The Florence tribune., 1899-05-06
HOUSE MEMORIAL No. 4.
To the Senate and house of Representa- tives of the United States in Con
 eress Assembled:

We, your MemoriaiistS, the Nine 1 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, 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 l 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- i bers of such tribes have become charge on
 the Government, and forced by the loss of l their fields into lives of degradation and 1 penury; and
 l Whereas, Such tribes have from the ear 1 Hest days been the friends and allies of the white race; and
 l Whereas The people of the United States 1 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 expendl 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 of the U. S. Geological Survey. of the Buttes reservoir, in Pinal county. Arizona. recently reported. to again reclaim the lauds 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 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 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 following reasons:
 l. 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- ests of humanity dictate that the h. dians should be gathered on the reser- have lands allotted to them in severalty, and that they be furnished 1 with farming implements and an mex haustible supply of water for irriga- bion of their lands, to the end that they may become self By this means vii nome life be furnished for the Indian md he will more rapidly advance in as consequence. He will abandon his nomadic life; his children will be kept at home and educated in schools, instead of being ient to large Indian schools at dis ance where they are kept Gas it would eem) for mere pursoses of show. After being instructed in the arts of civilization for time they arereturned 0 savagery, to become more unhappy md discontented than if they had lever received the questionable advan- ages. We feel that the present. policy f the Indian department is all wrong D this regard.
 5. The Pima and Maricopa Indian
  critic land as lies within the bound ries 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 erds of our farmers and ranchmen for ubsistence.
 4. The construction of a storage res rvoir at the Buttes by the Govern lent offers a plain business proposi- ion for the correction of these evils. Resolved, That the Secretary of the 'erritory be instructed to transmit opy of the foregoing Memorial to our delegate and Delegate-elect in Con ress, and also copy each TO the Presi- ent of the Senate and Speaker of the Iouse of Representatives.
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