Show navajos cavajos express dissatisfaction with conditions claim unfair treatment and unwarranted restriction R e s t diction under un er present adm nusra tion cf their affairs more than one hundred navajo indians from the reservation representing about every phase of indian culture from the well dressed immaculate and sophisticated american I 1 er I 1 can citizen to the long haired earring ear ring adorned and bead be decked aborigine a fair sprinkling of the white race in the court room of the county court house last friday to voice protests against recent rulings and trends in the administration of the affairs of the reservation the greater number of the speakers possibly 20 in all did not speak english and required the services of interpreters which meant the duplication of nearly all remarks so that they could be understood by the white people present as well as the indians and the afternoon session lasted approximately five hours bours district supervisor W W mcclellan of the shiprock subdivision sat in on the meeting and heard considerable criticism in relation to his administration of the reservation affairs including his arrest by the use of guns of members of the navajo tribe f for or holding protest meetings but made no comments before the meeting much desat dis at s f act oi oa expressed the navajos cavajos Nava jos regardless of station education and civilization made no secret of the f fact act that the administration of the indian department during recent years has been anything but satisfactory many of the speakers dwelt upon the arrest of their comrades and the use of firearms and handcuffs as a breach of their treaty with the government signed in 1868 and a demonstration of bad faith on the part of the agents of the government john collier supervisor of indian affairs was severely ariti cased and apparently heartily disliked by the natives many complaints enumerated among other things complained of by the speakers were the following the allowance of only 10 acres of land per family from which to derive a livelihood the limitation of educational advantages the abridgement abridge ment of their constitutional tut ional rights as native born american citizens by confining them within imaginary lines within the confines of the reservation the enforcement of rulings which effectually prevent them from conducting the business establishments within the reservation which have been turned over to whites to run and enjoy turn to page 13 column one NAVAJOS EXPRESS dissatisfaction continued f from born first page the employment oi of all white people to teach the schools on the reservation when there are re navajo people capable of li handling adling the positions or of qualifying to do so and the lack of sympathy and anding on the part of these imported teachers from distant points e reduction or threatened rea d of grazing quotas within which they claim will work a hardship on the small stockman Gov Goen emment ment waste in worthless ss projects the waste of government money meney in the construction of ineffectual and ill advised dams and levees for the purpose of controlling and holding back the high waters of the colorado at a cost of which they stated had all been washed into the boulder ot dam lake now adding that this amount of money wisely expended could have constructed a large and useful irrigation project to bring under cultivation an im m magse e amount of new f farm arm land as the natives and increase their farm acreage or in the erection of a college or university for the higher education of their children the lack of opportunity for their young people who are confined to the reservation denied the opportunity of engaging in business te teaching aching scho school ol 01 or qualifying for a professional career and even are denied the privilege of rein vesting their savings in the livestock industry for which they are especially fitted the abolition of their rights as american citizens under the constitution ution of free speech and peaceable assembly by an arbitrary ruling that protesting against the edicts of the supera supervisor sor was an act of insurrection punishable by fine and imprisonment claim unfair politic icil 1 interference several of the speakers charged that the r represent t acs in the council oc indian congress while ostensibly selected by the vote of the people were in the last analysis handpicked hand picked by the supervisors from a much larger group approved by the voters with a view to eliminating all indians who had education and a knowledge of their vital problems a type of representatives baing selected who could be easily deceived and mislead by the administration thus preventing them from getting their grievances before the proper heads of the government averal eral of the speakers emeha V inthe the fact that the navajo people did not want charity or r government dole that they much preferred to make their own livings and all they asked was a fair and opportunity of doing so the impression that the record representative gathered from the discussion at the meeting was that the navajos cavajos are a people with high ideals and ambitions capable of advanced education and civilization and with a higher regard for right and honor than the average white man we believe that the existing laws and regulations ti governing the red man mar I 1 id be e revised liberalized and to meet the present condi iy ay of this people and those ca capable le of rising in the world should have an opportunity of doing so without legal or departmental restraint |