The record-union., 1892-12-07

.I"Ps inc iilcsI important OF these Is that fpr
c s4Ic eesslon OF the Cherokee strip. This has
peen source Of great Vexation TO the EXecu-
I've representative, and great friction in
@ @uIeu between the settlers in their desire TO oc-
CSpy II ana the Indians WlIo assert title. The
agreement which has been made by the com
lnlsslen Is perhaps the most satisfactory that
couiu nave been reached 1t will be no iced
tildt IL Is conditioned upon its ratification by
cougress before March 4, 1888. The Secre-
tary OF lhe interior, who mas given the subject
cdI @ 5lui thought, recommends the ratification
~ ", u tne agreement and was inclined to follow
thIs recohlmen dation. IL is certain that some
acIon oy which this controversy shall be
Drought TO an end and the lands opened to
settlement is urgent.
The form of Government provided DIV Con-
sress on May II, 1854, Tor Alas IA was, in its
anne ana purpose, temporary. The increase
OF population and development OF some i'm
PoAtauC mining ana commercial interests
make II Imperative that the law should be re-
Nleu ana better provision made for the arrest
ana punishment Of criminals.
Iue report OF the Secretary shows n very
gIauIylng state of affairs as to the condition
OF the General Land Office. The work Of
ISSUING agricultural patents, which seemed to
Dt hopelessly in arrears when the present Sec
rctary undertoo the duties of his office has
beeh so expedited that The bureau is now
upon current business. The relief thus af-
IIrded 10 honest and worthy settlers upon the
puoIlc lands. the giving to them OF an assured
tltle 70 their entries have been of incalculable
tories.
The Court Of Private Land Claims. estab-
lisled by Congress for the promotion of this
polcy OF speedily settled contested land titles
Is making satisfactory progress in its work,
ana Whcn the work is completed n great i'm
petus VIII be given to the development of
t4ose regions where unsettled claims under
Mexican grants have so long existed with
lhelr repressIYe influence. When 10 these re-
suItS are added the former cession Of Indian
lands which have been opened to settlement
aggrcgatlng during the Administration nearly
26.0U0,O0o acres, that agreements negotiated
nv ff.rr Tfi.at ION
oy winch about ten million additional acres
Will be opened to settlement, it viii be seen
no" much has been accomplished,
INDIAN BUREAU.
The work in the Indian Bureau in the exacu-
Ion OF the policy OF recent legislation has
been largely directed TO two chief purposes-
FIRST, the allotment OF lands in SeveraIty TO the
Indians and the cession of surplus lands and
secondly, TO the work of educating the In
dlans for their own protection, for close con-
TACT with tue white men, and for the intelli-
gent exercise of his new citizenship. All al
lotnlents have been made and patents issued
10 o,9OO Indians under the present Secretary.
and commissions and all additional allot.
ments have been made, for which patents are
now In process of preparation. The school
attendance OF Indian children has been in
creased over thirteen per cent, the enroll
ment Tor 1892 being nearly twenty thousand
uniform system of school text-bOo<s
and of study has been adopted, and the
work in these national schools brought as
near as may be to the basis of the free COM
mon SCHOOLS OF Jlt states. The schools can
be transferred and merged into the common
school system in the States when the Indian
has fully assumed his new relation
to organized civil community in which he re-
sldes ana the new States are able to assume
the burden.
have several times been called upon to re-
move indian agents appointed by me, and
have done SO promptly upon every sustained
complaint of unfitness or misconduct | be-
Heve, however, that the Indian service at the
agencies has been improved and is now ad-
ST tATn n1n Al
emciency. If legislation is possible by which
the selection of Indian agents can be wholly
removed from ali partisan suggestion or con-
sideration, am sure it would be a great relief
10 the Executive and great benefit to the
service.
The appropriation for the subsistence of the
Cheyennes and Arapahoe Indians made at the
last session of Congress Was Inadequate. This
smaller appropriation was estimated Or bv
the Commissioner upon the theory that the
large fund belonging TO the tribe in the public
treasury could be, ana ought to be- used to
their support. In view, how ever, of the pend
ing depreciation claims against this fund and
other considerations, the secretary of the In
terror IN April last submitted a supplement
estimate for $4,000. This appropriation
was not made, as it should have been, and the
oversight ought to be remedied at the earliest
possible date.
