The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-12-06
Mr.. Villas REPORT.

5s " ADn1N0KONs Ooc. x-60cE0t3ty Was b.
gins his report on the work OF the Inter1of
Department BY giving . detailed account 81
tho doings Of the Public Land Once. Tho total
number OF acres patented during the year was
66O61 1914 divided ~ follows: Agricultural
lands, 100000 acres; mineral and coal lands.
1888; railroad lands. $50. l62; swamp lands,
96,515; internal Improvement and educational
grants to States, %, 905; miscellaneous e64oR
The fnal entries made during tho yenr number
u. 46S embracing ll,84Q16a53 acres; original
entries, 72,47a, embracing 10 965 5000 acres;
railroad and State selections were filed cover
ing 1900, 851.90 Thus, in addition TO tho final
entries, specific claims have been newly a..
serted to la776 SCI % acres during the year.
The receipts from the disposal Of public lands
were III, 01,O72; from sales OF Indian lands,
eSs1, lis; . total Of Ola, 5s2, 1sN.
The report lays particular stress upon the
necessity Tor some method of expedtting the
work OF the Land Once On June 10 230, 1b6
final entries were pending. aud the number Of
new entries made during the year was 20, 46a
more than all the final entries disposed OF
during the same period. At the same time
there were pending $50, 9S3 original entries, Of
which 2l7. GAO were hOmesteads, %, 42a8G6 acres
OF unadjusted reilrosd selections, 1857 acres
State selections under swamp-land grants, and
1,S50,0OO State selections for educational and
tnternal-improvement purposes. E
The report says: 1.-THE Commissioner recon-.
mends on increase Of the force Of his onlce-a
natural suggestion. But, although venture
it with diffdence, because of the limited OBJ
portunity afforded me for study of the subject,
1t Is my opinion that . thorough and radical or.
Ranization OF the Land ONCE ought to be the
first step taken, accompanied by o provision Of
quarters suitable to the performance OF the
work." g Il
The passage by Congress of the House bill re.
pealing the laws providing for prescriptions.
timber-culture, entries, public and private
sales and the Communication of homestead en-
tries by cash payments is recommended. As q
measure of admin strative relief it would be Of
great value, while the Homestead law fur
nishes oil the opportunity for settlers to OBJ
tain agricultural lands which is necessary for
five years at least. The repeal of the Des-
ert-Land law is recommended, as under
its provisions way is furnished to
appropriate the public land to private
use in abuse OF its spirit and with
out any reQl purpose Of compliance with
its objects and directions, aud because under
1t private rights are secured which must in
terfere with the larger work Of irrigation which
must ultimately he undertaken by the Gov
eminent.
The report OF the Commissioner of the Cen
eral Land Office shows the total number Of
acres OF land actually restored to the
public domain, through forfeiture Of rail.
road grants and the discovery of fraud in
the case OF private grants, to be s.15a-
99O.01, and recommends the recovery OF
5000, 5s8 80 acres on the same grounds. This
exhibit includes lands which have been thrown
open by the removal OF unlawful fences con-
structed by usurpers of the domain. Since 1885
upwards OF 6,O0O, 900 acres were held by such un-
lawful Enclosure. An adjustment Of railroad
land grants under the statute Of March g. 1887,
discovered that seven railroad companies and
one wagon company held total of 218,59O
acres more than they were legally entitled to.
The Secretary recommends that o period of
Limitation on the presentment Of private land
claims be speedily fixed by law.
Enough has been done in the way OF expert
ment, the Secretary finds, to prove that proper
irrigation will render fertile and productive ex-
tensive plains OF land in theWestern Territories
which are now uncultivated. The act Of Con.
gress approprating $780, 900 to this purpose, sis
worthy Of the Nation and the age and deserves
the immediate and potential fostering action OF
the Legislature. The plan contemplates taking
possession OF suitable valleys and gorges along
the streams, perhaps more generally in the up
per regions. for the construction of great reser-
vors to be filed by the surplus flow spring
time and freshet-time, afterwards to be distrib-
uted through canals, aQueducts aud bitches
upon the great areas below" The expectation
IS prof1ered that soon the Mississippi may be
so taken in hand as to curb and restrain that
vast current from its frequent destructive ir.
ruptions.
