Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-12-05
INTERIOR AFFAIRS.
SECRETARY HOKE SMITH MAKES
HIS ANNUAL REPORT.
The Twenty-Per Cent Reduction In
Appropriations for Contract In
dian Schools Endorsed - ltccom-
nacndations Regarding Indinn
Allotmcnts and Citixenship-Arid
Lands una Forest Preservation.

Lands ANA Forest Preservation.
Washington, Nov. 3O.-Secretary
Smith, of the interior department.. has
made his annual report to the pres
ident. 1t reviews the varied work of
the department beginning with the In
dian service and calls attention to the
strict enforcement which has been
given to civil reform. The reduction
Of 20 per cent which the law required
to be made in connection with the In
dian contract schools shall be strictly
carried out and the secretary adds
that there seems no reason why such
reduction should not continue from
year to year.
Referring to the subject Of allot-
ments, the secretary says there are a
number of changes which should be
made in the present allotment system
which require congressional action.
According to the present law an In
dian becomes citizen of the United
States, upon receiving his allotment.
In many cases he is ready to receive
land before he is prepared for the
consequences of citizenship. All0t-
ments should be made long before re-
servations are opened. Bach Indian
should be settled upon his homestead
and be self supporting before citizen
ship is conferred upon him. When
citizenship is conferred the gov
eminent ought to let him alone and al
low him to take his place, surrounding
him with no more restraint and giving
him no more help than is accorded to
other citizens. Under the present sys-
TEN Indians to whom allotments have
been made and upon whom citizenship
has been conferred, still receive en-
ormous gratitudes and need every dol
lar they receive. Upon each reserva-
ton a part of the Indians will be
ready for citizenship before others and
all are ready to own land and work it
before they are
Ready for Citizenshfp.
The law should be changed so that
allotment can be made upon the rec
ommendation of the agent to those
who are ready for it, and patents
should be issued later with the APP
prevail of the secretary Of the interior
to those Indians showing themselves
fitted to receive the lands SO assigned.
The secretary also recommends that
Of the president, be given to the Indian
bureau, to sell parts of the Indian re-
seryations, the money to be used ex-
in the improvement Of al.
lotted lands, or for the purpose of fur
nishing agricultural implements and
cattle to the Indians who may reside
upon the remaining lands.
The report estimates the amount of
public lands undisposed of to be about
100000 acres at the close Of the
fiscal year, and shows that the total
receipts during the year for public
lands amounted to over $2,OOO,O00. The
land grants to railroads
amount to nearly 90,OOO.OOO acres.
After reviewing in detail the work of
the land office during the past twelve
months, the secretary takes up the
question of the disposition of the arid
lands and the preservation Of the for
csts. He urges that these two ques-
tons are closely allied, for the guam
tity of arid lands far exceeds the pres
ent water supply, even If it were all
Utilized for Irrigation.
The increase Of the supply of water
must depend upon the growth and
of the forests. Attention
Is called to the failure of the Carey bill
to accomplish the results expected; the
secretary attributes this to the fact
that the bill intended that money for
their irrigation should be raised upon
the arid lands given to the states. This
has been impossible on account Of the
fact that sufficient control over the
lands was not given to the states to
make them available as security for
the money expended in their recama-
tlon: The secretary suggests the adj
Of patenting the lands to
the states after it is fully determined
that the selections made by them
under the raCey act are arid lands.
lie calls attention to the fact that the
reservoir sites selected by the geOlo.-
lcai survey remain without proper
legislation providing for their use,
while the water they were expected to
store is being diverted to less practicn-
BILE and economical sites. He suggests
the utilization of these sites in con-
nection with the lands granted to the
states under the Carey net.
Under the Subject of Forests
the secretary calls attention to the
fact that 100000 acres are now in
cluded within forest reserves, the OBJ
ject being to thus preserve the forests
for future use and through their pre-
servatlon to control the supply of
water SO that 1t may be stored and
utilized for irrigation. The present
force. of the general land Office, it is.
stated, Is inadequate to protect hose
reservations. Unless some plan is he.
vlsed by congress for the protection
OF the forests either by the army or by
foresters living upon the RESERVATIONS.
1t is manifest that the object sought
to be accomplished will fail. The
secretary criticizes the law autiloriz-
ing the issue Of the permits for the
cutting of timber from the public do.
main. and urges that the timber cut
'hareilOm should be sold for a sylfli-
clent sum to make 1t possible to pre-
serve the standing forest and see that
we cutting is done in a way not de-
";'rlci've To II.