Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-08

they should assume the duties, privileges
and responsibilities of friendship. No OBJ
stacles should hinder the location and set
tlement of any Indian willing to take land
in severalty; on the contrary. the lnclina.
ton to do SO should be stimulated at all
times under proper expedients, but there
is no authority of law for making allOt-
ments on some OF the reservations. and on
others tho allotments provided are so small
that Indians, though re .dy and desiring to
settle down, are not willing to accept such
small areas when their reservations con-
tain ample lands to afford them home
steads OF sufficient size to meet their future
needs. These inequalities OF existing spec
ial laws and claims OF title and right OF
occupancy set up by white persons to some
of the best land within other reservations
require legislation for the final adjustment.
The settlement OF these matters will re-
moYe many embarrassments to progress
in the work OF leading the Indians to the
adoption OF ouI institutions and bringing
them under the operation, the influence
and the protection of the universal laws OF
our country.
PUBLIC LANDS.
The recommendations OF the Secretary
of the Interior and the Commissioner OF
| the General Land Office looking to the bet
ter protection Of public lands and OF the
public surveys, the preservation OF our ma
tional forests, the adjudication OF grants
to states and corporations and OF private
land claims, and the attention OF Congress
to secure the widest distribution OF public
land in limited quantities among settlers
for residence and cultivation. and thus
| make the greatest number OF individual
homes, was the primary object OF the pub
lie land legislation in the early days of the
republic. This system was a simple one.
! 1t commenced with an admirable scheme
| of public surveys, by which the humblest
| citizen could identity the tract upon which
| he wished to establish his home. The
price of lands was placed within the reach
OF all enterprising, industrious and honest
pioneer citizens OF the country. 1t was
soon, however. found that the object of
the laws was perverted under the system
of cash sales from a distribution of land
among the people to an accumulation of
land by capital and by wealthy and specu-
lative persons. To check this tendency. q
preference of right of purchase was given to
settlers on the land-a plan which culmi-
mated in the general pre-emption
law of 1S41-the foundation OF
this system was actual resi-
dence and cultivation. Twenty years
later the homestead was devised to more
surely place actual homes in the possession
OF actual cultivators Of the soil. The land
was given without price, the sole conditions
being residence, improvement and cultiva-
tiop. Other laws have followed, each de-
signed to encourage the requirement and
use Of land in limited individual quantities,
but in latter years these laws, through
vicious administration methods and under
changed conditions OF communications and
Transportation, have been SO evaded and
violated that their beneticent purposes is
/ ~ MT mt. fouf
methods of such evasions and violations
are set forth in detail in the reports OF the
Secretary of the Interior and the Commits
sioner OF the General Land Office. The
rapid appropriation of our public lands
without bonafide settlements or eultiva-
tors, and not only without intention OF
residence, but for the purpose of their ag-
gregating large holdings, and in many cases
lands in the hands Of foreigners, the serious
and immediate attention OF Congress is de-
manded. The energies OF the land depart
ment have been devoted during the pres
ent administration to remedy defects and
correct abuses in the public land service.
The result ot these efforts are SO largely
in the nature OF the reforms in the process
and methods OF our land system as to pre-
by a comparison from the reports OF the
Commissioner of the General Land Office
that the immediate effect in leading the
case which came to final termination has
been the restoration to the mass OF public
lands OF 2,75O,O acres, that 2,37O.OOO
acres are embraced in the investigation
now impending before the department IN
the courts, or that action OF Congress has
been asked to effect the restoration OF
| 2. 700. 900 acres additional, besides which
4 600 900 acres have been withheld from
reservation and the rights Of entry thereon
maintained.
also recommend the repeal OF the pre-
emption and timber culture acts' ana 'lla'
the
HOMESTEAD LAWS
he 80 amended as to better secure compli-
ance with, and cultivation for the period
!, of five years from date OF entry without
commutatlon or provision for speculative
relinuuishments. / also recommend the
repeal OF the desert land laws unless 1t
: shall be the pleasure of Congress to sc
amend these laws as to render them lesf
, liable to abuse, as the chief motive fo1
3 the evasion OF the laws and the
2 principal cause OF the resul'
: in land distribution is the Ia
1 cilitv with which transfers are made O
the right intended to be secured to settlers
: 1t may be deemed advisable to PROVIDE DS
? LEGISLATION some guards and checks upol
e the alienation OF vested rights aud land
D covered thereby until patent issue. Las
}, wear an executive proclamation was ISSUED
e directing the removal OF fences which en-
e closed the public domain. Many OF tbes
D have been removed in obedlenc
0 Of such order, but much OF tn
J. public lauds still remains within the lne
e of these unlawful fences. The lngenlou
y methods resorted to in order to contrtV
J. these trespasses and the hardihood OF tn
u, in
If Enclosures re justified are fully detailed !
y the report OF the Secretary OF the lnterlo
Vt The removal of fences still remaining
Of which enclose public lands, will be enforce
le with all the authority and means VIII
Of which the executive branch OF the govern
al ment ia or shall be invested by Congres
es for the purpose.
er COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS.
II The report of the Commissioner OF Pe
q. sions is a detailed and most satlslactol
- exhibit of the operations OF the Penslo
70 Bureau. During the fiscal year the amour
=. of work done was the longest in any yes
~ since the organization OF the Bureau, al
il has been done at less cost than durll
the previous year in every division. =
the 3Oth day OF June, 1886. there we
1857, ,O63 pensioners on the rolis VI =,
40 Bureau. Since 1861 there have been
UlS,CSO dppIlCd GiOh7 ioA Ee
or which 1884 were based upon service IN Il
10 war of 1912. There we're 62l 754 OF the
ly applications allowed, including 6,ll1
o. the soldiers OF 1912 and their widows. J.
a. total amount paid for pensions since II
a war of 1912 is S8O8. 8.624, ,S11:75 5-a lars
ed number than has been allowed in any ye
no save one since 1861. The names OF ~
lts pensioners which had been previous
VS. dropped from the rolls were restored du
us ing the year, and after deducting tho
by dropped within the same time for varlo'
ms causes An increase remains for the year
IS IS 2O,658 names.
i;e, From January l. 1861, to December
,na III 1885, 1868 private pension acts had be
ssse uassed. Since the last mentioned date, Al
during the last session OF the Forty-four
a. "a Congress. such acts became laws. IL seei
'ne to me that no one can examine our pensl
M Ma' establishment and it's operations Wltho
~ u being convinced that through It's lnst1
er mentality Justice can be very nearly dc
y. to all who are eatitled, under the prese
e. e.' laws, to pension bounty OF the governme'
~ ~ hut it is undeniable that cases exist v
Nv Nv entitled to relief, in which the Pension
Du7 reau is powerless to relieve. The rea
W. W. worthy cases OF this class are such as OF
'ln lack by misfortune the kind or quantity
VI proof which the laws and regulatlons
ra ,ns the Bureau require, or which, though tf
l. <Hkt t,r 0 n