Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-30
| N D ! A N AT F AIRS
The Principal Topic in the Secretary of the
Interiors Report.
Some Recommendation ms to the
Care of the Red Men-The Census
and Other Bureaus.

The annual report of Secretary Smith of
the Interior Department has been transmit
ted to the President. 1t deals largely with
Indian affairs. and presents some practical
suggestions for the development of the
race.
The Secretary discusses the subject of
severalty, and urges the education of the
Indians should be for the purpose of fitting
them to perform the particular responsible
ties most likely to fall to their lot. He
presents the possibilities of the reservati
land to be improved and developed to
which the Indians should be taught to ap-
ply those modes of agriculture recognized
in civilized life. The education should fit
them for this work, and they should be led
on with the assurance that the government,
dealing with this land will treat the In
dams with perfect honesty and make no
further effort to trade them out of it for
the benefit of those who wish to settle upon
it.
OF the qualifications of Indian agents, the
report says:
If army officer fills the place he must
do so with the enthusiasm of e soldier in
line of battle. IL a civilian fills the place
he Is unit for the task, unless moved by
an earnest, Jealous, inspired purpose to
accomplish the noble work of helping to
elevate a weaker race"
The report gives much space to the mat
ter Of Indian schools. The Secretary
agrees with those who oppose the use of
public money for the support of sectarian
schools. The Secretary urges a liberal ap-
preparation for field matrons.
The Secretary says: 1T is the purpose
OF the Indian bureau and TIE department
to study the employees throughout the en-
tire service. to make proficiency the sole
standard Of retention in office, and TO make
apparent capacity the sole ground for new
appointments.
THE work of the development of the
Indian is necessarily slow. Their peculiar
tiles must be studied and understood, not
as whole, but as members Of particular
tribes. before those engaged in their SUI
pervision are fit for successful work. Per-
manency of service, therefore, is absolutely
necessary to success. L believe II is pos
Sible to develop competent, permanent,
non-partisan Indian service, and hope be-
fore the end of another year that such pro-
gress will have been made in this direc-
ton that it's realization will be assured"
The Public Lands.
In the matter of the general land office
Secretary Smith recommends a change in
the system of surveying. and the estab-
lishment of a land court in the Interior
Department. The present system of sur
Yeying the public lands is criticised as
slow and defective mode OF procedure.
Referring to the protection of forest re-
OF the small appropriations for special
agents. it has thus far been impossible to
detail any of them for the protection of
the forest reserves, which have from time
TO time been created"
In the questions of pensions, largely as
treated in the last report of Commissioner
Lochren is gone over. The great discrep-
ancy between the number of cases now
being allowed and the number allowed two
or more years ago grows out of the fact
that the pending cases constitute a rem
nant of an increased number of claims, of
which those well established have already
been adtudicated.
Secretary Smith calls attention to the
saving of sl+,1Io on the Patent Office Ga
zette the result of contracts by competi-
tive bids
The Census Omce.
The report shows that the total dis
burscments to date for the eleventh CEN
sus amount to SIC, 1865, 676 In the last an
nual report ii was stated that something
less than 100000 would be ample to finish
the census. 1t is now apparent that s275,-
900 will complete the work.
large portion of the force Of the census
has been discharged. Between now and
the LIST of January, the force will be re-
duced to about 200. and by the 1st Of
March II will be- disbanded with the ex-
tanned to. supervise proof reading and ac-
tual publication
An Additional building Needed.
The Secretary ends his report with An
earnest recommendation for an additional
building for the Interior Department He
calls attention to the fact that buildings
have to be rented from private parties for
the Indian office, bureau of education, geo.
logical survey, the census Office the United
States pension agency, the civil service
commission. and for the patent office model
a of hoe l.,,,l
ings are fireproof, and in case of fire TIL ere
would be great loss of life and destruc-
ton of valuable and irreplaceable records
During the past ten years S!52,GB9 have
been expended for rent of buildings for this
department, and it would he economy, from
a monetary standpoint, 10 bring together
in one building owned by the government
all the bureaus DOW N rented buildings
The Secretary recommends in The inf a-osta