Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-12-12
He Tells Of the Years Work IA the
Interior Department.
.'TATlsTlcs FROM The LAND OFFICE.
The Indtan Question l1iscussod g WHIST
Has Bssn bono In the Pension aud 81
Patont Bureaus Strikes and %
heir General Eject.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.


grants to States, 81. 2O5; miscellaneous, &C. 4O2.
The dnal entries made during the year mum Der
20 46& embrac ng l1,34D,18 acres; original
entries. 2.47a, embracing 10 985esO.0i acres;
railroad and State selections wore filed cover
Ing 7,70O, 851. 90 Thus In addition to tho fiual
entries, specific claims have been newly rs.
| serted to 16, 776. 5e1.9 2 acres during the year
The receipts from the disposal OF public lands
were III, sOl,O 72: from sales OF Indian lands,
1921, ll8; . total of S1a 532, 1855
Tho report lEys particular stress upon the
necessity for some method Of expediting the
work OF the Land Once. On June 10 2a8 1856
final entries were rending, and the number Of
new entries made during the year was 20, l68
more than all the final entries disposed Of
during the same period. At the same time
there were pending $50, 933 original entries, Of
which ri, $40 were homesteads, rs, 4208G8 acres
OF unadjus.ed railroad selections, 7Sl,8a7 acres
State selections under swamp-,and grants, and
$4,000 State selections for educational and
tnternal-improvement purposes.
The report says: Tho Comm tssioner recon-
mends an increase Of the force OF his office-a
natural suggestion. But, although I venture
| 1t with dimdence, because OF the limited OPP
portunity afforded me for study OF the subject,
1t Is my opinion that thorough and radical or
Rantzation OF the Land ONCE ought to be the
first step taken, accompanied By provision OF
quarters suitable to the performance Of the
work." -..- So. s.. >Is.-s =
Tue passage by Congress of the House bill re-
peaiing the laws prov ding for prescriptions.
timber-culture. entries, public and private
sales and the commu tation OF homestead en-
tries by cash payments is recommended As
measure OF admin strative relief II would be OF
great value, while the Homestead law fur
nishes all 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
ito OF
appropriate the public land to pr vate
use in abuse OF its spirit aud with
out any real purpose OF compliance with
its objects and direct ns, and because under
1t private rights ore 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 Gen.
eral Land Once 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 Ss 1851
99o01, and recommends the recovery OF
1900 58.33 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 6.0OO, 600 acres were held by such un-
lawful Enclosure. An adjustment OF railroad
land grants under the statute OF March 8, 1887,
OlSCOVCICu Lu6t ScVcu FaslrO3u companies ana
one wagon company held q total of 21s,590
acres more than they were legally entitled to-
The Secretary recommends that 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 the Western Terr:tor es
which are now uncultivated. The act OF Con-
gress approprat'ng 100000 to this purpose, sis !
worthy of the Nation and the age and deserves
the immediate and potential fostering action of
the Leg stature. The plan contemplates taking
possession OF sui able valleys and gorXes along
the streams, perhaps more generally in the up.
per regions, Tor the construction of great reser-
vo RS to be filled by the surplus flow IN spring
time and freshet-time, afterwards to be strib-
utcd through canals, aQueducts AID bitches
upon the great areas below" The expectation
S proffered that soon the Mississippi may be
SO taken in hand as to curb aud restrain that
vast cur from its frequent destructive ir-
rupt.OnS. F.. .--as.
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
The report says great progress has been
made IN the dellverance OF the Indians from
the ideas aud habits of the past, and they now
manifest less prejudice against the acceptance
OF the habits Of vilized life and more readily
and willingly adopt themselves to tue meas
ures designed for their Improvement. This
influence Of chiefs and head men and by ex-
tending the jur sd caon OF courts to Indian
cases. A large portion OF this gain is ascribed
to the increased honesty Of the Indian agents.
and the Secretary recommends that the best
poss bic ability should be secured i'll the per-
sou of these agents and that an increased COM
pensation should be paid. Tue extension of
educational advantages is also urged SO as to
embrace oil 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 Ind ans when the generation of youth
becomes the generation OF manhood"
According to the reports of In dian agents the
total numter OF Indians in the country, exclud-
ing Alaska, is 246O95, occupying reservations,
including tho Ind an Territory, embracing liz.
Al 44O acres; being equivalent to an average Of
456 acres for each Indian. ss:.s.x f.. .5s. b.
There were 233 Indian schools in operation
during the year, including i've industr ., train
ing schools located outside OF reservations, at
total cost OF 81, 203.74 The total enroll
mcnt was 1929 pupils, and the average
attendance .:1,49O. 1t is estimated that
there are 40OOO Indian youths OF teach.
able age, and, assuming the average yearly ex-
penditure for each pup to be $lU2, y total ap-
preparation OF S4,0Ou,lOo is Indicated as neces-
sary ~ meet the requirements Of the case. ~
The Secretary comments the result OF the
allotment OF lands n 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 Secret Try on the ground that
such timber belongs not to the indians but to
the United States. 1t Is found that the most
serious trouble resulting from intruders upon
Indian lands arises in Indian Territory, the
complaints coming from the Cherokee nation,
Tne Secretary iully explains and discusses
At some length the negotiations with the In.
dians fer the opening OF the great Sioux reser-
walton. He holds that the compensatfons de-
manded for the lands were exorbtant. 1t
would require for no more land Than is now
desired to be coded the payment of nearly as
much money as was pald to #Feance for the en-
tire territory OF Louisiana merely to extiugu sh
the Indian right Of occupancy, the fee
being, according to our theory, already In the
Government. It would besides fix probable
minimum at least for the several millions OF
acres which must at q later period, after allot-
ments In sevsralty have been perfected and
their improved condition hereunder shall war
rant 1t, be further purchased and opened to
settlement"
THE PENSION BUREAU. {#
Original pens ons to the number OF 60 e62
we.e added 10 the penson rolls during the fiscal
year, and increases were granted IN 4a7l6
cases. The names OF 1870 pensioners were