The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-05
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
The Annual Report of the Secre-
tary of the Interior.
Recommendations About the Indi-
ans and the Public Lands.

The annual report of the secretary of the
interior has been submitted Much of it has
been anticipated by the reports of heads of
bureaus already made public.
The secretary reiterates the opinion ex-
pressed in his last annual report that it is quite
possible, with wise and judicious treatment of
the Indian question, to prevent the recurrence
of hostilities between the Indian and his white
neighbor that has marked nearly every year
of our history The last year has been one of
peace among the Indians, and no outbreaks
have occurred.
Mr.. Teller suggests that some employment
should be secured for the graduates of the
Indian schools, and that those who complete
the regular course of the manual labor schools
should receive the gift of citizenship, without
mourning risk of FORGETTING their interest in
tribal lands or funds He declares that the
greatest agency for the civilization of the
Indian is the manual labor school.
and urges that the government should
pay up the four million dollars due
under treaties with the Indians con-
corning education. He renews his
former recommendation that the Indians be
disarmed, and points out the necessity of
legislation for the punishment of crime on
the reservations He praises the working of
the court of Indian offences established in
1888, and suggests that the Indian judges
should be paid for their services.
On the subject of the public lands Mr.
Teller adopts the recommendation of the
commissioners of the general land office
that the presumption law be repealed. He
says there is necessity for some legislation
to compel railroad companies which have
earned the land granted to them to take
a patent therefor, and to regulate lapsed
grants.
The report of the commissioner of pensions
shows that at the close of the fiscal year 1854
there were 322, 15G pensioners, classified as fol-
lows:
Army invalids ........:..:...........2 lS,95G
Army widows minor children and de-
pendent relatives .................. %, S3G
Navy invalids. ............. 2,G16
Navy widows, minor children and de-
pendent relatives .................. 193S
Survivors of the war of 1872. ........ 3,S9S
Widows of those who served in the
war OF 1Sl2. Observation-Disclosures. =. 1882
There were added to this roll during the
year the names of "a 1872 new pensioners and
1921 previously dropped We're restored to the
rolls, making IN the aggregate 35,4l3; and
$3.50 were dropped for various causes, being
a net increase on the roll of 19,09S. The aver
age annual value of each pension at the close
of the year is SlO6, 10, and the aggregate an
nual value of all pensions is S34, 4j6, 600.3j an
increase over like value for previous year of
S2,211 1892. The amount paid for pensions
during the year is ST, 9US, 5J7 60, exceeding,
as will be observed, the annual value of pen
sions several millions of dollars which rep
resents the first payments, generally in
new claims, and known as arrears of PEN
sions The amount paid during the year to
3l,3O7 new pensioners was !34l4Slj and
there remained in the hands of the several
pension agents 1908 cases of this class I'M
paid, in which there was due S4,949 0JO05
After review of the report of the COM
miSSioners of education and his recommen-
dation that some measures of Federal aid be
extended to public primary education, based
on the number of illiterates in the varions
states, as shown by the tenth census, the sec
retary saws: % fully concur in this recon-
mendation, and, "a have in former reports,
urge the necessity of immedilte and subs,an-
tia aid on the part of the general govern
ment. ] am of the opinion that the school
system of the several States should not be in
terfered with by such aid, and that it is not
wise for the general government to attempt
to build up school system of its own but
that all national appropriations for school
purposes should be placed under the control
of the States, with only such guards as shall
secure its faithful application to the purpose
for which it was appropriated. Such ma
terial and should be temporary in its charac-
ter, to cease when the States shall have per-
fected a system and made suitable appropria,
ton for the education of all children Of hool
age The ability of the State to do this will
increase as its number of iliterates disappear
and their places are taken by educated
people,
Speaking in conclusion of the civil service
act, the secretary says: AT the time of the
passage of the act entitled, it was urged a. an
objection to it that the examinations would
be of such technical character as to exclude
from the public service all except those who
have had the advantages of a liberal educa-
ton. The experience of nearly one year and
a half has demonstrated that these fears were
groundless, and that the examinations have
been conducted on a sound and business like
basis, calculated to secure efficient clerks
for the various grades of the public service
Quite number of the employees of the gov.
eminent, occupying grades below the classi.
fed service, have been found qualified for
higher grades by the examinations of this
commission. No call was made from the in.
terror department on the civil service com
mission to fill vacancies occurring in the
clerical force until May, 1854, because at the
time of the passage of the act there were EN-.
ployel in the census Office large number Of
trained and experienced clerks from which
considered it duty to the public service to
Sect 70 fill the vacancies occurring in other
bureaus of the department. The
classified service il the department includes
all clerks OF Glasses !, >, > AMI 1. clerks re-
csying a salary o! 8 900 and all copyists re-
celYin% salary of 500 AMI Si2O.n