Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-12-10
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT..
Summary Of Secretary Lanars
First Yearly Report.
The Indian Question, Public Lands,
Timber Preservation, Etc.

Timber Preservation, hto.
The secretary of the interior begins his
annual report with a review Of the Apache
troubles in Arizona For a settlement Of
the Apache question he concludes that the
recommendation of the commissioner Of In
dian affairs that the less guilty Of the rebel
ious Chiricahuas should be transported to
an island in the Pacific ocean, as a penal col
ony, to earn their own living by fishing.
stock raising, etc, or sent to the military
prison at Fort Leavenworth, merits
consideration. They certainly should be
removed during the coming winter to some
place where they can be more securely
guarded.
The trouble with Indians in the Indian
Territory, growing out of the Indian leases
to cattlemen, is detailed at considerable
length. The privilege Of occupying these
lands for grazing purposes was not opened
to public competition. The Indians left to
convey profitable privileges at rates
far below the real value there
Of. While many of the Indians
favored the leasing of their lands for graz
ing purposes, others opposed such use of their
reservations, and refused to participate in
the making Of the alleged leases, or to accept
any share Of the money received hereunder
Sufficient influence, however, seems to have
been brought to bear upon majority of the
respective tribes to induce them to enter
into the arrangements made. The secretary
adds:
''In my Judgment, not the least among
such influences were the encouragements and
persuasion of the respective Indian agents,
or some of them at least; and in many in
stances fear they have shared in the profits
of these speculative transactions. l now have
the satisfaction to state that the reservation
is entirely free from cattlemen and their
herds.
The fact that large amount Of land is, in
consequence, lying waste is recognized The
secretary thinks the land should be used, but
is opposed to the leases to cattlemen. The
estate of the sixty different 'domes-
ticated dependent nations" includes 1884,
0OO,000 acres of land, worth 81 an
acre; S17.009,000 in funds, beside
the annuities, which, on account Of the
uncertainty and indefiniteness Of some
of them, cannot be accurately calculated
beyond each year, and other property
in ponies, sheep, cattle, industrial i'm.
plements, etc the cost of caring for these
nations is over $6,000000 a year.
To advance the interests Of the Indians, the
secretary recommends that portion of
every reservation be divided up into separ-
ate tracts of suitable size for farms, to be
allotted to each individual as his sole and
separate estate Provision should be made
against the power until after a time limited
Of selling or mOrtgaging the same, or
even leasing it to any but Indians living
within the same reservation. Provision
should be made that the Indian accepting a
patent for his land shall not thereby forfeit
vofb 1f1nT fh flno
the protection and benefit which the laws of
the United States extend to the Indians
generally. The existing reservations,
when entirely out of proportion to the
number of Indians thereon, would be
reduced with the consent Of the In
dians, and upon Just and fair terms; and the
policy Of placing by patent the titles to these
diminished reservations as fully under the
protection of the courts as are titles of all
others of our people to their lands is favored.
The portion cut off should be subject to sale
and the proceeds invested for the benefit OF
the Indians
The secretary is Of the opinion that the SER
vice could be greatly improved by the APP
pointment of a commission of hot exceeding
six men, three to be selected from the officers
of the army, whose duty it shall be to visit
each Of the reservations and investigate the
condition, peculiar circumstances, and needs
of the Indians. Perhaps the commission
the Indians to such changes as the measures
proposed would involve.
The secretary asserts that the scheme of
removing all the tribes to three or four reser-
vations is impracticable. He concludes this
matter by saying:
1T is my duty to say that do not believe
any measures of the government or efforts of
philanthropy will of themselves solve the
Indian problem, but that the Christian re-
hgion must and will be the chief instrument
tality Through its pure and holy Influences
upon individual character, morals and aspira-
tionsl to regenerate and uplift this race from
its present condition to higher and nobler
destinyn
During the year the cash sales of the pub.
lie land have amounted to 1912, 450 acres,
while the miscellaneous sales amount to &c,
995, ,513 acres, which include 7,415, ,S85 home
stead entries, 4,715.005 timber culture en-
tries, and ), ,558, ,914 railroad selections. The
cash receipts from these sales amounted to
$S, S,619, ,598. The amount of land on hand
subject to future disposal, outside of Alaska,
is 600 772 654, of which 176, 900, 900 acres will
be required to satisfy old railroad land grants.
a very large part of the remainder is desert
and mountainous
The preservation of the timber on govern
nent lands is subject that occupies pronii-
Iient place in the secretary's report. He re-
commends that where timber lands have
been surveyed and plots fled, each sub
division Of the land should be examined, and
the timber appraised at its full value, and
the values of the subdivisions marked on the
plots In the future surveys the surveyors
should be required to appraise the
timber and mark the values of
the subdivisions on the plots. Then, after
reserving one section In four of the timber
lands, the balance should be sold at public
auction as the secretary of the interior may
direct, but in no case for less than the ap-
praised value. BY subjecting the lands to
appraisement and public sale their true value
will be obtained. When the real value is
paid the interest of the purchaser will guard
against waste
During the year 1884 the mining products
of the country were as follows:
Gold, $50, SOC, 900; silver, $4S, SOC, 600; cop
per, $17, 789, ,6S7; pig iron, S73, 76l, ,624; coal
$143, 7S6, ,57S; petroleum. $32, 476, 294; value ol
all the other mineral products of the United
States for the same year SIT, ,708, 4S7; value
Of the entire mineral product OF the country
$413, 104, 500.
For the preservation Of the Yellowstone
Park, the Establishment of court within ths
park, with exclusive jurisdiction over all
misdemeanors, and with power to examine
4and to hold to bail in all cases of feionies to
be fried in the nearest court having crimina
jurisdiction is recommended
The secretary concludes by recommending
that a national university should be estab
lished at Washington by combining. as in
tegral parts of an institution, all the variou.
commissions, bureaus, and divisions OF thu
executive departments at Washington, which
have for their object the prosecution OF scien
tific research.