The Florence tribune., 1898-04-16
HOUSE MEmoRIAL,No. 4.
To the Senate and House of Reprssenta- lives 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. o1 the 18th of December, A. 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 tIe haven't or 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 cultivatedb by these tribes have become barren and worthless, and the naem- bers of slch 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 tho friends and allies of inc white race; and
 whereas The people of the United States have pledged themselves by solemn treaty to protect sneh 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 it
 Resolved. That this Congress do approve the proposed construction, under the plans or the U. .S Geological Survey. of the Buttes reservoir, in Pinal county, Arizona. recently reported. to again reclaim the lands of thesa tribes' believing that by so doing can tho uoVernment alone honorably redeem tho Droken pledges made by it to these neonla anu thus preserve from further want a,,5 desradat1on two of the survivino Tndian Irioes of the American continent that have aiWaSs been the constant friends of tba u,bi+. race. oi siie VI nite hesolSed' That We approve the pronose5 construction of such reservoir not o,,l,, as Just and philanthropic. but as eco,o,,,;.,t ana good policy, as in a comparativel, shC,,.+ time the expense of maintaip;ns srcb T,,- ui'Aiis ', as 0oYernment charges will far exceed 'ne cost or the irrigation works required to make them a self-supporting and self-re- speeting community.
 Now, therefore, your Memor;ai;sts the Nineteenth Legislative Assembly, Of the Territory of Arizona, desire to ro on record us earnestly endorsing the above recommendations of the S;x,h National Irrigation Congress for tba following reasons:
 l. The reservoir site referred 4o having beea withdrawn from entry bv Government authorities, cannot now be utilized by any private corporation ana the Government therefore occunias the indetensible position of doing notb. Ing itself or allowing any one else to improve this great natural reservo;r site.
 2 We firmly believe that the inter- ests of humanity dictate that the Tn dlans 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 irr;oa- ton of their lands, to the end that they may become self supporting. By this means will nome life be furnished for the Indian and he will more rapidly advance in civilization as consequence. He will abandon his nomadic life; his children will be kept at home and educated in 1 nelghborhood schools, instead of being l sent to large Indian schools at dis 1 sanee where they are kept Gas it would | seem) for mere pursoses of show Alter being instructed in the arts of | civilization for time they are returned to savagery, to become more unbannv and discontented than if they had never received the questionable adv.n tages. We feel that the present noliev of the Indian department is all yvr,nr in this regard.
 3. The Pima and Maricona rna;ou reservation contains 35O, ,0OO acres of as fertile land as lies within the bound. aries of Arizona, and is admirablv 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 ranchmen for subsistence.
 I. The construction of storage res- ervoir at the Buttes by the Govern ment offers plain business proposi- | ton for the correction of these evils.
 Resolved, That the Secretary of the Territory be instructed to transmit a copy of-ti1e foregoing Memorial to our Delegate and Delegate-elect in Con- gross, and also 9 copy each to the Presi- dent of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives.