Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-03-03
Mineral Lands on Reservations
 fSIiver Beltl

A bill has been introduced in the House by Representative Hermann, to provide for tn sale of mineral lands on Indian reservations and also sllO9ing the use of timber oB such reservation for mining purposes. While there Is not one chance ID ten of such measure re- ceiviDg favorable consideration by the present Congress, yet 1t is well 10 sgitate the matter and bring to the attention of the Government the fact that there are mineral lands of great value located up- on many of the Indian reservations m the West, and which in a great majority of cases are perfectly useless to the h. disns. being available for no otter pur- pose than mining.
 The White Mountain, or San Carlos, reservation furnishes an example in points, having within its boundaries gold, silver and copper deposits of known richness, as well ss valuable coal veins which. If their development were per mitted by the Government, would result in untold benefit to Arizona. bring to us a large increase of population, and cBpi- tBl for the development of our latent Fe- sources, of which We stand so much in need. Most of these mineral lsnds, too,
  tion, 10 mountainous regions, of no pTRc- tIcal use to the Indians snd lItfle ire quented by them. and # would be DO loss tO the Indians were these sections GU. off from the reserve and thrown open to settlement by whites.
 The richest silver ledge in this county. Tor instance, IS probably that running through what Is known Gb McMllleD, rrraE l.. NN.s. A Al
 vatiOn, and upon which the StOnewAlI, the Hannibal aud other partially deve- lOped claims are locats1. and which have already-vOrked under the existing dis Rdvantages-yIelded several hundred thousand dollars "a bullion; and it this small area, a few miles square in extent, could be cut off from the reservation. mining operations would be Gcti- vely begun there by a company with sm- pie capital. and new life would be infus- ed into mining n thIs section. An efort ls now being made, through influential men st Washington, Co have this done.
 Then there are the Deer creek coal fields near the southern lIue of ths reser- vation. and coal deposits of perhaps much greater value north. near Apache. A coal mine that wonli yield fair nAbhLt ui coal uA ktNu QuAlltJ, located ID the interior of the Territory would be of more benefit than several gold or sil- yer mines, ss it would insure the imma- diste construction of railroad trsvers- ing the Territory from north to south. between the Atlantic G Pacific end Southern Pacific roads, opening up a rs- zion of vast richness which, isolatef cz 1t is, now lies uudeveloped.
 As we have alr0ady said, # is not like ly that Mir. Hermann's bill will receive favorable action from Congress. as it vould not be practical to permit the in- vssion of Reservations by whites simply upon the preteIt of prospecting and dr- veloping mineral lands, but where the deposits lie at or near the boundary lines. they should be cut of in justice to the white population of the Territo- ries, who laboring under many hardships l are developing the pablic domain, which | without their e1ertions would be value | less to the Government; and especially | should thls be granted when, as IS the | case vIth the White Mountain reservg- ton. the lands devoted to use of the h. l disns is of far greater extsnt thsn ucces- sity requires