Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-12-06

still remaining amounts to little more
than G00.t0100J acres. including, however,
about 1850, 10000 acres in Alaska, as well as
military reservations and railroad and
other selections of lands yet unadjudicated.
The selection of swamp lands and that
| taken as indemnity therefor since the pas
| sage of the act providing for the same il
1S49, amounting to nearly or quite 20, 5Op,d 400
| acres, of which 5S.0o0000 have been pat
ented to states. About 1885, 900 acres were
patented during the last year. Nearly
three hundred and twenty thousond acres
of school and education grants were APP
proved during the year, and at its close ] )
z50, 1868. 81 acres remained unadjusted.
1t appears that the appropriation for the
current year on account of special service
for the protection of the public lands and
the timber thereon is much less than those
of pr ious years and inadequate for an
efficient performance of the work. A
larger sum of money than has been appro-
prlated during a number of years past OF
this account has been returned to the Gov
eminent as a result of the labors of those
employed in the particular service men
toned, and hope it will not be crippled
by insufficient appropriation.
fully endorse the recommendation of
the secretary that adequate protection be
provided for our forest reserves and that a
comprehensive forestry system be inaugu-
rated
l concur in the opinion that the commits
sioner of the general land Office should be
relieved from the duty of deciding liti-
gated land cases that nonpartisan court
should be created to pass on such cases,
and that the decisions of this court should
be final, at least SO far as the decisions of
the department are now final.
The Indians.
Though the condition of the Indians
shows steady and healthy progress. their
situation is not satisfactory at all points.
Some of them to whom allotments Of
land have been made are found to be un-
able or dlsincl1ned to follow agricultural
pursuits or to otherwise beneficially man
age their land. This is especially true of
the Cheyennes and Arapahoes, who, as 1T
appears by reports Of their agent, have in
many instances never been located upon
their allotments, and in some cases do not
even know where their allotments are.
Their condition has deteriorated. They
are not self supporting, and they live IN
camps and spend their tiffe in idleness.
l have always believed that allOtments
of reservation lands to Indians in severalty
should be made sparingly, or at least
slowly, and with the utmost caution,
In these days when white agriculturlsts
and stock raisers of experience and intel
ligence find their lot hard one, we ought
not to expect Indians, unless far advanced
III CIV ilIaClOn ana naDlIS Oh luuuSITy' VI
support themselves on the small tracts OF
land usually allotted to them.
If the self supporting scheme by allot-
ment fails the wretched pauperism of the
allotteeS which results is worse than their
original coodition of regulated dependence.
1t is evident that the evil consequences OF
ill advised allotment are intensified in cases
where the false step can not be retreated
on account of the purcha Sc by the govern
ment of reservation lands remaining after
allotments are made and the disposition of
such remaining lands to settlers or purchaS-
ers from the government.
am convinced that the proper solution
of the Indian problem and the success of
every step taken in that direction depend
to very large extent upon the intelli-
! gence and honesty of the reservation
agents and the interest they have in their
| work.
The intelligent Indian school manage
ment of the past year has been followed by
gratifying results. Efforts have been made
to advance the work in sound and prac-
| tical manner. Five institutes of Indian
teachers have been held during the year and
proved very beneficial through the views
exchanged and methods discussed particu-
larry applicable to Indian education.
Efforts are being made in the direction
of a gradual reduction in the number of In
dian contract schools so that in n compare
gether to government schools, and 1T is
hoped that the change may be so gradual
as to be perfected without too great ex-
pense to the government or undue disre-
gard of investments made by those who
have established and are maintaining such
contract schools.
The Pension Rolls,
At the close of the last fiscal year, on the
Both day of June, 1894, there were 900, 544
persons on our pension rolls, being a net
increase of $3.50 over the number reported
at the end of the previous year.
The commissioner of pensions is of the
opinion that the year 1895, being the
thirtieth after the close of the war of the
rebellion, must according to all sensible
human calculation see the highest limit of
the 1pension roll. and after that year it
must begin to decline.
The claims pending in the bureau have
decreased more than 10000 during the year.
A large proportion of the new claims filed
are for increase of pension by those now
on the rolls. "
The accusation that an effort to detect
pension frauds is evidence of unfriendly-
ness toward our worthy veterans and q
denial to their claims to the generosity of
the government suggests an unfortunate
Indifference to the commission of any offense
which has for it's motive the securing of q
pension and indicates willingness to be
blind to the existence of mean and treach-
erous crimes which play upon demagogic
fears and make sport of the patriotic i'm
pulse of grateful people.
The Eleventh Census.
The completion 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
! 80, 1894, amounted to $40. 365, 676.S1. At the
close of the year the number of persons EN-
ployed in the census office was 679 AT
| present there are about 400. The whole
number of volumes necessary 10 compre-
bend the eleventh census will be twenty five,
and they will contain 22,270 printed pages
The assurance is confidently made that be-
fore the close of the present calendar year
the material still incomplete will be prac-
tically in hand, and the census can certain
| " be closed by March f. 1896 After that
the revision and proof reading necessary
to bring out the volumes will still be re-
| quired.
| The census is being prepared according
to the theory that it is designed to collect
| facts and certify them to the public-not
to elaborate arguments or to present per-
sonal views.
Our Farming Interests.
The secretary of agriculture in his report
reviews the operations of his department
for the last fiscal year, and makes recon-
mendations for the further extension of its
usefulness. He reports saving in expen-
ditures during the year of $4,000 which is
covered back into the treasury. This
sum is % per cent of the entire apprO-