Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-12-11

.sress in the work of leading q Indians to
the adoption of our institutions, and bring
ing them under the operation, the influence
and the protection of the universal laws of
our country.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
The Recommendation of The secretary of
the interior and the commissioner o; the
general land Office, looking to the
elter protection of public land and
Of their public surveys, the
preservation of national forests, the adiu-
dication of grants to states and CORPORA.
sions, and o; private land claims, and the
increased efficiency of the public land SER
vice are commended to the attention of
congress. To seer r the widest distribution
# public hands i, Ii lifted quantities among
settlers for residences and cultivation, and
thus make the greatest number of indiyid-
ual homes, was the primary OBJECT of the
public legislation in the early days of toe
republic. This system was simple one. II
commenced with an admirable scheme of
public surveys, by which the hunblest citi-
Zen could Identify the tract upon Viii h he
Wished to establish home. The price of
lands was placed within the reach of all the
enterprising, industrious aud honest pionaer
citizens of the country. 1t was soon, how
ever, found that the object of the laws was
perverted under the system of cash sales
from q distribution of lands among the
people to an accumulation of land CAPITAL
oy wealthy and speculative persons. To
check this tendency, preference right of
purchase was given to sestlers ON the land
plan which eliminated in the presumption
law of 1881. The foundation Of the system
was actual residence and cultivation. Twep-
ty years later the homestead law 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 cultivation. Other laws have followed,
each designed to encourage tho requirement.
and use of land in limited individual GUAM
titles, but In later ears these laws, through
vicious administrative methods, and under
changed conditions of communication and
transportation, have been 80 evaded and vio-
lated that their benefcent purpose is threat
ened with entire defeat. The methods of
sucl, evasionS and violations are set forth in
detail in the reports of the secretary of the
interior and commissioner of the general
land Office. The rapid settlement of our
public lands withous bona tie settlers or
cultivation, and not only without the inten-
ton of cultivation but with the purpose of
their aggregation in large holdings, in many
cases in the hands of foreigners, invite the
serious ana immediate at ention of congress-
The energies of the land department have
been devoted during the present administra-
ton to remedy and correct abuses in
the public land service. The results
of these efforts are 80 largely
in the nature Of reforms in the processes
and methods of the land system as to
prevent adequate estimates, but it appears
by q compilation from the reports of the
commissioner of the general land ofie, that
the immediate effect in leading cases which
have come to q speedy termination has been
the restoration to the mass Of public lands
Of z, 75O, 600 acres; that 2, 370, SEQ acres are
embraced in Investigations now pending be-
fore the department or the courts, and that
action Of congress has been asked to effect
the restoration of 2, 79o, 900 a5res additional,
besides which 4,0o0, 900 acres have BEEN
withhold from reservations and the rights Of
entry there On maintained. I recommend
the repeal Of the presumption and timber
culture acts, and that the homestead law be
% amended as to better secure compliance
with the requirement ofresidencs, improve
ment and cultivation for the period Of Eve
jean from date Of entry. without commute
ton or provision for speculative rslinquis b.
ment. ! also recommend the repeal Of the
desert laws, unless it shall be the
pleasure of congress to amend
these laws 30 as to render them less liable to
abuses. As the chief motive for an evasion
of the laws, and the principal cause of their
result in land accumulation instead Of land
distribution, is the facility with which trans
secure settlers. It may be deemed advisable
% provide by legislation some guards and
checks upon the alienation Of homestead
rights and lands covered thereby, until
patents issue. Last year an executive pro-
clamation WAS issued directing the removal
of fences which enclosed the5publio do n.
Many of these have been n moved. But in
obedience to such order much of the public
land still remains within the lines Of these
unlawful fences. The ingenious methods
resorted to in order to continue these tres
passes, and the hardihood of the pretsnces
by which in some cases Enclosures are justi-
ded, are fully dffailed 1n the report of the
SECRETARY Of tb1 pr. The removal Of
.lhn tenees. ~, 1rR116li tld1l51yDl6.
dc lands Wiz uforced with all the
authority and a ms with which the exc
be invested by congress for that purpose.
PENSIONS.
The report of the commissioner
NEST satisfactory exhibit of the
operations of the pension bureau during
the last fiscal year. Fhe amount of work
lone was the largest In any year since the
organization of the bureau and it has been
1T less cost than during the previous year in
avery division. On the Goth day of June,
1886, there we're 365,783 pensioners on the
been lois, 735 applications for pensions
lied, of which 78, S34 were based upon ssrv-
ice in the war of 1872. There were 621 ,75x of
these claims allowed, including &C, 178 to the
soldiers of 1912 and their widows. The total
amount paid for pensions since 1861 Ia
S80S, ga ,Sl1.57. The number of new pen
sions allowed during the year ended June 30,
has been allowed in any year
savs one since 1861. The names Of the 2z9
pensioners which had been previously
dropped from the roll, were restored during
the year, and after deducting those dropped
within the same time for various causes, a
net increase remains for the year of 20,65S
names. From January 1, 1861, to December
passed. Since the last mentioned date, and
during the last session of congress GA such
acts became laws.
PRIVATE PENSIONS.
It seems to me that no one can eI
anime our pension establishments and it's
operations without being convinced
that through its fundamentally Justice cen
very nearly be done to all who are entitli d,
Elder the present laws to the pension bount,
of the government. But it is undeniable
that cases exist well entitled to relief which
the pension bureau is powerless to relieve
The really worthy cases of tnis class are
quantity of proof which the law and regula-
lions of the bureau require, or
which, though their merit u appar-
cut. for some ttier reason cannot be
justly 1t with through the general laws.
These conditions fully justify application to
congress and special enactmsnts. But tie
resort to congress for . special pension ect
to override the deliberate and careful deter
mination of the pension bureau on the
merits, or to secure favorable action whom it
could not be expected under the most lib
eral execution of general laws, it must be
opens the doors to the allowance
of questionable claims and presents to the
legislative and executive branches of tho
government applications concededly not
within the law and plainly devoid of merit
but 80 surrounded by sentiment and pstri-
otto feeling that they are hs1d to resist I
suppose it will not be denied that many
claims for pensions are made without
merit, and that many have been allowed
upon fraudulent representations. This has
been declared from the pension bureau, not
only in this, but in prior administrations.
The usefulness and the justice Of any system
for the distribution of pensions DEFENDS
upon the equality and uniformity of its
operation. It will be seen from the
report of the commissioner that
there are now paid BY the govern
ment 131 different rates of pension.
He estimates from the best Information ks
can obtain that 5000 OF these who have
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