The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1864-12-14

he policy he recommends for the devel-
opement of increased commercial inter-
course with adjacent and neigh boring
countries should receive the careful con-
siderstion of Congress- 1t is of note
worthy interest that the steady expan-
sion of population Improvement and gov
/ unaccupied portions Of our country have
scarcely been checked, much less i'm peded
or destroyed, by our great civil war, which
at frs glance, would seem to have absorb
ed almost the entire energies Of the ma
ton. The organization and admission of
The State of Nevada has been completed
in con nfermity VII law, and thus our ex-
cellent system in the mountains, which
ence seemed a barren and unhespitable
waste between the Atlantic States and
those which have grown up on the coast
of the Pacific Ocean.
The territories of the United States are
generally in condition of prosperity and
| rapid growth. Idaho and Montana, by
reason Of their great distance and the in
! terrGption of communication with them
by Indian hostilities, have been only par
TALLY organized, but it is understood that
these difficulties are about to disappear,
which will permit their governments, like
those of others, to go into speedy and
full operation. AS intimately connected
with and promotive of the material growth
of the nation, I ask the attention of Con-
gress to the valuable informa .ion and i'm
portant recommendations relating to the
public lands, Indian affairs, the Pacific
railroads and mineral discoveries, con-
tanned in the report of the Secretary of
the Interior, which is herewith trans
mitted, and which report also embraces
the subjects of patents, pensions and 9th
er Nopics of public interest pertaining to
his department The quantity of public
land disposed of during the five quarters
ending on the Both Of September last, was
4, ,221 ,342 acres, of which 1878 GA acres
were entered under the Homestead law
The remainder was located with military
land warrants, agricultural scrip certified
to States Tor railroads, and sold for cash
The cash received from sales and loca-
tion fees was S2,049446. The income
from sales daring the fiscal year ending
June seth, 1861, was S67 .S00.721, against
SIS, ,GU1, JJ received during the proceeding
during the year has been equal to the
qrar';'y di-T"sed Of, and thcro is open
to settlement about 133, 600, 600 acres of
aarveyed land. The great enterprise Of
connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific
States by railways and telegraph lines
had been eutered upon with yigor that
gives assurance of success, notwithstand-.
ing the embarrassments arising from the
prevailing high prices of material and
labor. The route of the main line Of
road has been definitely located for one
hundred miles westward trem the initial
point at Omaha City, Nebraska. and
preliminary location of the Pacific Rail
road OF California has been made from
of Mucker River, in Nevada. Numerous
discoveries OF gold, silver and cinnabar
mines have been added to the many
heretofore known, and the country occu-
pied by the Sierra, Nevada and the Rocky
Mountains, and the subordinate ranges
now teens with enterprising labor, which
is richly remunerative 1t is believed
that the products of the mines of rich
lnetais III that region has during the year
reached, if not exceeded $4,000 900 in
value. 1t was recommended in my last
annual message that our Indian system be
remodeled.
Congress at its last session acting upon
the recommendation, did provide for re-
organizing the system in California, and
it is believed that under the present or
ganlzation, the management of the In
aians there will be attended with reason
able success Much yet remains to be
done to provide for the proper govern
ment of the Indians in other parts of the
country, to render it secure for the ad
vancing settler, and to provide for the
welfare or the Indian. The Secretary
reiterates his recommendations, and to
them the attention of Congress is invited.
The liberal provisions to invalid sol
diers and sailors of the Republic, and to
the widows, orphans and dependent moth
ers of those who have fallen in battle, or
died of disease contracted, or of wounds
received in the service of their country,
have been diligently administered.
There had been added to the pension
rolls during the year ending the Both day
of juno last the namos Of 1910 invalid
soldiers, and of 271 disabled seamen,
making the present number of army in
valid pensioners 712, and that OF widows,
orphans and mothers 22, 1913 have been
placed on the army pension rolls, and
24S on the navy rolls. The number OF
army pensioners of this class is 25, 433,
and of navy pensions 1913. At the be
ginning of the year the number of revo-
lutionary pensioners was 1.45J Only
twelve of them were soldiers. of whom
seven have since died The remainder
are those who, %nder the law, received
pensions because of relationship to Rcvo-
lutionsry soldiers. During the year end
ing the 30th of June 1864, ,S45. .046 ,5l6, ,92
have been paid to pensioners of all
classes.
| cheerfully commend to your continued
patronage the benevolent institutions OF
the District of Columbia, which have
hitherto been established or fostersd by |
Congress, and respectfully refer for in
formation concerning them, and in rela-
tion to the Washington Aqueduct, the
Capital and other matters of local interest |
to the report of the Secretary