Arizona republican., 1900-12-22
SALVATION OF NAVAJOS
Lies in the Passage of the Pending
 Bill.

The bill recently introduced in the United States senate by Mr. Mason of Hlirois and in the house by a repre- ; s-Ata,ive from California, authorizing the interior department to lease ctaI and mineral lands on the Navajo and Hopi reservations, is of interest to Ari- | zonians gen rally and to the people of Phoenix in particular
 It is an open secret that. a strong lobby is urging the passage of the bill through congress. It is also an open secret that the copper deposits to be found on these two reservations are the objects in the eye of heavy financial interests. The Santa Fe Railroad com paHy is another party interested in the passage of the bill. There is no con- fict in these interests; on the con- trary, there exists the most cordial CO., opera ton.
 l.. F. Hoffman of the Phoenix Indian school, who returned yesterday from d trip to Fort Defiance met Major George Hayzlett, agent of the Maya jos, and inquired of him concerning the character of the proposed measure. It evidently meets the cordial approval of Major HayZlett, who said:
 Tt is the best thing that can be done. These lands are now lying idi.. The fact is that some months ago I ex- ecuted a lease to certain mineral lands included in these reservations, but the attorney-gens Of the United States rendered an opinion to the effect that lands included in Indian reservati tiols, which were set aside by executive rrcc- lama'tiOn for the use of the Indians, cannot be, leased. The bill introduced by Senator Mason seeks to cure this defect"
 The text of the bill as recently pub lished in the columns of The Republi- can, says on this subject:
 Section 2. That this act shall ap- ply to bought and paid for reservations created by executive order for the Nav ajo and Moqui Indians since the first day of June, 1S63."
 Side by side with huge deposits of copper in these reservations lie al- most inexhaUstible beds of the finest soft coal in the southwest. Curiously enough, ghe coal strata. as far as learned, extend only as far west as che western boundary line of the two res erVations. However. their distance from the line of the santa Fe Pacific railroad is not great-in fact, only about seventy miles. A large part If the coal is said ao be q good coke making article.
 At present all coal supplies are drawn from Gallup, N N. It is ob- vious that if coal is mined a. a point near Flagstaff the effect will be to greatly reduce the price of the article to consumers in Phoenix, as the freight rate is the principal item going to make up the present price.
 The agency and school at Fort De fiance burns about 800 tons of coal per annum. The coal is secured at a place within nine miles of the fort Here there is a vein four feet wide and as far as explored 100 feet up and down. One man, when a years supply is needed, is put to work digging the coal and Indians are paid for freightin~ it to the agency.
 New veins are being unearthed at different localities in an entirely acci- dental way. Only the other day. while stirring the soil to make a wagon road. an unsuspected vein of coal was unearthed. It was dug into for a dis tance of a foot and seemed to be con- stantly tting better in quality.
 MT Hoffman learned during his trip that the past two years have not been prosperous ones for the Navajos on ac- count of the drouth prevailing. Lack of both feed and water caused the loss If thOuea nds of shaaD and inc nrOs- poets for the coming winter are not bright. The more intelligent Navaios predict a loss of from 20 to 90 per cent during the ensuing winter months. In addition. very little corn or vegetables were raised during the summer on ac- count of tho drouth.
 About Zoo Navaios are now working for the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad com pany in shoveling dirt on the railroad and in getting out railroad ties. Major Hayzlett is of the opinion that there should be further dispersion of q large number of the Navaics in order that the balance may be able to make a living. The resources of the rcso.- vation a-n foo sra0tv tp insure thr fu- ture prosperity cf these Indians. If. coal and copper mining 7ra introduced on the reservations. hundreds Of Nay aic- will be able to secure steady em- ploymcnt. The hi3! introduced by Ser ator Mason contains a provision to the effect that such unszil,od labor as may be used in the mining operations shall be given to the Indians.
 -o-
 We lend money for ourselves and others on improved real estate. The