The advocate., 1894-12-05

feel 1t my imperative duty to call attention
to the recommendation Of the secretary In re-"
gard to the personnel OF the line Of the navy.
The stagnation OF promotion in this the vital
branch Of the service is so great as to seriously
impair it's efficiency. I consider 1t Of the ut"
most importance that the young and middle
aged officers should before the eve OF retire.
ment be permitted to reach grade emitting
them to active and important duty. The
system adopted q few years ago regu@
lati ~ the employment Of labor at the
navy yards is rigidly upheld and has fully
demonstrated It's usefulness and expediency.
It Is within the domain Of civil service reform
In as much as workmen are employed through
a board OF labor selected at each navy yard,
and are given work without reference to poll
tics and In order Of their application, prefer
ences, however, being given to army and navy
veterans and those having former navy yard
experience.
The Interior Department.
The report Of the secretary OF the interior
exhibits the situation Of the numerous and in
teresting branches OF the public service con-
nected with his department recommend this
report and the valuable recommendations OF
the secretary to careful attention OF congress.
The public land disposed Of during the
wear amounted to lO,46O,l0077 acres,
Including 2,887,6O5 Of Indian lands.
1t is estimated that the public domain still re-
naming amounts to little more than 6OO,OOO,-
900 acres, excluding, however, about S6O,OOO,OOO
acres In Alaska as well as military reservations
and railroad and other selections OF lands un-
adjudicated.
The total cash receipts from sale OF landR
amounted to 2674 285 79 including t9l,982 OS re-
ceived for Indian lands. Thirty-flVe thousand
patents were issued for agricultural lands and
3,lOO patents were issued to Indians on allot-
ments OF their holdings in severalty the land
so allotted being inalienable by the Indian al-
lOttees for period OF twenty-five years after
patent. There were certified and patented on
account OF railroad and wagon road grants dur
ing the year. 865 556 45 acres OF land, and at the
close OF the year 20, 100000 acres were embraced
In the list OF selections made by railroad and
wagon road companies and awaited settlement.
The selections OF swamp lands and that taken
as indemnity therefor since the passage OF the
act providing for the same In 1919 amount to
nearly or quite 900 acres,o OF which 5SOOOOOO
have been patented to states, about l3SOOO acres
were patented during last year. Nearly $4,000
acres Of school and educational grants were
approved during the year and at its close A.
25O,362Sl acres remained pnadjuSted.
An exceedingly important recommendation
of the secretary relates to the manner In which
contests and litigated cases growing out OF ef-
forts to obtain government land are de-
termlned. 1 concur in the opinion that the
commissioner OF the general land office should
be relieved OF this duty OF deciding liCigated
land cases. that o non-partiSan court should be
created to pass on such cases and that deciS-
ions OF this court should be final, at least so far
as the decisions OF the department are final
The registers and receivers who originally
CHI N,n1H ha In
vested with authority to compel witnesses to
attend and testify before them. Though the
condition OF the Indians shows steady and
healthy progress, their situation is not salts
factory at all points Some Of them to whom
allotments OF lands have been made are found
to he unable or disciplined to follow agricultu-
raj pursuits, or to otherwise beneacially man
age their land.
lam convinced that the proper solution OF
the Indian problem and the success OF every
step taken in that direction depends, to very
large extent, upon the intelligence and honesty
of the reservation agents and the interest they
have in their work. An unfit agent will make
no effort to advance the Indians on his reserVa-
tlon toward civilization or preparation for al
lotment OF lands In severalty, and his opinion
as to their condition in this and other regards
Is needless and valueless.
The intelligent Indian school management
OF the past year has been followed by crafty
ing results. Efforts have been made to ad-
vance the work in o sound and practical man.
ner. The appropriation for the current year
ending June 80, 1895, applicable to the ordinary
EXPENSES OF the Indian service amounts tC
S6,TS3 OO3 lS, being less by 1903 324OO4 than the
sum appropriated on the same account the
previous year.
Al the close Of the last fiscal year, on the
soth day of June, 1894, there were 969,5A per
sons on the pension rolls being net increase
OF S,5S! over the number reported at the enc
OF the previous year. These pensioners may
he classified as follows: Soldiers and sailors
survivors of oil wars, 753,56S; widows and rels'
tives OF deceased soldiers, 2l5,l5j; army nurses
, a. -, % tba rahellion Ala OF these pension