Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-08-17
WHAT SAN JUAN
COUNTY WANTS
Frank Staplin Here
to Represent Its
Claims
future RESTS ON RESULT
Its Growth Now Hampered
By Large Withdrawals of
Public Lands.

Frank Staplin, of Pennington, San
Juan county, arrived in the
Capital Saturday evening to at
tend the convention tomorrow. He
came by way of Taos, where he spent
couple Of days attending to business
and where Mrs. Staplin and their son
Orrin, remained on visit to Mrs. Sta
plin's sister, Mrs. Hoy. Mr.. Staplin
was visited at the Claire yesterday by
a representative of the New Mexican
and on being interrogated concerning
what San Juan county wanted or ex
pected from the convention said:
What San Juan county needs at the
present time more than any other
thing is chance to grow, to expand
territorially.
"Our settlements are confined to a
little corner of the county which com
prises less than one-sixth of it's area
We are hemmed in by Indian reserva
tions, additions to Indian reservations
coal land Withdrawals and allotments
on all sides and we want the Republi
can party to help us get a little more
room. We want resolution declar
ing the attitude Of the party on this
question. Our delegate, w. H. An
drews, has already accomplished some
thing along the line of curtailing two
Of the more recent additions to the
Navajo reservation and securing a pub
lished promise from the department
that these lands would be restored as
soon as certain Indians now occupying
portions of them are allotted In this
work Delegate Andrews was ably sup
ported by Governor Curry, T. D
Burns, and other prominent Repubi
cans, so there is no question concern
ing the attitude of the party. 1t is will
us in our fight for the restoration ant
opening of lands in our county. and We
want it incorporated in the platform
and thus recognized as live issue.
Additions to Indian Reservations Detri
mental.
"These additions to the reservation
are detriment alike to the, white mar
and the red man. They prevent the
farmer from settling upon large tracts
OF desert land and reclaiming it ant
reducing it to useful and valuable
nnndffinn IN tho nthnr hov1 tho IN
dian, who has to some extent given W
his roaming habits by being confined
upon the reservation and Is making
some progress in the way of establish
ing a home, is offered a premium, yol
might say, to return to his old roam
ing habits by tacking on the new lands
upon which he finds few of his tribes
men and where he becomes more rest
less and more greedy than ever.
"These additions have been brough
about by pernicious activity on thu
part of the Indian Rights Societ!
which has been shown to be fanatica
and which works blindly on the theor!
that the red man is being robbed ant
abused. The members Of the societ!
refuse to admit that the white maj
who lives in the Indian country ant
often shares his blanket and provision!
with the Indian may know as mucl
about him as they can gain through
their imaginations and the fake ant
false reports delivered to them by thei
agents, who seldom stay long enough
or see far enough to learn actual con
ditions. This. society acting in conjunc
tion with government Indian agents
who wish to enlarge their department.
and the extent of the territory owe
which they hold sway bring about thu
additions. One of the principal excuses
and a false one at that, is that th'
Indians need additional range for thei
herds. According to the reports o
these agents themselves the Indians
have about twice as much land pc
sheep as the white stock raiser has
on an average, throughout the terri
tory and the land is Of the same kint
ard Of equal productiveness.
Indian and White Man Should Be
Treated Alike.
I'VE certainly see no reason why th'
Indians should not receive their allot
ments and be allowed the same graz
ing privileges on public lands as 9th
ers and be settled and started on tn
road to more rapid civilization in New
Mexico as elsewhere and to that en'
we hope to assist in securing state
hood for New Mexico and Arizona an,
thereby attain the necessary politica
influence at the national capital witt
which to accomplish such result an,
toward that end we expect to labor.
II might add that the extension 0
the Carey act to the territory Is an
other thing In which our county Il
G0nflntiad ~ Da0A EIrhA