The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-12-12

law is made use of in many cases by
obdurate creditors to frighten or force
debtors into q compliance with their
wishes. and into acts of injustice to
other creditors and to themselves. |
recommend that so much OF said act as
provides for involuntary bankruptcy on
account of the suspension of payment
be repealed. Your careful attention Ia
invited to the subject Of claims against
the Government and the facilities
afforded by existing laws for their prose
cution. Each Of the Departments of the
State, Treasury and War have demands
files, and they are rapidly accumulating.
To these may be added those now
pending before Congress, the Court of
Claims, and the Southern Claims Com
mission, making in the aggregate an
immense sum. Most of these grow out
of the rebellion, and are intended to in
demnify persons on both sides for their
losses during the war, and not a few of
them are fabricated and supported by
false testimony. Projects are on foot, it
is believed, to induce Congress to pro-
vide for new classes of claims, and to
receive old ones through the repeal or
modification of the statute of limlta-
lions by which they are nov barred. !
presume these schemes, if proposed, will
be received with little favor by Con-
gress, and I recommend that persons
having claims against the United States,
cognizable by any tribunal or depart
ment thereof, be required to present
them at an early day, and that legisla-
ton be directed as far as practicable to
the defeat of unfounded and unjust de-
mands on the Government, and | would
cT,rpncf oe a mnons of nTAUonfInU fp9u6
that witnesses be called upon to appear
in person to testify before those tribu-
nails having said claims before them
for adjudication. Probably the largest
saving to TIE National Treasury can be
secured by timely legislation on these
subjects of any of the economic meas
ures that will be proposed. You will be
advised of the operations of the Depart
ment Of Justice by the report of the
Attorney General, and / invite your at
tentiOn to the amendments of existing
laws suggested by him with the view of
reducing the expenses of that depart
ment. =''.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.
The policy inaugurated towards theIn-
dams at the beginning of the last admin
istratiOn has been steadily pursued, and
I believe with beneficial results. p
1t will be continued with only such
notifications as time and experience
may demonstrate as necessary. With
the encroachment of civilization upon
the Indian reservations and hunting
grounds, disturbances have taken place
between the Indians and whites during
the past year, and probably will con
tinue to do so until each race appre-
ciates that the other has rights which
/ 1r,e4 ~ uoe~oa%nl rt TEIn z1o1So- hoo LnNr
to collect the Indians as rapidly as pos
sible on reservations, and as far as prac-
ticable within what is known as the
Indian Territory, and to teach them the
arts of civilization and self-support.
Where found off their reservations and
endangering the peace and the safety of
the whites, they have been punished,
and will continue to be for like Offenses.
The Indian Territory south of Kansas
and west of Arkansas is sufficient in
area and agricultural resources to sup
port all the Indians east of the Rocky
Mountains. In time no doubt all of them
except who may select to make their
homes among white people will be col
lected there. AS a preparatory step for
this consummatiOn, | am now satisfied
that a territorial form of government
should be given them, which will secure
the treaty rights of the original settlers
and protect theirhOmesteadsfro from alien
alton for a period of twenty years. =
THE PATENT oFFICE-THE NEED OF
~.E: Gsts MORE ROOM. .-..
The operations of the Patent Office
are growing to such magnitude, and the
accumulation Of material is becoming
so great that the necessity for more
room is becoming more and more Oh
vious day by day. I respectfully in
vite your attention to the reports of the
Secretary of the Interior and Commits
sioner of Patents on the subject.
THE LAND oFFICE-NCREAsEN ALL OF
sa# Il d. IT'S BRANCHES, ,sh, A.. sr
THE business of the General Land
Office exhibits a material increase in
all it's branches during the last fseal
year. During that time there were dis.
posed of out of the public lands $780,.
606 acres, being an amount greater BY
1,165,631 acres than was disposed of dur.
ing the, preceding year. Ofthe amount
disposed of / 1862 acres were sold fol
cash, 714,940 acres were located with
military land warrants, 3,793,612 acres
were akenfOpihOmesteads G53, 446 acres
were located with agricultural collegt
scrip, 6,O83,538 acres were certified BY
railroads, 1856 acres were granted tt
wagon roads, 238,548 acres were g ap.
proved to States as swamp lands, 1885,
! 691 acres were certified for agricultural
colleges, common schools, universitiei
and Summaries, 1870, IT'S acres were aD.
proved TO the States for internal impr0y
ments, and14,222 acres werel0cated witt
Indian. scrips. The cash receipts durins
the sametime were $3,408,513S5 90, being
$190,415 80 in excess of the receipts @
1.-THE previous year. During the yea
30,48S,132 acres of public lands were u
. veyed. an increase over the amount SUI,
veYed the previous year of 1,037. 19
! acres, and added totthe area pTeyiOusl,
surveyed aggegate 616,554,6 95 acres
} which have been surveyed, leaving |,
; 21S, AS, sos acres of the public land still
unsnrveyed. The increased and stead
} lily increasing facilities for reaching on
unoccupied publiesdomain, and for tn,
transportation of surplus products, en-
homestead locations, thus sstimulatinI
| settlement and extending, year by. veal
in d gradually increasing ratio the are
: of occupation and cultivation. .s5I1a seta
= BENEFIT TO BE DERIVED FROM tn
: EMIGRATION OF RUSSIANS TO TIL
. COUNTRY. baa q 4a BIZ zti~fsyzg g
The expressed desire of the represen
tations Of q large colony of citizens o
q Russia to emigrate othfs country, as i
understood, with the consentIOf thei
! Government if certain concessions ca
be made to enable them to settle ina
! compact colony is of great interest a
! going tosshow the light in whichiour in
situations are regardedby IN industrious
{ intelligent and wealthy people, desirOu
OF enjoying civilized and religious lib
! erty, and the acquisition of so large a
. immigration of citizens of a superio