The Florence tribune., 1898-04-09
HOUSE MEMORIAL No. 4.
To the Senate and House of Representa- lives of the United States in Con
 aress Assembled:

9reSS 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. 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 aa'eneof the white race in America, through the appropriation of such waters by settlers on the headwaters of theGiia river; and
 "hereas, Through the loss Of such waters the iaudso once cultivated by these tribes have become barren and worthless, and the meu,- pers Of sueh tribes have become q charee nm the Government, and forced by the loss of 'helr neids into lives of degradation and penury; and
 Whereas, Such tribes have from tba ear. Hest days been the friends and allies of tbe whiteraee; and
 Whereas, The people of the United Sto+as have pledged themselves by solemn treaty to protect such tribes in their prot,ertv anl property rights; and
 Whereas, The Government of the T1ni4e5 states has and siow is engaged in the expendi tnre or hundreds of thousands of dollars for .he construction of works of irrigation for the reclamation of lands belonging to otbar Indian tribes; therefore, be it
 resolved, That this Congress do approve the proposed Construction, under the nlans ol the U. $. Geological Survey. of the Rnt+es reservoir In Pinal county, Arizona. racar+l, iepor'eo' 70 again reclaim the lands of those S.ADes' Oeileving that by so doing can tho eoserhiheht alone honorably redeem inc Dio~eh pledges made by it to these neonle sn" 'ans preserve from further want and h"uatioh two of the surviving Indian -ioes ol the American continent that have race. Oi 'ne :" hlte hesoiVed, That we approys tba nro.,<s,., construction of such reservoir not onIv as '-s. ana pnlianthropie, but as economical .--'u good policy, as in comparatively short tune the expense of maintaining sncb IT. ui's"s us 1oFernnent charges will far exeaeJ me cost of the irrigation works rsa,,irs5 =, llA''Ae them self-supporting and seIf-ra- specting community.
 Now, therefore, your. Menor;o1ists 1ne Nineteenth Legislative Assemblv of the Territory of Arizona. desire to oo on record as earnestly endorsipe inc above recommendation of the Sixth National Irrigation Congress for tbe following reasons:
 l. The reservoir site referred .n having been withdrawn from ent.v b,, GoVernment authorities, cannot now De utilized by any private corporation ana the Government therefore oceuni4s the indefensible position of doing notb- ing itself or allowing any one elss to improve this great natural reservoir site.
 7. Vie firmly believe that the inter- ests of humanity dictate that the In- 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 ipex- haustible supply of water for irriga- tion of their lands. to tba
 
 end that they may become salf- supporting. By this means w;Il home life be furnished for the Indian ana he will more rapidly advance in 1 civilization as a consequence. He will I abandon his nomadic life his children will be kept at home and educated in [ neighborhood schools, instead of beino sent to large Indian schools at a dis tance where they are kept Gas it would seem) for mere pursoses of show After being instructed in the arte of civilization for time they arereturned 10 savagery, to become more unhappy and dlscontented than if they had never received the questionable adv,p- tages- We feel that the present policy of the Indian department is all wrong in this regard.
 ,. The Pima and Maricopa Indian reservation contains 350, GOO acres of os fertile land as lies within the bound- aries of Arizona, and is admirablv adapted for homes for these peonle as well as the wandering Papaooes 1vho are now 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- tlon for tue correction of these evils.
 Resolved, That the Secretary of the Territory be instructed to transmit copy of the foregoing Memorial to our Delegate and Delegate-elect in Con- gress, and also copy each to the Presi- dent of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives