River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-12-10
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 Naiua-
BILE Suggestions.


Interior David II. Francis has submitted
his aprUal report TO the president. The APP
preparation for the last fiscal year amount
ed to sI57.i79.656 The estimates for the
present fiscal year are about 81, oo0.ouv more
than was appropriated last year.
The actual public domain Is now l.ss9.o 72,
ISL acres. The public lands still vacan.
amount to over 6eo.000, eco acres. not includ-
ing Alaska About &.129,I5l acres have
been patented to railroads, and there are
yet due railroads and wagon roads under
their grants an aggregate OF li,135,t 80
acres Tire total acreage segregated irons
the public domain was S4b,2i9.i60 acres.
The report says: .rhese figures demon
strate that the country is being settled with
great rapidity and mat the public domain
Is being diminished by great strides. liz
the rate OF disposition of the last 10 years
which is 100000 acres a year, is contip-
ued for IL years 10 come. there will be little
OF the public domain outside of Alaska In
possession of the government al the ex-
piration of that time.
lie urges legislation for the preservation
of the forests, and states that report Will
be submitted TO congress by The forestry
commission. W hich has lately returned from
O tour of inspection.
The Des Moines river land grant matter
has been adjusted. About $lS3,S5i in awards
was agreed upon. OF which sllE,0s2 have
been paid, and the remainder Will be paid
al the end of this year.
Secretary Francis calls the attention of
congress to the necessity OF legislation look
ing TO the retaining OF arid lands. and says
that OF the 5OU.uO0,VO0 acres of arid lands
100. goo 900 acres might be reclaimed by the
conservative use OF water, but II Is impos-
sible under the laws In operation to control
the reclamation of the arid regions so as 10
prevent the improvident use OF water, over
which the general government has no con-
troll This should be done by system
which constitutes the reclamation OF the
a
supply and the utilization OF that supply
or the adoption of the suggestion of TIE
commissioner of tine general land office
would be a good one. That is, place the
lands in the direct control OF the states Tor
reclamation.
No steps have been taken to make al
lotmcnts to the Wichita Indians, rs the
act of congress left this 10 the discretion
of the department Regarding the opening
Of what is known as the leased district o.
the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. which
is now before the court of claims. he says
that If the ailotments were made and the
balance Of the land thrown open before n
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 a good title and would also
be throwing open the land to settlement
when In point of fact II did not have a
clear title thereto. lie recommends that
all the OkidnOna IOMnSlte DDaTIS DE dDOl-
Ished Secretary Francis is of the orin-
ion that the free use of timber on public
lands for commercial purposes should be
discontinued.
on the pension question he says that
about 970.e7s persons are drawing about
$40 600, 900 per annum in pensions. and the
branch of the service should be conducted
with great care and discretion. He gives
a table which shows that the total amount
paid out by the government In pensions
and the cost of disbursing the same dur
ing the last 81 years was s2.o34. ST. lCa,
which lacks only $3iG, SIS of being equal
TO the high water mark OF the interest
bearing public debt. He suggests num-
Der of amendments of the pension laws,
some of which have already been made
public (notanly those In regard TO pension
ers resident In Germany. One hundred
and forty million dollars is thought to be
sufficient for the payment of pensions dur
ing the next fiscal year. unless pensions
are increased by further legislation. Tho
secretary recommends that an lncreasc
from eight to twelve dollars per month be
granted TO all survivors of the Mexican
war who are wholly disabled and desti-
tute.
The Indians, he says, now occupy about
s5,0000o0 acres of land. aud they should
be protected from the sinister machfna-
tlons of Inscriptions men. lie recon-
mends that the Indian bureau should b.
conducted by commission OF three mem
hers, two to be civilians oil olHefeht po-
IiticaI parties and one an army officer.
Concerning the bond aided railroads, the
secretary summa riZes the recommends
tions of his predecessors and the result OF
the litigation. lie calls attention 10 this
fact that the tables he presents clearly
show that the Central Pacific railroad is In
default 10 the government or unquestiona-
bly, will be on January next, when 50, Az, 00g
additional of its Indebtedness. together witt
30 years interest thereon, will fail due and
a l.srf lsa ra9NarNs
January ], 1897. S6,6iO,00U additional bonds
of Union Pacific will mature; interest OH
same-sil. ga2, 0O0-will be then due, and IL
not paid the Union Pacific will unquestion-
ably be in default. He has therefore de
clined to patent lands to 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
lave been sold to bona tide purchasers
The Central Pacific railroad was, on Jun.
So 1886 in default TO the government to he
extent Of $2SS, 1896 on its bond and inter
est and its sinking fund" account.
Referring to the railroad commissioners
recommendation FOR commission to set
tic the Indebtedness OF the pohd-aideo
roads the secretary says: Congress is
not likely to delegate to any commission
the power to settle this Indebtedness with
out making such settlement subject to It;
approval: but, whether congress would Ia
So or not the delay consequent upon the
appointment OF n commission ana lis WORK
would be so great that most or all OF the
bonds issued in aid of these roads woulu
mature and the government be called upon
to redeem the same. In the meantime
other bills would be introduced seeking 70
effect other settlements, and In the end the
government would receive less or its claim
Than ii would T. a compromise by the cast
payment of a lump sum should be effected
in the Immediate future and the govern
n,ent become relieved thereby from al
connection with these roads,.
With regard to the Nicaraguan MARITIME
Canal company. chartered by lie govern
ment In 1889, the secretary says prelini-
mary report of the company submitted =
him shows that no work was done during
the present year.
In CONCLUSION the secretary calls attention
10 the cramped quarters in the interior de-
partment, the large sum paid for rent an
Misunderstanding $4,000 last year-and car
uestly recommends the erection Of anothe'
structure on block adjacent to the present
building adequate to accommodate al
branches OF the department.
TraInmcn Go to sleep.
San Antonio, Tex, Dee. IA head.
end collision between two through