Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-07
and the lands opened to settlement is

hhu 1hc inAuo OPouou w oOboiCuoho ~
urgent.
The form of government provided BY
congress on May II, 1884, for Alaska
was in it's frame and purpose temper
ary. The increase OF population anC
the development of some important
mining and commercial interests make
it imperative that the law should be re-
vised and better provision made for the
arrest and punishment of criminals.
WORK OF THE LAND OFFICE.
The report of the secretary shows q
very gratifying state of affairs, as to the
condition of the general land Office.
The work of issuing agricultural patents
which seemed to be hopelessly in ar
rears, when the present secretary un.
dertook the duties of his Office, has been
30 expediated that the bureau is now
upon current business. The relief thus
afforded to honest and worthy settlers
upon the public lands, giving them an
assured title to their entries, has been
of incalculable benefit in developing the
new states and territories.
The court of private land claims es-
tablished by congress for the promotion
of this policy of speedily settling con.
tested land titles, is making satisfactory
progress in it's work, and when the work
is completed great impetus will be
given to the development of those re-
gions where unsettled claims under
Mexican grants have 90 long ex-
erted their repressive influence.
| When to these results are added the
former cession of Indian lands which
have been opened to settlement, aggre-
eating during this administrator nearly
86.000,000 acres, the agreements nego-
tiated and now pending in congress for
ratification, by which about 10000, 900
additional acres will be opened to set
tlement, 1t will be seen how much has
been accomplished.
THE INDIAN BUREAU.
The work in the Indian bureau, in the
execution OF the policy of recent legisla-
tion, has been largely directed to two
chief purposes: First, the allotment of
lands, and secondly, to the work of edu-
eating the Indians for their own protec.
tion, for closer contact with white men
and for intelligent exercise of their new
citizenship. Allotments have been made
and patents issued to 5000 Indians, un-
der the present secretary and commits
sioner, and additional allotments have
been made for which patents are now in
process of preparation.
The school attendance of Indian chill
dren has been increased over 13 per
cent, the enrolment for 1892 being
nearly 0.000. A uniform system of
school text books 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 common schools of
the states. The schools can be trans
ferred and merged into the common
school systems of the states when the
Indian has fully. assumed his new rela-
ton to the organized civil community in
which he resides, and the new states
are able to assume the burden.
have several times been called upon
to remove Indian agents appointed by
me, and have done 30 promptly upon
every sustained complaint of unfairness
or misconduct. Ibelieve. however, that
the Indian service at the agencies has
been improved and is now administered
on the whole with a good degree of eff
cheney. If any legislation is possible by
which the selection of Indian agents
can be wholly removed from all parti-
san suggestion or considerations, am
sure it would be great relief to the ex-
ecutive, and great benefit to the SER
vice.
The appropriation for the subsistence
of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians
made at the last session of congress
was inadequate. This smaller appro-
priation was estimated for by the com.
missioner upon the theory that the
large fund belonging to the tribe in the
public treasury could be, and ought to
be, used to their support. In view, how
ever, OF the pending depreciation claims
against the fund, and other considera-
tions, the secretary of the interior in
April last submitted supplement esti-
mate for ,000 This appropriation
was not made, as it should have been,
and the oversight ought to be remedied
at the earliest possible date.
| In special message to this congress,
at the last session, stated the reasons
why had not approved the deed for the
release to the United States by the
Choctaws and Chickasaws of the lands
formerly embraced in the Cheyenne and
Arapahoe reservations, and remaining
after allotments to that tribe were made.
A resolution of the senate, expressing
the opinion of that body, that notwith-
standing the facts stated in my special
message, the deed should be approved
and the money, $2,991 ,450, paid over,
was presented to me May 10, 1892. My
special message was intended to call the
attention of congress to this subject,
and in view of the fact that it is con-
ceded that the appropriation proceeded
upon false basis as to the amount o1
lands to be paid for, and is by $50 900 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 to approve
the deed and shall not do so, at
least until both houses of congress have
acted upon the subject. 1t has been in.
formally proposed by the claimants to
release this sum.of $4,000, but have
no power to demand or accept release,
and such an agreement would be with
out consideration and void.
| desire further to call the attention
of congress to the fact that the recent
agreement concluded with the Kiowas
and Comanches relates to lands which
were part of the leased district, and
to which the claim of the Choctaw and
Chickasaw ia preferred. The surplus
lands to which this claim would attach
in the Kiowa and Comanche reserva.
tions is 2,500,000 acres, and at the same
rate the government will be called upon
to pay the Chocktaws and Chicka-
saws for these lands $685. 600
This sum will be further
augmented, especially if the title of the
Indians to the tract (now Grier county
Tex is established. The duty devolveC