Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-03

smallness of the population and the
great distance between the settlements
offer serious obstacles TO the establish
ment of the usual territorial form of
government. Perhaps the organization
/ of several sub-districts with a small
municipal council of limited powers
for each would be safe and useful. At
tention is called in this connection to
the suggestions of the secretary of the
treasury relating to the establishment
of another port entry in Alaska aud OF
other needed customs facilities and
regulations.
THE LAND LAWS.
In the administration of the land
laws the policy of facilitating, in every
proper way, the adjustment of the
honest claims of individual settlers
upon the public lands has been pushed.
The number of pending cases had dur
ing the preceding administration been
greatly increased under the opera
iton OF orders for time suspending
final action, "a large part of the cases
originating i'll the west and northwest,
aud by the subsequent adoption
of unusual methods of examination.
Only those who are familiar with the
conditions under which our agricult-
ural lands have been settled can appre-
ciate the serious and often fatal conse-
quences to the settler of policy that
puts his title under suspicion, or delays
the issuances of his patent. While care
is taken to prevent and to expose fraud
1t should not be imputed without rea-
SOL.
HOMESTEAD AND PREEMPTION LAWS.
The manifest purpose of the home
stead and presumption law was to pro-
mote the settlement of the public do
main by persons having bona fde
intent to make home upon the select
ed lands. While this intent is well es-
tabliShed 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 rea-
son to believe that the claimant
Is the mere agent of another who is
seeking TO evade a law intended TO pro
mote small holdings tosecure by fraud.
ulent methods large tracts of timber
and other lands, both principal and
agent should not only be thwarted in
their fraudulent purpose, but should be
made TO feel the full penalties of our
criminal statutes. TIE laws should be
so administered AS not to con.
iOund these two classes and
to visit penalties only upon the latter
TITLES IN THE TERRITORIES:
The unsettled state of the titles to
large bodies of lands in the territories
of New Mexico and Arizona has great
ly retarded the development of those
territories. Provision should be made
by law for the prompt trial and final
adjustment before judicial tribunal
or commission of all claims based upon
N1xrt nufa 70 - ,,aN
intelligent and enterprising people that
their peace should be disturbed and
their property retarded by their old
contentious. ! express the hope that
differences ofOpiniOn as to method may
yield to the urgency of the case.
PENSIONS.
The law provides pension for every
soldier and sailor who was mustered
into service of the United States dur
ing the civil war ana is now suffering
from wounds or disease having an
origin in the service and the line of
duty. Two or three necessary facts,
viz, muster and disability, are usually
susceptible of easy proof, but the third
origin in the service Is often difficult,
and in many deserving cases impossl-
bic to establish. That very many of
those who endured the hardships of
Jul must plONQy
paigns are now disabled from dis
eases that had a real and not
a traceaDle origin in the service
We do not doubt, besides these there is
another class composed of men many
of whom served an enlistment of the
three full years; and of re-enlisted
veterans who added a fourth year of
service, who escaped the casualties of
battle and assaults of disease, who were
always ready for any detail who
were in every battle line of their com
mand, and were mustered out in sound
health, and have since the close of the
war, while fighting with the same in
dOmitable and independent spirit the
contest of civil life, been overcome by
disease and casualty.
| FURTHER PENSIONS RECOMMENDED.
am not unaware that the pension roll
already involves very large annual ex
penditure neither am deferred by that
fact from recommending that congress
grant pension TO such hOnorably dis
charged soldiers and sailors of the civil
war as having rendered subs tantial ser
vice during the war are now dependent
upon their own labor for mainten-
ance, and by disease or casualty are
lncapacitated from earning, as many
of them would be included in this
form of relief are now dependent upon
the public, and it does not, in my judg-
ment, consist with the national honor
that they shall continue to subsIEt upon
the local relief given Unfortunately
to paupers instead OF upon the special
and generous provisions of the nation
; they served so gallantly and unselhshly.
Our people will, | am sure, very
generally approve sdch legislation, and
oil
the union uTny and navy will feel a
grateful sense of RELIEF when this
worthy and suffering class of their
comrades Is fairly cared for. There
are some manifest inequalities in the
existing Law that should be remedied
To some OF these the secretary of the
interior has called attention. II is
gratifying TO be able to state that
owing to the adoption of new and
: better methods in the war department.
! the calls of the pension Office for in
7 formation as to the military and hos
pital records of pension claimants are
now promptly answered, and the injur-
iOus and vexatiOus delays that have
heretofore occurred are entirely
: avoided. This will greatly facilitate
) fe-adlustment of all pending G.alm3.
1 THE FOUR NEW STATES.
The advent of the four new states
! South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana
r and Washington into the union under
= the constitution in the same month,
T ana the admission of their duly chosen
e representatives to our national con-
e gress at the same session, is an event
as unexampled as is is interesting.
The certiicatiOn of tue votes cast of
t the constitutions adopted in each of
4 the states, was filed with me as requir.
T ed by the 9Th section of the act nj