Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-11-25


TIONS.
Washington, D. c., November "a
The annual report of the Secretary of
the Interior, Bliss, made public to-
night, reviews in detail the progress of
pension, Indian, land, patent, educa-
tional and territorial affairs. Review
ing the gradual diminuition of public
land area, Secretary Bliss says:
OF three hundred and odd million
acres of desert lands requiring irriga-
ton to render them valuable farming
lands, the available water supply is
sufficient for only 71,5O0,00 acres, leav-
ing 60,676, 900 acres suitable only for
grazing purposes. There are thirty
forest reservations, embracing an esti-
mated area of 40, 49, 74 acres.
The Indians are declared to have
made substantial progress and the
Chippewa outbreak was the only seri
Gus disturbance of the year. Referring
to this trouble the reports points to
Commissioner of Indian Affairs Jones
successful efforts in bringing about the
surrender of the Indians, and says the
origin of the trouble is now under
joint investigation by the Departments
of the Interior and of Justice.
Congress has so far appropriated as
an advance to the Chippewa Indians
So, 060,559, which appears to be reim-
bursable to the government. The APP
proximate value of all the lands coded
by the Indians aggregates $5,273,010
Upon the disposal of all such lands"
the Secretary says, sit is doubtful
whether compliance with the require
ments of this act regarding the dis
bursements of moneys advanced by the
United States would impose any very
great hardship on the Indians. No
complaints of the differentiation of
timber by the present corps Of exam
liners have been made"
Considerable effort has been made to
induce the Mile Lac Chippewas to go to
White Earth reservation, but with
meagge success, though Chippewa com
will remove this autumn.
The Senate is urged to ratify the
treaty with the Uintah Indians to re-
ceiye such Uncompahgres as should be
allotted to lands on the Uintah reser-
walton. The workings of the Curtis
Indian Territory act are praised and
the more progressive element of the
Indians in the territory reported as
inclined to accept the situation in good
faith.
Reviewing pension matters, Secre-
tary Bliss reports $4,000 claims Of all
classes pending and says a separate
division has been organized for the ad-
judication of claims growing out of the
war with Spain. He also concurs in
the recommendation for the creation
of commission to revise the pension
laws and regulations in the interest Of
a future reliable, intelligent and uni
form practice. Early legislative en-
actment for the taking of the twelfth
census urged in view Of the necessary
large amount of work preparatory to
the enumeration Of the population.
During the year the geological sur
vey has surveyed geographically So
057 square miles. making a total now
completed Of approximately one-fourth
Ct the entire country, exclusive Of
Alaska
The advancement along educational
lines is outlined by an increase Of over
quarter of a million of school pupils
IN the United States for the fiscal year
1867 over the previous one but yet
the total average amount of schooling
per individual for the whole United
States, measured by the present stand
ard, does not quite equal five years Of
200 days each for each inhabitant. The
total number of school pupils in the
country in elementary public and pri-
vate schools, colleges. universities,
high schools and academies is put at
16.255,093.
The reindeer and their lapland driv-
ers in Alaska. have largely passed into
the service Of the postoffice depart
ment and are now being distributed for
carrying the Yukon mail up and down
the valley Of the Yukon through
thousand miles Of scattered mining set
Elements in the wilderness.
Secretary Bliss, summing up the re-
port of Governor Brady, of Alaska,
calls attention to the difficulty of pre-
venting the smuggling of liquor into
Alaska, it being impossible to enforce
present regulations without a feet of
revenue cutters and steam launches to
patrol the tortuous channels of south
east Alaskan waters.
Smuggling prevails and saloons are
open in all of the towns and mining
camps. The Governor reports a con-
census of opinion in favor of d strin-
gent high license law which would
tend to stamp out smuggling and liq-