The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-06
THE CIVIL DEPARTMENTS.
Postal Business Growing Faster thar
the Population.

the Population.
The postal service of the country adj
vances with extraordinary growth. Within
twenty years both the revenues and the ex-
penditures of the Postoffice Department
have multiplied three-fold. In the last ten
years they have nearly doubled. Our pos
tai business grows much more rapidly than
our population. 1t now involves an expendi-
ture of $lO0000,OO0 a year, numbers 1900
postoffices and enrolls 100000 employees. This
remarkable extension of a service which is
an accurate index of the public conditions,
presents gratifying evidence of the advance
ment of education, Of the increase of COM
munication and business activity and of the
Improvement of mail facilities leading to
their constantly augmenting use.
The war with Spain laid new and ex-
ceptional labors on the Postofice Depart
ment The mastering of the military and
naval forces Of the United States required
special mail arrangements for every camp
and every campaign. The communication
between home and camp was naturally
eager and expectant. In some of the larger
places of rendezvous as many as $4,000 let
tiers a day required handling. This necessity
was met by the prompt detail and dispatch
of experienced men from the established
ties of the railway mail and postoffice
service, so far as necessary to this new
need. Congress passed an act empowering
the postmaster general to establish offices
or branches at every military camp or sta
ton, and under this authority the postal
machinery was speedily put into effective
operation.
moved upon Cuba, Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines, they were attended and followed by
the postal service. Though the act Of Con-
gress authorized the appointment of post
masters where necessary it was early de-
termined that the public interests would be
best subserved, not by new designations,
but by the detail of experienced men famil-
lar with every branch of the service and
this policy was steadily followed. When
the territory which was the theater of con-
fict came into our possession it became
necessary to re-estabish mail facilities for
the resident population, as well as to pro-
vide them for our forces of occupation, and
the former requirement was met through
the extension and application of the latter
obligation l gave the requisite authority.
and the same general principle was APP
piled to this as to other branches of civil
administration under military occupation
The details are more particularly given in
the report of the postmaster general and.
while work is only just begun 1t is pleas
ing to be able to say that the service in
the territory which has come under our
control is already materially improved.
SALE OF PUBLIC LANDS.
The public, lands disposed of by the gov
eminent during the year reached S453 1862
acres an increase of 614, 7sO.26 acres over
the previous year The total receipts from
public lands during the fiscal year amounted
TO 1927. 9951S. an increase of $3.50, 80 over
the preceding year.
The lands embraced in the forest reserva-
ton which was suspended by the act of June
4, 1897, again became subject to the opera
tons of the proclamations of Feb % 1897
creating them, which added an estimated
amount of 19,95l.S60 acres to the area en-
braced iE the reserves previously created
In addition thereto two new reserves were
created during the year-the Pine mountain
bracing l.644 594 acres, and the Prescott re-
serve IN Arizona, embracing TO- 240 acres;
while the Pecos river reserve in New Mex
leo has been changed and enlarged to in
clude 10000 additional acres.
AT the close of the year thirty forest res
ervations, not including those of the Afog-
nae forest and the fish culture reserve in
Alaska, had been created by executive proc
lamaIions under Section a of the act of
March 3, 1897, embracing an estimated area
of 4o079,414 acres.
The Department Of the Interior has in
augurated forest system. made possible
by the act OF July 1898, for a graded force
of officers in control of the reserves This
system has only been in full operation since
August but good results have already been
secured in many sections. The reports re-
ceived indicate that the system OF patrol
has not only prevented destructive fires from
SdiHlAS htduNdy, Out mas diminished the
number of fires
The special attention OF the Congress is
called TO that part of the report of the sec-
rotary of the interior in relation to the five
civilized tribes. II is noteworthy that the
general condition of the Indians shows
marked progress But one outbreak of a
serious character occurred during the year.
and that among the Chippewa Indians of
Minnesota. which happily has been sup
pressed.
While it has not yet been practicable TO
enforce all the provisions of the act of June
%, 1885, for the protection of the people
of the Indian Territory and for other pur-
poses" II is having a salutary effect upon
the nations composing the five tribes. The
Dawes commission reports that the most
gratifying results and greater advance to-
ward the attainment Of the objects of the
government have been secured in the past
year than IN any previous year. ] cannot
too strongly indorse the recommendation of
the commission and of the secretary of the
interior for the necessity of providing for
the education of the $1,000 white children
resident IN the Indian Territory,
The total receipts OF the Patent ONCE