The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-19

amounted TO S2,6Ii2S5.9o. including S9l ,93luo
received froci Indian lands. Thirty-fve thou
sand patents were issued for agricultural lands
and thirty-one hundred patents were issued to
Indians on allotments OF their holdings in
severalty. The land not allotted being inalien-
able by the Indians for period Of twenty-five
years after patent.
There were certified and patented on account
Of railroad and wagon grants during the year
6sS ,55645 acres OF land, and at the close OF the
year twenty-nine acres are embraced in the
Lists Of selections made by railroad men and
wagon road companies and awaited settlement
The selections OF swamp lands, and that taken
| as indemnity therefrom since the passage OF
the act providing for the same in 1S49 amount
to or nearly or quite eighty million acres, OF
which fifty-eight million have been patented
to states. About 13S,O0O acres were patented
during the last year. Nearly $4,000 acres OF
school and education grants were approved
during the year, and at its close l,250,3o
acres remained unadjuSted.
It appears that the appropriation for the cur
rent year, on account Of special service for the
| protection OF the public land; and the timber
| thereon, is much less than those for previous
| years and inadequate for an efficient perform
| ance OF the work. A larger sum OF money than
| has been appropriated during number OF
| years past OF this account has been returned to
| the government as result OF the laborS OF
| those employed in the particular service men
toned, and hope it will not be crippled by an
insufficient appropriation. I fully endorse the
recommendation of the secretary that adequate
protection be provided for our forest reserves
and that comprehensive forestry system be
inauGurated-
At the close Of the last fiscal year, on the
Goth day Of June 1884, there were969, ,544 persons
| on our pension rolls, being net increase OF
| s,5& over the number reported at the end OF
| the previous year.
These pensions may be classified as follows:
| Soldiers and sailors. survivors Of all wars,
| 75S,97S; widows and relatives Of deceased SOL
diers, 2l5. 1872; army nurses in the war Of the
| rebellion 4i4 OF these pensioners 32,O39 are
surviving soldiers OF Indian and other wars
| prior to the late civil war and the widows or
! relative Of such soldiers. The remainder, num-
bering 93i sos are receiving pensicsS on account
Of the war Of the bebellion and Of these 1865, ,34c
| are on the rolls under the authority OF the act
| Of June q, 1890, sometimes called the depen-
| dent pension law
The total amount expended for pensions dur
ing the year was SlS9, ,S0i ,461, leaving an unex
| pended balance from the sum appropriated Of
| S25,205, ,T2.
The amount necessary to meet pension ex-
penditures for the year ending June 80, 1896, is
estimated at S140,000000.
The commissioner Of pensions is Of the opin-
ion that the year 1895, being the thi-tieth after
the close Of the war Of the rebellion, must ac-
| cording to all sensible human calculation see
! the highest limit OF the pension roll and that
after that year it must begin to decline
The claims pending in the bureau have de-
creased more than $4,000 during the year. A
large proportion OF the new claims fled are for
increase Of pension by those now on the rolls
The number Of certificates issued was S02l3.
The names dropped from the rolls for all
causes during the year numbered 81, ,951.
Among our pensioners are nine widows and
three daughters Of the revolution and forty
five survivors Of the war of 1872.
The bare-faced and extensive pension frauds
exposed under the direction Of the courageous
and generous veteran soldier now at the head
Of the bureau leave no room for the claim that
no purgation OF our pension rolls was needed or
that continued vigilance and prompt action are
not necessary to the same. and the accusation
that an effort 20 detect pension frauds is evil
dence OF unfriendliness towards or worthy vet
erans and denial Of their claims to the gener-
esity Of the government, suggests al unrortu-
nate Indifference to the commission OF any Of
fence which has for its motive the issuing Of
pension. and indication of 8 Willingness to be
blind to the exlStance Of mean and rreacherous
crimes which play upon deTagoic fears and
make sport OF the patriotic impulse Of a grate-
full people. The comp elton Of the eleventh
census is now in charge OF the commissioner OF
labor. The total disbursements on account OF
the work for the fiscal year ending June 30th
1884, amounted $40 365, ,676S1 al the close Of the
year the number persons employed in the cen.
sus Office was 679, at prescnt there are about
400. The whole number Of volumes necessary
to comprehend the 18th census will be twenty
five and they will contain 22,270 printed pages
The assurance is confidently made that before
the close Of the rresen. eIlCn lar year ths
material still incomplete will be practically in
hand and the census can certainly be closed by
the 18th OF March, 1895. After that the revision
and proof reading necessary to bring. out the
volumes viii still be required.
The text of the census volumes has been lin
tied as far as possible to the analysis Of the
statistics presented. This method which is in
accordance with law has caused more or less
friction and In some instances individual disap-
pointment tor when the commissioner Of 1labor
took charge of the work he found much matter
on hand which according to this rule he was
compelled to discard.
The tariff aot passed at the last session Of
congress needs important amendments If it is
to be executed effectively and with certainty.
In addition to such necessary amendments as
will not change rates OF duty, am still very
decidedly in favor Of putting coal and iron on
the free list
So far as the sugar schedule is concerned, I
would be glad, under existing ,aggravationS to
see every particle Of dinerential duty in favor
Of refining sugar stricken out Of our tariff law.
II with all the favor now accorded the sugar
refining interests in our tariff laws it still Ian
guiShes to the extent Of closed refner;es and
thousands of discharged workmen, it would
seem to present hopeless case for, reasonable
legislative aid.
During the last month the gold reserved in
the treasury for the purpose Of redeeming the
notes OF the government circulating as money
in the hands Of the people became so reduced
and its further depict ion in the near future
seemed so certain that IN the exercise Of prop
er care for the public welfare it became nec-
cessary to replenish this reserve and thus
usiasain popular faith In the ability and de-
termination Of the government to meet. as
ngreed, its pecuntary obligations. It would
have been well il in this emergency authority
he'd existed, to issue the bonds Of the gov
ernnens bearing low date OF interest and
maturing within a short period. but the con-
gress having failed to confer such authority,
resort was necessarily had to the resumption
act Of 1873, and pursuant to its provisions
bonds were issued drawing interest at the rate
OF per cent per annum ana maturing ten
years after their issue, that being the short
est time authorized by the act. sm glad to
say. however, that on the sale Of these bonds
the premium received operated to reduce the
rate Of interest to be paid by the government
to less than 8 per cent, Nothing could be
wore or further removed from sensible finance
that the relations existing between the cur
rency. The government has issued the gold
bonds for its redemption and the means which
must be resorted to for the purpose Of re-
plenishing such redemption fund when in
spired. Even II the claims upon this fund
were confined to the obligations originally in
tended and if the redemption Of these ooliga-
tions meant their cancellation the fund would
be very small.
But these obligations when read and redeem
ed in gold are not Cancelled but are reissued
and may do duty several times BY way Of draw
ing gold from the treasury thus We have an
endless chain Of operation constantly depict
pleting the tressury's gold and never near
final rest as if this was not bad enought We
have by statuatory declaration that
it is the pelcy Of the government
To maintain the parity between gold and SILL
yer, aided the force and momentum Of this ex-
hausting process. and added largely to the cur
rency obligations claiming this peculiar gold
redemption our small gold reserve is the sub
ject to drain from. every side.
The demands that increase our danger also
increase the necessity Of protecting this re-
= i. %ic-