El Nuevo mexicano., 1920-02-19
KLEGALS STATUS Of
PUEBLO PETITIONERS
ASK Of GOVERNMENT

citIzens q Eapan0la are sIgning

Citizens OF EspanOla are signing
the Following petition
Espanola, Feb. 5, 1920.
The Indian Affairs Committees.
House Of Representatives and the
senate, and the Honorable Commas
sioner Of Indian Affairs, Washing
ton, d. Ct, Transmitted to Hon. B..
G. Hernandez, Representative and
Hon. "A. A. Jones, and "A. B. Fall,
Senators from New Mexico.
Gentlemen.
We the undersigned citizens cf
New Mexico, take the initiative j n
this petition for your action in de-
termining the old and vexed problem
of the local status of the Pueblo In
dian of this state. In no quarter is
there a difference Of opinion upon
the subject that Congressional action
is urgently needed In this matter.
Our courts are filled with actually
useless and inconclusive litigation,
our state and b federal officers are
In armed conflict at times over mat
ters OF law enforcement among the
pueblOs and the moral tone OF these
Indians is being rapidly lowered Dy
the lack OF we'll defined jurisdiction
which Congress In our state Enabling
Act reserved the right to determine
but which so far has not been deter
mined. The Pueblo Indian is neither
a citizen Of the state nor a reserva-
ton Indian at this time. The last re-
missioneTs after a field investiga-
ton notes the urgent need Of reliev
a confused situation.
IA 4 a.. -... fA1f-a 49, Al .I.-nG 4--lI
terests Of the PUEBLO Indian will be
served by the removal of artificial
barriers between him and his neigh
bors. He is no more handicapped in
The matter of different language and
laws than the great majority of peo- Z
pie Of Spanish descent living ada !
cent. His past and his present record I
If s~elfssupport and self government {
IRE arguments the practical person I
,ann0t ignore. from the last report 4
II the Honorable Commissioner OF {
indian Affairs we note with pleasure
hat out OF a total OF about eight I
thousand Pueblo Indians, more than &
lalf are listed as able-bodied and
disappearing; that They own q mil s
ion dollars worth Of livestock and 2
hat they produced about half a mil 7
ion dollars worth Of ranch and range s
last season; that about TWEEN a
y-five hundred are ~able-b0died male h
armers: that they own about five q
nil1ion dollars worth or property
hat more than a thousand young Id
eopIe are in boarding schools and 9
mother thousand in day schools ct c;
ONE; that more than eighty percent IL
I the Ruebios are members Of n
'hristian churches; that more than i,
alf speak English and nearly half
rite the language; that the Grimm
record for the past year is three
seven misdemeanors, and two
RESTS for drunkenness. We are pleas /
d to note on page Al OF the last q
aport OF the Indian Rights ~associar i
on a declaration Of the competence
I the Pueblo BY. that body Of philan-
lropists
II we do not at once place the Pp-
bio definitely somewhere legally, he X
IN soon be reduced to the level Of 81
10 reservation Indian and we shall 4.
9 Obliged to try 70 atone for our ~
eglect to clear mp a legal complica' y
BIZ ultimately making OF this N
ueblo a sergile dependent upon the a,
ublic bounty to be gathered up and n,
somewhere out Of sight 10 the 4,
ack country. ~
On account OF The dilemma we are \,
/ Us a result OF the unknown legal =
OF the Pueblo, there arc bitter u
Id needless differences between In
Ian and non Indian neighbor and q n
eneraiiy litigafious state Of feeling =
hich viii be disastrous 20 both II
IL speedily ended Since litigation
hi b~enetciaiiy to anybody concern, :
A. We request that such pronuoss
be avoided aud that AZ good K
Itizens aid toward inducing speedy =
by C0ngreas.