Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-12-04

Interior departments work for tho
Year--Why the Pension List is SO High.

Interior departments Nork Tor inc
Near--Why The Pension List is SO High.
WAsHtNGToN, Dec. l,--Secretary Noble
of the Department Of the Interior, in his
report for the fiscal year ending June seth,
lSa0 which has been submitted To the
President, deals in detail with the business
of the different bureaus, institutions, terri
tories and reservations under the supervi-
sion Of the department.
The vacant lands Of the United States,
exclusive of those in Alaska, al present
extend over lS6. 2l6,S acres, of which
2T2, ~, 439 are already surveyed. Alaska
contains 5T7,3s9 square miles, or 800 52S,d00
acres, of which not more than LOCO acres
have been entered. The aggregate reaches
aa5,I4G,I 6l acres.
Ninteen million acres of agricultural
land were transferred 10 actual settlers
during the past Year. The fetal receipts
from public lands were 81 40, 37N3l.
II needs 10 Ne said thnt a much larger
area of land than is necessary is held for
Indian occupancy. There are not more
than 250,Wl Indians within the borders Of
the United States teXCluding Alaskal, The
greater part of these reside upon or have
some interest in the existing reservations,
the others living upon portion Of the
public domain. The aggregate area of the
Indian reservations was at the last re-
port, about tlG,0uO,Op0 acres, or lsl,250
square miles
Owing % Tie fact that more harm than
good has been done 70 Indians vino have
been employed in wild West shows, il
has been ordered that no more license or
contracts shall be made or approved for
Surli;t purpose and that all Indians agents
shall exert themselves t0prevcnt and de-
feat any attempts iii future to take Indians
from tle reservations or elsewhere torsueh
purposes.
Regarding the pension bureau the seere-
tarv says:
The work to he done by this bureau has
reached wonderful proportions, and its eN-
pehditnrGs sent into the channels ur trade
and commerce III our country more than
one hundred million dollars the past year.
The use Of this vast sum has served more
than one valuable purpose. II has been
not alone relief 70 hundreds Of thou
sands Of the families of the soldiers who
iii different wars have served theircOllntrN,
chiefly those WHO defended the Union
against secession, nut il has also transferred
III most opponnne moments tile aceumu-
lated treasures If the government in the
hands Of the people, blessing him that
gives and him that takes.
II will the report admits. take consider
able more money 10 RIM the pension ina-
| chine hereafter. The report continues II
may be well to mention here that the
reason whvoRr pension roll is greater than
that of other countries is not alone because
the war was colossal, having enrolled
nearly tive and Il quarter millions Of men
I OH one side, but because, the country they
/ saved being 4 republic, each individual Of
4 that vast army had recognized claim to
1 the aid pt the nation. In other lands oiii-
| GERS get much and men little here the
large bulk ot pensions goes TO the rank and
| file, and the immense numbers of these
and their dependents swell the pension list
toproportioiis commensurate with the size
Of the army and the democracy Of our
4 principles.
Tie estimate for army and navy pen
sions for lS',2 is about Sl33,0l0,O00 The
/ number Of survivors of those who took
part in the civil war on the MON side Is
\ ,246,0Sl OF this number about 10000
persons are NOW tIuly LIST, 1850 " years OF
age and upward.
There are 3,9p6 persons employed in con
neGtion with the bureau OF pensions.
The secretary approves the recommends
tion of the commissioner Of pensions that
rate Of shU per month be created for all
pensioners who are disabled as to he in
cupacitated for performing any manual
labor.
The census is referred to as having beer
entirely satisfactory to the people in gen
cral,