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Show 118 REPORTOF THE COM~ISBIONER OF INDIAN AFPAIRS. The Office therefore wrote the Department on June 25, last, that il was thought that it would be unwise to transfer the prisoners to a place near home, like Fort Wingate, Ariz., because there their punishment could not be made so effective; but suggested, in view of the surgeon'sreport, that the War Department be asked whether or not there was some suitable post in southern New Mexiw or Arizona to which they could be removed. On a visit to the Pacific coast in July, I went to see the prisonen at Alcatraz Island, and was imprest with the desirableness of send- .in& them to a higher altitude and dryer climate, and so wrote the Office, informally. The War Department, having responded that either Fort Spache or Fort Huachuca, Ariz., was available, the Office, in a letter of July 27 to the Department, suggested Fort Huachuca, as it appeared to be better situated for the retention of the prisoners, and on August 7 the Acting Secretary of War wrote to this Office that the neces-sary instructions had been issued to the commanding general of the Pacific division. DISTURBANCES axom THE PI. Altho the incident is still incomplete, so much has been said in the public press about the recent disturbance at the Hopi mesa of Oraibi, Ariz., that it seemed to me to call for a few lines in this re.port. A factional warfare has been in progress for a number of years between two groups of these Indians famililarly styled the ('Has-tiles '' and the " Friendlies." The Hostiles comprize the ultracon-servative element in the tribe, and their colloquial title has been given them because of their extreme opposition to the intrusion of white civilization. On the other hand, the liberal element have come to be known as the Friendly faction because it has not taken the same stand. Just how far the attitude of either party was due originally to its hatred or tolerance of Caucasian ideals is open to question. It is believed by not a few person: who know these Indians well that their division grew wholly out of the internal political dissensions of the tribe; that one of the factions conceived the device of declar-ing itself Eieudly to the United ,States Government, not because i it felt so especially, but because it hlieved that by such a declaration it could win the favor of the Government and obtain an invincible ally in its struggle with the other faction; and that the tactical effect of this move was to force the opposition into an attitude of hostility toward the Government by way of keeping up something to quarrel about. I, for one, cherish no illusions as to the meaningof the professions of good will on the part of the Friendly factiou. The Friendlies, d o ~ d~enep in their hearts, are Indians still, with the |
