Hamilton Fish to Hamilton Fish, January 31, 1872

No. 286. Mr. Fish to Mr. Nelson,

Sir: I transmit a copy of a letter of the 25th instant, addressed to this Department by Mr. R. C. McCormick, the Delegate in Congress from the Territory of Arizona, and of the letter to me from Governor Safford, of that Territory, to which it refers. These papers relate to the persistent attacks on the persons and property of citizens of Arizona near the border, by bandits from the Mexican State of Sonora. The Department has repeatedly written on the importance of patting a stop to them.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

Work of the bandits.

We have heretofore published the interpretation of our extradition treaty, as given by the supreme government of Mexico, and pronounced it as very bad, and that it could but engender more slaughter of our citizens, for it practically said that any citizen of Mexico might proceed into United States territory, and rob and assassinate whom he pleased, and return and receive the protection of his government; in plainer terms still, it was an official invitation to citizens of Mexico to rob and murder Americans on American soil with safety assured in advance. Ever since, more or less of our people have been slain by Mexican bandits, and latterly, within a period of thirty days, six were so murdered, and five of them in a most barbarous manner. It is apparent to all here that this terrible slaughter must grow better or worse. There is no use to say to men, while seeing their neighbors butchered by the whole family, that our own Government accepts as defensible the Mexican interpretation of the treaty, and hence they must abstain from resistance of any kind. Simply because a national exposition of a law declares it to be inefficient to prevent or even restrain human butchery, will not forever satisfy those who are any day liable to be killed. In spite of everything except a cure of the evil, terrible retaliation will follow. There are those who believe that Governor Pesqueira, of Sonora, is anxious to stop the fiendish slaughter of our people by his own, but that he cannot use official power to do so in the face of his supreme government’s prohibition; yet we think he will in some effective way co-operate with our citizens and officials in their endeavors to stop a system of murder which he must know will otherwise soon be applied against as well as by his people. The massacre of the Baker family, as elsewhere detailed, will again forcibly bring the sub-ect to his attention. Prominent Mexican citizens of Tucson will by petition represent to him that some measures to suppress such atrocities must be taken, regularly or irregularly, and we still trust he may help to avert the most shocking calamities. No mere words will longer answer the demand of our people. Right action must be taken, and that without much delay.