Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-02
INTERNAL AFFAIRS.
Secretary Mobiles Annual
Report.
AN EXHAUSTIVE DOCUMENT.
DOCUMENT.
The Former Conduct of the General
Land Office Severely
Criticised.


nual report Of the Secretary of the In
terror opens with brief review of the
opening of Oklahoma, the successful
negotiation of a treaty with the Sioux
Indians and the admission Of four new
States. In reviewing the progress Of the
work OF the Cherokee Commission, the
Secretary speaks at length of the leases
of the cattle company, and recommends
the necessity of Congress making more
exact and stringent laws prohibiting the
interference of citizens with the move
ments of the Government when attempt
ing negotiations with Indian tribes.
Speaking of the coming census Of 1890,
the Secretary suggests, upon the recon-
mendation of Superintendent Porter,
that our decennial census would be far
more COMPLETE and satisfactory il the
Census Office were made q permanent
bureau.
Coming down to the work OF the Cen
eral Land Otice, the Secretary says ::
"Duringthe four years OF the prior admin
istration there h8daccumulate0 los 900
cases over and above any former
amount. The present Secretary ordered
an investigation as TO the cause of this
bad state of public business. The cause
was not fear to seek"
COMMISSIONER SPARKS AssAILED.
The Secretary then refers to the order
of Commissioner Sparks Of April 3, 1885,
suspending final action on entries in the
West, and says "the source Of euch an
order can be traced only to the utter dig
regard OF the Commissioner for the in
tegrity of those citizens who had settled
in the vast western domain. Commits
sioner Sparks was supported in this
broad accusation by others within the
General Land Office, and had not the
wisdom of less suspicious nature inter-
vened, this course of action might have
brought upon the country not only the
greatest disgrace, but possibly internal
connections of serious magnitude. 1t
led Immediately to the vast accumu-
lstion of unadjusted claims. and the gen.
eral encouragement of settlement upon
the public domain"
The Secretary refers to the modification
of the order OF December 8, 1885, Great
ing board to pass upon and report cases
to the Commissioner, and to Secretary
Lamar's order to Sparks, April 6. 1888,
revoking Sparks order of April 3, 1885,
and continues: "The Commissioner,
however, was determined not TO allow
patents to go to the people upon q de.
cision thereof by the usual means, but
sought further to restrain their delivery,
and initiated most unnecessary
division in the Office, which was in effect
merely one of re-review. 1t was a
mere subntitution in point of fact for the
special board created by the previous
order, and based upon the same general
suspicion that whoever sought to obtain
Government land was intending to- per.
petrate q fraud. At the time it was
determined to dispense with this un.
nece ssary division, there had accumu-
lated in it nearly 5000 cases. They
were, however, sooE disposed Of upon
careful but liberal examinations, and
July 6, 1889, the division was discon.
tinued."
AGRICULTURAL PATENTS ISSUED.
The report of the Acting Commissioners
shows that the total number OF agricul.
tural patents Issued for the fecal year
ending June 80, 1888, was 70,14l. Dur
ing the first eleven months of that year,
under the former methods of the work
the issues of said total we're 53,6l8, a
monthly average Of 4,S74; while during
June of said year, under the new meth
DDS. there were issued 1888 patents, a
most gratifying increase over the former
MANAGEMENT.
'1t is not to be understood" says the
Secretary, "that there is any disposition
to relax examinations to an extent that
will permit fraud to grow or illegal claims
to be established. A great many claims
deemed illegal are now under investiga-
ton, and many cases now pending for
fraudulent infraction Of the law will be
prosecuted"
NUMBER OF ACRES PATENTED, ETC.
Patents we're issued during the year
for IL, 7S4, 715.16 acres Of land, including
agricultural, mineral, coal, railroad,
swamp, etc. The total amount of cash
sales reached $S,379,410.
There remain pending in the Office at
the end Of the fiscal year, 1S0,6l final
entries of all classes; Of original entries
of all classes, 353, 1854 railroad selections
Guiding 304, 1926 acres of Oregon wagon
various States, covering 1000, 900 acres,
were pending. and educational and in
ternal improvement selections covering
,978, Az acres.
THE SUBJECT OF IRRIGATION.
On the subject of irrigation the Secre-
tasy reviews at length the work of the
Geological Survey, and the reports of the
Surveyor Generals of the various Western
States and Territories, and recommends
that the attention of Congress be invited
to the necessity OF determining at the
present session, whether it will perma-
nently establish the reservation of all
irrigable arid regions, and If go what
general laws may be best adapted to reg
ulate the supply and use of water under
Government control. Action, it is rec
commended, should be taken without de-
lay, and the system, if prosecuted by the
National Government, should be based
on comprehensive, liberal and practical
provisions.
PRIVATE LAND CLAIMS.
The Secretary says proper officers have
investigated and reported upon numer-
GUS private land claims, embracing
millions of acres, and these reports have
been laid before Congress, which alone,
under the existing statutes, can confirm
or reject them. The title to some has
been determined valid, but many are
still pending for want of action by the
legislative body. The Secretary speaks
at some length of the absolute necessity
Of legislation on this subject. The pres
ent condition works a constant private