Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-01-06
AN EMPIRE ROTT|NG
IN HANDS Of THE
PUE Bios
THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF
RICH VALLEY LAND IDLE
Albuquerque Man Talks Force
fully Of Injustice of Exemp-
ton of the Valley indians
From Taxation,

Probably very few Of the resident.
or Albuquerque, except the disciples
or Nimrod who have occasion to GO
hunting in the valley of the RID
Graflde north of the city are aware OF
the fact that about seven miles of the
most valuable farming lands in the
Rio Grande valley between Albuquer-
due and Bernalillo. are held by the
Sandia Pueblo Indians. Above Ber-
nalillo and near Algodones are the
valuable valley lands Of the San Fee
lipe Pueblo, while still further north
les the San Domingo reservation,
comprising many thousands of acres,
The proportion OF lands under cul-
tivatlon by these respective Indian
tribes is very small as compared with
the vast areas owned by them, barely
sufficient being cultivated to sup
ply them with a meager living.
Particularly is this true OF the sandal
Pueblo, WHOSE POPULATION AT
A RECENT CENSUS was SEVENTY
PERSONS who live in a small set
tlement along the sand hills about six
miles south of Bernalillo.
10 the south Oh Is the
large Isleta Indian Pueblo Grant. Sew
eral years g an attempt was made
to collect taxes from the Indian pu-
eblos on these large grants, and the
supreme court of the territory held
hat the lands were taxable and that
the Indians were citizens Of the
United states. Immediately after this
decision OF the supreme court and at
the last session of congress, a rider
was tackled on the Indian a%ppropria-
ton bill by which the lands Of these
pueblW were expressly exempted
from taxation. 1t is surmised that this
exemption from taxation was secured
through the influence of the Indian
department at Washington, which has
undertaken to exercise a jurisdiction
and control oven the Pueblo Indians
of this territory, although they are
expressly held by the decisions of the
supreme court of the United States
and of the supreme court of this ter
ritory. to be citizens and subject to the
same rights and liabilities as any
other citizens of a territory.
NO particular reason can be adj
Vanced why the lands of these In
dams, valuable as they are, and nov
useless to the community at large.
should be exempted from taxation
said a prominent Albuquerque lawyer
yesterday. 1t is hafd TO ma a fca-
son why these tribes should not pay
their just proportion OF the burdens
of government, unless II be the over
Jealous care and yea of a benehcent
Indian department.
"The failure OF the Indians to pay
taxes or to Deal any portion of the
burden of government however, is blu.
a minor detail compared to the great
harm resulting to the valley from the
idleness of all this valuable land. If
these lands or the greater portion Of
them were put under cultivation and
made to produce something by which.
wealth might be added to the COM
munity. it would be a different thing.
But 1t Is radically wrong 10 allow a
band of fifty or seventy Indians, such
as Is the case with the Sandals. to
a tract of land extending
across the Rio Grande valley and
seven miles in length, with the land
lying practically idle.
If some means could he devised
by which these lands could be thrown
open to settlement, untold benefit
result to this community as
well as the whole territory. As it is