The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-07

/ the system OF cash sales from dstFibu
Q ton o. land among the people 10 an 40
: cumulRtion OF land capital by wealthy
: aud speculative parsons. To check thlI
i tendency q preference OF purchase wa
= given to settlers on the land. A plan which
+ eliminated In the general presumption SO
Q OF 1871, The foundation OF this system
Z was actual residence and cultivation
Twenty years later the homestead law
= was devised to more surely place actual
. homes In the possession OF actual cultiya,
0 tors Of tbs soil. The land was given
} without price, the sale conditions being
8 residence, improvement and cultivation,
Other laws have followed, each designed
] to encourage the requirement and use Of
land In limited individual quantities, But
In later yeaEs these laws through vicious
administrative methods aud under
changes oil conditions Of communication
! and transportation, have bssn go evaded
and Violated that their beniaOent purpose
! ID thFeatsn0d with defeat, The methods
! oil such eyAIions and violation
arc set forth in detail In the reports Of the
Secretary oil the Interior and Commits,
aIoner Of the General Land Office, The
rapid appropriation Of our public lands
without bona lido settlements or the cul,
hvation, sld not only without intention Of
residence but Tor the purpose Of their az,
gregstlon In large holdings, In many cases
In the hands OF foreigners, invites the Sc,
rloua and immediate attention OF the Con,
gross, The energies OF the land depart,
ment have been devoted during the pres.
slt administration to remedy defects and
correct abuses In the public land service,
The results Of these efforts are 90 largely In
the nature OF reforms Ia the proCessss aud
methods Of our land Aysksni az In pEesslt.
no adequate estimate, hut It appears by a
compilation from the reports Of the Com,
missioner 81 the General Land oaice that
tia immediate eject In leading cases
which have come to aual termination,
has been the restoration to the mass OF
public lands Of two million GsYol hundred
and IVY thousand aqres; that two million
three hundred. and seventy thousand acres
gre embraced in Investigations now pend
ing heIaEa the departments or the couTts,
and tina. the action Of Congress has bsan
asked 10 elrsct tho restoration OF two mil.
lion seven hundred and ninsty thousand
aOre5 additional, baaidaS which four mil,
lou autes have been withheld isoM reger-
Vaton and the rights OF entry thereon
maintained,
IEeconmand the repeal oil the premp-
| ton and timber culture acts, and that the
homestead lava he 20 amended as to bet
Tor secure compliance with the require.
msnts Of residences, improvement and cul-
tvation from for the period OF i've years
from date Of entry, without Communication
/ mr. npAUlainn fAr annnulnkIun Fnlio.ntnb
ment.
also recommend tho repeal Of tho des.
ert land laws, unless it shall b. the pleas.
urO OF Congress to 80 am9nd those laws as
to render them lees liable 10 abuses. AS
the chief motive for An evasion OF the
laws and the principal CAUSE Of
their result In land accumulation In.
stead Of land distribution 10 the
penalty with which transfers ars
made Of the right intended to DO
secured to settlers, IT may ha dsamed I'D.
vlsablo 70 provide by legislation some
guards and checks upon the alienation OF
homestead rights and lands covered
thereby until patents issue. Last year
an executive proclamation was issued
directing the removal Of fenOaJ which in.
closed the public domain, Many OF these
have besn removed in obedience to such
order, but much oil the public land still
remains in the lines Of thsss unlawful
fences. The injurious msthols resorLsl
to in order to continue these trsupassas
and the hardlhood Of the prstsuSOa By
which, In some ca3ss, such Enclosures ara
justified, are fully detailed in IL report OF
the Secretary OF the Interior. The 70.
lnoval Of the fences still remaining, which
tnclose, public lands, will DO enforced
with all the authority aud means with
which the executive branch OF the govern.
mens Is, or shall be invested by this Con.
greSs for that purpose.
PENSIONS.
The report Of tho Commissioner OF Pom.
Hioners Contains n detailed and most satia.
factory exhibit Of the operations OF the
Pension Bureau during the last fiscal ycar.
The amount Of work done was the largest
in any year since tho organization Of the
Bureau, and 1t has been at less cost than
during the previous year In every divis.
ion. On the 30!h day oiJuue, 1886, there
were 3B6, 1Sd pensioners on the rolls OF the
Bureau. suce 1901 there have been / :
OILS, 735 applications for pensions filed, OF
which 1884 were based upon service in
the wer Of 1872. There were 82l,75i Of
these applications allowed, including co.
l1S to the soldiers OF 1872 and their
widows.
The total amount paid for pensions
since 1861 Is Ss0s,09l, 81 81. The mum.
Der OF new pensions allowed during the
year ended Juue 80, 1886 10 40,S57, a
larger number than has been allowed in
any year, save one, since 1881, The names
Of .220 pensioners which had been pre-
viously dropped from the rolls were re.
STORED during the year, and after deduct.
lug thoss dropped within the same time
Tor various causes, an increase remains
for the year OF 20,05S Names From Jan.
uary l., 1851 to December /, 1885, 1857
private pension acts had been passed.
Since the last mentioned date and dur
ing the astsession ofthe Congress, GA such
acts became laws. ItBeems to me that no
one can examine our pension establishment
and Its operations without being oonyinc-
ed that through Its fundamentally, Justice
can be worry nearly done to all who a1e en-.
titled under the present laws 10 the pen.
sion bounty Of the government. But, It Ia
undeniablO that cases exist vol entitled
to relief In which the pension bureau is
powsrless to aid. Really worthy cases Of
this GLASS are such sB only lack by mis-.
fortune the kind Of quantity Of proof
which the law and regulations OF The bu.
reau require, or, which they though their
merit 10 apparent for soma other reason
unjustly dealt with through general laws.
Those conditions fully justify application
to the Congress- and special onaGtments.
But resort to the Congress for special
pension act to override the delhor.
ate and careful determination Of the
pension bureau on the merits or
to uocqre favorable action when 1t
could not be expected under the most lib.
eral execution Of general laws, Il must be
admitted opens the door 10 the allowance
Of questionable claims and presents to the
legislative and executive branches Of the
government, applications conceded by all
not within the law and plainly devoid Of
mort, but SO surrounded by sentiment
and patriotic feeling that thsy are hard TO
rosiSt. ! suppose Il will not BIZ denied