Representation without Taxation: Citizenship and Suffrage in Indian Country

Abstract

N THE 1770s, a relatively small band of political dissidents became increasingly restive about their inability to control the destiny of their own communities. After numerous political skirmishes they became sufficiently bold to call for a revolution. One of the rhetorical battle cries of that fledgling revolution was No taxation without representation! Two hundred years later, another relatively small band of dissidents is dissatisfied by their inability to control their own political destiny. After several political setbacks, they too are speaking of revolution, albeit in more peaceful terms. Like the revolutionaries of 1775, they too have a battle cry-No representation without taxation! Before placing this modern band of radicals in the same spiritual camp with the Sons of Liberty, however, consider this-the contemporary group in question is a white minority which is seeking to either disenfranchise or gerrymander away certain Indian voters in three northern Arizona counties. The lofty constitutional principles of the dissidents are clouded by their economic self-interest. Nevertheless, their rhetoric raises a number of fundamental questions about the nature of suffrage, citizenship, and sovereignty in America that merit closer examination. The demographics of Northern Arizona reveal much about the content of the current dispute. The Navajo Reservation encompasses parts of three counties (Apache, Coconino and Navajo) and has a population of approximately 75,000 in Arizona.' While all three counties have been involved to varying degrees in the Anglo-Navajo conflict, Apache County deserves special attention. First, the Indian population in Apache County outnumbers the non-Indian population by about five to one. Moreover, Indian reservations constitute 62 percent of the land in the county. Only 17 percent of the land is in private handscorporate and individual. For a long time, however, the fundamental political differences between Anglos and Navajos in Apache County were effectively ignored by the white minority which dominated the local political apparatus. A brief review of the history of Indian voting rights, especially in Arizona, illustrates how the present conflicts over suffrage, citizenship, and sovereignty emerged. Prior to 1924, Indians were not