Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-18

Summary of the Annual Reports of LAM
Commissioned Sparks and Secretary of
War Endicott.
MIR. SPARKS REPORT,
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.-The annual re.
port of Land Commissioner Sparks SAYS
that the public lands have been wasted il,
the past under defective and improvilent
laws, and through a laXity of public admin
i%stration astonishing in n business sense
II not cuirable i'll recklessncss of
official responsibility; that the vast mo-
chinery of the Land Department appears to
have been used to convey title TO uub,io
lands upon fraudulent entries under strninoI
constructions OF imperfect land laws and II.
legal CLAIMS undcr public and private grants
lhe COMMISSIONS calls attention In tho
evils accompanying the use OF the snrciaI-
deposit system in the public survey brannh
and the frauds peEpetrated under if bv irrer'
u%larltles, and recommends the repeal of flo
act OF March ), 1873, making such crrtif,
Gates O, deposit negotiable, and the PASSAGE
OF ai act imposing penalties for making
raise ana fraudulent returns of hubble snr'
veys or surveys OF private land claims nMd
ior Wliilnl removal or destruction OF suryn,,l
ing monuments. '
me commissioner calls attention to tho
TACT that while upward of 100, 900 miles ~
railroad have been constructed without
iand -grants since the passage or the Land.
Grant acts, only 1861 miles have been,
pulit under the l%and-grant system. the con.
stluctlon having been delayed until settle
iIellC outside OF railroad lands had rem
oerea IT profitable without public sinh.
sldy; While the granting of acts gen-
crazy made no provision for official
withdrawal of lands, it was decided FIAT
the entire line must be located before fine
law vested any right in the granted land.
But periods of attachments of railroad
rights have been officially com9utel upon
reported dates of partial Surveys in the
held" OF UPON maps of portions of a
line undetermined as a whole: and nv
reason thereof numbers of settlers
having indisputable rights to the lands
occupied by them have been forced
to buy their homes of the railroad com
panies or to suffer eviction. Present eStj-
mates of the amount by which these land
grants have been overdrawn show that Tho
average rate per mile of road will reach 500
acres, amounting in all to 10, 0OO, 900 acres.
which has hitherto been treated as the alb
solute property OF the corporations, bat is
in fact public land Of the United States, re.
coverable to the public domain.
Grants have been made to aid in the con.
struction Of 10, 12o miles of road, of which
7,O9S miles have not yet been completed. OF
the lands granted ii, 929, 121 acres have been
patented, leaving 100, 900, 900 acres Of unpat-
ented lands included in all the grants SUBJ
lect TO forfeiture, an area equal to that of
the combined States of New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland
AID Virginia. The right of the Govern
ment thereto being a legal one, the default
OF the companies being voluntary, tire pow
er OF Congress to declare a forfeiture should
be exercised.
The COMMISSIONS, referring to alleged
fraudulent land-entries in regions domi-
mated by the cattle companies, says that he
has suspended the issue of patents thereon
until a full examination of the bona tlde
character of the applications can be
made. lie suggests the repeal of
the presumption system of COMMITTED
homesteads, Of the Timber-Culture
law, of the Desert-land act, and of all gcn-
eral provisions of law authorizing sales of
land for cash, and restricting the sale to the
actual settler, because they offer covers for
fraudulent transactions. The Commissioner
recommends the abolition of the fee system
in the registry offices, and that measures be
taken to preserve the forests on the public
| domain.
SECRETARY E~NDICoTT's REPORT.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.-The annual le>
port of the Secretary of War is largely made
w " e"S ASt'ic - 1IlStlSiiuiltN CiClui
Sheridan and subordinatcs heretofore pub
lished. After reviewing the operations of
the troops in the West, the report says that
assertions in the army during the year were
greatly diminished, but it is recommended
that some more adequate punishment
Should be inflicted on chronic deserters.
1t is recommended that increased nppor-
tunity and instruction be given West Point
cadets, with a view to improving their
Workmanship with small arms. 1t is also
recommended that the number of appoint
ments 'at large should be restored to ten
per year. Attention is called to the pro-
priety of requiring all graduates of the
academy to serve two years, Immediately
after graduation, at a post graduate arm OF
the service to which they belong.
The number Of trials by general court
martial during the year was 2,32S, an i'll
crease over last year OF 4S, and the number
OF convictions for deserti0n was GA.
The purchase of a building in New York
City for the use OF army officers is recon-
mended. A new military post is to be es~
tabl;shed at Atlanta, Ga.
The expenditures for the signal-service
during the fiscal year ending June 80, 1885.
We're S792, 600.
The report closes by urging the creation
of tine office Of Assistant Secretary of
War;"
A GREAT BLIZZARD.