The Florence tribune., 1898-01-22
HOUSE MEMORIAL No 4.
To the Senate and house of Representa- tives 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. lSsp, unanimously adopted the following l Whereas, The Pima and Maricopa Indians tribes numbering Tn the sg~regete ten thousand souls, have been deprived of the wafers used by them in irrigation before he | aiyentof the whlteracei in America, through tiss appropriation Of such waters by settfeks on the headwaters of theGila riveri and
 Whereas, Through the loss of such gsateFs the lands once cultivated by these tribes have become barren and worthless and the rsem- Ders of such tribes nave become d 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 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 | the reclamation of lands belonging to other Indian tribes; therefore, be 1t 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 economical and good policy, as in a comparatively short time the expense of maintaining such In dians as Government charges will far xcced the cost of the Irrigation works required to make them self-supporting and self-re- specting community.
 Now, therefore, your Memorialists, the Nineteenth Legislative Assembly of the Territory Of Arizona, desire to 70 on record as earnestly endorsing the aboge recommendations of the si1sh Nati5nal Irrigation Congress 5or tbsi following reasons:
 | The reservoir site referred to having been witbdrawn from entry br Government authorities, cannot ncw be utilized by any private corporation, and the Government therefore occupiss the indefensible position of doing noSa- 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 inex-. haustible supply of water for irriga- ton of their lands, to the end that they may become self supporting. By this means will a home life be furnished for the Indian sad he will more rapidly advance ih ci, ii4ation as consequence. He win abandon his nomadic life; his children will be kept at home and educated in neighborhood schools, instead of being sent 10 large Indian schools at a dis. tance wbere they are kept Gas it would seem) for mere pursoses of show, After beiog instructed in the arts of civilization for time they are returned to savagcry, to become more unhappy aud discontented than if they had never received the questionable advau- tages. We feel that the present policy of the Indian department is all wl.5nr ia this regard.
 3. The Pima and Marieopa Indian reservation contains 350, ,00a acresaf az fertile land as lies within the boand- 1 2 eS ot Arizona and ts admirably adapied for homes for these people, as well as the wandering Papagoes, who are DOW compelled to prey upon the herds of our farmers and ranchmen 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 Territory be instructed to transmit a copy of the foregoing Memorial to our
 Delegate and Delegate-elect in Con- gress, and also copy each to the Presi- dent of ihe Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives