The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-09
MEXICO TO
BLAME FOR
YAQUl WAR
Treacherous Treatment of
the Indians by General
Carlo.
OLD FEUD AWAKENS
determination of the Tribe Means
Disaster to the State Of
Sonora.
Bv GUSTAV Essen.


ed. The question at issue is not merely
if the Yaquis are to be conquered or
not, but the whole welfare of the coun-
try is at stake. If the war is continued
until the Yaquis are pacifed or exter-
minated dire disaster is sure to befall
that beautiful State. The extermina-
ton of the Yaqui Indians simply means
the destruction of the manual labor in
Sonora The Yaquis are not only the
best and most trusted workers in Soz
nora, but they constitute the largest
number of able workingmen in that
State.
The Yaquis can in no way be COM
pared with the Indians of this coast.
nor with any other Indians in the
United States, except, perhaps, the
Cherokees and a few other tribes
known for their peacefulness and for
their love of application to agriculture.
Since the very first settlement of So
nora by the Spaniards the Yaquis have
inhabited a small triangular territory
situated in the delta of the Yaqui River
and extending from the Gulf to place
inland called Buena Vista. A few va
quis are settled as far up as Comurifa,
but the principal Yaqui country is as
just stated further down the coast. In
this territory the Yaquis were found by
the Spaniards, and their tradition is
that here they have resided from i'm
memorial times. For centuries the
Mexican Government acknowledged
the right of the Yaquis to live in and to
cultivate this territory and for centu-
rieS the YaquiS remained peacefully at
their work of cultivating the soil and
as general labOrerS elsewhere. Within
now retained an independent govern
ment with chiefs to decide according
to their laws and TO mete out punish
ment to the guilty, and so perfect has
been their method of self-goVernment
that the Mexican Government has had
no occasion to interfere. The Yaqui is
by nature moral and INDUSTRIOUS ana
no complaint can be made against him
on that account. All over Sonora there
are found Yaquis in time of peace
working in the fields and in the mines
and even as labOrers on the railroads.
/ In the latter capacity they are more
valued and more trusted than any
Mexicans. and we know of instances
where railroad agents have preferred
Yauui section bosses to those of other
natlOnalitieS.
AS a laborer the Yaqui is hard-work-
ing and faithful and can always be re-
lied on. He does not shirk his work
D
he does not shorten his days work by
continued cigarette smoking. No Won
der. therefore, that he is highly valued
for the work he can and does perform.
AS do many other laborerS, he gets
drunk when pay comes on saturday
evening, but he confines his carouSing
to the rancheria in which he lives and
keeps his family and when Monday
morning comes around every man is at
his work.
The Yauui country from Buena Vista
to the gulf has always been held as
common property by the Yaqu1s as a
| tribe and has never been portioned out
to individuals as in other communities.
The reason for this is found in the ma
! ture of the territory itself. The fer
tility of the Yaqui delta depends en-
tireJy upon the overflow of the Yaqui
River. In times of heavy rains the
| delta and adjacent river bottom lands
are covered by water or made moist
by subirrigatiOn, while in dry seasons
the contrary is the case. AS the ter
ritory is large, each individual 1aqui
can always find a place suitable for
cultivation for that particular season.
Next season he may have to move to
another place in order to find moisture
and other conditions necessary. Now
If is evident that if the land were not
held in common and if every YaQui had
his own allotted piece some would pos
sess suitable land for cultivation while
others would have dry lands, which
would be worthless unless properly ir-
rigated.
All the recent trouble with the Yaquis
arises from this fact. The Mexican
Government wants the Yaquls to divide
their land so that every individual may
possess his own plat. This the Yaquis
refuse to do. The trouble originated
some years ago when under the presl-
dency of Juarez the Mexican Govern
ment passed a law that there should
he no more public lands in the repub-
lie hut that all lands so held should
be surveyed and sold. The same law
required every individual community
which possessed common" to have
the same surveyed at its own expense
| and to have it divided and portioned
off If not sold in a body for the good
| of the community by which the com
| MON was held Thus in 1863 the town
| of HermosilIo, now the capital of So
nora. had to survey its common and
dispose Of 1t.
That this law was most unjust and
! illegal one no one can very well deny.
Suppose the United States Government
should pass a law that San Francisco
should divide up its Golden Gate Park
and it's Yosemite reservation and give
every man a. piece in order that he
might better and more undiSturbed en-
low his share What would be said of
such a law and how would Americans
stand such oppression? They would I'M
doubtedly object and the chances are
that thew would forcibly resist any in
reference with their personal and pub
lie rights.
That is exactly what the Yaquis have
done. indeed, so vested were the Yaquis
in the possession of their land that the
Mexican Government hesitated to ap-
nIv the law to their territory, but al
lowed them at least for the time being
TO possess their land undisturbed
while all other public lands in Mexico
we're surveyed and distributed, the
Yaoui country had remained intact for
about twenty years when the first
Yaoui war broke out.
The outbreak of the war, which ex-
terminated one-third of the Yaquis,
was. strange to say, not brought about
bv the Mexican Government, but by
one of it's generals in order to further
his own selfish ends. At that time
General Jose Guillermo Carlo was
commander of the federal forces in So
nora. Having illegally spent mony in
him for having his troopc