The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-12-10
FRANCIS REPORTS.
Secretary Of the Interior on the
Work OF His Department.

Public Lands Rapidly Taken Up-Bond-
Aided Railroads Discussed Pensions
and Indians-Many valus-
bio suggestions.
Washington. Dec. 6.-Secretary of the
interior David r. Francis has submitted
his annual report to the president. The ap-
preparation for the last fiscal year amount
ed to SIS. 1855. The estimates for the
present fiscal year are about 81. 100000 mora
than was appropriated last year.
The actual public domain Is now ], $40 Off,
57 acres The public lands still vacant
amount to over GOO. o0o. goo acres. not includ-
been patented to railroads, and there are
yet due railroads and wagon roads under
their grants an aggregate Of. III. 736. 66y
acres The total acreage segregated from
the public domain was SAC. PIG, 160 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. II
the rate Of disposition of the last IL years,
which is Is. 100000 acres a year, Is conttn-
ued for IL years to come. there will be little
Of the public domain outside Of Alaska in
possession Of the government at the ex-
piration OF that time.'
He urges legislation for the preservation
OF the forests. and states that q report will
be submitted to congress by the forestry
commission. which has lately returned from
q tour of inspection.
The Des Moines river land grant matter
has been adjusted. About S1S3. S54 in awards
was agreed upon. Of which Sill. 6S2 have
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 legislation look
ms to the retaining Of arid1ands, and says
that of the 500.00O.O00 acres of arid lands
ion. 100000 acres might be reclaimed by the
conservative use OF water, but it Is impos-
sible under the laws In operation to control
the reclamation of tho arid regions so as to
prevent the improvident use Of water, over
which the general government has no con-
troll. This should be done by a system
which constitutes the reclamation OF the
entire territories from a common source Of
supply and the utilization of that supply
Or the adoption of the suggestion Of the
commissioner of the general land Office
would be a good one. That is. place the
lands in the direct control of the states for
reclamation.
No steps have been taken to make al
lotmcnts to the Wichita Indians, IA the
act Of congress left this to the discretion
Of the department. Regarding the opening
Of what is known as the leased district Of
IS now before the court of claims. he says
that If the allotments were made and the
balance of the land thrown open before a
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 in point Of fact it did not have a
clear title thereto. He recommends that
all the Oklahoma TOWNSHIP boards be abol
ished Secretary Francis is Of the orin-
inn raj nf ffYnhor n
lands for commercial purposes should BE-
discontinued.
On the pension question he says that
about 97O.678 persons are drawing about
SAC. 000. 900 per annuna in pensions. and the
branch Of the service should be:conducted
with great care and discretion. He gives
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 $2.034.S17 .7Co.
to the high water mark Of the interest
bearing public debt. He suggests num-
her Of amendments of the pension laws.
some Of which have already been made
public (notably those in regard to ps7sion-
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. The
secretary recommends that an Increase
granted to all survivors of the Mexican
war who are wholly disab and destitute.
The Indians. he says. now occupy about
a5.000.000 acres of land. and they should
be protected from the sinister machina-
lions Of INSCRIPTIONS men. He recon-
mends that the Indian bureau should b.
conducted by a commission Of three poem-
bcrs. two to be civilians Of different po-
ltical parties, and one an army officer.
Concerning the bond-aided railroads. the
secretary summarizes the recommended
tlons Of his predecessors and the result OF
the litigation. He calls attention to the
fact that the 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 s., 49,, 600
30 years interest thereon, will fall due and
must be redeemed by the government. On
January l. 1897. $6.640.00O additional bonds
of Union Pacific will mature: interest on
not paid the Union Pacific will unquestlon-
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 1t can be shown that
the lands tor which patents are asked
have been sold to bona ode purchasers.
The Central Pacific railroad was. on June
81. 1896. in default to the government to ,he
extent Of SIS, 143.66 on its bond and inter-
est" and its Sinking fund" account.
Referring to the railroad commissioners
recommendations for a commission to set
Ito the indebtedness Of the bond-aided
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 its
approval; but. whether congress would do
40 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 in aid Of these roads would
mature and the government be called upon
to redeem the same. In the meantime.
other bills would be introduced seeking to
effect other settlements, and In the end the
government would receive less .or its claim
than 1t would II compromise by the cast,
payment Of lump sum should be effected
in the Immediate future and the govern
:n,ent become relieved thereby from all
connection with these roads,
With regard to the Nicaraguan Maritime
Canal company. chartered by Tue govern
1nent in 1889. the secretary says a preli7n-
mary report of the company submitted 20
him shows that no work was done during
the present year.
In conclusion the secretary calls attention