The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-12-10
TEE AFFAIRS OF THE VARIOUS
BRANCHES OF THE INTERIOR
DEPARTMENT.
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN DIMINISHING
Only 6O0,OOO,OOO Acres Remain Exclu-
siye of Alaska-Total Paid in Pen
sions Since 1865. $2,c84, 81, 769.
Bond-Aided Roads Question.

nort of Secretary of the Interior Francs
was made public today. 1t deals with all
the affairs of the various branches OF the
interior department during the past year
and makes number of important recon-
mendations. 1t proposes solution OF the
vexed problem of bond-aided roads, deal
ing exhaustively with the pensions; re-
views the progress Of the Dawes conlmis-
sion negotiations and touches upon var
ious matters of especial significance III
the west. The report opens with dls-
cnssion of the public domain. 1t shows
that the total number of acres disposed OF
up to July 80 last was 996,OOOOoO, leav-
ing public domain still vacant estimated
at over GOO,O00000 not including the dis
trict of Alaska with an area of 369,Ooo,-
600 acres.
'These figures demonstrate" says the
report, 'that the country is being settled
with great rapidity and that the pubic
domain is being diminished by great
strides. If the rate of disposition OF the
last thirteen years, which is 25,OoO,OOO
acres year, is continued for thirteen
years to come there will be little OF the
domain outside of Alaska in possession
of the government at the expiration OF
that tine. OF the 114,OOO,OOO acres
granted to railways but not patented
there can be no objection to transferring
pessession and control of whatever por-
fion has been earned by complying with
grants and that may be available there
under, estimated at 7O,OO0,OOO, with as
much promptness as possible, but until
the grants are adjusted no additional
grants should be made. During the year
19,27S,244 acres were patented to rail-
ways under congressional grants
Discussing the forest resources, the re-
port says no permits to cut timber on
public lands should be granted for any
purpose other than to supply the needs
of actual settlers in the forests where
timber is TO be cut, and should be ac-
companed by all possible safeguards. OF
these domains river lands claims of over
$17,632,0 900 have been paid and the re-
mainder will be paid by the end of the
calendar year.
Secretary Francis urges on congress
the necessity for legislation for the re-
clamation and disposal of lands within
the arid regions.
Unless the Carey act be amended so as
to give the state power to pledge lands
for the reclamation, the secretary says it
would be better to place the lands under
direct control of the states only so far
as may be necessary to secure their re-
clamation for the benefit of actual set
tiers. All applications made by persons
who had paid the double minimum price
for lands lying east of Duluth along the
Northern Pacific grant, to have the ex-
cess of 81 % per acre refunded, have been
suspended to await the final location of
the eastern terminus of the Northern
Pacific by court of competent jurisdic-
ton. The department has been unotH-
cially informed that n suit will shortly be
brought for that purpose.
The total amount paid by the govern
ment in pensions for the last thirty -one
years is $2,064,S11, 769. This lacks only
little over 1916, ZIP, 500 of being equal
to the high water mark of the interest
bearing public debts. The present num-
her of pensioners, which is 970,67O, is
greater by 1866 than in 1893, when the
maximum annual cost was reached, and
is greater than ever before This was
due to the death of old soldiers and the
continued payment of allowances to their
heirs while the amount paid is decreased
through the death of invalid pensioners,
leaving no dependents.
Fhe pension policy of the department
has been to make the pension list a roll
of honor rather than to save money to
the government; the effort has been to
defeat the designs of imposters while
recognizing the claim of the needy and
deserving.
The total number of our pensioners in
foreign countries was 1871, who were
paid $751;, 1876. The commissioner of pen
siOns has been directed to accept from
transformers rasidipg in Gnrppo nv nply cuch
declaration and papers of claimants as
may be made before the United States
minister or other officers of the United
States. The state department has been
instructed to instruct our representatives
abroad to make the consular fee 20 cents,
compensation in vogue here.
Under the head of Indian affairs the
secretary repeats the recommendation of
his predecessor for commission of three,
one Of whom shall be an army officer,
to take the place of the commissioner
and assistant commissioner of Indian af-
fairs. With regard to the dispute over
the Uncompahgre Indian reservation in
Utah, in which valuable deposits of as
phaltum have been discovered, Secretary
Francis expressed the opinion that the
commission which treats with the Indians
Tor the allotment of their lands, totally
misunderstood the agreement of 1880,
" tht contemporaries WHY IL
moved from Colorado. The Indians de-
clined to pay $1.25 an acre for the lands
allotted to them because they were led
to believe that the purchase money would
come out of their trust funds of SO. $780,
GOO, which furnishes them $4,000 per
AMMAN. This is not the case The pur-
chase money would not disturb the trust
funds, but would come out of the pro-
cceds Of the sale of their Colorado lands.
The commission was dissolved last Feb
ruary.
1 recommend that congress authorize
the appointment of another commission
10 negotiate with the Uncompahgres, con-
inues the report, explain to them how
the lands allotted can be paid for with
tut depicting their trust fund. and that
authority be given such commission to
sell the remaining portion of the lands
Of the reservation to the highest bidder,
to lease them or to negotiate with re-
spsnsible parties for the working of the
DEPOSITS in order that the government
may be fairly compensated and to the
end that the public may enjoy the bene-
fit of highly useful gift of nature.
The secretary made no comment on
the work of the Dawes Indian commits
sion, but includes in the report n partial
report of the commission. which is now
engaged, under the act of June 10, 1896,
in determining all applications for citi-
zenship in the FIVE civilized tribes. BY
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