The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-12-04

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cd to indemnify persons on both sides for their
losses during the war; and not few Of them arc
fabricated and supported by false testimony
Projects are foot. it is believed, to induce
Congress 10 provide for new classes of claims,
and to revive old ones, through the repeal or
modification Of tae- statute of limitation by |
which they barred. presume these /
schemes, if proposed. win be received with lit
tie favor By Congress, and L recommend that
persons having CLAIMS against the Unitedstates
cognizable by any tribunal or departme NTH
Of be required to present them at an early day.
and that legislation be directed as far as prae-
ticable. to the defeat of unfounded and unJnss
demands upon the Government; and would
suggest as means of preventing fraud, that
witnesses be called upon TO appear in person, |
| to testify before these tribunals having said
claims before them for adjudi cation. Probably !
the largest saving to the national treasury. can
be secured by timely legislation on these sgb-
jeets, of ny of the economic measures that will
be proposed e1eHs -1 sB II
You will be advised of the operations of he
Department Of Justice by the report of the At
torney General, and invite your attention to
the amendment of existing laws suggerted by
him, with view to reducing the expenses of
| that department. ya9s
The policy iuauguratcd- towards the Indians
at the beginning OF the last Administration has
been steadily pushed, and 1believe with BENEFIT
ciaI results. It will be continued with only such
notifications as time and experience may denl-
onstrate as necessary. With the encroachments
OF civilization upon the Indian resery ations and
hunting grounds, disturbances have taken place
between the Indians and whites during the past
year, and probably viii continue to do.so until
each race sppreeiates that the other ;has rights
which lAust be respected The policies have
been to collect the Indians as rapidly as possible
on reservations, and as far as practicable upon
what is known as the Indian Territory, and to
teach them the arts of civilization and self-sup-
port. When found of their reservations. and
endangering the peace and prosperity of the
whites, they have been punished, and viii con-
tinue to be for like offe nces- The Indian Terri
tory south of Kansas and west of Arkansas, is
sufficient in area and agricultural resources to
support all the Indians of the Rocky Mountains.
In time all Of them no doubts except a few who
may elect to make their homes among white
people, will be collected there. As a prepara-
tory step,is for the consummation 1 am now
satisfied that territorial form of government
should be given them, which Will secure the
treaty rights of the original settlers and pro-
tect their fiomesteads from alenation for a peril
cd of twenty years. s. alsi5a ltssa
The operations of the Patent Office are grow
| ing to such magnitude, and the accumulation of
material is Becoming SO great that the neeessi-s
| ty for moro room is becoming obvious day by
day. respectfully invite your attention to the
report of the Secretary Of the Interior and Com
missioner OF Patents this subject
/ The business of the General Land ONCE ex-
hibits amaterial increase in ait its branches
during the last fiscal year. During that time
there were disposed out of the public lands. H.
OS6, 500 acres, being an amount greater by 1s165-
6s1 acres, than was disposed Of in the proceed
ing year. OF the amount disposed of, 1896, ,266
acres were sold for cash. 2l49t0 acres wefe81o-
Gated with military land warrants. 2,796612
acres were taken for homesteads, 652, ,446 acres
/ were located with Agricultural College scrip;
1 G,0S3536 acres were certified by railroads; 765-
| 75G acres were granted to wagon roads; 23S, ,54S
acres were approved to States as swamp lands,
13s.6s1 acres were certified to agricultural col
| leges, common schools, universities and semina-
ries, 19O,175 acres were approved to States for
| internal impro Vcments, and. II 22s acres were
located with indian scrip. The cash receipts
during the same time 50 409, sic, so, being
$l9O, ,4l55O in excess of the receipts of the pre-
vious year. During the year so ass. 1872 acres of
public land were surveyed, an increase of the
| amount surveyed The present year OF ,037, 1913
| acres, and added to the area previously sur
Veyed, aggregates SIG 554 SS4 acres which have
been surveyed. leaving .2is AL sos acres OF the
public land still unsurveyed, The increased
and steadily increasing facilities for reaching
our unocsupied public dom ain and for the trans
portation of surplus products snlarges the
| available field for desirable homestead location
thus stimulating settlement, and extending
year by year, Ia gradually increasing ratio,
| the ratio of occupation aud cultivation. The
expressed desire of the representatives of a
I large colony of the citizens o; Germany to emil
CRATE to this country, IS is understood win the
consent of their government if certain conces-
sions be made to enable them to settle in a
compact colony, is of great interest as going to
| show the light in which our institutions are re-
garded by an industrious, intelligent and veal
| thy people, who are desirous of enjoying civil
and religious liberty, and the acquisition of SO
large an immigrations OF citizens of a superior
class would, without doubt, be of substantial
benefit to the country. We invite attention to
the suggestions of the Secretary Of the interior
in this behaIf. E .7frf---oIsA
There was paid during the last fiscal year for
pensions, including the expenses of disburse-
ment, $29, 1s5, ,289.62 being an amount less by
1884 050, ,9s than was expended for the same pur-
pose the preceding year. Although this state
ment would indicate a mhterial reduction in
amount, compared with last year, it is believed
that the changes in the pension laws at the last
| session of Congress will absorb that amount the
present year. At the close Of the last fiscal year
| there were on the pension rolls 99S04 invalid
military pensioners, and 112 0S8 widows and or
phans and dependant relatives of deceased SOL
disrs, making total of that class of 21f sea;
1896 survivors of the war of 1912, and 1858 Wild
ows of soldiers of that war pensioned under the
/ act of Congress of February 18th 1871 making
totalEof that class of % $40 430 aid navy
pensioners and 1770 widowsl and orphans and
dependent relatives of deceased officers sailors
| and mariners, of the navy pensioners OF $500:
1 and grand total of pensioners of all classes of
SSs.4n, showing net increase during the last
1 fiscal year of 6.21s. During the last fiscal wear
/ the names of .405 pensioners were added to
the rolls and ,22S names were dropped there
from from various causes, The system adopted
for the detection of frauds against the govern
1nent in the matter of pensions has been pro-
dnctiye of satisfactory results, but legislation
Is needed to provide, if possible against the
perpetration of such frauds in future. A
The evidently increasing interest in the cause
of Education is most encouraging feature in
the general progress and prosperity of the
country, and the Bureau Of Education is earnest
in its enorts to give proper direction to the new
| applicants, and the increased facilities which
are being offered to aid the educators of the
country in their great work.
TIE ninth census has been completed and the
report thereof has been published and distrib-
uted. and the working force of the bureau dis
banded. The Secretary of the Interior renews
Us HleHooeiOH Aor u census 20 De taken IN
1875 to which subject the attention of Congress
is invited. The original suggestion in that be-
half met with the general approval of the
country, and even lift be not deemed advisable
| at pres ent to provide for regular quintennial
census, a census taken in 1876. the report or
which could be completed and published before
the one hundredth anniversary of our Indepen-
dence, would be especially interesting and val
uable as showing the progress of our country
during the first century of our national exist
ence- 1t is believed, however; that regular
census once in five years would be of substan-
tial benefit to the country, inasmuch as our
| growth heretofore has been so rapid that the
results of the decennial census are necessarily
unreliable a basis of estimates for the latter
! years OF q decennial period