The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-05
MEXICAN GOVERNORS Defence.
Says Americans Are to Blameif They Sufrer
From YaQui Indian Raids.

MExIco CITY, March 4.-The Department
OF Foreign Relations of the Mexican Gov
eminent recently called the attention of
Gov. Rafael label OF the State of Sonora
to the fact that certain American residents
Of that State had made complaint to the
Department of State at Washington Of
d~epredations committed upon their prop
erty by the Yaqui Indians. Gov. label
was asked to investigate these complaints
and make a report as to their justification.
His report has just been received by the
Department of Foreign Relations, He says:
81 think it proper to state that amid the
vagueness and indefniteness of the COM
plant alluded to it is easy for any one who
like myself Is acquainted with the general
run Of mining ventures undertaken in this
State with American capital to perceive
that said complaints come exclusively
from certain companies, which, MOI being
able to explain their i'll success to their.
shareholders in any other way, have re-
course as a saving argument TO the depreda-
tions of the 1aquis, naturally making out
that those depredations are imperfectly
repressed by the Mexican authorities.
Many Of the complaining concerns are
commonly reputed TO have been organized
rather for stock speculation purposes in
lOltlRl dlh Illdl W viz OpSieNlOh VI
mines.
THAT danger exists from the hrigandage
of the Eaquis in certain regiOns of the State
none can deny. 1t is notorious to every one,
and the authorities are the first to ma Ike
known and give warning Of the danger,
and they also provide means of protection
against it when they are requested. AS
great or greater dangers existed in Arizona
and New Mexico not so long ago, owing to
the frequent raids Of the Apaches, n | am
not aware that the American Government
at that time offered escorts or any special
protection to wayfarers, who for the sake
Of common defence organized themselves
into parties or caravans, whose members
sometimes had to fight heroically against
the savages and perished to the last man.
At the present time the Mexican Govern
ment affords escorts and every safeguard
against the YaQuis to any one asking for
same, and yet some foolhardy people insist
on exposing themselves to dangers whose
existence is known to every one.
This is theSchief cause of the casualties
which we have had to lament. The Yaqui
situation is the exact reproduction at the
present day of the former nomadic brigan-
dage of the Apaches, of which lively recol-
~lections must survive in the United States,
and therefore it is far from constituting a
state of war, as is maliCiously claimed in
the complaints laid before the American
Government.
The pertinency of this condition of
b~rigandage is due not to the strength or
number of the m~arauders, but TO the topo-
graphical character of this country, TO the
endurance and swiftness of the YaQui Indian
in covering Incredible distances in the
SPACE OF a few hours and, most of all, to the
refuge afforded to these miscreants on the
other side of the border in tie Territory Of
Arizona, whence they return after pro-
viding themselves with arms and ammu-
milton to continue their raids"