The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-12-12
FRANCIS REPORTS.
Secretary of the Interior on the
Work OF His Department.
Public Lands Rapidly Taken up-Bond-
Aided Railroads Observation-Disclosures
and Indians-Many Naina-
bile Suggestions.

WAtnlnKIOn. Ice. h-oENItAAIY OF the
Interior David II. Francis has submitted
his annual report TO the president The APP
nroprlation for the last fiscal year amount
ed to i57.i1s.656. The estimates Tor tho
present fiscal year are about $.OOO.Ov0 more
than was appropriated last year.
The actual public domain Is now i.S49. 072.-
Es7 acres The public lands still vacant
amount 10 over SO0. 600 acres. not includ-
ing Alaska. About S5.lzyl5l acres have
been patented TO railroads. and there ara
yet due railroads and wagon roads under
their grants an aggregate or u4.lSo.bSs
acres. The total acreage segregated from
the public domain was 34O.2ly.l6O acres.
The report says: These figures demon
strate that the country Is being settled with
great rapidity and that the public domain
is being diminished by great strides. IL
the rate OF disposition OF the last ~ years,
which Is 25.OO0.OO0 acres year. Is contin-
ued for Is years 10 come. there Will be little
oil the public domain outside or Alaska IN
possession OF the government at the ex-
piration OF that time.
lie urges legislation for the preservation
OF the forests, and states that a report Will
be submitted 10 congress by the forestry
commission. which has lately returned from
a tour OF inspection.
The Des Moines river land grant matter
has been adjusted. About siS3,S54 In awards
was agreed upon. OF which slll,6Sz have
been paid, and the remainder viii be paid
at the end OF thrs year.
II
congress TO the necessity of legislation look
ing 10 the retaining OF arid lands. and says
that OF the 5VU,VOU,vOO acres or arid lands
100 .UVO acres might be reclaimed by the
conservative use Of water, Du1 IL Is impos-
gible under the laws IN operation TO control
the reclamation OF the arid regions so as 70
prevent the improvident use or water. over
which the general government has no con-
troll This should be done by a system
which constitutes the reclamation or the
supply and the utilization OF that supply
or the adoption Of the suggestion of tho
commissioners OF the general iand oince
would DC "A good one. That IS, place the
lands in the Girect control or the states Tor
reclamation
No steps nave peen taken TO make al
lotmcnts TO the Wichita Indians. as tho
act or congress left this TO the discretion
OF the department. Regarding the opening
Of what Is known as the leased district OF
the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. which
IL now before the court OF claims, he says
that II the allotments were made and the
balance or the land thrown open before
decision Is rendered upon the claim OF the
Choctaws and Chickasaws, the govern
ment 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 I'm point or fact II did not have "a
clear title thereto. lie recommends that
all the Oklahoma townsite boards be abol-
ished. Secretary Francis Is OF the opin-
ion that the free use OF timber on public
lands for commercial purposes should be
discontinued.
on the pension question he says that
about 970C7S persons are drawing about
SAC, 900. 900 per annum I'm pensions. and tho
branch OF tho service should be conducted
with great care and discretion. lie gives
a table which shows that the total amount
paid out by the government In pensions
and tho cost OF disburslng the same dur
ing the last 81 years was S2.03i Si7. 7Cy.
which lacks only sS46.n2.S25 OF being equal
to the high water mark or the interest
bearing public debt. lie suggests NUM-
Der or amendments OF the pension laws,
some OF which have already been made
public NOTABLY those In regard TO pension
ers resident In Germany. One hundred
and forty million dollars Is thought 10 be
sufficient for the payment OF pensions dur
ing the next fiscal year. unless pensions
are increased by further legislation. The
secretary recommends that an incren Sc
from eight to twelve dollars per month be
granted to all survivors OF the Mexican
war who are wholly disabled and destitute
The Indians. ne says. now occupy about
S5.OOO,OOO acres of land. and they should
be protected from the sinister machina-
tions or INSCRIPTIONS men. lie recon-
mends that the Indian bureau should b.
conducted by a commission OF three mem
bers two TO be civilians or different po-
litical parties and one an army officer.
Concerning the bond-aided railroads, the
secretary summarizes the recommended
tions OF hrs predecessors ana tde result or
the litigation. lie calls attention TO the
fact that tho tables he presents clearly
show that the Central Pacific railroad Is IN
default TO the government, or unquestiona-
bly, will be on January next, when 81 Az 900
30 years interest thereon, VIII tall due and
must be redeemed by the government. ON
January }, 1891. s6.64O.VOO additional bonds
OF Union Pacinc viii mature, interest on
same-Sii 49,, OO0-will be then due. and IL
not paid the Union Pacific will unquestion-
ably be In default. lie has therefore de-
clined 10 patent lands 10 the Union Pacific
railroad or the Central Pacific railroad ex
cept In cases where II can be shown that
the lands for which patents are asked
have been sold TO bona fide purchasers
The Central Pacific railroad was. on June
80 1896. Ia default to the government TO .as
extent OF $zSs, 1896 on it's bond ana inter-
est" and It's sinking fund" account.
Referring to the railroad commissioners
for commission TO sec
Tic the Indebtedness OF the bond-aided
roads. the secretary says. Congress IL
not likely 10 delegate TO any commission
the power TO settle this indebtedness with
out making such settlement subject TO 10
approval but. whether congress would 10
30 or not. the delay consequent upon the
appointment OF a commission and It's work
would be so great that most or all OF the
bonds issued IA aid OF these roads would
mature ana the government be called upon
90 redeem the same. In the meantime.
other bills would be introduced seeking 10
erect other settlements. and IA the END che
government would receive less or It's claim
than Il would " compromise by the casn
payment OF lump sum should De effected
~ the immediate future and The govern
ment become relieved thereby from all
with these roads,"
With regard 10 the Nlcaraguan Maritime
Canal company. chartered ny .-.e govern
mcnt in 1883. the secretary says "A preiln-
mary report Of the company Submitted -
him shows that no WorK Was uOne during
ghe present year.
In conclusion tne secretary calls attention
20 the crampcd quarters In the interior de-
partment. tho large sum PAID for rent an.
nually-rcaCulng 2t1,OOU last yraf-anu ear
ncstly recommends the erection OF another
structure on block adjacent 10 the present
building adequate 20 accommodate 81!
branches Of the department.
Prominent southcrncr Dead.
New Orleans. Dec. S.--John w. In
Bourisse. eN-president OF the Cotton ex-
change and one OF the best known men