The Florence tribune., 1899-01-28
HOUSE MEMORIAL No. 4.
To the Senate and House of Representa- tives of the United States in Con
 eress 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 l 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 headwatcrs 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 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 it
 D...I,.oI Thot fh;c GanOraSe do anproya the proposed construction. under the plans 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 comparatively short time the expense of maintaining such In
 lians as Government charges will far exceed
 
 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 Government authorities, cannot now be utilized by any private corporation, and the Government therefore occupies the indetensible 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 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 lome 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 will be kept at home and educated in schools, instead of being ent 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 ivilization for time they arereturned o savagery, to become more unhappy nd diseontented 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.
 3. The Pima and Maricopa Indian contains $50, 900 acres of as srtile land as lies within the bound ries of Arizona, and is admirably dapted for homes for these people, as ell as the wandering Papagoes, who re now compelled to prey upon the erds of our farmers and ranchmen for lbsistence.
 4. The construction of 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 { be instructed to transmit [ 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. '