The Red Cloud chief., 1892-08-19
THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE.

Report OF Commissioned Carter-He Fires
shot ut His Predecessor-wo$ % the
once.
WASHINGTON, Aug. s.-The annual
report to the secretary Of the interior
of the operations Of the general land
Office for the fiscal year ended June 30,
1892, was made public to-day. A care
full reading OF this report, says Commits
sioner Carter, will demonstrate that the
liberal and Just policy towards the set
tiers upon the public domain, adopted
| by Secretary Noble at the beginning of
this administration, has been produce
tive Of very satisfactory and beneficent
results.
I fel, justified In predicting In my annual re-
port OF last year that, with the force then ut
command the business Of this bureau would DO
| brought up abreast with the current work by
tho end OF the fiscal year Just closed. II IL
gratifying to me row 10 be able 10 report TO
you that a literal fulnllment OF that prediction
has been fully In order that
the magnitude OF the work done during the last
fiscal year may readily be comprchcndcd and
tho results accomplished fully appreciated, I
feel warranted In referring to and discussing
briefly the policy that governed and controlled
the business OF this Office under the last admin
istration from 1885 TO iss9.
Commissioners Sparks. In his ANIMAL report
for the fiscal year ending June 10, 1880, said:
a the outset OF my administration / was con-
fronted with the overwhelming evidence that
the public domain was being made a prey OF I'M
scrupulous speculation and the worst forms OF
land monopoly through systematic fraud car
ried on and consumniated under public land
laws"
He further stated IN the same report, in dis
cussing the subject Of committed homestcads,
that tho proportion OF fraudulent entries
80 stIa HtnI ,n,,tl ta naurlN aGtl.
mated at the whole number OF such en-
tries than In any other manner: that
the average proportion OF fraudulent. pre-
cmption filings To the total number OF filings
mnde and relinQuished should be esti-
mated in round numbers 1t exactly 100 per
cent. and that 90 per cent. OF all timber culture
entries were fraudulent. Having become wrong
fully imbucd with the idea that nearly all, or at
least u very large proportion, OF entries made
upon the public domain were fraudulent, and
that the great body OF we'll disposed settlers
wer. INSCRIPTIONS spectators, IL IL not sur
Irisins that Commissioner Sparks on April .,
1875, issued an order suspcnding action on oil
entries except on certain scrip locations and
on private cash ~cntrlcs) IN the whole OF Colo.
RADIO. except the Ute reservation, ana In oil OF
Dakota, Idaho. Utah. Washington. New Mex
leo, Montana Wyoming and portions OF Kan
sas, Nebraska and Minnesota.
The ctrlmcnt effect Of this AMI other
similar sweeping orders. and OF Tho mistaken
impression and policy which prompted them,
upon tho business OF this ONCE was worry
great, and rs q consequence this administra-
tion, on assuming the rcins OF government In
1879, was confronted by a land once greatly
demoralized In all It's qualifications Unjust
fee or u denial OF justice under the machinery
OF the law was its dominant feature. The
settler who had honestly and llbortously and
ut much hazard and heavy expense compiled
IN good faith with NIL the requirements Of tho
laws, outraged and indignant ~ the multiplcx
injuries inflicted on him by NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
demanded u patent n title To the land he had
by settlement. cultivation and compliance with
the law fully earned. Thus by reason Of this
erroneous and mistaken policy the Legitimate
channels OF business In this officc had become
cloycoi and by reason OF wrongful delay n vast
amount of work had accumulated. there being
NJ the close OF the fiscal year ending Juno 10
1879. 35O,93 entries Of all kinds pending OF
awaiting consideration. Under these circum
stances u change OF policy was deemed neces
sary. Hence. shortly after March 4. 1880 n new
administrative policy, bascl on u liberal and
enlightened Interpretation Of the public land
laws, was adopted by you and has been con
t'nued during the intervening fiscal years
Under this new policy settlers are presumed
to be honest and we'll disposed toward thu
government and laws, and public business ha,
been expedited with marked beneiccnt results
On March 3, 1891. a law was passed entitled
A act to repeal the timber culture law an,
Tor Otntr PURPOSES, IN winch VOuGtSSS mani
tested It's approval Of the new policy. Unde
and by virtue Of section I Of that law larg'
numbers OF cases long suspende: on the mcres
suspicion OF fraud or under harsh technical rul
ings, have been and are being passed TO patent Il
n manner which, while greatly facilitating bust
ness, also supplies ample safeguards ugatns
nll possible fraud.
In virtue Of this marked md bencicia
change OF policy and under the favorable lee
islation mentioned, the large number OF at
cumulGted entries above stated, together Wit
an addition OF Sis,0lG entries, received sine
the present policy was inauguratcd, had o.
June 30, 1897, been carefully considered ind prof.
or action taken thereon.
Comparative tables accompanying tn
report show an excess during the fou
fiscal years ended June 30, 1892, owe
the four years ended Juno 80, 1883, !
the number of acreage of agriculture
patents issued of nearly las per cent
substantially clearing the docket an
leaving the office on July I, 1892, vii
tunlly free 20 attend to current bushes
|, as IL arises. As to mineral and %
|, patents, the report shows an excess
under n similar comparison, In tn
number Of mineral patents issued, {
0s per cent, and In the number Of COT
patents issued of 224 per cent
> clearing the mineral and co;
dockets and passing to the PEE
pie and states and nation millions {
: permanent wealth. During the perio
. from 1889 to 1892 there were 5000.
: acres of the public domain surveyed
1 against 2,7l5,3O2 during the precedin
four years During the last fiscal We;
. the cash sales according to the repo
aggregated i,5Ti,47s acres, the princip'
0 item Of which was 9l3, 79s acres whiC
: were entered under the pre-emptio
law. The total acreage disposed
. during the year was 1904, ol9. Thr'
h thousand two hundred and forty-tv
l. mineral site patents We're issued durir
n the year, rs against l,T92 during Il
year 1897. The report shows that u
l. vacant public lands In the United Stat
Il aggregate 507 SOS, 7sS acres.
y