Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-12-09

ever securely held, and these wefs sent, i
April last. to Fort Marion, Florida, for SAT-
keeping.
Later, in July, the military authorities b
came convinced that the removal of thos
Chfrfcahua and Warm Spring bands of Apache
remaining on the reservation to some othe
place where they could be more secured,
guarded. was desirable If not necessary t
bring about the surrender or capture Of Gero
nimo and his followers. Fort Marion, Florida
was reported to be the best place for the pur
pose, and thither they were removed in Sep
| TENDER last, under direction of the War Depart
| ment.
| While arrangements for this movement were
| in progress, General Miles, the military com
| mander who had succeeded General Crook
| finally secured the surrender OF the remnant Of
| the hostile band as prisoners of war thirty
four. including Geronimo and Natchez. the
| hereditary chief, on the 4th of September last
and eleven, including Mangus, ON October 49,
1886.
II was determined by the President, after q
| iuil consideration of all the facts when known
attending the surrender of those engaged IN &C.
tVe hostiiities, to send the adult males eighteen
| in number, to Fort Pickens Florida there &c
| De kept in close custody until further orders
The captured women and children were sent to
Fort Marion. making the total number of -four
hundred and seventy sent to the last named
| place.
Under arrangements made by this depart.
ment Twenty-Five boys and eight girls, be-
| tween the ages of twelve and twenty-five
| years, have been transferred to the Industrial
Training School at Carlisle, Pa, under the
management of Captain r. Fl. Pratt. and
measures are in progress for affording school
| facilities for the remainder of the children of
| age.
The public surveys made during the year,
! embrace the the following areas:
! Acres.
/ ~
ResurFe5s of public lands. ......... 313, ISL e6
| Resuryeys of Indian lands 5aaO7 SO
Io1al acreage l2 31e ca
The report of the Commissioner Of che Gen
eral Land Office upon the public surveys
though interesting. is painful exhibit, 1t APP
pears from the document that the available ag-
ricultural land in most of the public land States
and Territories has been largely returned as
surveyed, and the surveys paid for by the United
states, but in many instances the reported sur
Veys are so defective and erroneous as to be
without merit and misleading: and that in
other cases no actual surveys were made, but
plats were manufactured upon the basis of
fictitious field-notes.
The commissioner discusses at considerable
length the condition of the five civilized tribes
of the Indian Territory: the Cherokees. Choc-
taws, Chickasaws, Creeks and Seminoles, and
sets forth the evil effects flowing from the
holding of their land in common contrary to
the Government with other Indians. If these
tribes can be induced to consent to such modi-
fcation of their treaties and to reform their
own laws, adopting the tenure of land prevail
ing in the States, and thus bring themselves
more in harmony with the institutions of our
country, their example would have great infiu-
ence and would materially aid in the civiliza-
ton of the whole Indian population.
In my last annual report had the honor to
recommend an increase of the minimum price
for sales of lands at private cash entry
Such an increase would tend to prevent
the accumulation of tracts in the hands of a
few individuals, thus distributing the public
lands more equally among the people and aug
menting the receipts of the public Treasury. I
now renew this recommendation.
1 also had the honor to recommend the enact
ment of law barring the presentation of
claims founded on alleged Mexican land grants,
after such time as Congress may determine to
the end that the incentive for the presentation
OF false claims may no longer exist, and that
those which are bona fde may the more readily
and speedily be adjudieated. renew this rec
ommendation.
The constantly enhancing value of public
timber and the rapid destruction which is going
on demand careful consideration and imme-
date action by Congress. The bill pend
ing for the preservation of the natural forest
lands at the headwaters of navigable rivers is,
in my view, opportune, and should it become
statute the public good would be advanced.
The statement made in my last annual re-
port that large bodies land were unlawfully
inclosed for private purposes by individuals
and corporations engaged in what they call
''growing live Stock and 'sranching,' has been
verified by the reports Of special agents from
that time until now. AS shown by the report
of the commissioner of the General Land Office,
375 unlawful Enclosures, containing an area of
some 6,410,0O0 acres have been brought to at
tention up to the present time. 1t is believed
that this does not represent nearly the area
illegally inclosed. Proceedings to compel re-
moval have been brought involving 2,25Oo coo
acres. DEGREES have been obtained for re-
movals from more than 100000 acres. Cases
embracing 3.75O, 900 acres are pending examina-
ton, and from part of these fences are now
being removed. The total area from which
fences have been and being removed, as
shown by the report of the commissioner, is
2. ia, 926 acres. Doubtless a better showing
would have been made with reference to these
Enclosures if the department had the means of
employing the number of agents necessary for
the prosecution of the work.
The transactions of the Land Office during |
the past year may be summarized as follows:
Cash sales, 4,7S9, O16.07 acres
Miscellaneous-includng homestead and
other entries, bounty-land warrants, scrips, |
etc, is, 692, SOC. s. acres.
Indian lands, 132, 419.66 acres.
OF which 1,2Ss, 1919 acres are deducted as
having been previously reported original
entries, and 1858, 531. S3 acres of final home
stead entries and 141 1888. 81 acres of final tim
ber-culture entries made during the year. the |
areas of which have been reported heretofore
in the original entries of the respective classes
In addition to the preceding the following Ga
tries were made:
Number of presumption filings so $40 |
Number Of soldiers declaratory state
Number of filings on Indian lands. -...... 6,77a
miscellaneous filings. ....-....... 2,G21
~, - |
IOtaI. -...... 62, 460 |
These filings cover area of s, 49,, 900 acres |
CASH RECEIPTS.
Cash sales IS Isl, 1911 os |
fees and commissions. ,S73 81 |
fees and commits
sions Observation-Disclosures. ....... 4s4, 766 90 |
and bounty-land-warran
locations .... .. s43 90 |
Fees on scrip locations ............ II 90 |
Pre- emption and other filings...... 1885 e5
Fees for reducing testimony to writ
ing. $500. 4s5 IS
Fees on donation claims. ........... 55 90 |
Fees on State selections .... 4,616 IL
Fees on railroad selections ......... 2S, s95 40 |
Fees on wagon road selections 500
Total receipts from public lands 7,412,767 81 |
Receipts from disposal of Indian
lands ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1,607,7s9 GO
Fees for transcript of record furnish
ed by General Land ONCE ~ 1o5s7 40
Total aGS1. 074 "a |
An exhaustive showing of the condition, total |
earnings, operating expenses and surplus earn
ngs of the twenty-five railroads subsidized or
aided by land grants by the Government is
made, the various Pacific roads coming in for
the chief attention.
Tf7.k1rn &c nj bY1jt