Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-04
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF
THE INTERIOR
The Indian MISUNDERSTANDING the
Indians RecOInmended-Wh the In-
dians should Not Held Lands i'm Seve-
rally The Public Lands - Patent
Office-Census-pGbI Buildings. &c.

rally -The Public Lands - Patent
Office-Census-rGbIic Buildings, &c.
Secretary Teller commences his report with the
! discussion OF Indian AFFAIRS and recommends the
disarming Of the Indians as means OF removing
| temptation from them to go upon the war-path.
Iney nave no further use for their guns, for the
game is so scarce in most sections that &c forms
but a small portion OF their food, and the govern
ment provides or should provide an ample supply
| for their support without their resorting to the
fruits OF the chase. The Secretary therefore sug-
! geStS that the Commissioner OF Indian Affairs be
| authorized TO adopt some system OF disarmng the
Indians, ana TO that end TO purchase the arms OF
the Indians on fair terms, and that suitable ap-
| preparation be made, out OF which payment shall
be made and that the sale OF arms or ammunition
to Indians holding tribal relations be prohibited
under severe penalties.
! Upon the veXed question OF the title 10 Indian
| lands the Secretary says that tie savage Indian
objects TO land In Severalty. because he has been
taught, both as question OF political economy
and Indian morals, that it is crime to divide the
land and allow one man to own II to the exclusion
OF another The more enlightened Indians object
TO IL because they know that when the limitation
against Alienation has expired the great mass OF
Indians Will part with their title and become land
less vagabonds. To this end. that the Indians may
be secure in their titles and have the assurance
that they viii not be removed except by their free
consent he recommends the passage OF a law TO
give each tribe patent for the land the govern
ment has guaranteed to it, leaving the Indians to
determine the question OF allotment for them
| selves.
-uuCn Has Dttu Stiu bI llIe OF inc evils o. l1e
tribal relation, ana efforts have been made To de-
| Stroy this system end TO treat the Indian as we
treat the Individual white man. The tribal rela-
ton IS not without its objections yet is the best
! and only system adapted TO the wants OF the saw
age, or even partially civilized Indian, and its
maintenance, for a time at least, is essential TO
| success IN attempting his civilization
RESERVATIONS.
The reservation system Ike the tribal relation is
not without objection, and yet In the present con-
diton OF the great mass of the Indians, cannot he
dispensed with. These reservations ought to be
Suli-i-HJ Tor the support OF the Indians Who reside
on them with i reasonable allowance for tRcre lse
OF the Indian population but they should not be
dlSProportiOnate 10 the wants OF Inc Indians Very
many OF these reservations contain large areas OF
valuable land that cannot pe cultivated by the In-
dlanS, even though they were as energetic ana la
DoFiOGS as the best class OF white agrlCulturStS-
All SGch reservations ought 20 Toe reduced in size,
ana he surplus not needed ought 10 be bought by
the government and opened to the operation OF the
homestead law, ana ii would then soon be settled
! by industrious whites, who, as neighborS would
become valuable auXiliaricS IN the work OF civil
Zng the Indians residing on the remainder OF the
! Reservation.
STOCK RAIsING
AT least one-half OF the Indian reservations are
better adapted to stock-raising than agriculture,
and it is less difficult TO induce an Indian to en-
gage in herding tnan In agricultural pursuits
| In 1869 the Navajo Indians OF New Mexico had
! about 1000 sheep and goats. In November OF that
year the government furnished them with i, 900
sheep and 900 goats at cost OF $4,000. The re-
| port OF their agent shows that this number has
| Increased TO 100000 sheep and 100000 goats In
1881 the agent reported the wool-clip at 600 600
| pounds, and that 200, 600 pounds mad been manu-
| featured into blankets. These Indians numbering
1900 by means OF this small outlay, In thirteen
years have become Self-supportng, the total APP
preparation for their subsistence the fiscal year
| 1883 being only 5000.
| EDUCATION OF THE INDIANS.
| II we educate a few Indian children out OF the
many in tribe, the influence of the many unedu-
Gated Will be more powerful than the influence Of
| the few educated, and the educated will soon go
back to the savage ways or the more numerous
class, and the benefits OF their education he lost
| To them and the government. AT least one-half OF
all the Indian children OF school age should be put
| In manual labor schools, and more attention
| should De PAID 70 teaching them to labor than TO
read
With 10000 or more Indian children properly
selected In our schools, there Will be no danger OF
Indian wars. Some care should be had in the
selection or the children to include the children OF
those individuals and tribes most likely TO make
| trouble.
