The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-05
GROWTH OF THE REPUBLIC
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRE-
 FAIRY OF THE INFERIOR.

Despite the Marvellous Increase in Popu-
 latlon in the West, the Actual Public Do-
 main Is Now 1,s48.O7e, ,5s7 Acres-6OO,-
 0O0,O0O Acres of Public Land Still Vacant
 Arid Lands Should be Reclaimed.
 Washington Dec 4,-Secretary of the Interior David R. Francis has submit ted his annual report to the president. The appropriations for the last fiscal year amounted to $157, ,179,656 The es- inmates for the present fiscal year are about S1 1,O00,00O more than was appro- priated last year. The actual public domain is now 1,S49, ,072, ,587 acres. The public lands still vacant amount to over 60O,000,000 acres, now including Alaska. About S5,729,751 acres have been patented to railroads, and there are yet due railroads and wagon roads under their grants an aggregate of 1l4,- 736,396 acres.
 The secretary deems 1t desirable that our waste acreage should be taken up by actual settlers, who should be given every encouragement, and says that II the rate of settlement continues in the future as in the past, but very little vacant land will be left in thirteen years time. He urges legislation for the preservation of the forests, and states that a report will be submitted to congress by the forestry commission, which has lately returned from tour of inspection.
 Secretary Francis calls the attention of congress to the necessity of legisla tion looking to the retaining of arid lands, and says that of the five hun dred million acres of arid lands one hundred million acres might be re- claimed by the conservative use of wa ter, but it is impossible, under the laws now in operation, to control the re- elimination of arid regions so as to pre- vent the improvident use of water over which the general government has no control This should be done by a sys- tenn which contemplates the reclama- tion of the entire territories from common source of supply and the util- ization of that supply, or by the adop- tion of the suggestion of the commits sioner of general land office that the land should be placed in the direct con- trol of the states for reclamation.
 Regarding the opening of what is known as the ''leased district of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians, !" which matter is now before the court of claims. the secretary says that if the allotments were made and the balance of 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 a good title, and would also be throwing open the land to settlement, when in point of fact it did not have clear title thereto. He recommends that all the Oklahoma townsite borders be abolished He thinks that the free use of timber on public lands for commercial purposes should be discontinued.
 The secretary says that about 970,678 persons are drawing about s140,0O0, GOO per annum in pensions, and this branch of the service should be conducted with great care and dircretion. He 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 $2,034, ,817, ,769, which lacks only $341, 712525 of being equal to the high water mark of the interest bearing public debt.
 The secretary suggests a number of amendments of the pension laws, some of which have already been made public (notably those in regard to pensioners resident in Germany)
 One hundred and forty million dollars is thought to be sufficient for the pay ment of pensions during the next fiscal year, unless pensions are increased by further legislation. The secretary rec ommends that an increase of from sS to SIP per month be granted to all sur vivors of the Mexican war, who are wholly disabled and destitute.
 The Indians, the secretary says, now occupy about S5,000,000 acres of land, and they should be protected from the sinister machinations of interruptions men. He recommends that the Indian bureau should be conducted by com msison of three members, two to be civilians of different political parties, and one an army officer.
 Concerning the bond aided railroads, the secretary summarizes the recom- mendations of his predecessors and the result of the litigation. He calls atten tion to the fact that the tables he pre- sents clearly show that the Central Pacific railroad in in default to the government or unquestionably which will be on January 1 next, when S2,S42,- 900 additional of its indebtedness, to- gether with thirty years interest there on will fall due and must be redeemed by the government.