The record-union., 1896-12-05

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4.-Secretary of
the Interior David r. Francis has SUBJ
mitted his annual report to the Presl-
dent.
The appropriations for the last fiscal
year amounted to S15I ,5I9,6o6 The es-
Inmates for the present fiscal year are
about 81 600, 900 more than was appro-
priated last year. The actual public
domain is now ], ,S49. .072. .5S7 acres. The
public lands still vacant amount to over
600 900 600 acres, not including Alaska.
About So, 729, 751 acres have been pat
ented to railroads, and there are yet
due railroads and wagon roads under
their grants an aggregate of 114,156, ,6353
acres. The total acreage segregated
from the public domain was 946,2l9,1 1GO
acres.
The Secretary deems it desirable that
our waste acreage should be taken up
by actual settlers, who should be given
every encouragement, and says if the
rate of settlement continues in the fu-
ture as in the past, but little vacant
land will be left III thirteen years time.
He urges legislation for the preserva-
ton of the forests and states that
report will be submitted to Congress
by the Forestry Commission, which has
lately returned from a tour of inSpec-
ton.
The Des Moines River Land Grant
matter has been adjusted. About S1S3,-
S54 in awards was agreed upon, of
which Sill, ,632 has been paid, and the
remainder will be paid at the end Of
this year.
Secretary Francis calls the attention
of Congress to the necessity of legisla-
tion looking to the reclaiming of arid
lands, and says that of the 800 000, 600
acres of arid lands, 00,0OO,0OO acres
might be reclaimed by the cosfseT vative
use of water, but il is impossible for
the laws in operation to control the
reclamation of the arid regions so as
to prevent the improvident use Of water
over which the General Government has
no control. This should be done by
system which contemplates the recla-
nation of the entire territories from a
common source of supply, and the util-
ization of that supply, or the adop
ton of the suggestion of the Commits
sioner Of the General Land Office, would
be a good one. That is to place the
lands in the control of the States for
reclamation.
He briefly mentions the difficulties be-
tween the Otoe and Missouri Indians,
which he states is a complicated one.
No settlement has yet been agreed
upon.
In speaking of the decision of his pre-
decessors that the eastern terminus Of
the Northern Pacific has been fixed at
Duluth, he states that "the effect of
this decision was to exclude from the
company all lands lying east Of that
city. Prior to the decision referred to
lands lying east of Duluth had been
appropriated by settlers and paid for
at the double minimum rate of 50 30
per acre, upon the assumption that they
fell within the limits of the railroad
grant, and therefore within the opera.
tion of Section 1852 of the Revised
Statutes" On the PRONUNCIATION Of
these decisions numerous applications
were made by persons who had paid
the double minimum price for lands to
have the excess of 81 % per acre re-
funded pursuant to the publications oc
June JIG. 1890. Inasmuch as the rail-
road company had never acqufesced in
applications have been suspended 10
await the final and authoritative de-
cision of the eastern terminus of sail
road by court of competent jurisdic-
ton. He has been officially informed
through counsel of the company that
suit will IN a short time be brought
for that purpose. In the meantime,
while he has not questioned the pro-
A.. Of ha
he deems it the safer course to direct
the large disbursements involved in a
compliance with the request of the set
tiers.
No steps have been taken to make al
lotmenes TO the Wichita Indians, as the
Acts of Congress left this TO the dis
cretion Of the department.
Regarding the opening of what is
known as the leased district of the
Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, which
Is now before the Court of Claims. he
saws that If the allotments were made
and the land thrown open before de-
cision Is rendered upon the claim Of the
Choctaws and Chickasaws, the Gov
ernment would be placing the Indians
upon land under an agreement which
involved the transfer of good title, and
would also be throwing open the land
to settlement, when in point OF fact 1t
did not have a clear title thereto. He
recommends that an the Oklahoma
townsite boards be abolished.
Secretary Francis is of the opinion
that the free use of timber on public
lands for commercial purposes should be
discontinued
on the pension question he says that
97067S pensioners are drawing about
$140 100000 per annum in pensions,
and the branch of the service should be
conducted with great care and discre-
ton. He gives table which shows
that the total amount paid out by the
Government in pensions and the cost OF
disbursing the same during the last
thirty-one years was S2.034. 81, f69.
which lacks only S346. of being
equal to the high-water mark OF the in
terest-bearing public debt He suggests
a number Of ainendments to the pen