The Cordova daily times., 1915-07-15

MORALES, Ariz., July 15-Although
 the Yaqui Indians of Sonora are said
 to have declared war on the United States-at least 80 far as American
 settlers in this region are concerned and United States warships have been dispatched to cope with the situation information as to the process by which this declaration of war was made Is still lacking. It is known that the tribe retains a political organlza. tion. What appears to be an almost mythical supreme chief reigns in the hills above their valley and is said to direct the actions of the minor chiefs who have taken groups of the tribe into the Mexican warfare.
 The Associated Press correspondent during a recent trip to the west coast with Carranza learned this and a number of other interesting things concerning the Yaquis, about whom little true material has hitherto been published.
 Although they have been in almost constant warfare since the organiza- tion of the Mexican nation, the Yaquis never have been fully conquered or won over to European civilization. But their struggle against the advance of civilization did not assume threaten ing proportions until the recent revo- luuonary activities gave them mod ern war munitions and military training. Previously this most war like Mexican Indian had confined him. self to guerilla fighting. The arming of the Yaquis to take part in Mexico's domestic quarrel made possible their more extensive military movements, threatening not only the American colonists in the Yaqui valley about Guaymas, but the sovereignty of the Mexican race along that rich portion of the west coast.
 The Yaqui region He's a few miles inland from the important California gulf port city of Guaymas. The Indians years ago lost most of their rich agricultural lands in the valley. Their strongholds are in the hill country, from which strong positions they make frequent raids on the Mexican settlers in the valley below. It has been only recently that their assaults were directed against the American settlers in the valley, who had given the Indians profitable em- ployment as laborers.
 The Yaqui was not considered an especially dangerous neighbor until the advent of the Constitutionalist revolution. With the separation of the Carranza and Villa factions a struggle began between those two parties in Sonora state. The Indians already had been armed and enlisted as troops in the Constitutionalist army, doing the bulk of the desperate fighting in the contests for the towns along the Arizona-Sonora border. These Indians were considered "paci- fico," or peaceful Yaquis. But on op- perfume occasions they demanded the return of their tribal lands, and only would remain In the revolution service after securing promises from the fac tional leaders. For more than a year, however, 1t has become evident that the supposedly friendly Yaqui was working in conjunction with his wilder brother who had remained in the hills. Arms and ammunition in large quantities given to the Indians en- listed in the Constitutionalist army were smuggied on the backs of Yaqui runners into the mountain passes and there were hidden. The enlisted h. dians would return after an insignifl- cant skirmish and demand more ann muniton. Their Mexican officers did not dare to refuse 1t.
 The situation became more seri- ous when Jose Maria Maytorena. the Villa governor of the state, brought the Yaqui troops into northern Sonora. Previously they had been used only against Huerta's federal troops about Guaymas. Maytorena's Yaquis took mart In fhe aftacka m tha Carrapza