Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-02-07
No Addition to Ma.
vajo Reservation
Contemplated
OFFICIAL STATEMENT ISSUED
Assistant Secretary of lnte-
terror Says There is No
Cause for Alarm.

There has been much comment ol
late among the sheep raisers and cat
tie growers in the counties OF RiC
Arriba, San Juan, Sandoval and Nc
Kinley, and many settlers along the
eastern and southern lines Of the Ma
vajo reservation, because OF the re-
cent executive order by the Presi
dent enlarging the boundaries Of tnis
reservation by several millions OF
acres, the people and the settlers
protesting against such action as II
curtailed the public domain and pre-
vented them from grazing their live
stock on the lands added to the res
ervation.
Many complaints and petitions pro-
testing against this enlargement OF
the reservation and urging Delegate
W. H. Andrews to present the matter
to the Department of the Interior and
to secure If possible the resembling
of the order, and if that could not be
done, the curtailment of a large area
sundered from the public domain,
and added to the limits of the reser-
walton, have been sent to Delegate An
drews who has attended to them and
has taken every possible step to effect
a compliance with the wishes of the
people.
The following letter addressed to
the delegate by Assistant Secretary
Jesse Z. Wilson of the Department
sof the Interior, throws very favor
able light on the situation and
Will have beneficial effect in allaying
the apprehensions and discontent of
\ the settlers and live stock raisers in
terested BY reading the letter care
\ fully 1t will be found that 1t is not
Intended by the Department of the
Interior that the additions to the
\ Navajo reservation made by the re-
cent executive order of the Presi-
dent should be permanent. This
withdrawal Is only to be temporary
until the allottments to the Indians,
that such sections Of lands as they
and their ancestors had claimed and
used for many years, when the tracts
described shall have been allotted to
them.
Letter of Assistant Secretary.
Assistant Secretary Wilson writes:
Department of the Interior, Washing
ton, January 80, 1908.
Honorable W. Fl. Andrews, House OF
Representatives.
"Sir-This Is to acknowledge re-
ceipt Of your letter of January %,
with which you inclosed petitions
signed by citizens of New Mexico con.
cerning the proposed extension Of the
Navajo Indian reservation. You ask
ed me to have this matter taken up
and investigated, and said that the
successive enlargement of the several
forest reserves and Indian reserva.
tions in New Mexico, taking into con.
sideration the already existing land
grants, appear to you to menace the
future growth of the territory.
'In answer you are advised that
your letter and the petitions accom-
panying 1t were sent to the Indian Of
fee for investigation. From the in.
formation at hand feel certain that
the persons filing the petitions are
needlessly alarmed.
"While it Is true that lands have
been withdrawn from public entry on
\ the east and south of the Navajo In.
dian reservation, the action is mere.
" temporary and solely for the pur-
pose of permitting the allotment OF
the Indians residing within the boun.
daries of the withdrawn tract undis
turbed by contests and interference
\ Of white citizens. It is the intention
of the Department to expedite these
allotments and when they shall have
been completed to have the unalloted
part of the tract restored to the pub
lie domain.
"If an item in the urgent deficiency
bill appropriating money for the max.
ing of allotments to Indians is favor
ably acted upon the work will be
pushed forward with the utmost ex'
pedition, and at least two alloting
crews will be placed in the field in
this particular territory.
by the terms of the order with
drawing these lands from settlement
the rights of all persons residing with
in the boundaries of the reserved
tract or having claims of any nature
therein are fully protected; in fact
except for the published statement
the people residing within the tract
or Immediately adjacent to 1t would
not know that such q withdrawal had
been made.
THE lands which 1t Is purpOsed to