The Helena independent., 1894-12-01
MAKE GOOD INDIANS.
The Ways to % II Are to Educate Them
and Give Thom Land In
Soyeralty,
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT BUSINESS
Business Of the Pension Office, Land Depart,
ment, Ete...Tho Year in Yellow.
stone Park.

for the fiscal year, A large portion OF
the report is devoted 10 Indian affairs.
The secretary thinks the two chief
means OF developing the Indians into
beings fit for American citizenship are
education and the allotment Of lands
In seyeralty. He recommends that the
allotment act be SO amended that In
dians who have improved land may
have n right to the land when the al
lotment iA made. He recommends a
larger appropriation for field matrons.
who go from house to house among the
Indians. aud instruct the women In the
direction OF civilization and womanly
responsibility. This he believes would
result In more good than Indian schools.
Public land disposed OF during the
year amounted TO 1O,3772i4 acres. In ad-
dltion TO this 2s $40 acres OF Indian land
were disposed OF. making the aggregate
lO,4O6,lOO acres. Cash receipts from
public lands amounted to s2,674,2 ,2S5.
over $4,000 agricultural patents were
Issued. Twenty-nlne million acres OF
land are embraced In the lists OF selec-
tions made by railroad and wagon road
companies, awaiting examination and
settlement at the close OF the year.
The secretary recommends that con-
gress appropriate sum for the en-
ployment of superintendent upon
each reservation TO protect forest re-
serves. Also that land court be or
ganized to pass on lltlgations growing
out of the patenting OF public lands,
thus relieving the commissioner gem
eral Of the land office from deciding
such cases, as nearly 1000 such cases
come before the department every year.
The pension rolls at the close OF the
year showed 969 .044 pensioners, an in
crease OF 1852 during the year. The
number OF pending claims In the bureau
decreased over 10000 during the year
There were 22,546 patents granted, and
the number Of patents expired was
l3,l67 Total disbursements on account
OF the eleventh census TO June 30 were
$40, 1856
Capt. George S. Anderson. United
States army, the acting superintendent
OF the Yellowstone National park, re-
ports a decrease of travel for the year,
owing TO various causes, notably among
them being the financial condition of
the country, extensive washouts on the
railroads, and strikes. The number of
visitors amounted to 3,076 as against
J,645 for the year previous. He says
the year 1894 will probably stand as the
most disastrous TO business interests of
any In the history of the park.
The leases of the Yellowstone Park
association are the same as last year.
The superintendent is strongly opposed
To any congressional legislation permit
ting the passage OF a railroad through
the park. In this regard he says: ''Six
months from the entrance OF the first
locomotive within the limits of the park
there will not be left one acre of the
magnificent forest unburned."
A building to be used as jail and
office for the United States commits
sioner is now under contract and work
is just being commenced upon II. IL Is
hoped that IL VIII be ready for occu-
pancy before winter.
The hotels belonging TO the Yellow
stone Park association have showed
marked Improvement. Increase of
rates 10 s. per day, authorized by the
department. has just resulted In bring
ing them up To very high standard,
A reduction of rate To 81 per day after
"a stay OF ten days In the park has In
duced many people to prolong their
trips
The conviction OF a notorious poacher,
under recent act of congress MAY T.
1890 for the protection OF game, has
done much TO deter others from Illegally
slaughtering the animals In the Ma
tional park. and the opinion Is ex-
pressed that the days OF poaching in
the park are nearly at an end.
The report of the commissioner OF
the land Office shows that forty agents
have been employed during the year in
the investigation Of fraudulent land en-
tries, and in otherwise protecting the
public lands from illegal appropriation
and timber trespass. Their work also
included the investigation OF applica-
tions for permits under the recent acts
TO cut timber on jublic lands and upon
forest reserves over 500 cases We're re-
ferred to them for investigation. and
final action was taken In l,662 cases.
There are now pending In the general
land office over 1000 cases.
Timber depredations have been re-
ported during the year Involving "A
value OF over Sl00O,O0O on this ac.
count S23.52ll2 have been recovered
during the year, eighty-hve civil suits
ara pending In the courts for the rccov-
cry Of nearly 81. 800, 900, the value of tim
ber alleged 10 have been ulawfully cut,
aud 2Sa criminal prosecutions are also
pending.
The appropriation for the expense OF
special agents engaged In the investiga-
tlon Of these cases Is. for the current
year, only 100000. the smallest amount
appropriated within ten years. During
the years ending June 30, 1890. 1891.
1902 and 1898 the amounts appropriated
for this service were. respectively, $2l2,-
iG2. s2i0.O00 $4,000 and Sl2000OO.
The geologic field work OF the year
. sss..I..
Veys required I'm connection with the
preparation of sheets of the geologic
atlas of the United Stntes Special in
vostlgatiuns were made Of the bauXite
deposits OF GeOrgin aud Alabama; OF
the cunl seams Of Alabama, Tennessee,
West Virginia, Wyoming aud Montana;
of the Iron ores OF North Carolina Ten
ueasee. New Jersey and Mlchigan, of
"A part OF the corundum belt OF North
Carolina, OF the phosphntes Of Florida
and Tennessee; OF an undevcloped pc
trolcum field In wyoming, OF gold and
silver IN Montana, Wyoming, Colorado
and California. Of flre clay In Colorado,
Of nrtcslnn water In Colorado and In the
coastal belt from New Jersey To Vir-
ginla: OF building stone. cement. rock,
brick clay and other structural material
in Mnssnchusctts. New York, New Jer-
Soy. Maryland and Kansas.
Thore Ia no more important branch
Of the general land office than that
which ls conducted under the special
seryico division lts labor IL 10 protect
the public lands and the timber thereon.
The sums appropriated for this service
are moro than returned to the govern
mcnt by the actual value of moneys re-
ccivcd from cash forfeited ON entries
cancelled by the action Of special agents
md from the prosecution OF timber
trcspnssog During the four nHcnl years
from 1856 tp 1883. inclusive, the total
appropriation for this service amounted