Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-10

must rcmembc arc said to be lower down in the scale of civilization than any other tribe This is little hard to believe by one who has visited, as have, the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico. It docs not seem possible thcrc could he a dirtier, lower, lousicr lot than they. However. am told here that, though the Ctcs are quick enough to acquire must of the vices of civ ilization, they absorb few of its virtues. Scarcely n scorc of Uintahs and White Rivers and not one of the Cncompahgres will send their children to school. The most advanced members of tho tribe barely know enough of tho art of industry to drive a team or plant, cultivate or harvest a crop In the crudcst possible way
 The Ctcs arc tribe known as blanket Indians. They will live in tcpccs and will not ndopt tho entire dress of civilization, though they will sometimes top off their aboriginal fincry with all old smashed in silk hat. The result is absolutely ridicu- lous. The southern Utcs have n perfect passion for whisky and arc, moreover, both bucks and squaws. confirmed gamblers. many of them being absolute plungcrs- They come into Durango and sell few trinkC;s, then delight to 20 into some gambling house and throw down n hand full of silver, only to sec it quickly swept away.
 The CtCs themselves are anxious to go farther west, nearer the Navajocs- They arc fond of visiting this tribe, who arc their friends and relatives, and their res ervation in Utah would adjoin that of the Navajoes If they were allowed to go.
 This southern Ito reservation is 11O miles long and h miles in width from north to south. It is crossed by seven the mountains to the north, and which flow southcrly across the reservation. Tho first bottoms of these rivers arc narrow and contain but little farming lands, but lying between these rivers and at m ele vation of from 100 to 800 feet above them are large tracts of level mesa" or table lands. There are some $50. 900 acres of these "mesa" lands, and they extend southward into New Mexico and consti- tute the most valuable farming lands in this country. No portion of this table land can be farmed without irrigation. nor can it he irrigated save by means of large ditchcs having their beginning in or above the reservation and extending through 1t and requiring great capital to construct and maintain.
 Now, on this entire reservation the Utes have only about 300 acres under actual cul- tivation, and even these are worked by MexiCans, who rent the land of the Utes. Here lies this reservation like wall be- tween the summer anu NlnItE OI the cattlemCn. The cowboys are constant ly driving their herds back and forth Here is all this rich and valuable farming land going to waste for the sake of few worthless. lazy. shiftless Indians Here this barren strip interfcres with communi- cation between the settlements of New Mexico and Colorado and materially hin ders the development of the mining inter ests of the rich San Juan. No wonder the people of this country arc so desirous to compass the removal of this tribe farther west.
 The trespasscs of tho Indians upon the land of the whites as well as those of the whites upon the lands of the Ctes aro a oon-
 stant menace to tho safety of isolated set tiers as well as to tho Indians. Therc is no way of avoiding these trespassers- The | whites must often pass over the reserva- | ton, and as many of the Utes have to | travel f5 and oven 100 miles weekly to | Ignacio to get their rations it IS not possi-
 bio to avoid going through the lands of tho whites. The Ctes are also obliged to | leave tho reservation for game and forage. If Uncle Sam would brace up and put
 them near the thrifty Savaioes, whose i'm | dustry would bc an example to them, gtv- l ing them pasture lands where thoy might
 raise stock, 1t would bo n day of jubilee
 both for the Ute reservation and south l western Colorydo.
 EDITH SESSIONS TUPPER