Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-12-04
limited powers for each, would be safe

llmlCeQ powers lOr eaCui Woulu DC Sale
and useful.
In the administration OF the land
laws, the policy of facilitating in
every proper way the adjustment of
the honest claims of individuals
settled upon the public lands has been
pursued. The number of pending
cases had during the proceeding ad-
ministration has been greatly in
creased under the operation of orders
for q time suspending the final action
in q large part Of the cases
originating in the west and
Northwest, and by the suisse
quent use of usual methods Of exami-
nation only those VINO are familiar
with the conditions under ys9ich our
agricultural lands have<gSn settled
can appreciate the serious and often
fatal consequences to the settler OF a
policy that puts his title under suspi-
cion, or delays the issuance of his pat
emf. While care is taken to prevent and
to expose fraud, it should not be i'm
puted without reason. The manifest
purpose of the homestead and pre-
emption law was to promote the set
Element of the public domain by per-
sons having a bona tide intent to
make home upon the selected lands.
Where this intent is well established,
and the requirements of the law have
been substantially complied with, the
claimant is entitled TO a prompt and
friendly consideration of his case; but
where there is reason to believe that
the claimant is the mere agent Of an
other, who is seeking to evade n law
intended to promote small holdings,
and to secure by fraudulent
methods large tracts of tim
Der and other lands, both
principal and agents should not only
be thwarted in their fraudulent pur-
poses, but should he made to feel the
full penalties of our criminal statutes.
The laws should be so administered
as not to confound those two clauses
and to visit penalties only upon the
latter. The unsettled state of the
titles to the large bodies of land and
these territories OF New Mexico and
Arizona has greatly retarded the de-
velopment of those territories. Pro
visions should be made by law for the
prompt trial and finaladjustment be-
fore judicial tribunal or commission
of all claims based upon Mexican
grants.
The law now provides pension for
every sailor and soldier who was mus
tered into the service Of the
United States during the civil war
and is now suffering from WOUNDS or
disease having an origin in the ser
vice and in the line of duty.
THE PENSION BUREAU.
am not unaware that the pension
roll already involves q very large an
nual expenditure, neither am | de-
tered by that fact from recommend
ing that congress grant pension to
such honorably discharged soldiers
and sailors of the civil war as having
rendered substantial service during
the war are now dependent upon their
own labor for maintenance, and by
disease or casualty are incapacitated
from earning it. Many of the men
who would be included in this form
of relief are now dependent upon
public aid, and it does not, in my
Judgment. accord with the national
honor that they shall continue to sub
sist upon the local relief given in dis
criIninately to paupers instead of
upon the special and generous pro
vision of the nation they served so
calamity and unseltish]y.
1t is gratifying to be able to state
that by the adoption of new and
better methods in the war depart
ment. the calls of pension office for
information as to the military and
hospital records of pension claimants
are now promptly answered and the
injurious and vexatious delays that
have heretofore occurred are entirely
avoided. This will greatly facilitate
the adjustment of all pending claims.
The advent of four new states
South Dakota, North Dakota, Mon
tana and Washington, into the
Union under the constitution in the
same month and the admission OF
their duly chosen representatives for
the national congress at the same
session is an event as unexampled as
it is interesting Each of these states
has within it resources, the develop
ment of which will employ the ener-
gies of and yield comfortable sub
sistence to great population: The
smallest of these new states, wash
ington. stands the twelfth, and the
largest, Montana, third among the
forty-two in area. The people OF
these states are already we'll trained,
intelligent and patriotic American
citizens. having common interests and
sympathies with those of the older
states and common purpose TO de-
fend the integrity and Uphold the
honor of the nation.
The attention of the interstate
commerce commission has been called
to the urgent need of congressional
legislation for the better protection
of the lives and limbs of those en-
gagged in operating the great inter
state freight lines of the country, and
especially of the yardmen and brake
men. A petition, signed by nearly
ten thousand railway brakemen,. was
presented to the nommisson asking
that steps might be taken to bring
about the nse of automatic brakes
and couplers on freight trains.
At meeting of state railroad COM
missioners and their accredited repre-
.entatives, held at Washington in
March last, upon the invitation OF
the interstate commerce commission, a
resolution was unanimously adopted
urging the commissioners ITO consider
what can be done to prevent the loss
of life and limb in coupling freight
cars, and in handling the brakes OF
such cars During the year ending
June 80, 1883, over 1000 railroad EN-
ployes were killed in service and more
than % OnA injured. 1t is com uetent.