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Show I V1 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. perate white men compose bands of marauders who commit deprcda-tions and when pursued fly to the mount,ains of Chihuahua and Sonora. My opinion is that tlle most effectual remedy for all this is to remove the Mescalero Apaches, and eventually all other Indians, north of the center line of New Mexico and Arizona, so as to keep them at a dis-tance from Chihuahna and Sonora. The removal of the Mescaleros would not seem to be difficult of accoml~lishmenti,n asmuch as a special Indian a.gent, who was recently dispatched to their agency for the pur- , pose of ascertaining their views upon the subject of removal, reports , them as expressing a villingness to remove to the Jicarilla Reservation on the north line of New Mexico. For the past five years the office has been importuned to take mcas-nres for the removal of the Mescaleros from t,heir present reservation and settle them permanently on some other reserve, where they can be more easily guarded and mill be far less liable to commit depredations. The citizens of New Mexico and Texas have urged this, and the mili-tary authorities have regarded such a movement as indispensable to t.he protection of the citizens and the welfare and good conduct of the Indians. The county of Lincoln, in which this reservation is situated, has for a population the very worst elements that can be found in the Territory or upon the borders of Mexico-Spanish and Mexica~rle fugees from justice, outlaws from the States, &c. In brief, as stated by Inspector Watkins, who made a thorough investigation of affairs in t.hat section and that reservatio~li n 1878, " the whole county of Lincoln is nndcr the control of cut-throats and thieves." He was also of the opinion, concurred in by many others who have been personally cognizaut of , affairs there, that a large share of the crimes committed by this class of settIers are charged to the Indians. There is abundant evidence be-fore the office to show that these outlaws have for years been in the habit of enticing the Indians to go out upon their raids, &c., and are the recipients of their plunder. Indians under such circumstances and with such surroundings will not progress very far in civilization. The result has been that over one-half of these Indians within the past five years have been scattered and exterminated; depredations have been committed by them, and large sums of money have been expended by the government in military operations against them. Twoinspectors and one special agent within the past six or eight months have visited this reserve, and all concur in the opinion that the Indians should be removed. The reservation is not. adapted to agri-cultural purposes. It is overrun with prospectors for mining purposes, &c., and numerous clai~nsh ave been taken, many of them antedating theestablishnieut of the reservation, and it mill be i~npossibleto remove the clailnants without much litigation and large expenditure of money ) . fbr their improvements. To guard these 400 Indians and prevent them from going into South-ern New Mexico, Texas, and Old Mexico three companies of cavalry |