The Florence tribune., 1899-01-21
HOUSE MEMORIAL No. 4.
To the Senate and House of Representa- 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, or
 the 18th of December, A. D. 1896
 unanimously adopted the following: Whereas, The Pima and Maricopa Indian:
 tribes numbering in the aggregate ter
 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 n charge on
 the Government, and forced by the loss oi
 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 always been the constant friends ofthe 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 exceed the cost of the irrigation works required to make them a self-supporting and self-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 reasons:
 1. The reservoir site referred to having been withdrawn from entry by 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- ssts of humanity dictate that the h. iians should be gathered on the reser- have lands allotted to them in l 'everalty, and that they be furnished l with farming implements and an inex- laustible supply of water for irriga- ion of their lands, to the md that they may become self By this means will a Iome life be furnished for the Indian nd he will more rapidly advance in Utilization as a consequence. He will | bandon his nomadic life; his children rill be kept at home and educated in schools, instead of being ent to large Indian schools at a dis ance where they are kept Gas it would eem) for mere pursoses of show. liter being instructed in the arts of Utilization for time they arereturned 0 savagery, to become more unhappy nd discontented than if they had ever received the questionable advan- ages. We feel that the present policy the Indian department is all wrong l this regard.
 8. The Pima and Maricopa Indian contains $50, ,000 acres of as ,rtile land as lies within the bound -ies of Arizona, and is admirably iapted for homes for these people, as ell as the wandering Papagoes, who -e now compelled to prey upon the srds of our farmers and ranchmen for Ibsistence.
 4. The construction of q storage res voir at the Buttes by the Govern ent offers plain business proposi- on for the correction of these evils. Resolved, That the Secretary of the erritory be instructed to transmit a py of the foregoing Memorial to our elegate and Delegate-elect in Con 'ess, and also copy each to the Presi- mt of the Senate and Speaker of the ouse of Representatives.