The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-04-09

tt18 MEXICO aQgptea Als plfH9e
coined IN tasu country years ago that
The ~cnIy good IadIan Is the dead ID
dian.~ and has she finally decided t0
make good Indians out Of an q the
Yaqui Indians that fierce and un-
eonqaerable race which has cost her
many lives and much treasure 10
Keeping IA subiection2 Such question
may well be asked In view Of the pres
ent policy Oh deportation which is be-
Ing persistentiy carried out il looks
a. though the var between the Span
lah speaking inhabitants Of the repuh-
llc of Mexico and the truculent In
dlans Of Sonora. which. with but few
and short intervals Of peace, runs
back to the days Of CoFtez and bis
conqustadores has reached the last
phase. 10 which the utter annihilaticn
81 race Is openly Sought
N We had ever been as patient With
our redskins as has been al least the
government Of President Diaz with
the Yaquls, We might be iustlaed In
critlciging moro severely than we can
the sncxorablo policy which has finally
been adopted by the great paclfcator
OF Mexico, who is proud Of the Indian
blood that flows in hts veins But
such is not the Gaze, and the Ameri-
cans who are best acquainted with the
conditions which have prevailed In
che Yaqu country FOR the last ten
years are almost unanimous in agree
Ing that hitherto President Dlaz's
course has boon cne Of great leniency
and that the only alternative TO the
policy which the Mexican government
has adopted, namely, determination
for the adult Yaquls and cxpatrlatiou
for tho children Of the tribe Is for
tho white man to withdraw from the
country, an alternative which, Of
course IS not to be thought Of, be-
cause. unfortunately for the poor va
quis. their land Is enormously rich IN
minerals which The white brother
cpveta.
50 the decree has gone forth that
The grown-up Yaauis must die and his
children, when they escape death on
tho field or upon the treacherous trail.
arc to be transported on government
ships 10 unhealthy low-lylng prov
Inccs OF the "hot country" such as
Yucatan and Tehpantepec, where they
arc Incorporated Ia the tribes Of
thoroughly inoffensive Indians Here.
II they survive the changed conditions.
they must live ignorant OF the tribal
traditions into which they were born
and strangers to their fathers prowess
upon many hardly contested battle
0old.
Il would take a volume merely 10
relate in a condensed. succinct form
the tragic episodes Of the Yaqui war
which has continued for centuries, In.
decd from the armor-clad days Of
Cortez 10 the magazine guns of Diaz.
In 1897, after the military occupa-
ton Of Yaqm Land Ind continued many
Yoars and was becoming quite a drain
upon the Mexican treasury, at the
direct instance Of Diaz himself a more
generous policy was initiated
As part Of this policy Tetiblte. one
of the head men of the Yaquia, was
chosen chief by bis people and he was
given the rank Of major In the Mexl
can army. and bodyguard OF i0'
chosen braves was enrolled as his I'm
mediate following Soon the lands
wore allotted. always excepting th'
mineral lands. which were Of eoursl
reserved for those who would bes
know how TO exploit them.
Years Of sayagary had, however, un
fitted the Yaquls for the ways o
peace. In the days Of adversely the
mad stood together as one man, bu
with prosperity came discord and d
vldad councils Some OF the wilde
young braves. the "bronehos. as the
are called locally. got into trouble
shoi up a town. and when their chic
Totlblte, al The instance Of the Mex
can authorities. got after them. ther
was bloodshed and a feud resute
which has not been appeased to th
day. Soon the Yaquis converted the
horda OF goats aud sheep into ammun
tion and began holding slestas, whic
soon degenemted into war dance
donning their beads and quilla for u
Yaqui does not indulge In paint, an
swinging their war clubs to the mus
Of the tom toms, the Indians rs
amuok and committed horrible crlml
al through the adjacent settlements
Teiiblte. the leader cast of h
Mexican honors. together with his ui
form. at lhc first signs Of coming tro
bio and placed himself once more
the head OF his people There were
few. a very few. of the Yaquis with
lolllgence enough to see that, soon
or later, the war trail would lead the
10 tho gallows. and they hung baC
The fate Of these mon was even mo
horrible than that which overlook I