The Florence tribune., 1897-09-25
HOUSE MEMORIAL No. 4.
To the Senate and HoUse Of Represents lgs- of the United States in Con-
 gress Assembled:

We. your Memorialists, the Nine teenth Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Arizona, respectfully rep resent that the National Irrigation Congress, held in Phoenix, Arizona. on the 18th of December, A. D. 1696s unanimously adopted the following
 Whereas, The Pima and Maricopa Indians tribes numbering in the aggregate ten thousand souls have been deprived of the waters used by them in irrigation before the advent of the white race in America. through the appropriation of such waters by settlers on the headwaters of theGila river and
 Whereas, Through the loss of such waters the lands once cultivated by these tribes have become barren and worthless, and the mem bers of such tribes have become charge on the Government, and forced by the loss of their fields into lives of degradation and penury and
 Whereas, Such tribes have from the ear Hest days been the friends and allies of the white race; and
 Whereas, The people of the United States have pledged themselves by solemn treaty to protect such tribes in their property and property rights; and
 Whereas, The Government of tho Unitesl States has and ROW is engaged in the expeIadi tnrs of hundreds of thousands of dolla rs for the construction of works of irrigation for the reclamation of lands belonging to other Indian tribes; therefore, be it
 Resolved. That this Congress do approve the proposed construction, under the plans of the U. s. Geological Survey. Of the Buttes reservoir, in Pinal county. Arizona, recently reported. to again reclaim the lands of these tribes. believing that by so doing can the Government alone honorably redeem the broken pledges made by it to these people, and thus preserve from further want and degradation two of the surviving Indian tribes Of the American continent that have always been the constant friends of the white race.
 Resolved. That we approve the proposed construction of such reservoir not only as just and philanthropic, but as economica and good policy. as in a comparatively shert time the expense of maintaining such In- diaus as Government charges will far exceed the cost of the irrigation works required to make them self-supporting and self-re- specting community.
 Now, therefore, your Memorialiets, the Nineteenth Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Arizona, desire to gc on record as earnestly endorsing the above recommendations of the Sixth National Irrigation Congress for the following reasons:
 
 l. The reservoir site referred te having been withdrawn from entry by Government authorities, cannot now be utilized by any private corporation, and the Government therefore occupies the indefensible position of doing noth- ing itself or allowing any one else to improve this great natural reservoir site.
 2. We firmly believe that the inter ests of humanity dictate that the h. dians should be gathered on the reser- vations, have lands allotted to them in severalty, and that they be furnished with farming implements and an mex haustible supply of water for irriga- tion of their lands, to the end that they may become self supporting. By this means will 8 home life be furnished for the Indian and he will more rapidly advance in civilization as a consequence. He will abandon his nomadic life; his children will be kept at home and educated in neighborhood schools, instead of being sent to large Indian schools at a dis tanee where they are kept Gas it would seem) for mere pursoses of show. After being instructed in the arts of civilization for a time they arereturned to savagery, to become more unhappy and discontented than if they had never received the questionable advan- tages. We feel that the present policy of the Indian department is all wrong in this regard.
 3. The Pima and Maricopa Indian reservation contains 9s0. .000 acres of as fertile land as lies within the bound aries of Arizona, and is admirably adapted for homes for these people, as well as the wandering Papagoes, who are now compelled to prey upon the herds of our farmers and ranehmen for subsistence.
 4. The construction of a storage res ervoir at the Buttes by the Govern ment offers plain business proposi- tion for the correction of these evils.
 Resolved, That the Secretary of the