Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-12-10
LAND rs GOING FAST.
SECRETARY FRANCIS ANNUAL
REPORT.
HE Statement Shows that the Country
10 Being Rapidly settled-Big Sumo
for Pensions- of the Bond
Aided Railroads.
Uncle Same Domain.

/ A1US0 0AlATOoUos
| Uncle Sans Domain.
| The annual report of Secretary OF the
Interior Francis was made public Fri
day. 1t proposes solution of the vexed
problem of the bond-aided roads, deals
exhaustively with the pension administra-
ton, reviews the progress of the Dawes
commission negotiations and touches up
on various matters of especial significance
in the West. The report opens with
discussion of the public domain. 1t
shows that the total number of acres dis
posed of up to June 30 last was 946,OOO,-
600, leaving public domain still vacant
estimated at over 6OO,OOO,OoO, not in
Guiding the district of Alaska, with an
area of over 3G9,0OO,OO0 acres. Since
the homestead act was passed, on May 20,
1862, there have been 162, S91 1872 acres
entered by homestead settlers. OF this
almost 1O3,OOO.OOO acres will all be pat
ented when the legal conditions have been
made. OF the remainder 100000 900 acres
represent entries cancelled. The total
number of mineral entries up to date is
1880; patents to railways and wagon
roads since the first grant was made
reach 81, 729, 751 acres. There also have
been 335. 691 .752 acres disposed Of by pre-
emption, cash sales. scrip, locations, mill
tary bounty land warrants, town sites,
desert land, timber culture, timber and
stone entries, Indian allotments and do
nations to settlers.
Rapidly Settling the Country.
The total grants of lands to the various
States and Territories up to March II
last, aggregated 1871 .S6S.63O acres, in ad
dtion to agricultural college scrip for
$4,000 acres. The total of all lands
segregated from the public domain agge-
gates GAG. 219, 100 acres. The report says:
These figures demonstrate that the
country is being settled with great rapid
ity and that the public domain is being
diminished by great strides. If the rate
of disposition of the last thirteen years.
which is 25.QOO,OOO acres year, is con-
tinued for thirteen years to come, there
will be little of the public domain outside
of Alaska in possession of the govern
ment at the expiration of that time"
Discussing forest reservations, the re-
port says no permits to cut timber on pub
lie lands should be granted for any pur-
pose other than to supply the needs OF
actual settlers in the neighborhood of the
forests where timber is to be cut and
should be accompanied by all possible
safeguards. Secretary Francis urges up
on Congress the necessity for legislation
for the reclamation and disposal of lands
within the arid regions. Unless the Carey
act could be amended so as to give the
State power to pledge lands for their re-
clamation. he says, it would be better to
place the lands under the direction of the
States only so far as may be necessary
] III. II e AZ
fit of actual settlers.
The total amount paid by the govern
ment in pensions and the cost of disburs-
ing the same for the last thirty-one years
is 81 O34, Sl7,7G9 This lacks only little
over $346, 7125OO of being equal to tho
high-water mark of the interest bearing
public debt. The present number of pen
sioners, which is 97O,67S, is greater by
4,666 than in 1893, when the maximum
annual cost was reached. and is greater
than ever before. This is 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
The pension policy of the department
has been to make the pension list a roll of
. honor rather than to save money to the
J government: the effort has been to de-
} feat the designs of ippostors, while recog-
nizing the claims Of the needy and desery-
ing. General public sentiment, however,
is that the obligation of the government
} is confined to those who fought for its
maintenance and those dependent upon
} them. The total number Of our pension
t ers in foreign countries was 3,7S1, who
were paid $5S2, 1855. Increase of from So
: to $12 month is recommended for all
wholly disabled and destitute Mexican
| war survivors.
Treating with the Indians.
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 affairs.
With regard to the dispute over the I'm
compahgre Indian reservation in Utah,
| in which valuable deposits of asphaltum
have been discovered, Secretary Francis
expressed the opinion that the commits.
: sion which treats with the Indians for the
allotment of their lands totally misun.
derstood the agreement of 1880, by which
the Uncompahgres were removed from
Colorado. The Indians declined to pay
, $1.25 an acre for the lands allotted to
them because they were led to believe tina,
the purchase money would come out oil
their trust fund of 81 .25O,O 900, which fur.
nishes them $4,000 per annum. This is
not the case. The purchase money would
not disturb the trust fund, but would
? eventually come out Of the proceeds OF
the sale of their Colorado lands. The
, commission was dissolved last February
, Under the head of bond-aided railroads
the Secretary says he has complied with
the joint resolution Of June 10, 1896
. requiring him to continue the issue oil
patents to bona fde purchasers of landl
: sold by bond-aided railroads, but he say,
= he declined to Issue patents to all sur