GENERAL LAND OFFICE
The Commissioner OF the General Land office
shows large increase in the disposal OF the public
land for 1882 over that for 1884, as follows:
The disposal OF public lands under all acts Of
Congress embraced Is 99S, q acres and OF In
dian LANDS 30 3s6 ID acres, making the total dis
poSalS li3U9 40 acres, an increase over dis
poSals during the year 1881 OF 3,4l5,769 IS acres.
The amount OF money received from all sources
! was S,759,S93.S2, and from sales OF Indian lands
s63i,6l7as, total OF sS,S94,5l6.04, being an in
SiCdSc over tuo previous year OIL S2,SS0, Ill.SS.
The clerical force in the Land Office needs TO be
largely increased TO enable it TO dispose OF the
| business In arrears and the current business. He
also recommends the creation OF the Office OF as
| Sstant commissioner, with salary OF 8 600, and
that the salary OF the commissioner be Increased
to 5000. The Secretary Endorses the recommen-
dalton OF the Commissioner OF the Land ONCE for
| the
| REPEAL OF THE E.EMPrIoN LAW
and the modification OF the homestead law The
presumption law, intended as means OF enabling
| the citizen wishing to make a home, to do so
| cheaply and speedily, has been used largely to
aggregate large quantities. OF lands for the benefit
Of the speculator and not for those whose benefit
1t was intended. 1t Will be useless to repeal the
pre-empton laws Ii the opportunity still exists to
commit the same frauds under the cover OF the
homestead law. II t is thought best to retain the
pre-emption laws, they should be so amended that
| the Hing for presumption should precede the en-.
| Try at least one year.
| THE WORK OF THE PATENT OFFICE
| The report OF the Commissioner OF Patents
shows an increase OF business over the year end
ing June 30, 1884, The number OF applications for
patents was 27,622, an increase OF $3.50 over that
year. The number OF applications for designs was
S54; for reissues, 407; for registration OF trade
marks, 737; for registration OF labels 442; and the
number OF caveats filed was 2, 49, The number OF
patents granted. including reissues and designs,
was 1913; OF trademarks registered, 1,o79; of
| labels registered, 223 There were 1857 patents
| Wltuuciu uOu-pdyInenL OF IeeS, ana o,12J pat.
ents expired. The total receipts OF the once were
$3.50 SCALA increase or Sl40 96S o2 the last
| preceding year. The total expenditures OF the
Office not Including printing, were 1851 1880
The large and steady Increase In the business OF
the Patent office forces the Commissioner to ask
| that steps be taken to increase the accommodate
lions. At present the force is SO cramped for room
| that business Is seriously retarded
| THE SUBSIDIZED RAILROADS.
The commissioner OF railroads reports that with
| the exception OF q few OF the minor roads, he re-
CARDS the United States as secure in the ultimate
payment OF both principal and interest OF the
| loans advanced On the Northern Pacific road the
| rapidity with which construction has been pro-
crossing on both eastern and weste IN divisions IA
without precedent in the history OF that company.
During the year ending June 3d. 1882 2es miles 81
track were laid with american steel rails OF
which 1SS miles were laid from the east and l0a
mles from the west, leaving the two ends OF
track 672 miles apart on June 80, which. at the
present rate OF construction, viii be iessened
about 800 miles By the close OF this year. The nal
connection OF the tracks is expected to be made
In 1883
QUIZ H1N8ION BUD0K1
There were, at the close OF the fiscal year June 30
1889, 266ysW pensioners CLASSIFIED q follows:
Army invalids, 17S, l38; army widowA minor chill
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