The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1884-08-16
ARIZONA

Inc great american Desert ma
become an Ishmaelite and
Wonderer on the face Ofthe earth
No sooner was it comfortably
settled on the prairies of Xansa
than came the locomotive, tha
grim policeman of the plains
whose shrill whistle calls to th,
vagabond Cfa desert: "Move on
move on, move on, noww Wher
the sandy tramp perched for {
moment among the parks of Co
dorado 1t heard the policeman
rushing through the mountains,
while each rock and canyon gave
back the warning shrek, "move
on, move onw With despairing
hope it clung to the peaks OF
sought shelter in the valleys OF
Utah and New Mexico. But even
there the locomotive, civilizations
silver-starred guardian anu servI-
tor, followed. Scarce waiting to
catch the familiar sound that was
whispered in the distance, the
once proud "Great American
Desert" that had so arrogantIy
claimed all this western country
as its OVID domain, sneaked over
into Arizona, and at last turned,
like thief at bay, to make one
desperate fight for life. I:pointed
to the valleys and said: "They
are barren" 1t glanced at the
plains and declared: "There is
no water" It climbed the noun
tain and cried: "This is empty"
1t summoned the larking Apache
from every ravine, hung the scalp
of the pioneer at his belt, Knocked
at the immigraDt,an said: "ThiS
is for me-" Butthe came men
who answered: 'If you could
have had your way, there would
not he settler west of the Mis-
souri, river; Kansas would be "a
desert and Colorado bowling
wilderness. We will see fer our
selves" They found on the
plains hundreds of miles Of rich
gramma grass and water for vast
herds of stock. They irrigated
the valley and there came great
harvests. They built saw mills in
the forrest and sold the product
in all the surrounding States,
Territories, and countries. They
delved into the hills and found
millions of dollars. Then the
sturdy policeman took that old
hum5ug of a desert-"formerly
of Kansas"-and kicked it into
the Pacific. and said: You were
a thief by profession and a liar by
instinct. You claimed land to
which you had not the shadow Of
a title. You would have cheated
the poor man out of his home
stead in Kansas and Nebraska
and his mining claim in Colorado
and New Mexico. You would
have poisoned his children in the
cities, starved them in Europe or
repressed their every energy in
some little 10X12 eastern state.
S. you would have swindled him
out of the thousand opportunities
offered in Arizona. But the
bones of your Apache confederate
bleach on the mountain side. His
squaw draws government rations
on the reservation, and his
children con the spelling book
and wear the little suits of blue
at Albuquerque, Lawrence, and
Carlisle. Your boasted title to
Arizona was only the echo of the
the fears of towards and sluggalds
who died long ago. You are a
myth-a tradition. For you there
is no room in America, the land
of energy and pluck. There is
the ocean before you, Move on,
move on, move on, noww And
an echo comes from the banks of
the Missouri, "a mith-a tridi.
ton; no room for you move onu'
Arizona is no Eden. The last
earthly paradiSa was Closed fol