St. Landry democrat., 1889-10-05
Report of the General Land Office.

The annual report of the Acting Com
missioner of the General Land Office, VIM.
NJ Stone, has been submitted to the secre- |
tary of the interior. In opening his report
the Commissioner refers to the accumula-
ton of business in the office which had
been left over from the former administra
ton and which was partly due to the
incr, use of work of the local land officers.
The system in force, he says, was not
promotive of speedy dispatch of business,
especially in case of the Board of Review
created by Commissioner Sparks, which he
abolished as hindrance to the good, safe
and quick work in the Office. ,
Commenting on Mr.. Sparks unfortunate
and unwarranted suspicious that wide
spread system of fraud prevailed, and Mr..
Sparks assertion that "the proportion OF
fraudulent filings to the t1tal number of
filings made and relinquished may be esti-
mated in round numbers at 100 per cent,
Mr.. Stone says, ''This wholesale arraig n-
ment of claimants on public domain ssPuld
not have been made without the most con-
elusive evidence to sustain 1t.
The report goes on to say no general
misconduct on the part of the Western
settlers has been found. During the year
70, 141 agricultural patents were Issued,
covering II, 199, 1879 acres of land, an in
crease over the preceding year of more
than 5000, 900 acres. The mineral patents
to the number of 913, covering an acreage
of II ,O96 were issued. There were pat
ented for the benefit of the railroads under
the law 423, O46 acres, and under the
swamp land grants to the States 259, 721
acres. The State selections under the ed
ucational grants were approved to the ex-
Of I lands
patented under the various acts to the
amount of 159 800. The total cash receipts
of the office from the sales of lands and fees
were 50. 210, 225, decrease Of more than
! So, O0O, 000 as compared with the previous
| year. During the year surveys were &C
| cepted to the amount of 4,544, 372 acres,
! principally in Dakota, Montana and New
| Mexico.
| Commissioner Stone calls attention to GER
! tain allowances made to the deputy sur
vevors by the First Comptroller of the
Treasury in the years 1886 and 1887, which,
in my opinion, were grossly irregular and
culpable, and usurpation of power..an
duty specially belonging to the Commits
sioner of the General Land Office.
The report refers to the unsettled condl-
ton of private land claims In New Mexico
and Arizona and the urgent need of con
| gressional action to settle the titles in these
Territories. Referring to the act of March
3. 1887, which authorizes the secretary OF
the Interior to adjust each of the railroad
grants. and if any have been enormously
certified or patented, or to commence pro-
ceedings to cancel them, the report states
that of the pending selections q, 66O, "a:
acres have been suspended awaiting Inc
action by Congress.
Attention is called to the fact that more
than 100000 acres of land have beer
claimed under this swamp land act IN vari
GUS States, Florida alone, while having
total of about 81 .S31 $50 acres, having list
filed for %, 221 ,469 acres as swamp land.
There can be no doubt, says the re
port, ''that the large quantities OF Land
amounting to millions of acres, have peel
patented to the States enormously a
swamp, when in fact they were and are
good agricultural lands"
The work of examining the er part
mineral entries is said to be two and hal
wears in arrears. The report recommend
when homestead or pre- emption claimant
receives patent and mineral is discovers
subsequently on his claim, his certificate
of entry shall act as a bar to any mining
claim upon the discovery made subsequen
to entry.
! The report recommends repeal OF al
laws relating to public timber and an en-
, actment of a general law, plain and con
else and unmistakable in its meaning
Fewer fraudulent entries have been mad
during the year than for many years past
owing to the increased vigilance, but sew
eral cases are mentioned in the repol
!, where syndicates sought to obtain cos
+ lands by fraudulent means and in one cas-
!, mad they succeeded the commission alon
would have amounted to $55O,OO