Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-09-21
Te|egraphhic Tidijngs
THE LAND OFFICE.
"So General Misconduct on tho Part OF
Western Settlers has been f.. und."

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2l.-The annual r,
port of the acting commissioner of til
general land office, William NJ. ston,
has been submitted to the secretary {
the interior. In opening his repol
Comr. Stone refers to the accumulate
of business i'll the office which had bee
left over from former administrations
and which was partly due to the incteas
ing work of the local land offices. TIL
system in force, he says, was not promot
i've of speedy dispatch OF business, es
pecially in case of the board OF review
created by Comr. Sparks, which he abol
shed rs hindrance to good, safe anc
quick work in the office.
Commenting on Mr.. Sparks unfor
tunateand unWarranted suspicious that
wide spread system of fraud prevailed
and Mr.. Sparks assertion that the pro
portion of fraudulent filings to the tota
number OF filings made and relnquished
may be estimated in round numbers al
100 per cent" Mr.. Stone says, "Ths
Wholesale arraignment OF claimants on
the public domain should not ha' been
made without most conclusive evidence to
sustain it,"
The report goes on to say: "No gen.
eral misconduct on the part of western
settlers has been found.
During the year 70', l4l agriculture
patents were issued, covering 1l,79l Jig
acres OF land, an increase over the pre-
cedlng year of more than 3,O0O,0OO of
acres.
Mineral patents to the number OF 9l3,
covering All acreage Of 1906, were is
sued.
There was patented for the benefit of
railroads under the law 425 ,O46 acres of
land, and under swamp land grants to
states 259, ,72l acres
State selections under educational
grants were approved to the extent OF
1872 ,33D acres, and lands to Indians were
patented under various acts to the amount
OF l59,39J.
"rhe total cash receipts of the Office
from sales of land and fees were 1920
225, decrease OF more than $1,000, 900,
as compared with the previous year.
During the year surveys were accept
ed to the am cunt of 4,544 ,372 acres, rim.
tipally in Dakota, Montana and New
Mexico"
Comr. Stone calls attention to certain
allowances made by deputy surveyors by
the first comptroller OF the treasury in
the years 1886 and 1887, which in hiS
opinion were grossly irregular and palpa-
bly usurpation of powers which special
ly belong to the commissioner of the gen
aral land office.
The report refers to the unsettled con-
ilton of private land claims in New Mex.
co and Arizona, and the urgent need of
action to settle titles in
,hese territories
Referring to the act of March 8, 1889,
which authorizes the secretary of the in
error to adjust each of the railroad
grants, and If any have been enormously
certified or patented to commence pro-
;eedings to cancel them, the report
states that of pending selections Il $780,.
'46 acres have been suspended awaiting
Iciion by congress.
Attention is called to the fact that more
han SO,0JO,0O0 acres of land have been
laimed under the saamp land act in the
'arious states Florida alone, while hav.
ny a total acreage of but 1881 ,52J
cres, having lists filled for q 22l ,469
cres as swamp land. There can be no
loubt, says the report. that large guam
tiles OF land, amounting to millions OF
ollars, have been patented to the states
rroneousl = as swamp when in fact they
we're and are good agricultural lands.
The work of examining ex rarte min
raj entries is said to be two and half
ears in arrears. The report recommends
hat when homestead or pre-emption
laimant receives u patent and mineral is
discovered subsequently on his claim his
ertidcate OF entry shall act as bar to
ny mining claim upon q discovery made
ubsequeht to the entry.
The report recommends the repeal of
II laws relating TO public timber and the
nactment OF Il general law, plain, con-
ise and unmistakable in meaning.
Fewer fraudulent entries have been
nade during the year than for many
ears past, owing to increased vigilance,
ut several cases are mentioned in the re-.
ort where syndicates sought to obtain
oal lands by fraudulent means, and in
ne case had they succeeded the commits.
ion alone would have amounted to $780,.
90.
The opening of Oklahoma is referred to
8 the most important incident for sever
| years in the administration of the land
flee.