The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-05-24

eide. With wives and children worth
lGO-acre farms land their value guar
anteed by the government, just like
silver certificates and banknotes).
these commodities are worth having
and the Navajo buck who has neither
Is hustling for both, while he who has
one or both is hustling for more.
But the fact that a wife is worth
100 acres of land has boosted the
price OF wives to such an extent that
a poor man can hardly, If at all, raise
the wherewithal for the purchase Of
one. For the Navajos have bought
their wives since the beginning of i'm
memorial tradition paying the
squaw's father in ponies, sheep, goats,
cattle, hides, wool, silver or any other
commodity acceptable to both buyer
and seller. Naturally the father of a
manageable girl feels that she is
worth 100 acres of land to him. II
some brawny brave wants her he
must raise the ante. So it happens
that Uncle Sam has been a real bull
on the squaw market. giving her a
higher valuation than was ever be-
fore dreamed of by the warriors of
the southwest.
So the poor but ambitious buck
finds 1t difficult to better his condi.
ton by entering the state of matri.
mony as an investment The price of
wives is too high for any but the
wealthy to afford such a luxury
AS might be anticipated, neither the
rich nor the poor of the Navajoes are
at all pleased with the rumors that
have reached them of the govern.
ment's ultimate intentions. They are
well satisfied to take their land allot-
ments, but If any attempt is made to
compel them to live upon their lands
there will be trouble They have been
accustomed to wandering wherever
the spirit moved them-driving their
f1ocks and herds before them and
stopping wherever water was abun.
dant and pasturage good To be cor.
rallied In fenced-in farms and COM
PEELED to live year after year in the
same place will prove intolerable To
conf1ne a Navajo on a 16O-acre farm
Will work as great hardship on him
as to shut white man up In a SIX
by ten prison cell
The Navajo reservation comprises
an area of perhaps 100000 acres
and estimates Of the number of
tribespeople vary all the way from
$4,000 to $4,000. 1t might appear
then, that their reservation was biz
enough to give them all elbow room
The Navajos have never thought so
and pay not the slightest heed to res.
ervation limits. Without so much as
saying by your leave" they have ia.
ken possession of the major part NJ
the reservations of the Hopis of Ari-
IONA and the Zunis of New Mexico
Then they are scattered all over
southern Utah. southwestern Colorado
and the public lands of northern New
Mexico and Arizona They occunv
an area larger than the entire state of
Pennsylvania and will do a lot Of
grumbling at any attempt to curta,,
their liberty Of movement. OF course
they do not need more than a small
fraction of this land for the pasturinp
OF their sheep, goats, cattle and
horses; but they have always heen
semi-nomadic in their habits mov,no
to new location whenever thew felt
like it.
In many ways the Navajo is not a
bad fellow His peculiarities ara
faults when Judged by the white mans
standards. But why should we nre.
sumo to measure the red mans oats
IN our half-bushel basket? For IN.
thing. he knows no distinction ~
meum and tuum and would rather
steal than buy from any person or q,
any time. Again. the truth ia not IN
MIN; or, II 1t Is. 1t Is so deeply bur,ed
that 1t never reaches the surface. ara
'ngratitude Is SO universal that 10
opposite Is inconceivable In the con
duct OF Navajo. Then his weaLnos.
Tor many wives may be countas
against him; but perhaps this shor,d
be considered lack Of wisdom ratha.
han rsoral lapse. Two wives 10 tha