Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-10-21
OUR PUBLIC DOMAIN.
Land Commissioner Sparks Makes His
q Annual Report

Commissioner Sparks of the general
land office has submitted to the secretary
OF the interior his report of the operations
OF his office for the last fiscal year. At
the outset the commissioner says: In my
previous report referred to the impera-
tive need of reform inuthe administration
OF the public land laws to the end of pro-
tecting the public interests, rather than
ministering to the advantage OF specula-
ton and monopoly, private or corporate.
The steady purpose in which have en-.
deavored TO reflect the aims of all good
men has been the protection of the public
domain, and its preservation for inhabit-
ancy by actual cultivators to whom it
rightfully belongs. The evidences of
widespread, persistent land robbery"
furnished by officers and agents appointed
by the last administration. The develop
ments OF the past year under the agencies
OF the new administration have justified
every word said in my last reportn
The sales, entries and selections of public
land under the various acts of congress,
says the report, embraces q, 99l ,967 acres,
and of Indian lands |, 132, $50 making q
total OF ~, ia 56S acres, being an increase
over last year of !, 129,050 acres. The pub
lie surveys reported during the year en-
braced 2,302,3 76 acres. On the subject the
commissioner says that 14,0C0 900 acres of
the Territory of Arizona tave been sur
veyed, principally in the southern and
central portions OF the territory. About
7l,0O0,0Jt acres have been surveyed in Cali
fornia and about 5SC0l00 in Colorado.
Concerning the SURVEYS in this state the
report says;
which is largely dominated by cattle cor
porations, was returned as surveyed sew
eral years ago, but no monuments exist,
and there Is no means of Identifying the
subdivisions of sections or even the local
ity of townships. 1t is of the utmost inn
portance that prompt steps should be
taken To fully ascertain the condition of
the public surveys in that part Of the
state. In Dakota the eastern half OF the
state has been surveyed except in portions
along the international boundary line of
Turtle Mountain region. The surveyed
area of this territory is about 1900, 900
acres. In Florida the surveyed area is
BOOTS, Cos acres in Idaho, l0,256 400; in
Minnesota, ~, S3l, SS7; in Nevada about
IL, 30, 900; in Montana about $4,000, 900; in
New Mexico about 81, 90 0OO."
In speaking of the surveys in this terri
tory the commissioner quotes from a re-
port of Mr.. Julian, surveyor-general of
New Mexico, in which he expresses the
opinion that the territory will have to be
resurveyed on account of previous mac
curacy or fraud.
The area of surveyed land in Wyoming
is estimated at 100000 acres. The
country" the report says, lis occupied
chiefly by cattle companies who control
the lands along the streams under desert
and other entries.n
THE work of the office is reviewed at
length, showing that 1867 cases of entries
were investigated, OF which l.l6S, embrace
ing 115,0O0 acres were cancelled as fraudu-
lent, and 1,4S5 cases. containing POI, 900
acres, have been held for cancellation. The
commissioner says his attention has been
called to $4,000 unlawful Enclosures, con-
tanning 64l00O0 acres, and that proceed
ings to compel removal of fences have
been recommended in lightweight cases.
involving 900 acres, and final DEGREES
ordering removal obtained in thirteen
cases involving 100000 acres. Agents re-
port siXty-five Enclosures removed from
l,374S62 acres, and forty-seven Enclosures
covering $4,000 acres removed without re-
sort to the courts. In several cases no
area is given, and in one case the amount
of fencing is stated at 100 miles; PAT cases,
embracing q 150, 90 acres, are pending ex-
animation. The total area over which
fences have been or are being removed is
2,7l4,926 acres, mostly in Colorado.
The report continues: Twelve hundred
and nineteen gases of timber depredations
have been reported, involving a value in
timber and timber products amounting
to s9,339,679 recoverable to the United
States. About 100000 Of this has been
recovered. Depredations upon the public
timber by powerful corporations, wealthy
mill owners, lumber companies and un-
scrupulous mouopoIlsts, thouBn 10 GER
tain degree checked, are still being COM
mitted to an alarming extent and great
public detrimentn
1.-The subject of forest reservations" he
says, is one of unquestionable Importance,
and / respectfully renew the recommenda-
tions heretofore made"
The commissioner recommends that an
act be passed making false and fraudulent
returns of public surveys and of surveys Of
private land claims, offenses punishable
by fine and imprisonment. The recon.
mendation is also made that the law au-
thorizing surveys to be made under the
special deposits" system be repealed.