Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-06-15

lakes. In 1858 we had sixtv-three super
 lntendents, agents, and sub agents, wbost
 stations are scattered through the entire possessions of the government not vet oc cupled by white men. In 1852 we acquir. ed no lands, whilst in 1858 we obtained q rellnquishment of 19,000, ,000 acres Ir fact, from lS49-the date at which the in. lordepartment was established-to 1853 (Juiy l, inclusive, we extinguished the Indian title to only about 3S, COG, ,000 acres whilst In the four years ending July, 1858 we had purchased the Indian claim to over 5000, 900 acres. In 1852 we had no re- servations in Texas, California, Oregon, or Washington. In 1858 we had two in Texas, five in California, two in Oregon. and three in Washington
 W hen we consider the increased inciden- tai expenditure necessarily arising from so great an extension of the operations of the Indian service, it is clearly demonstrated that a much greater degree of care, pru- dence, and economy in directing the appli- cation of the Indian funds has been exer- cised in 1858 that was applied to the same service in 1852
 Consider, next, if you please, the expen- dltures Tn the pension office, and we shall there observe results most clearly attribu- table to the careful supervision, energy, and integrity of the head of the depart ment and the officers connected with the immediate administration of that office. during the present and the preceding admi- nistrations.
 From the above table it will be perceiv- ed that the amount expended through the pension office in the year ending June 30, 1852, was S2,361, ,575 27, and during the year ending June 30, 1858, S1,21S,S S33 31 thus exhibiting a reduction of Sl,l42.- o9l 96, or nearly one-half of the entire sum. That this result is not fortuitous. is evident from an inspection of the amounts spent Tn intervening years. Nor is 1t to be attributed, to any great extent to the dlmmutlon of pensioners. The act of 3d February, 1Sa3, largely increased the num- Der, and the amount of money required to pay the claimants under that law in the succeeding year, 1S53-'4, was about 1925. 900.
 Here 1t may be remarked, without attri outing corruption to any one in official po- sition, that the public history of the pension office affords abundant evidence of a loose all ministration of its affairs prior to the poiti- cal change in 1853. The character of the claimes adjudicated by it presented an invit- ing harvest for peculators upon the treasury; the facts necessaryto be proved in nearly eve " case were of remote occurrence, many of them more than half century; and the evi- dence being taken ey porte, and the business oi issuing land warrants in such large quanti ties belng new and urgent, 1t is not surpris- ing that the government should have been oeirauded las 1t has been) to an enormous amount. It is due to the late administra- :.oh to state that, immediately upon assum- ing US duties, it initiated rigid system of investigation into this class of claims and promptly applied the proper corrective.- in every case in which, after careful in- vestigation, a well-grounded conviction arose that fraud had been pernetrated measures were taken for a judicial ;nvest;, gatlon hese investigations have haon continuously carried on to the nresen. oeen Nearly one hundred criminal nrosaon.;a .;,ne. have been instituted against persons for ,. af fences in fraudulently obtaining nens;ons and land warrants since the Sd March Ie5a and of these fifty-one have been conv;otad and punished. Thirty-four offenders bavs been indicted, and nineteen tried and oon vlcted, under the present management of the office. In several cases persons have been implicated who had sustained the