SIR: In my letter Of August . | designed
giving you an outline of the journey one has
to mako IN reaching this thinly populated
southwest border section embraced in the ter.
ritorial limits Of the United States.
Let one look at tile map aud lie will sec that
the northern boundary of Arizona is on the
snine line that forms the southern boundary OF
Virginia, aud that the most southerly border
touches line which, when drawn across tho
continent, is that which forms the northern
boundary Of Florida, aud that four degrees Of
latitudc.--frUm thirty.two to thiity.scvcn--are
IN cludcd In the extent Of country north and
south, covered by this territory. Tic eastern
and western lines of longitude embrace about
the same number ofdcgrees, thus showing tho
area of country cOnlUncd within the bounds
of territory destined to attract more attcn.
tiou aud capital In tho future than any Of the
Older states or territories.
Fortunately for those who desire to try their
luck IN u new country, this is now more aeces.
siblo than any section that in years past has
drawn so many from tho east into the hazard
| Gus chances of becoming milliOuaircs from the
| production Of precious minerals The perils
encountered by early settlers or the Pacific
coast. Gnd even IN the mining regions east OF
| the Rocky mountains were such as to prevent
| any but the bOldest adventures from attempt
| ing to gain q foOthOld, whereas one eau now
ride into the heart Of this new country in
palace cars, and by stages to every camp. Six
| or eight years ago no one ventuTed outside Of
town except by night, and then armed to the
| teeth aud on the alert for savages To-day
you can mount your horse and ride all over
| territory with little danger Of being molested.
People come here, however, bearing their arms
and knives, as If going to war, aud some seem
to be spelling for an opportunity to shoot, cut or
| fight something or somebody. Many are
coming from places where the rough side of
civilization has been uppermost, and some
| from the east, from intelligent and refined
communities, and the two sorts form a kind
| of "arf and arf" with u tendency not par.
| ticulary orthodox. II is mistake for mar.
Red men to como here without their wives,
hoping that the condition Of things will im.
prove to that degree In u year or two US to
admit Of sending for thcm. To produce good
society the elements Of 1t need to be intro.
duccd with every new conner who can add
anything and that Is not done by coming
alone, leaving their wives, who are most
instrumental to it, in the east.
The few men who came to this country
years ago took wives from among the natives,
or have them "by proxy" as they say here
when men and women live together unmarried,
common thing, if reports are correct. What
| is true of Arizona in that respect, is more or
less true Of all the new states and territories.
Tho natives here are thrifllcss, iudoent,
| and consequently poor. They live in u rude
manner, their houses being little more than
pens, constructed largely Of stakes, bushes aud
earth. But very few can speak any English,
| and they are really too lazy to learn anything
| beyond that to which they were born. Some
who came from the states seem pleased 10
| get right down TO this semi i-barbarOus Mcxi.
can life, and | have been amused aud as
| tI,.,,, 4
majority Of people coming hcle. Tho men
arc seen everywhere in shirt.sleeves, and Il
| large proportion of them wear oycralls instead
! of panlaloons County officers, lawyers and
men generally may he seen any day with only
u hat shirt, oversls aud slippers on, and |
am Informed that only Il few years since IL
was 10 unusual thing to see them dressed in
| the abandoned style of the Indians. Oar
county treasurer is Il native Washiugtunian,
has been in the territory twenty-five
years and has his secOud Mexican wife.
Should his eastern friends see him in
his Arizona dress | doubt if they could
recognize him. lie is an intelligent,
pleasant gen teman, and, by the way, has Just
unearthed II very rich find" IN the shape OF
| a silver mine.
The most industrious workers here are
| Cinnamon. They work as servants, laundry
men and gardeners-always busy as bees, max.
| ing money where Others would starve. Aft CT
my experience at farming in Virginia / must
say that | admire the industry of tho dcspiscd
Chinaman. Several men who have lived in
Washington or vicinity are doing business
| here, aud it would seem that with the few
who comprise the Eugish-speaking popua
ton they might combine for Il different order
Of things than what now prevails. Every day
OF the week is about the same, only Sunday is
preferred for sports, horse.racing, firing ol
powder and general loosemess. There are
many saloons, much drinking and drunken
ness Many seem very careless with their
own or the lives Of others. Two men have
been shot dead recently. Nearly all die with
their boots on, while among the Mexicans the
| killing of one of their number seems to be re.
gardcd of but little more consequence than
killing a dog On Sunday before last one
Mexican killed another but u short distance
| from US, aud since then they have been plan
| ming for u little fun in taking the murderer
out ofjail aud hanging him, which was spoiled
by timely removal Of the prisoner by the
sheriff. On the evening of the same day OF
the murder u man tried to frightcn some In
dians by throwing gant-powder among them.
While in the act of doing so the powder ex-
ploded in his hand, tearing it entirely of
above tho wrist. 1t is said TO DO fortunate
that no Indian was injured as the consequence
of such brutal piece of business might have
produced a little speGk of war not counted on.
The Pima aud Maricopa Indians are partly
civilized, are friendly aud peaceable. They
are here. more or less Of them, every day, and
although they are not specially invited on &C.
count Of their attraciivenoss or sociabiity
nevertheless they come, aud do no harm. |
see no choice between them and those called
Mexcans. If they would leave of their
paint aud dress a little more bec0mingly
they wouldn't seem quite so foreign To
other people here. They support them
selves by farming, aud are quite rs iu-
dustrious as tho MeXicans. Thl farming
carried on in this country is of the rudest sort,
aud, as a result, but little in the shape OF
crops is harvested Enterprise aud thorough
g0.a.heNd eastern farming would turn this
whole valley of the ella into valuable planta-
tiOns. Everything that is produced finds a
ready market at high figures. All kinds OF
vegetables and fruits, including oranges,
lines aud lemons, can be grown here, but in
the dry season water can he had only by wells
and windmlls or by drawing OF the river lal
enough up stream to have "a constant flow In
the bitches the season through, This they
have not enterprise to do, aud so there is a
scarcity Of everything in the shape Of yoge.
tables and fruits. What We can get costs
much more than most can afford to pay
Colonel Ruggc formerly from Ohio, laid
out this town about eight years ago. Al that
time everything had to bo transported in
freight wagons hundreds of miles aud at great
cost. Lumber could DO had only in limited
quantities. and as cons, quouco the most
OF the buildings have been constructed
out Of earth, straw aud undressed timber But
a.