The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-29
HoKE SMITHS ANNUAL REPORT
THE WORK or HIS DEPARTMENT
FULLY REVIEWED.

management OF Indian Affairs Il
Necessity-YcarIy Reduction in the
Government Aid 10 Sectarian In
dian schools Recommended A
Total of zoe. 900. 900 Acres of Gov
eminent Lands Stin UndispOsed OF.
Reservoir sites.
Washington. Nov 2S-The report OF
Hon. Hoke Smith. Secretary of the Int
rior. deliberately reviews the varied work
OF the interior department. 1t begins
with the Indian service and calls atten-
ton to the strict enforcement which has
been given to civil service reform, both
as to the places covered by the classified
service and those to which the rules OF
this service do not apply. 1t dwells upon
the necessity of eliminating politics from
the management of Indian affairs and
of conducting each reservation upon strict
~ business principles, the object being
10 make every Indian who remains upon
the reservation self-supporting and
ready, as soon as possible, TO assume the
duties of citizenship and be freed from
the paternal care of the government.
He recommends that instead of a single
commissioner of Indian affairs the Indian
service be placed in charge Of three COM
missioners, two OF them to be civilians
10 be appointed from different political
parties-and one to be a detailed army Of
hcer.
The report shows that the attendance
upon the Indian schools increased $500
during the past year; nearly one-half or
the increase being in the government day
schools. The reduction of % per cent,
which the law required to be made in con-
nection with the contract schools, has
been strictly carried out, and the secre-
tary adds that there seems TO be no rea-
son why such reduction should not con-
tinue from year 10 year until the system
of government aid TO sectaran schools
shall terminate.
The report estimates the amount of pub
lie lands undisposed of to be about CO.,.
100000 acres at the close of the fiscal year,
and shows that the total receipts during
the year for public land amounted TO over
100000. The unadJusted land grants TO
railroads amount to nearly 9OO0O,O00 acres.
The secretary suggests the adVisa bility
of patenting the arid lands to the states
after IL is fully determined that the selec-
ton made by them under the Carey act
are arid lands.
He calls attention to the fact that the
reservoir sites selected by the geological
survey remain without proper legislation
providing for their use, while the water
they were expected to store is being di-
sites.
Under the subject of forests, the sec
rotary calls attention to the fact that H.
10000 acres are now included within for
est reserves, the object being to thus pre-
serve the forests for future use and
through their preservation. to control the
supply of water so that it may be stored
and utilized for irrigation.
There are but thirty special agents to
protect the timber upon the entire public
domain, to examine swamp lands, to inves-
tigate fraudulent land entries-a force too
small TO permit anything to be done to-
wards guarding the forest reservations.
Unless some plan is devised by congress
for the protection Of the forests, either
by the army or by fOresters living upon
the reservations. it is manifest that the
object sought to be accomplished will fail
The review of the pension Office shows
the aggregate of the pension roll at the
close Of the year to be 1,Ol2, 935 Referring
to the number of pending cases, the state
ment is made that the greater part of
these are old cases. lacking some quality
Of proof which the law requires.
One OF the interesting features of the
report is the discussion of the relations
between the governmnt and the bond
aided roads and of the possibility of col
lecting the amount due the government
from these roads. The report urges that
two things are to be considered:
government, and
~ The creation of a great through
line from the Missouri to the Pacific
which was the original purpose of the
government, leading to the issue of sub
sidy bonds He states that the govern
ment is already out SLY 436 900 upon these
roads and that the first mortgage bonds
only amount to $64,6l9O00; that the prop
erty is worth vastly more than the first
mortgage bonds, and that the govern
ment interests can be protected, if neceS-
sary, by taking up these bonds. All
these bonds are now maturing and draw
per cent, and Secretary Smith believes
they could easily be replaced with a ,
per cent. bond if the government guar
anteed them. The net earnings of each
one of the lines during the past ten
years have made an average of nearly
per cent. on the sum of the first mort
gage bonds, and of the government sub
6idy bonds.