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Show 48 REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. While it is true that no claim of pre- emption by settler holds good as against the Gov-ernment, when made on Government land not yet surveyed, yet it is but fair that where the improvements can be of use to the Government, as in this case, that the own-ers should be compensated. As the mountains are barren and the valleys infected with a malarial fever, the tract of country designated above is worth little or nothing to any one but the Indians, who are acclimated. And as it is absolutely necessary that a certain and well- defined tract shall be first set apart for them before we can expect them to leave the highways and other portions of the Territory, it seemed to me that justice, as well as wisdom, sug-gested that we should select such places as they themselves chose and would reside upon where we could protect and civilize them. That the massacre at Camp Grant fairly illustrates the sentiment of a 1- arge portion of the people of Arizona and New Mexico on the Indian question, is painfully confirmed by the fact that nearly every newspaper here has, either justified or apologized for the act. That the President's " peace policy," so popular in the States, does not meet with much approval out here is unquestionably true ; and any one who comes here to execute it must expect to meet with disapprobation. I have been mot with a storm of abuse from these newspapers in their every issue ; but, thank God, it does me no harm, and though I have received positive assurances that my life would be in dan-ger if I visited certain localities, yet, as much of this is probably mere bluster, I should go there if my official duties required it. Probably I should not have referred to these threats if the governor of the Territory, A. P. K. Stafford, esq., had not taken the precaution to issue a " proclamation" in the- Arizona Citizen, calling upon the people to treat the commissioners " kindly," as though the governor supposed they were not likely to treat us kindly, unless he took some such extraordinary means as this to induce them to do so. This proclamation concludes with the following words : " If they ( the commissioners) come among you entertaining erro-neous opinions upon the Indian question and the condition of affairs in this Territory, then, by kindly treatment and fair, truthful representation, you will be enabled to con-vince them of their errors." A manifesto, so remarkable that we thought, in kindness to the governor, the less notice I took of it the better. ( See Appendix A 6, No. 20.) There is evidently a wrong impression on the minds of the editors of these newspa-pers concerning the object of our visit to these Territories. They seem to think that wo have come to " examine into the Indian affairs of the Territories^' generally ; whereas,, our instructions from the President, through the Secretary of the Interior, are simply to " locate the nomadic tribes upon suitable reservations, bringing them under the con-trol of the proper officers of the Indian Department, and supplying them with necessary subsistence, clothing, and whatever else may be needed." [ Fifth letter.] THE PIMAS AND MARICOPAS. CAMP MCDOWELL, ARIZONA TERRITORY, September 24, 1871. THE FRONTIERSMAN'S SYMPATHY WITH THE PEACE POLICY. We left Camp Grant at 6 o'clock, evening, September 19, preferring a night ride to-the hot sun across the desert of fifty miles, from the San Pedro to the Gila River. We arrived at Florence, a new and enterprising town, chiefly occupied by Americans, on the Gila, by noon the next day. Here I met a number of citizens, and a party of miners who had just returned from an unsuccessful tour of prospecting among the Piual Mountains near by. They all wished me " God- speed," and said they " hoped before God the President would be successful iu his efforts to bring in the Indians upon reservations." Nothing could have been kinder than their expressions of hearty good-will toward the present administration. From this I infer that I may have been hasty in my conclusions contained at the close of my last letter, that the " peace policy" toward the Indians was unpopular in Arizona. I arrived at that impression from read-ing the newspapers of Tucson and Prescott. But I ain told that these papers only reflect the opinions of the traders, army contractors, bar- rooms, and gambling- saloon reservation, a distance of twenty- eight miles, in the hot sun, on horseback, the ther-mometer standing at 135 in the sun, 104 in the shade, was fearful. The men and animals were thoroughly used up. |
