Arizona silver belt., 1896-04-16
MILITARY MISRULE.


 Lamont, Secretary of War, sent reply to Delegate N O. Murphy informing him that the Honorable Secretary of the Interior, the Commissioner of h. dian Affairs, the Major General com. manding the army, and the Acting Indian Agent at San Carlos, coucurred in the opinion that it was not advisable to disarm the Apaches, Alfred Hand, an inoffensive citzen, and confirmed invalid, was murdered and the body horribly mutilated by Apache Indians, near Cave creek.
 The coincidence serves to emphasize the incompetence of the general gov ernment in dealing with the Indian question in Arizona. While the atro cious murder of Alfred Hand is deplorable, such incidents are of com mon occurrence in Southeastern Ari, zona; the people expect them, and have long since ceased to look to the mill tary for protection-if any were so credulous as to hope for succor, from that quarter, from the Apache fiends, or for their arrest and punishment for crimes committed.
 The arrogance of the military and their jealousy of the civil authorities have engendered in the minds of off. cers acting as Indian agents a disregard, and opposition, even, to the interests and lawful rights of citizens. To such an extent has this prejudice grown that officers of Gila county, who went to Fort Apache to demand the arrest of Indian criminals, were bluntly told by the sub-sgent that his sympathies were with the Indians.
 Waving the question of the Indians duplicity and his resistance to civiliz. ing influence, is it desirable or prudent that the military branch of the govern. ment should be retained in control of Indian reservations? Does the policy in force promote the welfare of the Indians or the peace and prosperity of the Southwest? We think not, and all who are familiar with the history of the Apaches will concur in that opinion
 IL wss only few months ago that the Merrills, father and daughter, were slain by Indians, near Ash springs, Graham county, and similar killings by Apuches occur every little while. After each murder show of activity is made by the military, who, aftera few days scouting, return empty handed to their posts.
 The whole business is farce. The record of military operations against the Apaches reveals one of the greatest fiascos in the history of modern war fare. Millions upon millions of dol. lars have been expended to subdue the Apaches and the result has been dismal failure. The hostile tribes, comprehended under the name of Apaches, who live in the northern part of the White Mountain reservation, numbering 700 or 800 warriors, have never been dIsarmed or placed under snbjection. Many of them live from forty to seventy five miles from the sub-agency of Fort Apache, and are under no restraint whatever, maintain ing themselves by depredating upon settlers adjacent to the reservation. These are the same Indians that gave battle to Colonel Carr's command, killed Captain Hentig and ten of his men, and pursued the soldiers to Apache and fired upon them in the fort.
 The military dare not attempt to disarm the Apaches They have vivid recollection of General Crooks ex- pedition to Sonora against Geronimo, and the capture of Crooks command by the hostiles. The United States army has failed in its attempt to control she Indians. It does not contain enough of the material of which soldiers are made-such soldiers as swelled the ranks of the contending armies during the War of the Rebellion. And when our country is again called upon to defend her honor by the arbitrament of war, it will be the volunteer soldiery, the patriotic citizens of the Republic, who will fight her battles and carry her flag to victory, as they did in every war since the declaration of inde- pendence.