National Republican., 1875-12-08
INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Report Of the Secretary Of the Interior.

SIR: have the honor to snbmit, for your con-
the annual report Of this Department.
accompanied by the reports of the several bureaus
and institutions which, BY law, are placed under
its supervision. e'1---.i-
PUBLIC LANDS.
During ths year o ending June 20 ls1S public
80 acres; military warrant locations 1S7, 600;
homestead entries, 357, ,os7oo; timber culture en-
tries 4tsIolI agIcnt.0rssl, ~ s, college scrip ioea
T2l26 certified to railroads. aloI ei3 IA; certified
for agricultural colleges, p "a; certified for
common schools eernea stsa iOT f rnyers ins
nal improvements, s,sli.25; Sioux halEbreed
scrip locations, 52645; Chippewa halfbreed scrip
less by 2i5e Soi ss acres than that disposedOf the
year.
The cash receipts were IT'S, 9,s16.2T; sum less
by $500, 23 than that received the previous year
During the year q, OF, ,531.s6 acres were sur
yeyed, making, with the quantity previously sur
veyed, $50 o94 acres, leaving yet to be sur
yeyed l. ,l54 All, Te2 70 acres.
The quantity of land disposed of under the home
stead and timber-culture laws was less by about
a million and half acres than that 80 disposed Of
attributed, and mo doubt correctly, by the Com
missioner Of the General Land Once, to the grass
hopper plague the drought and the consequent
Of emigration to the land States and
Territories. Aside from these considerations,
however, which are temporary in their character,
he expresses the opinion that steady dimlnuton
of such entries may hereafter be expected. grow
ing out of the fact that the best lands subject
such entries have, in great measure, been already
The report of the commissioner is replete with
valuable Information and timely suggestions as TO
the expediency Of changes In some OF the laws re-
latfnx to public lands I would especially CON-
mend to the favorable consideration of Congress
his remarks as to the necessity Of change in the
Manual Of Surveying Instructions, which has the me
surveying mountainous districts; the disposal Of
timber and grazing landsi the Consolidation Of
the re-emption and homestead laws; the repeal
of the law requiring public lands in Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida TO
be disposed Of under the homestead acts only; the
errors in the Revised Statutes, which are now the
clerical force of his ofiee.
SAN JUAN AND OTHER ISLANDS.
The commissioner appointed by you, under the
act of 10th June, 1874 to make and report TO this
Department list OF all British subjects who, on
the 18th Of June, 1s4o, were in the occupation Of
land, lawfully acquired, within the limits Of the
award Of His Majesty the Emperor Of Germany,
occupied by each person at said date, satisfacto-
rily performed his duties. He reported that, after
due notice given by publication for q period Of
tensiye circulation the islands in question: and
by posting conspicuously the notice in all the
post offices in the archipelago, he proceeded In
person to Victoria, British Columbia, where he
was informed by the chief factor Of the Hudson
Bay Company that said company would present
no claim under said act. He then proceeded to
sented any claim under the act. You accord
ingly, on the Sd Of August last, issued procla-
previous proclamation of 4th February, 1873
which was issued in order to protect the rights Of
British subjects under the treaty Of 18th June,
ultimo, and the lands are now open to disposal as
other public lands, except such as hayo been re-
served by your orders for military and Light
house purposes.
90 EE I'D PATENTS. ..
During the year ending the 3oth ultimo y, $50
applications for patents were fled and "A 80 pat
ents including reissues and designs, issued; Gap
extended; 3,o52 caveats were filed; 2 495 patents
were granted but not issued by reason of n0n-pay-
ment of the fnal fees; 951 applications for the
registration Of trademarks were received and 993
trademarks were registered. The number of
patents issued during said year exceeded those of
the preceding year by os5. The total amount re-
ceived during the year from fees, SC, was S732,-
2S5sT and the total expenditures were s70S. S7435,
leaving an unexpended balance of -, 4l1-52.
