Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-20
THE LAND OFFICE REPORT.
Acting Commissioners Stone Submits
the Annual showing.


WASHINGTON, Sept 19.--The annual report
of the acting commissioner of the general
land office, William NJ. Store, has been sub
mitted to the secretary of the interior. In
opening his report Stone refers to the accu-
mutation of business IN the oflice which had
been left over from former Administrations,
and which was partly due to the Increasing
work of the local land Offices. The system
in force, he says, was not promotive of the
speedy dispatch of business, especially IN
the case of the board of review, created by
Commissioner Sparks, which he abolished
as hindrauce TO good, safe ana quick work
in the Office Commenting on MIR. Sparks
unfortunate and unwarrantcd suspicious
that wide spread system of fraud pre-
vailed" MIR. Sparks asserted that 1.-THE
proportion of fraudulent filings to the total
number of filings made and relinquishcd may
be estimated in round numbers mt one in
hundred.n Mr.. Stone says: "rhc whole
sale arraignment of claimants on the public
domain should not have been made without
most conclusive evidence TO sustain :" The
report goes on to say that no general mis-
conduct on the part of western settlers had
been found. During tho year i0,l4l agri-
cultural patents were issued, covering H.
~, ll9 acres of land, an increase over the
preceding year of more than three million
acres. Mineral patents to the number of
9l3, covering an area of l7,096 acres, were
issued. There were patented for the benefit
of railroads, under the law, 425 0i6 acres
and under swamp land grants TO the
states 259, ri acres. State selections
under educational grants were approved to
the extent OF 1872 $50 acres, and lands To In
dans patented under various acts 10 the
amount of l59 $40 acres.
Tho total cash receipts OF the Office from
sales of land and fees were S9,2 225, 4 de-
crease of more than 100000 us compared
with the previous wear.
During the year surveys were accepted to
the amount of 4,55i, 312 acres, principally in
Dakota, Montana ana New Mexico.
Mr.. Stone calls attention to certain al
lowances made to deputy surveyors by the
first comptroller of the treasury in the years
1886 and 1887, which, in my opinion, were
grossly Irregular and n palpable usurpatou
ofthe powers and duties specially belonging
to the commissioner of the general land
office.n
The report refers to the unsettled condi-
tion 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 ad.
just each of the railroad grants, and If any
had been enormously certified or patented
to commence proceedings to cancel them, the
report states that of the pending selections
81, 660, $40 acres had been suspended, awaiting
action by congress.
Attention is called to the fact that more
than eighty million acres have been claimed
under the swamp land act in various states
Florida alone, while having a total area of
81 95, 40 acres, has lists filed for % 22l 1863
acres as swampy land. "rhere can be no
Doubt says the report, "that large quanti
ties of land, amounting to millions of acres,
have been patented to the states enormously
as swamp lands, when in fact they were and
are good agricultural lands"
The work of examining ex parte the min
eral entries IS said to be two and half
years in arrears. The report recommends
that when the homestead or a pre-emption
claimant receives patent and mineral is dis
covered subsequently on his claim, his Ger
titicate of entry shall act as bar to
any mining claim upon the discovery made
subsequent to the entry. The report recon-
mends the repeal of all laws relating to public
timber, and the enactment of % general law,
PLAN, concise and unmistakable in meaning
Fewer fraudulent entries have been made
during the year than for many years past
owing to the increased vigilance, but several
cases are mentioned IN the report where syn
dicates sought to obtain coal lands by fraudu-
lent means, ana IN one case, had they sue
ceeded the commission .&lone would have
amounted to $3.50, 600.
The opening of Oklahoma is referred to as
the most important event tor several years
in the administration of the land office.