Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-12-05
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 1 commend this report and the valuable recommendations of the secretary to the careful attention of the congress The luhlic land disposed of during the , car amounted to 1040,6iO,077 acres in. elnding ,, 2,sS 005 of Indian lands.
 It is estimated that the public domain still remaining amounts to a little over 6O0oO1 l00 acres, excluding however, about 3GO0)0OOC acres iD Alaska as well as military reserya- yet unadjudicated The cash receipts from the Sale of lands amounted to Ss,674, 70 in eluding S9l, 9S!g3 received for Indian lands.
 An eXcee II igly important recommendation of the secretary relates 10 the manner in which contested and litisated eases growing out of efforts to obt;in government land are deter. mined These cases numbering three or four tnous md annually, are sent by the local officers 10 the commissioner of the general land office for his action. he exgcncies of his other duties oblige him 10 act upon decisions of the registers and r ceivers without an opportunity of thorough personal examination.
 hongh Inc condition of the ind ans show steady and healthy prosr s, their situation is not satisfactory at all points. Some of Ih m to whom allotments of land have been made are found to be uuable or disinc,incd to follow egricu tuin gnrsu ts or to otherwise benefcally manage thfir land. his is esp tialy true of the Gheyenres and Arapahoes who. as it aln ears, by reports of their agent have in many instances never been located upon their allotments andin some cases do not even know where their aliotments arc Their
 
 self-supp5rting and they live in camps and spend their lives in idleness. l have always felievc that alotmen1s of reservation landa to Indians in severalty should be made spar ingly, or at least slowly, and with the utmost caution.
 am convinced that the proper solution of the Indian problem and the success of every step taken in that dirt ction depends to very large extent npon the intel igence and honesty of the reservation agents an he nterest they have Ill their work.
 The indications are that the detail of army officers as lnd n agents will result il improved management of The reservations. I am not only disposed to be very cautious in making al letmenis bnt 1 am inclined to agree with the secretary of the Interior in the opinion that when allo ments are made the balance of ress rvation land remaining after allotment instcsd of being bought by the gov ernment from the Indians and opened for settlement with such scandals and unfair prac- Nces as seem unavoidable. should remain, for a tmc at least, as common land or be sold by the government behalf of the Indians in an orderly way and at fixed prices to be deter mined by it's location and desirability and that the proceeds less expense, should be held in trust for the benefit of the Indian pro. prietofs
 Th2 intelligent Indian school management of the past year has been followed by gratifying results. Efforts have been made to advance tha work in sOuHd and prneLicai manner