Arizona republican., 1899-07-28
PINNEY & ROBINSON,

NORM center street, PnO0nIX.
was the matter. He wept in reply
| The bed don't fit me- The teacher in
veStigated and found that it did not
There We're already three boys in it, :
The matter taught the Indian pupils
Mr.. Mcconnell says is next 10 worth
less. seeing ehe lack of opportunity
they will have to Use it. Art and
even mechanics" said he. "can rot
benefit the Indian of this generation
!, His only field is agriculture He can
not compete with the white man even
in that. but he may be taught what
will he of use to him on the reserva-
ton. the only place where he can
find refuge from the fierce competition
Of the white man. We forget that the
Indian is~fust entering upon civiliza-
/ lion. He. must become the match Of
! the white man by slow processes Our
j ancestors once lived in tepees but We
Z have been centuries developing and
. ascending. 1t will take the Indian as
/ cong"
! The system of governing the In
dian on the reservation is as faulty as
the method of educa;ing him at school
Mr.. Mcconnell believes. The agents
I usually have no special qualifications
for their posts. They may be army
officers whose lives have been spent
1T school and at West Point with 10
opportunity to acquire a business
training. The mana cement of a great
Indian reservation is a big business
in itself That they are mismanaged
times and that the schools are
generally worse than useless. is not
the fau!t of congress or the fault of the
administration. Money is appropriate
ed honestly and literally for the care
of the Indian and it is presumed that
it is spent honestly and wisely. In
spectors are sent out but it is difficult
for them to gather useful information,
They see The best side of the schools
ard the posts and they seldom have
time TO pry beneath the surface.
Teachers are afraid 10 talk and en-
DIoyes on reservations are fearful of
their positions.
Said Mr. Mcconnell. Eve know al /
most nothing about the Indian. We
visit the schools. hear the boys and /
girls speak their pieces and marvel at
their sudden transition from savagery t
TO civilization. We do not follow the /
girls back TO the tepee and see their
from which they come. We do not see
the boys returned to the reservation
with knowledge which they. have no
opportunity to apply and become as
their fathers were. 1t is the duty OF
the people especially the Chris tian
DeoDle to take Il greater interest than
n curious interest in the Indian
Mr.. Mcconnell has just returned
from a visit of two months on the
San Carlos reservation, during which
he saw every part of it. Speaking OF
the proposed reservoir near San car
los. he says it is one of the best stteS
in the territory. but if a reservoir IS
constructed there it will drive great
many families away from their
homes. They have settled along the
banks of the river in the basin which
would be submerged and the lands
there are the most fertile in that part
Of the reservation. Mr.. Mcconnell
believes that they might be removed
with advantage to themselves to an
exceedingly rich region whose only
drawback is its distance from the
post. 1t was formerly cultivated, but
5 now only used as a range. 1rIiga-
ion is not necessary to its cultiva l
ion. Water is found at a depth of six
FEET and it is possible to raise two ,
crops year. Its area is considerably
greater than that of the lands that
would be submerged by the reservoir.
is remoteness from the f.ost after all !
md from the demofalizing influence of
he soldiery, Mr.. Mcconnell believes,
would be an advantage rather than a
drawback.
Some facts have been late s
y gathered regarding the so-caLed i
.oal strip, which until this morning
lave never appeared in any public
Print. There is really no coal strip
md its designation is said to be an 4
.ffort TO deceive, which almost sue {
eeded. Some coal, not in quantities
which would pay for working, were :
ound along Deer creek. There is in the d,
reservation beyond this narrow re- :
Jon a great deal of mineral, gold and :
opper. and many old workings daing I
rom the time of the early Spaniards.
4 order to obtain access to this land c
he coal strip was planned. Coal was L
arried on the back of an army mule y
nd dumped into the old workings in 4
he mineralized region, and when it a
lad been properly sailed an applica- Q
ION was made to have an area of .
% ,240 acres segregated from the res i
rvation. An inspector was sent out Y
rom Washington and was shown Y
bout t1e sailed region. A man was <
ct down into the workings and was /
rawn up bearing unmistakable coal /
ymptoms. Whether this inspector !
vas deceived or not is not clear, but I
subsequent one made q statement
hat there was absolutely nothing in 7
II that territory Indicative CT coal. :;
he lines of the strip were run. after
which it was discovered that a ridicu-
0us mistake had been made-the min :
raj lands believed to be the richest {
ay Out-ide of the strip. But there |
vas included in it valuable ranges
sed by the Indians who live about q
he post. 1t is not at all likely that 4
he strip will be finally segregated. +
Regarding the mineral character of T
he region Mr.. Mcconnell is in doubt
l. .:r,.nI:-,nd. hnl l,aA Z