Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-02-28


c. Gortner, made my first visit to the
Taos Indian Pueblo. AS those people
know who have been there and have
read concerning that Pueblo, two OF
the largest communal buildings in In
dian pueblos in this Territory are to
be found there. They are very near
! ly as large as this Capitol building in
which we are now assembled. The
two stories fall in and drop back the
width Of the room, then up and fall in
again, so they are nearly four stories
in height.
Our principal Indian guide, who
have since learned, was Juan Jose Ar.
chuleta, who was at the Pueblo at the
time, acted as interpreter, that Is, he
interpreted from the Indian language
into the Spanish, when it was neces
sary.
Among other privileges, we were al.
lowed to go to the top of one of these
communal houses. When we were
there, through the aid of Mr.. Sena,
who acted as our interpreter, l asked:
How old is this building upon which
we are now standing?' 1T is more
than four centuries DID, replied Juan
Jose Archuleta. This is the building
in which Montezuma was born,
proudly remarked the Indian. This is
as really and as truly believed by them
as is the story to us that Christ was
born at Bethlehem and they believe it
with the same kind Of reverence and
|affectionate regard that We attach to
the coming of the Savior.
These people have been decimated
by floods, by pestilence, by earth
quakes, by war, by the carrying off OF
their children and by the killing OF
their men until their number has been
reduced from 10000 to not more than
5000. These people claim that they
were here before anybody else. I said
they We're citizens Of this great gov.
ernment Citizens they are; citizens
according to the treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo. which was made on the Sec
ond of February, 1S48; citizens by the
Supreme Court of the Territory of New
Mexico. declared so by decision only
recently banded down by Judge F. W.
Parker: tley are not only citizens by
these two authorities, but citizens by
the decision of the Supreme Court of
the United States. The Pueblo Indians
hold their lands by rights higher and
more superior than the laws of the
Territory of New Mexico or to the
right of any government whatever, ex-
cept to the government of the Pueblo
Indians themselves.
"Well. Ex-Governor Prince has sug-
gested that I should tell something of
their objections to citizenship and to
the taxation of their property. How
did this matter arise? A few years
ago the assessor of Bernalillo County
placed property of the Pueblo Indians
upon the tax rolls. They did not pay
their taxes and the result was that un-
der the law a suit was brought and
Judgment was sought in the District
Court of Bernalillo County. The
county was sustained by Judge F. w.
Parker. Judge w. H. Pope fol-
lowed the matter up with his
usual energy and skill, but never
theless, the Supreme Court of this
Territory decided otherwise, namely,
that the lands of the Pueblo Indians
of New Mexico are taxable. Immedi-
ately upon the rendering of that de-
cision, It was my duty to report to the
Department of the Interior at Washing
ton. I received instructions to file a
motion for a rehearing before the Su-
preme Court of this Territory. The
Pueblo Indians made their argument
upon this question. There have been
two or three different Congresses Of
the Pueblo Indians held in this Terri
tory for the specific purpose Of seeing
If it were not possible to change this
decision.
zone Indian said at one particular
congress: We have a better right to
these lands then anybody. Our an
cestors owned them from horizon to
horizon as far as eye could see be
fore the pale face ever set his foot up
on the Territory of New Mexico. You
claim that you have right to tax us
but we were here before the govern
ment of New Mexico had an existence
You claim that they were handed
down to you by the government o.
Mexico, by the government of Spain
but we had these lands before
Cortez had conquered Mexico. Tha
there is no right by which you can say
to us that we have asked for or &C
cepted citizenship except that we have
been compelled under the treaty O
Guadalupe Hidalgo to be citizens O
New Mexico and that we are to be con
strained to leave the graves Of oul
fathers and that within year."
The Geology Of New Mexico.
President w. G. Tight spoke Of thu
Geology of New Mexico" His address
was scholarly and interesting in thu
extreme. He put the elasticity, plas
ticity and complexity Of the conceptiv'
faculty on the qui vive when he asket
his hearers to conceive Of SO much o
the amplitude OF time as might be en-