Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-12-06

as1 O3 received for Indian lands. Thirty.
Ave thousand patents were issued fol
agricultural land, and 3l00 patents were
issred for Indians on allotments of thei,
lands in severalty, the land so allotted
heing inaIienable by the Indian allot.
fees for a period OF 25 years after
patented. 80
account OF railroad and wagon roads
grants during the year S63, ,556.46 acres
of land, and at the close of the veal
10000, 900 acres were embraced in the
lists of selections made by railroad and
wagon road companies, and awaited
settlement. The selections OF swamp
lands and that taken as indemnity
therefor since the passage of the act pro-
yiding for the same in 1S49 amount to
nearly. or quite, S0,500,00 acres, of
which 5S,OOO,000 have been patented to
states. About 13S,000 acres were
patented during the last year.
Nearly $4,000 acres of school and
educational grants were approved dur
ing the year, and at its close l, ,250, 1863. 81
acres remained uIad justed.
l concur in the opinion that the COM
missioner OF the general land office
should be relieved from the duty of de-
Gliding litigated land cases; that q nom
partisan 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 proposed court might
be given authority to certify questions
OF law, in matters OF special Importance,
to the supreme court of the United
States, or to the court of appeals for the
District of Columbia for decision. The
creation OF such a tribunal would ex-
pedite the disposal OF cas,s, and insure
decisions OF most satisfactory charac-
ter. The registers and receivers who
originally hear and decide these disputes
should be invested with authority to
compel witnesses to attend and testify
before them.
Ihe appropriation ior the current
year, ending June 80, 1895, applicable to
the ordinary expenses of the Indian
service, amounts to S6,733,0 ,0O3 IS, being
less by 1868, 240 GA than the sum ap-
propriated on the same account for the
previous year.
THE PENSIONS.
At the close of the last fiscal year,
June 80, 1894, there were 800, ,544 per-
sons on our pension rolls, being net
increase OF 3532 over the number re-
ported at the end OF the previous year.
These pensioners may be classified as
follows: Soldiers and sailors, survivors
OF all wars, 753,96S; widows, and
relatives of deceased soldiers, 2l5, ,162;
army nurses in the war OF the rebellion,
Ala.
. these pensioners, 80 O39 are surviv-
~ soldiers OF the Indian and other wars
prior to the late civil war, and the wild
ows and relatives of such soldiers. The
remainder, numbering 937, ,5O5, are re-
ceiving pensions on account OF the war
of the rebellion, and of these, 469, ,344 are
on the rolls under the authority of the
act of June 81, 1890, sometimes called
the dependent pension law.
The total amount expended for pen
sions during the year was $l39, ,S04, 46l .05,
leaving an unexpended balance from the
sum appropriated OF $25, ,2O5, 7l2.65. The
sum necessary to meet pension expendi-
lures for the year ending June 80, 1896,
is estimated at $40, ,000,0