Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-01
Makes Public His Annual Re
port as Head of the In
terror Department.
PENSION MATTERS.
G35,0o Claims Are Pepding-A Speois
Division For Spanish War Cases-Early
Census Legislation Recommended
-Ihe Public Land Area Grad
ually Diminishing.

Washington, Nov. 1.-THE annual report
of Secretary of the Interior Bliss, mdda
public tonight, reviews in detail tho
progress of pension, Indian. land, patent,
educational and territorial affairs. Re-
viewing the gradual diminution OF public
land area, Secretary Bliss says, of threa
hundred and odd million acres of desert
land requiring irrigation 10 render them
valuable farming lands the available
water supply is sufficient for only Il, Jlr,cJ
acres, leaving aoC.6l6,oCO acres suitable only
for grazing purposes. There are 80 forest
reservations, embracing an estimated area
of i0,7l9.i7i acres.
The Indians are declared to have mlds
substantial progress and the Chippewa
outbreak was the only serious disturb
ance of the year. Referring 10 this trnu
BILE. the report points TO Commissioner
Indian Affairs Jones successful efforts il
bringing about the surrender of the In
dianS.
Reviewing pension matters Secretary
Bliss reports $500 claims of all classol
pending, and says a separate division hat
been organized for the adjudication Of IN,
claims growing out of the war with Spain.
Three soldiers Will receive their pens ons
under the general law for permanent uis-
abilities contracted in the service. Hs
also concurs in the recommendation for
the ceraton OF a commission to rcV!si
the pension laws and regulations in tho
interest of n future reliable Intelligent
and uniform practice. Early lcg!sia ivo
enactment for the taking of the twelfth
census is urged in view Of the necessary
large amount of work preparatory to tho
enumeration of the population.
The advancement along educational
lines Is outlined by an increase of over
a quarter of n million Of school pupils in
the United States for the fiscal year 1857
over the previous one, but yet the total
1. 4
val for the whole United States measured
by the present standard does not quito
equal five years OF go days each for each
inhahitant. The total number OF soho
pupils in the country in elementary, pub
lie and private schools, colleges, univ.r-
stiles, high schools and academies Is put
at l6,2j5043.
Secretary Bliss summing up the rel ort
Of Gov. Brady of Alaska. calls atteN on
to the difficulty of preventing the SNUG
Cling of liquor into Alaska, IL being m
possible to enforce the pres nj regulat ms
without a lleet Of revenue cutters and
steam launches 10 patrol the TortuouS
channels Of southeastern Alaskan watnis.
Smuggling prevails and saloons are open
in all towns and mining camps, The GOV
e-nor reports a consensus Of opinion m f1-
vor of q stringent high license law viii n
would tend TO stamp out smuggling and
liquor selling to the natives. The IIp,i-
cation 10 Ahska or the liquor W N
force in the District of Columbia with sew
cral minor notifications is urged as meets
ing a majority approval, The governor be-
leves that Alaska should and can pay
revenue into the United States treas Iry.
Under high license law he estimates that
the liquor traffic would yield an annual
revenue of not less than $4,000; a tan of
n few cents per case on salmon would pro-
duce from $1,000 TO 5000; ton cents per
ton on wharfage collected during the last
year would have yielded $4,000 He rec
ommends, however that any system of
taxation for the territory be deferred un-
, I'll land laws shall have been provided.
The reindeer and thenr Lapland drivers
in Alaska have largely passed into tho
service of the postofiice department and
are now distributed for carrying the Yu-
kon mail up and down the valley of the
Yukon through a thousand miles Of scat
tered mining settlements in the wilder
ness.