The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-11-29
LO, The POOR INDIAN
Hon. Hohe Smith ElahOraiely Reviews the
Work Of the Interior Department.
IMPORTANT MATTER OF PUBLIC ROADS
The VnndIuatcd Land Grants to Rail-
roads Amount 10 Nearly Ninety
Million Acrcs-rhc Forestry Cues.
fion Ably Trcscutcd-'TN Pension
Review Proves Good Reading.

Washington. ID. G., Nov. 2S.-The re-
port of Mr. Iloke Smith, Secretary Of
The Interior. deliberately reviews The
inboratc work of he Interior DEPART
mvnt. IL begins with the Indian SER
vice and calls attention to the strict
enforcement which has been given to
Civil Service reform, both as 10 those
places covered by the classified service
ana those to which the rules OF this SER
vice do not reply. II dwells upon the
necessity of eliminating politics from
me management. Indian affairs. and
|oi conducting each reservation upon
strictly business principles. the object
being to make every Indian who re-
mains upon the reservation sclf-support-
ing and ready aS soon us possible to as
sumo the duties of citizenship.
Tie recommends that instead of n sin
Ele commissioners Of Indian affairs the
inulan service be placed in charge OF
lnroc c7ninissioncrs-two of them to be
|ctNilihns-to he appointed from differ
rnt political parties and one to be Il
detailed army officer.
The report shows that the ntten-
dance upon the Indian schools Increased
tftecE hundred during the past wear
nearly one-half of the increase bcinI: i'm
lh" Government day schools. Tho re-
duction OF 20 per cent. which the law
required to br made i'm connection with
INC contract schools. has been strictly
carried out. ana the Secretary adds
mat there seems to he no reason why
Snch reduction should not continue from
year To wear
Lhc report estimates the amount OF
pubic lands undiSpoSrd of to be nl,out
100000 acres at the close of the fiscal
year and shows that the total receipts
during the year for public lands atuu,ut-
ed to over $3.O00. 900. the unadiustcd lnnd
sranls 10 railroads amount to nearly
90. .GG0.0 acres
The Secretary suggests the ndvisa-
unity oI lntcnting the arid lands to the
states after II is fully determined thut
mat selections made by them under the
curry act arid lands. He calls atten-
ton TO the fact tlat the reservoir sites
selected by the Geological survey re-
main wit"3". proper legislation pro-
NldinE Tor their use, while the water
hey were expected to store is being
diverted 10 less practicable and econ
onlicnl sites.
Under the subject of forests the Sec
rotary calls attention to the fact that
lrojo,0'O acres are now included with.
IN forest reserves. The object being to
mus preserve the forests for future use
ana through their preservation to con
tfol the supply ol water, so that ii may
be stored ana utilized for irreation
There are hut thirty special agents
10 protect the timber upon the entire
public domain, TO examine swamp
lands. to investigate fraudulent land
inieresls-n force too small to permit
anything to be done towards guarding
the forest reservations
Unless some plan Is devised by Con.
EreSS for The protection Of the forests
either by the army or by foresters liv-
inE upon the reservations. Il Is mnnifcst
that the object sought to be accomplish
ed will fail
The review of the Pension Office show
ne aggregate of the pension roll al the
close Of the year To be ll02.935. Referr-
ing to the number of pending cases the
ll.
part of these are old cases. lacking some
quality of proof which the law requires
One of the interesting features oil
the report is the discussion of the rela-
tionS between the Government and the
bond 0idinS roads and Of the possibili-
~ of collecting the amount due the
Government from these roads The
report urges that two things are To be
considered:
% The collection of Tie debt due To
the Government and t2) the creation of
Il great through line from the Missouri
10 the Pacific. which was the original
purpose nf the Government leading 10
the issue of subsidy bonds. He states
that the Government is already out
Sll7 .i36 900 upon these roads, ana that
the first mortgage bonds only amount
to $6i.6l3,O0O: that the property is worth
vastly more than the first mortgage
bonds. and that the Government inter
rStS can be protected II necessary by
taHing up these bonds. All these bonds
are now maturing and draw six Ser
cent. and Secretary Smith believes they
could easily be replaced with three
ne, cent. bond II the Government guar
antccd them. The net earning Of each
OF the lines during the past ten years
have made an average. of naarlv six
per cent. on the sum OF the first mort
*nGo bonds and of the Government sub.
sidy bonds.