The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1883-08-04

portant occurrence, in view of the
ceremonies INDUCED in.
The general made a good speech.
well meant, but which. without
any fault OF his, turned out to be
somewhat OF a delusion if not a
snare. A few passages may be
quoted for the use OF historical
students
"MR. ALcALDE AND PEOPLE OF
New MExtCo :-Ihave come among
you by orders of my government
to take possession Of your country
and extend over it the laws of the
United States.
\ y y y
We came amongstyOu as friends
not as enemies ; as protectors, not
as conquerors. Henceforth ! alb
solve YOU from all allegiance to the
Mexican government, and from all
obedience to Coy. Armijo.
/ shall expect you to take up
arms and fight your own people,
who may oppose me /; but | now
tell you that those who remain
~peaceably at home, attending their
crops and herds, shall be protected
by me in their property their per-
sons and their religion, and not an
onion OIL a pepper shall be taken by
my troops without pay, or by the
consent Of the owner. But listen /!
He who promises to be quiet and
is found in arms against me | will
hang"
So far, SO good. By the Ameri-
can soldiers, as l can vouch for the
ten months | remainedin the coun-
try, the people were unmolested
and the generals word made good.
We paid for everything, and |
never heard ola case of theft or out
rage. But he promised a great
deal more
"From the Mexican government
you have never received protection.
The Apaches and Navajoes come
down from the mountains and
carry off your sheep, and even
women, whenever they please.
The government will correct all
this. 1t will keep off the Indians,
protect you in your persons and
property, and | repeat again, will
protect you in your religion"
These were brave words, author
lied by orders from Washington,
and believed by the general when
uttered. So far as religion and
the general treatment Of Mexicans
by Americans is concerned, the
promises have been fairly perform
ed. But the protection against
Indians, so solemnly promised, and
the mention of which caused the
Las Vegas alcalde to grin with sat
isfaction, has never been realized.
The people OF New Mexico never
received the protection against the
savagos promised by Gen. Kear-
ney. His pledges made in good
faith, were for more than a third Of
a century practically repudiated
by the authorities at Washington.
Yet the much-abused people Of the
territory remain loyal to a govern
ment that had not kept its pledges,
and only a few manifested any hos
tile spirit from 1851 to 1865.
The failure to control the Indians
was not only a fragrant violation Of
good faith, but did much to retard
the growth Of the territory. Igno-
rance, stupidity, conceit and red
tape at Washington-possibly with
a little spice OF fraud mixed in
have caused many lives to be sacri-
feed, and many homes to be desc
lated and at last the Indian evils
will be finally cured, rather by the
private purses that build railroads
into the country, stock its pastures
and open its mines than by the
government at Washington, which
has never yet handled the Indian
problem with common sense.
Nor has the treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, made with Mexico by our
government. 1t provided that
Mexicans who remained in the
coded country should have their
possessions assured to them, which
meant that the owners of lands
should hold their possessions with
out disturbance. 1t was supposed
that if the United States should
claim any part of the territory as
public domain, the government
would at its own cost find out what
it might be entitled to, and in do
ing this, necessarily ascertain the
boundaries Of private estates. But
congress has required all claimants
oflands under Spanish or Mexican
laws to pay for the surveys, and af-
to, thte ;pf,e+;on 50 ,,I,,stt.l =. n. |