The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-12-09
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE
INTERIOR.
DEPARTMENT or THE INTERIOR,
November 20, 1856

port giving brief history of the operations of this depart
ment whilst under my charge.
The act for its Organization was immaureIy considered
otherwise many subjects in almost every respect dss
liar would have been united in the same department
There Is no congruity IN the principles py when me
ent bureaus governed and the decisions wleh the
head of the department Is constantly called upon TO make
have little relation TO each other as mere glance al
the matters intrusted TO his will readily show 10 the
department by the organic act Is conded the supervision
of the Patent Office the General Land ONCE the Indian
Office the Pension Office the Commissioner OF Public
Budngs the Board of Inspectors and Warden OF Peni
tentiary District of Columbia the Census and the ae
of marsha clerks and other ocersofa all the uni
ted States courts embracing those OF the District oil Ooum
bia To these have since been added the Insane
the Mexican boundary survey and the construction of
several territorial roads When the legitimate objects q
the different departments are duly considered IL would
seem that reorganization of the whole had become neces
sary and that suitable than the pres
could be devised and should be adopted At al
events further burdens should be imposed upon TINS
department its abors already sufficiently severe ana
arduous When organized in 1S49 several OF its bureaus
were larger than most of the present departments twenty
years before and they have since been constantly ncreas-
ing and will continue to do so, keeping pace with the ex
tension and advancement Of the country.
Notwithstanding the Indian difficulties and other dis
turbance several of the Territories the surveys OF the
public lands have progressed RAPIDLY. The quantity oil
land surveyed exclusive Of school sections since my last
report and up to the 30h of September last was 6S73
500 acres, much OF which is now ready for market
The grants made by Congress at its last session for rail-
road purposes have had the effect of withdrawing from
market large body of the public lands which, notwth-
standing every exerton that be made cannot be re-
stored in less than nine months and perhaps not them as
depends in great degree upon the action OF the States
to which the grants made and in many cases the es
lation of those States.
have arisen, of which cannot be satisfactorily set
tied without the nterposon OF Congress Every EFFORT
has been made to carry into effect to benefit as Tar
practicable the actual seter but the loosenss with
which of its parts draughted, and the want OF
proper guards to protect its principles has thus far render
ed most of those efforts Intellectual Many fraudulent en-
nH
Land Office suitable rules and regulations have been adopt
ed for their correction and to prevent the occurrence OF
others The principal difficulty arises from the fact that
in many although the land has been entered more
tEan year. Improvements indicating bona tde IN
ten;iou to perform the requirements of the law have
been made and in Others the purchasers immedi.
ateIy after the entries made sale OF the lands pur~
chased without the slightest attempt at actual settle
cultivation Patents upon entries have been a
piled for and will be granted wherever the land office Ia
satisfied of the fairness of the transaction but where
there reasonable grounds for suspicion proof will be
required be fled within given period TO sustain the
entry 1t is however competent for Congress 10 declare
whether the title these lands shall pass all indscrm
inaely whether satisfactory evidence OF compliance
with the spirit and intention Of the law shall be first
CURED. The former would tend most to the relief
of the Land Office then the issue Of the patents would
be the only labor required For the benefit OF purchasers
generally and the States in which the graduated lands lie
il is important that the matter should be promptly dis
posed Of either by sanetonng and affirming the action Of
the General Land Office directing the patents to be is
sued without further requirement.
Ihe quantity OF and sold Tor eh during the last hsc
Received therefor $8s2I4i4 5S %
Located with military scrip and land
warrants s.... ............ s3s24sO 90
Swamp lands approved to the Staes.. G036,s74 80 Il
Selected under donations for railroad
&c, and granted for railroad pu.Ty-
ses ESTIMATED l56sOsT5 90
Making total of............... 39,s2s,lOs 81
The quantity Of land sold for cash during the second
and third quarters of the present calendar year Is 1000
O65 30 acres received therefor, 81, 900, ,ss3 70.
The difficulties in executing satisfactorily the swampand
grants still exist Several OF the States have passed laws
donating these lands for specific purposes and they
complain that the selections are aside for any
their faith must be violated IL is contended that most Of
those who conteng the rights of the States
eculaor and should not be permitted TO defeat their
permanen teresis that thereby many of the counties
and Of their people win be injured and the government
not correspondngly benefited Much Of this is true and
although many have been committed, yet it is
worthy of consideration whether under all the feum
far they do not interfere with actual settlers.
By the act of April 90 lsls it supposed that the
annual maximum compensation to registers and receivers
Of land Offices 80 900 each the icing made up
by the salary Of $500 and per commission up
the moneys received from the sales of the public lands
Bot under the ruling Of the Supreme Court the commits
sion computed upon the amount actually received with
out regard to time that the commission, together
with pro amount Of the salary reaches 1000 in
month and the officers term then expires the $4,000
retained by him In many II is thus made the in
eres Of the officer to vacate the Office because for the
mander Of the year he would have to discharge all its du
ties without further compensation and where the lands IN
the district are sometimes the case In great demand
the government might be compelled 70 pay The MAXIMUM
compensation several times during the year. II Is an
evil that needs correction
The land system under the legislative enActmens Of the
last four years and by the active taken TO
demands settlement has been extended with entire sue
and unprecedented rapdity along the whole Pacific
slope embracing the State Of California the Territories Of
Oregon and Washington and into the Territories Of Kan
Nebraska New Mexico and Utah. This immense geo
graphical surface has been organized into six survey
ing departments and the public surveys in rapid ex-
tension it, Surveying operations In the and the
old districts have In the period been extended over
Of nearly sixty millions Of acres in which the lines
have been run and established.
During this period, also, there have been sold for
3O93b, LA acres.
For which there has been received S2zs4o,-
l5I.
Approved under swampland grauts......- 3O199,056
Making the sggregate............. 939T6 772 acres
disposed Of In part for farms by direct grants to industr
Gus citizens portion BY titles issued indemnity to the
defenders OF the country in part TO aid the States Ia
redeeming from overflow and its consequences valuable
lands and bringing them under ags and tho residue in
facilitating travel and intercourse by the extension Of the
railway canal and other systems Of national ntercommu-
ncaon thereby also largely increasing the value OF the
landed interests Of the country
"a scarcely possible to convey proper idea Of the
great labor incident to the accomplishment Of the opera
tons mentioned II may be stated however among hume
rous heavy items that the records OF correspondence cover
ninety thousand folio pages embracing decs,ns upon
numerous Intricate questions ~ .e moi orIv ao aarvoJ