New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-27

& g 81 "a "a q 'sss<sz 80 u
sanse psriod anounted to ta,6ss SIS 50 less
I BY o009.N2 50 than received tAe previous
year: Tho quau1ity Of land taken o under aeE
l the homestead act was. greater Dy Soi ,01S
acres than that Of the preceding year.,
The area of public land undisposed OF 1 ,s
38,773. 22O, 1884 acres, Of which l,3O7 ,il', 40
acres are unsurveyed.
Grants for educational purposes since the
foundation Of the government amount 70
78, sac, 500 acres; for military services, ~
! 46O,96l acres; for internal improvements,
! exclusive of railroads and wagon roads,
/ 1880 acres; swamp lands approved to
/ the States amount to &C, 459 1868 acres, and
| there have been selected by way OF in
| Aemnity for swamp lands, 81 .5l262I acres.
| There have been paid $728, 49l 10 as indem-
aity for swamp lands sold by the govern
l nent for cash.
With regard to the long standing question
! of private claims to lands in New Mexico
and Arizona, arising under grants made
| when the country belonged to another SOW
creignty, and the act Of Congress author
| lied the survey or general of these terrific
| ries to ascertain and report ON the claims,
! the secretary says the method adopted
| differs essentially from that authorized in
respect to similar claims in California, and
| is liable to serious objection. The rights OF
the government are not represented, the
| surveyor general reporting only on dQcu
mentary evidence submitted by interested
| parties. =,
The confirmation OF claims rests with
| Congress, which is not so well adapted as
! judicial tribunal for passing upon contro-
| verted details of facts and laws, and the
! general boundaries given in the original
| documents afford no safe aud certain means
| Of ascertaining the real extent of the tract.
| One claim confirmed by Congress covered
an estimated area of $50 square leagues.
| The secretary refused to authorize the sur
| vey of it because the Governor OF Mexico
could not lawfully grant tract larger than
| eleven square Leagues.
The Secretary recommends that If
| q special tribunal for investigating these
| titles be not established, that there
| should be additional legislation detin-
| ing the duties Of the department and Blu
! reau of public lands in such cases.
The following are the statistics OF the
| patent office: During the year ending Sep
| tember 80, 1870, there were filed in the
Patent office 100, All applications for patents,
including reissues and designs, 3474 caveats
and 16O applications for extension of pa
tents; 100, go patents, including reissues and
| designs, were issued; lO4 extended, and
! 1889 allowed but not issued, by reason Of
the non pay ment Of the guarantee.
On the first day of October, 1869, the UNI
| expended balance of the appropriations was
| $4i6,8O4 AZ; appropriations for fiscal year
aggregate of $955,904 So. Expenditures
| since that date $541,57 09, leaving an I'M
expended balance of SAL, l06 40 available
| for the remainder Of the present fiscal year.
Fees received during said year amounted to
| $136, 304 80 in excess of the expenditures.
| The appropriations asked for the next fis-
cal year is $575,570.
| * 1,,vey 10
less than that issued during the present
year. This fact is no proof that the enter
prise of our cOuntrymen has diminished. or
of deficiency in the application OF their
| inventive genius and scientific attainments
! to industrial pursuits and mechanic arts.
| The result is due to the increased care and
labor which have been bestowed by the
office on applications, whereby frivolous and
| worthless cOntrivances have been rejected.
recommended last year the abolition OF
| the right to appeal from the decision OF the
| Commissioner to one of the Judges OF the
| Supreme Court of the District. This appeal
| from an executive to a judicial officer is a
strange aAamoly, unknown in the practice
| OF any other bureau. 1t has worked only
| evil, and that continually.
| The Secretary speaks at length OF the
beneficent result Of the visit of Red Cloud
and Spotted Tail to Washington. He says
| that at the time OF their visit very little
hope was entertained that war could be
avoided, but simple, clear and perfectly
frank statement of the attitude OF your
administration was made to them both by
yourself and the officers Of this Depart
ment. No attempt was made to hide from
them the gravity of the situation and the
absolute necessity for their accepting the
new condition of things. They were made
to understand the hopelessness Of continued
conflicts with such a nation as that through
whose country they had passed from the
upper Missouri to the capital, and urged TO
trust implicitly and peacefully to the good
will Of the government and people OF the
United States, and to accept the necessity
of looking in future to agriculture rather
than hunting for subsistence.
The visit made o favorable, and, l sim
cerely trust, an enduring impression upon
their minds. An impending war, with all
its unnumbered horrors and its waste OF
blood, has been averted. The influence OF
the leading Sioux chieftains continues to he
| on the side Of peace, and their example has
been followed by all the principal warlike
tribes which, last spring, were threatening
our frontier settlements.
| To perpetuate our friendly relation with
| the Sioux, much, however, remains to be
DONE The reservation assigned by the
| Peace Commission of 1868 has not been alb
| sOlutely secured to them. / am aware Of no
reason why the right Of the Indians to it
| should not be recognized and confirmed by
positive enactment. Until this be done they
| can not be permanently located or induced
| to give up their wandering habits and adopt
| a new mode Of life. Our delay in taking
! action in this disturbing question has al
| ready excited distrust of our good faith,
| and if longer continued will, fear, render
them dissatisfied and inimical. l earnestly
recommend that the attention OF Congress
be called to this subject.
The consent OF the Osages to remove
from Kansas to the Indian Territory hap
PLY ends the difficulty which toreb0ded Sc
riOus troubles. The wrongs inflicted on
these Indians by encroachments on their
reservations We're OF the most nnjustitable
character.
A speedy confirmation of the Cherokee
treaty now before Congress is recommended.
A survey of the lands Of the Choctaws
and Chickasaws is now in progress, but the
secretary recommends that before a land
office is established. aliOtmcnts made OF
certain supposed discrepancies between the
statutes and treaty Of which the Choctaws
complain be investigated and rccOnsldered.
The statistics OF business in the Pension
public some time ago. Secretary Cox, in
treating Of this brarch of his department,
saws the Commissioner has devoted special
attention and energetic etfOrts-first, to a
more thorough examination of evidence
presented in support of pension claims, thus
insuring the rejection of such as are ticti-
tious and unfounded; second, to searching
inquiry in regard to the present list of in
a.. %,,,