Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-10-28
PUE Bio INDIANS
N NEW MEXICO
IN SAD PLIGHT
indian Conservation Repre-
sentative Tells Club Fed
GRAFTON of Pending Bill TO
Destroy PuebloS.


Scoring the pending senate bin
which will deprive New Mexico
Pueblo Indians of their rlghtTul
lands, John Collier. representing
the department of Indian conser-
walton of the National Federation
of Womens clubs, spoke Thursday
before the New Mexico federation
as follows:
Arizona has the Grand Canyon
and New Mexico has the Pueblo
Indians. The Grand Canyon is
the worlds greatest wonder, but II
is not more unique, 1t is not more
beautiful, than the strange pueblo
towns and the strange, gentle and
powerful life that is lived in THESE
towns which are as old, perhaps
MS Rome or Jerusalem.
States, influenced by ignorance OF
If the congress of the United
stupidity or greed, started TO pas
law whose effects would be tC
destroy the Grand Canyon, the
whole state of Arizona would rise
up against the proposal. Ihere
would be a national uprising,
will Break Up Pueblos.
Rut congress has actually started
to destroy the New Mexico puep'
los. The law which Will destroy
them has been passed by the sen
ate and will, if its advocates NAYS
power enough, be driven through
the house of representatives IN De,
cermber. And scarcely a WORD VI
protest is heard. That proposed
law will break up the Indian pu'
eblos. 1t will turn the Pueblo IN
dams out to wander homeless Ike
the California tribes which were
made homeless by congress ano
then left to starve until they &C
tually did starve by tens OF thou'
sands. 1t will deprive New Mex
leo of its most distinguishing treas
ure and break the hearts and ultl,
mately kill the bodies of the S,Ool
pueblo IndiansS When the facts
become known to the public there
will arise a protest as strong as
if the Grand Canyon were goihe
to be destroyed.
This proposed law has the limo
cent title Of senate bill 1855. 1t Is
now pending before the Indian az
fairs committee of the house OF
representatives,.
The proposed law is elaborate
and technical in it's verbiage. ltS
intent and effect are simpit
enough. 1t legalizes the thousands
of trespasses on the pueblo lands
whether the trespass was establish
ed a hundred years ago or yester-
day or between now and the day
the president signs the bill. There
are q certain number of ancient IL
Ties to the pueblo lands which are
held by non-Indians in good faith
Everybody, including the Indians
agrees that these bona fide claims
ought to be confirmed.
Makes n Clean Sweep.
There are thousands OF claims
that have no color of title what
ever, and that frequently do not
even represent an occupation ana
use Of the lands claimed. This pro-
posed law makes one clean sWeeT
and legalizes the bona fide and
the fraudulent claims alike, the
ancient and the contemporary
claims, and even the trespasses
which are being established today
by adventures who expect that the
bill will become law.
A few cases will show what this
law will do to the pueblos II 1t is
enacted. San Juan pueblo mas
1000 irrigable acres. All but 5SS
acres have been taken by non-ln-
dams and on these SIS acres 43o
Indians are struggling to live. The
proposed law makes permanent
and legal the above seizure of land
and removes the water rights OF
the pueblo from government pro-
lection.
Picuris pueblo, with several
thousand acres under irrigation,
has been deprived of all but forty
irrigated acres; and 100 Indians
are living or. rather, are slowly dy-
ing on this tiny rancho. all that is
left of the grant which was SOL
EMMY made by them by congress
in President Lincoln's day. These
Picuris Indians have the docu-
ment signed by President Lincoln.
guaranteeing them their land, but
non-Indians have the land.
Deprived of Water.
Tesuaue pueblo has been Illegal
" deprived of its water. This pu-
eblo. which for thousand years
has lived by farming. does not now
get ten per cent of its living from
the land. The proposed law makes
it impossible for these Indians, or
the government, their guardian,
even to get their water claims into
court; it bestows the water forever
on those who have seized 1t from
the Indians.
So it goes, through every one OF
the 20 pueblos specified by name
in the proposed law. Only Zunl,
in the extreme west, has escaped
the land -grabbers. but Zunf also
is included in this omnibus bill
which could be described as a bill
for ejecting the indians from their
homes.
The bill does not stop with the
economic ruin Of the pueblos
through depriving them forever of
their indispensable land and water.
Tt goes further and strikes blow
at their moral and spiritual life.
Heretofore, and at present, these
pueblos have been self-governing,
subject to such interferences as
the bureau of Indian affairs might
deem wise, The bureau of Indian
affairs is supported at a cost OF
s14,00O,O00 a year to look after
the Indians. This proposed law
takes the oversight Of the pueblos'
internal affairs out of the hands
of the bureau and throws 1t into
the federal courts; guarantees free
legal service to the disgruntled
member of the tribe who may want