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
The report says great progress has been
made IN the deliverance OF the Indians from
the ideas and habits Of the past, and they now
manifest less prejudice against the acceptance
OF the habits Of civilized life and more readily
and willingly adopt themselves to the meas
ures designed for their Improvement This
has been done by weakening the obstructive
influence Of chiefs and head men and by ex-
tending the jurisdiction OF courts to Indian
A large norton 0f fhiS o.ain ia iho6
to the increased honesty OF the Indian agents.
and the Secretary recommends that the best
possible ability should be- secured in the per-
son OF these agents and that an increased COM
pensation should be paid. The extension of
educational advantages is also urged so as to
embrace all the Indian youth OF the country
of teachable age. Let but the present
generation OF Indian youth be universally in
structed according to their capacity and the
Indian question is settled, because there will
be no Indians when the generation OF youth
becomes the generation OF manhood
According to the reports of Indian agents the
total number OF Indians in the country, exclud-
ing Alaska, is 246,095, occupying reservations,
including the Indian Territory, embracing 112,
AZ, 40 acres; being equivalent to an average OF
1856 acres for each Indian.
There were 233 Indian schools in operation
during the year, including five industrial train
ing schools located outside Of reservations at
- SOIoA SVo0 VI CAsSVo: no AA0 LOt0A cuEOu-
ment was 1922 pupils, and the average
attendance i1,4a0. It is estimated that
there are 10000 Indian youths of teach.
able age, and, assuming the average yearly ex-
penditure for each pupil to be SlG2, a total ap-
preparation OF "a, OOO 100 is indicated as neces.
sary to meet the requirements Of the case.
The Secretary commends the result Of the
allotment OF lands in severalty to the Indians,
which is to restrict their propensity for rowing
indolently about the country
The cutting OF timber on reservations is con-
demned by the Secretary on the ground that
such timber belongs not to the Indians but to
the United States. It IS found that the most
serious trouble resulting from intruders upon
Indian lands arises in Indian Territory, the
complaints coming from the Cherokee nation.
The Secretary fully explainStlnd discusses
at some length the negotiations with the In.
dams for the opening OF the great Sioux reser-
walton. He holds that the compensations de-
manded for the lands were exorbitant. 1t
would require for no more land than is now
desired to be coded the payment OF nearly as
much money as was paid to France for the en-
tire territory Of Louisiana merely to extinguish
the Indian right of occupancy, the fes
being, according to our theory, already in the
Government. 1t would besides tx probable
minimum at least for the several millions Of
acres which must at q later period, after allot-
ments In severalty have been perfected and
rant 1t, be further purchased and opened to
settlement"
THE PENSION BUREAU.
Original pensions to the number Of 90 ESQ
were added to the penson rolls during the fiscal
year, and increases were granted in 1915
cases. The names OF $3.50 pensioners were
dropped from the rolls tor various causes, so
that at the end OF the year the total number
remaining of all cases was 452, 557. Tie amount
paid for pensions during the year was Ga, IT'S
661.92 an increase over the previous year Of
o. BOZ, sso.22.
THE PATENT OFFICE; ~
The Secretary calls attention to tho crowded
condition OF the clerical force Of the Patent
Once. The total number of applications for
patents was 40, TT; patents created, q, 1Ol;
surplus over expenditures, s189, go; balance
in the Treasury on account OF patent fund,
s. 1881, eee.e5; number Of applications awaiting
action, 7,s27.
.a WORK OF THE LABOR BUREAU. g-
An interesting account of the work OF the
Bureau of Labor 10 upresented. No report
has been made BY this bureau since