INDIAN AFyAIRs. E .t
The report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs
presents the details Of the transactions Of the In
dian Bureau for the past year, and furnishes in
terestng information in regard to the present
dition OF the various Indian tribes. The Commits
sioner makes several important and valuable rec
ment Of the Indians, 10 which your attention is re-
speetfully invited -. .- r-r.. ......
be regarded as encouraging, and progress has
been made during the year in perfecting and eX-
tending the Indian policy. Wherever all the ele-
ments Of success have been available, the result
has clearly indicated the propriety and eff
cheney Of that policy in the increased interest
taken by both agents and Indians in the acquis-
tiOn Of Industrial pursuits and in the increase OF
peaceful disposition toward the whites. Schools
are increasing In number and interest; farming
wherever the soil Is suitable is being prosecuted
more vigorously and intelligently, and the desire
of the Indians to prepare for themselves more
comfortable and fixed abodes is becoming more
general. At the important agencies Of Red
tInR. anHS Snnft ta1 Tai In ha na -nfa
nation, however, one of the principal elements of
success productive sOil-is wanting. and no
progress has been made, and none can be ex-
pectcd, while the present conditions by which
they are surrounded shall remain. The problem
of how to deal with these Indians seems as far
further Complicated the present year by the dis
cOvery Of gold in the Black Hills and the emigra-
tiOn Of large numbers ofminers thither. The sug-
numerous people are practical, and worthy Of
consideration.
There can be no doubt whatever that so long rs
the great bulk Of the Sioux are encouraged to
occupy their present locations near the Red Cloud
and MILESTONE, or Spotted Tail, agencies and to
roam at will over their vast reservation and north
river and the Yellowstone they can make no pro-
gress whatever, and must be fed year AFTER year
by the Government. The Recommendation
above mentioned be removed to the Mis-
souri, river meets with my unqualified
approval The soil over s ,i,ief Whieh they now
tion Of those ageneis Is so remote from the rail-
road and river that the cost of supplying them Is
greatly enhanced and their Isolated position gives
them almost entire immunity from Government
control whenever they are disposed to commit any
outrages upon the person or property Of neighbof-
ing settlers or more 10 tn friendly tribes ,,,,.,
river, at some point or points between the mouth
Of the Cheyenne river, and Fort Randall, to be
hereafter determined upon, will result in greater
economy and convenience Of supply, and greater
facility TO restrain and coerce refractory Indians
whenever the necessity arises. Il will also locate
them where there are arabie lands, good water
suggest that the appropriations In future shall be
made conditional upon this; removal, and that
Of the supplies annuities hereafter granted
by Congress shall be issued to these Indians, ex-
eepting at some point or points on the Missouri
river, where those agencies shall be permanently
EoTaSe action Of coSsress proper % location VIII
be selected, and those agencies removed prior to
the beginning of the next fiscal year -7r;f -aa-F
The relative location Of the Indians now sup
piled at Fort Bclknap, Montana, 20 the Missouri
river, Is nearly analogous to the location Of the
Sioux aboyereferred to that have already order
ment of the present agency at Fort Belknap, for
the reasons given above In regard to the removal
of the Sioux at Red Cloud and Spotted Tall
agencies.
Attention is invited to the condition upon which
the Sioux relinquished their right to hunt in Ne
braska, namely, that in addition to the 81, 900
heretofore appropriated for that purpose, the De-
partment agreed to recommend the further apprT-
priation Of q like amount while presenting this
Recommendation, however l deem IL my duty to
state that under the terms of the treaty Of 1858
that right probably no longer existed at the time
said promise was made, it having expired by the
terms Of the treaty ITSELF, That treaty reserved
to the Sioux "thc right to hunt on any lands
north Of the North Platte, and on the Republican
Fork Of the Smoky Hill river, so long as the buff
falo may range thereon in such numbers as to
justify the chase 1t Is the concurrent testimony
of army officers and white settlers familiar with
the section Of country referred to as hunting
sin such numbers as to justify the chase"
The failure, Of the negotiations for the relin-
Quishment of the Black Hills necesstates the
adoption Of some measures TO relieve the Depart
mert of the great embarrassment resulting from
the evident determination Of q large number Of
reservation to obtain the precious metals which
the official report of the geol0gist sent out by the
Department shows to exist therein. The very
measures now taken by the Government to
prevent the influx Of miners into the Black Hills,
by means Of the display Of military force In that
neighborhood, operate as the surest safeguard of
the miners against the attacks of Indians. The
army expels the miners and, while doing so, pro-
tects them from Indians. The miners return as
soon as the military surveillance Is withdrawn,
and the same steps are taken again and again.
Some of the miners have brought suits against
the military officers for false imprisonment, and
much embarrassment TO both the army and the
Interior Department is the result.
The preliminary report Of Professor Janney,
which accompanies the report Of the Indian Com
missioner In regard TO the geological and agricul
tural wealth Of the Black Hills, Indicates clearly
the great tempts tion held out to emigrants and
miners to occupy that country, and win greatly
enhance the difficulties which have already sur
rounded the question Of protecting the Sioux n