In a special message to this Congress at the
last session l stated the reasons why | had
not approved the deed for the release to the
United States by the ChOcktaWs and Chicka-
saws of the lands formerly embraced in the
Cheyenne and Arapahoe reservation and re-
manning after allotments to that tribe. A res
olution OF the senate expressing the opinion
OF that body, Notwithstanding the facts stated
in my special message, the deed should be ap-
proved and the money SO. .99145O paid
over, was presented TO me May 19, 1S92
My special message was to call the attention
of Congress to this subject. and in view of the
fact that it is conceded that the appropriation
proceeded upon a false basis as to the amount
of lands to be paid Tor, and is by $4,000 in
excess of the amount they are entitled to
(even if their claim to the land is given full
recognition at the rate agreed upon, | have
not felt willing 10 approve the deed, and shall
not do So at least until both Houses Of Con
greSS have acted upon the subject. 1t has
been informally proposed by the claimants to
release this sum of $4,000, but | have no
such an agreement would be without consfd-
Grafton and void.
l desiIe further to call the attention of Con-
gress to the fact that the recent agreement
concluded with the Kiowas and COmanches
relates TO lands which were a part of tbe
leased district, and to which the claim of the
ChOctaws and ChIckaSaWs is preferred The
surplus lands to which this claim would at
tach in the kiowa and Comanche Keserya-
tions is 2,500,0 acres, and al the same rat,
the Government will be called upon to paw TO
the Choctaws and Chickasaws for these lands
So, 3,125,0 900. This sum viii be further aug
mentcd, especially if the title of the Indians
to the tract now in Grier County, Texas is es-
tabHshed. The duty devolveu upon me in
this connection was simply to pass upon the
form of the deed; but as in my opinion. the
facts mentioned in my special message We're
not adequately brought TO the attention of
Congress in connection with the legislation I
have felt that | would not be Justified i'm
acting without some new expression of the
legislative Will.
PENSION BUREAU.
The report Of the Commissioner of Pensions.
to which EXTENDED notice IS given bv the Sec,
retarv OF the Interior in his report, will at
tract great attention. Judged by the agore-
gate amount of work done, the last year ias
been greatest in the hi tory OF the office. |
belt We Juat the organization of the office IS
einclent and that the work has been done with
fidelity. The passage OF what is now known
the Disability Act has as was foi e,een very
largely increased the annual disbursements 10
the disabled veterans OF the civil war Tho
estimate for this seal year was 81 1886 600
and that amount was appropriated. A def
cheney amounting 10 S1O.O5S, ,621 must be
provided for at this sess4 4on. The estimates
for pensions for the fiscal year, ending June
so, 1898, is SlG5, 100000. The Commits
siOner OF Pensions believes that if the present
legislation and methods are H. afntalned and
further additions to the pensions are not
made, the maximum expenditure for pen
sions VIII be reached June so. 1894 ana will
be at the highest point, SlSS, S,000,0 900 per an
mum.
adhere to the views expressed in previous
messages that the care OF the disabled soldiers
of tie war OF the rebellion is matter of
national concern and duty. Perhaps no
emotion cools sooner than that of gratitude
but cannot believe that this process has yer
feached a point wltE our people that would
sustain the policy of renting the care OF
these disabled veterans 10 the INADEQUATE
agencies provided by local laws The
parade on the 2Oth OF September last upon
the streets o. this Capitol of 30O,OOO of the
surviving Union veterans of the war of the
rebellion was most touching and thrilling
episode ana the rich and gracious welcome
extended to them by the District OF Columbia
and the applause that greeted their progrcss
from tens of thousands OF people from ali the
states added much 10 the recollcctiOns Of the
grand review, when these men and many
thousand others now IN their graves were
welcomed with grateful JOY as vlctors in "A
struggle in which national honor, unity and
wealth were at issue.