Arizona republican., 1918-10-31
Statement by MT. Thackery
 October 24. 1918,

Editor Republican:
 My attention has just been called to an article in recent issue or your paper regarding the controversy De- tween the Pima Indians and their white neighbors. over the irrigation waters Of the Gila river.
 Thearticle apparently emanates rom Dirk Lay, a white man residing on the Pima reservation in the capacity of missionary to the Indians.
 | He is quoted as saying that the | Commissioner of Indian Affairs mas refused to intercede in this case in De- half of the Indians. Thls charge against Commissioner Sells IS not true and you may rest assured that ne Will carefully, intelligently and effectively safeguard the rights of the Pima !n- dians in this case regardless of the difficulties or interests encountered.
 It is asserted that I control 200 acres of land above the Pima reservation and apparently they would have you believe that I have stolen sufficient irrieation water from the Pima Indians tC water all of this land.
 I own approximately one sixth ln- terest in 1880 acres above the reSer- vation which interest l procured after I left the superintendency at Sacaton. About 500 acres of this land was cropped and irrigated the past year. The balance was not irrigated ana most of it is still covered with heavy growth of mesquite trees. Thus l own and control S31A acres of the land that was watered instead of 200O acres as the article would have you believe. Besides this we have constructed ana equipped seven or eight irrigation wells on this land and most of them nave been in use practically all Of the past wear. These wells will provide more water than is necessary for the irriga- tion of all of the land now cleared or in cultivation on this tract
 The Gila River ditch supplying this land with river water dries up about the same time as do the upper Indian ditches because the ditch headings are not far from each other. The Florence and Casa Grande ditches all taken out of the river about g miles above the reservation. Naturally those ditches get the last water in the Gila River just before it dries up ol disappears under the sand.
 MT. Lay has been taking photo graphs of these ditches of the white land owners, and procuring other datf intended to stir up the Pima Indian: against their white neighbors, neal whom the Indians must always live and with whom they have always beer friends. I regard the friendship O. these white neighbors to the Indian: te greatest asset the Indians possess In my six or seven years Of asSo station with the Pima Indians ant their white neighbors it was invariabl! my experience that these white friends nd oly a6 mitted the first right of the Indians t Gila river water for all of the lant they have heretofore cultivated O even for whatever additional land the. need for their support. With thi attitude manifested everywhere on tn part of the white people towards thei Indian neighbors, consider it nothing less than criminal for anyone to ma or injure this splendid co-operativ and friendly feeling between the race and particularly so because this friend ship is so essential to the future vel fare and peace of those good Pim people.
 Such agitation might properly b regarded as up-to date German pro paganda' because anyone with ordin ary intelligence must know that, i case all of the water diverted in tn Florence and Casa Grande ditches dur ing the hot summer months wer turned back into the wide sand be of the Gila river, little or none of tn water would ever reach the India ditches, which are from 20 to SO mile farther down the river. Therefore, ha the white people been compelled t close their ditches during the hot sum mer months when the water is nor