Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-12-06
THE INTERIOR.
Smith Details. the Oper-
atoms of His Department.
Fair Play Demanded by the Indian-DIs-
position OF Public Lands During the
Year-Pension Statistics
Other Topics.

WASHINGTON, Nov 3d. Secretary Hoke
Smith has transmitted TO the president his
annual report on the operations of the interior
department The secretary reviews the prob
lem Of effective work for the Advancement of
the Indians. He says:
The work OF the Indian bureau becomes
more interesting as II is better understood.
Its task is that of developing people no
longer savage, but still far from civilized, into
beings fit for American citiZenshipand capable
of self-support How can this be accomplished
| in the most practical manners What steps
will lead the most certainly in that direction?
There are two means chiefly relied upon-edu-
cation and allotments Of land in severalty.
i urge treatment OF Indian land based
solely upon the purpose of realizing from it
for its owners the highest possible value II
the members of a tribe have reached a state
sufficiently civilized to be able TO progress
still further by selling portion of their land
then sales should be made; but the land
should not be purchased from the Indians at
the best bargain the United States can make.
1t should be sold for the Indians by the United
States, the department acting as a faithful
trustee and obtaining for the Indians every
dollar the land will bring There are ample
puSlic lands in the United States for home
seekers; can we not be satisfied to allow TO be
administered in behalf of the Indians the little
we have left them?
Education of the Indians.
In connection with the education of the In
dians, the secretary says; In the manage
ment of the Indian schools a definite plan for
the Indian, when school is finished must al
ways be in view, If practical results are
expected from his education The two lines OF
work open for Indians can be classified as
being upon the reservation and in the cities
and towns away from the reservation. Edu-
cation should be practically directed with a
view TO the probable future OF the Indian II
he is to remain away from his former home
and to enter the struggle Of life in cities and
towns, as any other citizen, then his education
should be as broad and as liberal as possible
But II he is TO return to the reservation, TO
the place of his birth, and TO commence hts
active life in the development of the resources
Of the reservation, then his education should
be directed especially with view TO the life
he will lead upon the reservation ard to the
possibilities of the reservation itself. II the
lands are agricultural, he should be taught the
methods and mode Of life followed by the or
binary American citizen engaged in agricul-
ture
In what / have said in regard to the future
work of Indians upon their different reserva-
tions. do not mean that they are to neglect
the opportunity to become citizens Even
though the education OF the young Indian is
devoted to preparation for work upon the
! reservation, it should have also in view a
preparation for separate responsibility and
separate management of property, to the end
that he should be fitted as soon as possible to
manage his own affairs free from the paternal
care of the department
Public Lands.
The report shows that the public lands dis
posed of during the past fiscal year aggregate
1877 2I4.72 acres. II approximates the vacant
lands remaining at C06-0403l371 acres. ex-
elusive of Alaska, which contains 800 900 900
acres, and military anG other reservations;
2S,O0OO00 acres in round numbers are en-
hraced in the lists Of selections by railroad and
wagon road companies awaiting examination
and settlement at the close of the fiscal year
The aggregate selection of swamp lands since
the passage of the act of ls49 is 50 456,. s35l
acres During the past year l3S 1859 AZ acres
we're patented under this head.
The total cash receipts from the disposal Of
public lands amounted to 81, 6742S5 10; sol $751;
03 we're received for Indian lands Over IS, 900
agricultural patents were issued, granting,
approximately, 5,640s00 acres Mineral, mill
site and coal patents were issued to the num-
Der OF ,429. About 3l0O patents we're issued
to Indians for allotments selections in sew
crafty covering 10l 1864 acres Patents Of
all classes issued during the year covered
about 100000 acres, decrease from the PEE
ceding year of over 2,000.000 acres
Pensions.
At the close of the fiscal year ending June
30 1894 $50. 544 pensioners were borne upon the
rolls an increase of 1852 pensioners during
the year. OF these, 1880 pensioners are on
account of Indian and other wars prior to the
late war, and 1874 widows, orphans and other
dependent relatives. Under the act of June
%, 1890, there are 375.064 pensioners and "a 260
widows and orphans It is interesting TO note
that nine widows and three daughters of vet
Grams of the revolution constitute the pension
roll for that war Forty-fve survivors of the
war of 1912 constitute the remnant of that list
The total amount expended for pensions
during the past fiscal year was S139 S04, 46l. 05.
leaving a balance from the appropriation in the
treasury of sos, 205, 7i2 g. The estimate for the
fiscal year 1880 made by the commissioner is
S140,OUO0O0 The commissioner states that, in
his opinion, the year 1895 thirty years after
the close Of the last war, must In the nature
of things see the highest limit Of the pension
roll which, therefore, must begin to decrease
The aggregate of persons added to the rolls
during the year is 80 0S5, and the total number
dropped for all causes 1881
The Patent once.
There were 29.546 patents granted including
reissues and designs, and ,656 trade marks
registered during the past year. The number
OF patents which expired is 13le7. The total
expenditures Of the patent Office amounted to
81 ,059, 982 The receipts exceeded the expendi-
lures S12e, $50
The Eleventh Census.
The commissioner Of labor in charge OF the
eleventh census for the fiscal year ending
June so, 1894 states that the total disburse-.
ments on account Of the eleventh census to
that date amounted to si0Se5, 1881 At the
close Of the fiscal year the total number Of
persons employed in the census once was e79
there are at the present writing aboat 400
The whole number OF volumes necessary to
comprehend all the facts gathered at the
eleventh census is twenty-five; the estimated
and actual printed pages Of these volumes be-
ing q 900
The secretary closes his report with recon
% endation for an additional building for the
interior department, as s352 GO we're paid out
for rental OF buildings in which several