St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-01
UNCLE SANS LOAD.
The Grand Old Man Is Now
Carrying Over Half a
Million Pensioners.
Will This Tremendous Burden
Break the Old Fell
lows Back?
The Estimate for All Pensions
for 1892 Is About
$3.50, 100000
Secretary Noble Gives the
Newspapers a Slap and
Praises Porter.

Noble has made his report to the presi-
dent on the work of the interior depart
ment for the year. OF Indian affairs he
says: A much larger area of land than
is necessary is held for Indian Gccu-
pancy. There are not more than 250,-
300 Indians within the borders of the
United States Gnclnding AlaSka). The
greater part of these reside upon or
have some interest in the existing reser
vationS. the others living upon por-
ton of the public domain. The aggre-
gate area OF the InCian reservations
was, at the last report, about 1l6,000.000
acres, or lSl,250 square miles, which is,
As calculated by the Indian commission
er, greater than that of the New
England and Middle States combined.
greater than the aggregate area of the
states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and
Kentucky, and nearly equal to the COM
bined area of the two DakotaS and Mon
tana; CT. to carry the comparison
farther. it is larger by half
than the United Kingdom Of
Great Britain and Ireland, larger than
Sweden or Norway, and nearly as large
as France or Spain" There has been q
reduction during the fiscal year by ces-
sion of Indian title to reservations I'M
der ratified agreements to the extent of
about 13.O00,O0O acres of lands hereto
fore held by them, leaving the
Aggregate Area
OF reserved land at this time over 1O3,-
0S0,000 acres. This is sufficient to give
each Of the occupying Indians. or those
having rights thereon, over 100 acres.
If all were given aliotmentS as pro-
vided in existing laws and treaties. each
Indian would receive not more than an
average of eighty acres of agricult-
ural land, or $50 acres of grazing
land. The surplus held in reservation
appears therefors to be unreaSonably
large. \ large portion Of it is lying
idle, and is bar to the Indians prog
ress and our country's development.
To restore this to the public do
the Indians, if the cessions are
made upon terms as fair as have char
acteriZed the agreements recently
negotiated. Those Indians especially
who are supported by the government,
not because of treaty obligations, but i'll
order to save them from starry
alton. should not continue to
hold these large tracts without
actual occupancy or use. 1t would be
better for each tribe 10 part with its
claim for a money consideration that
would create a fund to be securely held
by the United States, and upon which it
could depend for the support of its
members until. by proper use of indi-
vldual lomesteads, they may support
themselves.
Pensions.
At the close of the fiscal year 1890
there were 537944 pensioners borne
upon the rolls. Their classification is
given by the commissioner as follows:
Army Invalid pensioners. 392, 500
Army widows minor children and
dependent relatives 80. .......... IO4 1856
Navy Invalid pensioners -:..........: 5,274
Navy widows. minor children and
dependent relatives. ............... 2,46O
Survivors OF the war of 1Sl2 4I3
Widows of soldiers of the war of 1872 500
Survivors Of the Mexican war . -. l7,I5S
Widows OF soldiers of the Mexican
war. .....-.......... ........ -. -. 6,764
1Olul .S44
At this writing Oct. Is, 1890 there are
claims pending. S92,2221 OF these there
have been received under the act of
June q, 1890. 1873, 27S.
Appropriations
The appropriation for the last fiscal
year was hut SS0,0OO,G00. This, as was
pointed out i'll the secretary's last an
Eual report. was not only inadequate,
but must have been known to be so
when made; for the estimate of
the year before was $50, O0O,-
900, and there had been then
Incurred deficiency of at least IS. OOO.-
600, and, as the pension list was con-
stantly increasing. it was apparent that
this additional sum, if added, would not
be enough 10 meet the obligations to ac-
crue before the end of even that fiscal
year. So it proved; the appropriations
were as follows:
For the Fiscal Year 1889
Act Of JEnc Z, 1881 SSO473. 900
ACT OF March >, 1889. ............ 100000
Total-................ ....... SIS, 473, 600
For the Fiscal Year 1897
Act OF March i, 1890 ........... SS9.473, con
Act of April ]. 1890. 2I59s S34
Act of June Is. 1890. ......... 3,76S, 732
Total ......... -. .........SiO5,7 $50, 1872
At the close of the fiscal year there re-
manned in The hands of pension agents
the sum Of 1880. 2S3.S7 of the pension
fund which had not been disbursed for
want of time and which has been re-
turned to the treasury; and there were
2O.63o pensioners unpaid at the close of
the fiscal year who were entitled to re-
celve S4.357.347.30 which has since
been paid from the appropriation for
the fiscal year 1891. The appropriation
for the present year is ST, 900, ISL. but
such has been the great number of pen
Sloners added to the list by special acts
Of congress and the energetic work of
the bureau That deficiency appropria-
ton viii Ee required, the amount of
fQl
Number of Soldiers.
The commissioner has considered the
question as TO the number of our old
SoldlerS very carefully, and has eX-
pressed his Judgment i'll the following
table:
Number Of soldiers enlisted during
the war Ger the Union, excluding
refreshments ...-.............2 2, 2l3, 365
Number killed in battle and by
other casualties and who died of
- disease to July 1868, -. 364, ZIG
Estimated number OF deaths of
soldiers discharged during the
war 10 July /, 1860 80. ~. 25, 2s4
Number OF assertions. 1886
Total ,s;...-......... ............ 51l, 296
July !, $50. less deaths and de-
seflohs --.-.....---..- -. =. 1.7p2,C6
Number Of survivors July !. 1865.
less deaths and desertions who
were subject 70 the usual laws OF
mortality. ....... I1I6 CSC
Number of survivors July l, 1865.
who. because of wounds and 9th
or disabilities were subject to
higher rate CT mortality. equal to
Twelve years shortening of the
expectation oflife $50 oOO
Number surviving July l, 1890.
who are probably subject to the
ordinary life tables . S3I ESQ
Number surviving July l, 1890.
who are subject TO greater death
rate. ....... :. 4l5,ooO
Total number of survivors July
1880 t.2if, ose
Of the foregoing number of survivors
about 10G.OU0 are now sixty-two wears pf
age and upwards.
The estimate for army and navy pen
sons for 1892 is about 1888, 100000.
Census.
There have been some contests. and
o