The Florence tribune., 1897-08-21
HOUSE MEMORIAL No. 4.
To the Senate and House of Representa- lives of the United States in Con
 gross AssembIeds'

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, 4. D. 1896, 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 riveri 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 acharge 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 liest 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 the United | States has and now is engaged in the expendi | ture of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the construction of works of irrigation for 1 the reclamation of lands belonging to'other Indian tribes; therefore, be it
 | Resolved That this Congress do approve l the proposed construction, under the plans of the U. s. Geological Survey. of the Buttes
 t t feciarn efe S Ilfss si: oI SlIes
 tribes, believing that by so doing can the i Government alone hpnorably redeem the l broken pledges made by it to these people and thus preserve from further want and degradation two of the surviving Indian 1 tribes. of the American continent that have | always beenthe constant friends of the white | race.
 Resolved, That we approve the proposed
 construction of such reservoir not only as 1 just and philanthropic, but as economica | and good policy, as in. a comparatively short
 time the expense of maintaining such In-
 dians as Government charges will far exceed
 the cost of the irrigation works required to
 make them seIf-supperting and seIf-re- specting community.
 Now, therefore, your Memorialists
 the Nineteenth. Legislative Assembly
 of the Territory of Arizona, desire to go
 on record as earnestly endorsing the
 above recommendations of the Sixth
 National Irrigation Congress for the
 following reasons:
 l. The reservoir site referred to
 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 tliey be furnished with farming implements and an inex- haustible supply of water for irriga- tion of their lands, to the end that they may become self supporting. By this means will 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 hone.and educated in neighborhood schools, instead of being 1 sent to large Indian schools at dis 1 tance where they are kept (as it would | seem) for mere pursoses of show. l After being instructed in the arts of | a time they are returned 1 to savagery, to become more unhappy | and discontented than if they had never received the questionable advan- bages. We feel that the present policy of the Indian department is all wrong n this regard.
 8. The Pima and Maricopa Indian contains 350,000 acres of as critic land as lies. within the bound tries of Arizona, and is admirably .dapted for homes for these people, as yell as the wandering Papagoes, who ] re now compelled to prey upon the { Ierds of our farmers and ranchmen for ubsistence. 4. The construction of storage res rvoir at the Buttes by the Govern l nent offers a plain business proposi- ion for the correction of these evils. Resolved, That the Secretary of the