Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1901-08-26
OF VANCE.
His Neglect Of Duty Injurious to New
Mexico.
WHY Ne SHOULD Be RETIRED.

'c'AN' ~ ~ ~ ~
records of the general land Office at
Washington in relation to the survey.
or generals Office In New Mexico. The
first column shows the year, the
next the amount appropriated by the
secretary of the interior for use by
the surveyor general for surveys OF
public lands: the next column the
actual amounts of all surveys let by
the surveyor general and the next col.
umn the actual amounts that have
been paid out for surveys by the gen.
cral land office. Take for instance the
year 1899: The amount apportioned
to New Mexico by the secretary was
10000. The surveyor general let
contracts for only si,3S7. The
amount actually paid out by the com.
missioner OF the general land Office
has been only, for that year, s132.92.
Now, some may think and say that the
amount turned back into the treasury
would be the difference between the
10000 apportioned and the 1887,
the amount Of the contracts. But this
Is not so. The land officials at Wash.
ington say that the whole $4,000 is
actually turned back into the treas
ury. except the sum of sl32.92, actual.
| ~ paul bUls ~ MHtH llt tOilITdtll1k
surveyors accounts are examined by
The surveyor general and general land
office and probably re.examined by
both several times. the poor surveyor,
who has now been out of his money
for over three years, must wait for
four or five years till the secretary of
the treasury makes application to con.
gress for this claim and congress, IN
a year or two. allows II, and six
months or a year later the claim -
paid: provided the surveyor has not
died of starvation or old age In the
meantime.
Owing to practically the whole
amount ap%portioned for 1899 having
been turned back into the treasury,
the secretary of the interior cut on
$4,000 in the amount apportioned to
New Mexico. giving IL to other states
or territories where the surveyor gen
eial used up all that was apportioned
to him and loudly called for more.
So In 1900 only $4,000 was apportioned
to New Mexico; and OF this amount
contracts were let for only s3,405.75
and only sS5 has been paid out by the
commissioner So that II might be
said that the whole $4,000 has practi.
cally been turned back into the treas.
ury, and the poor surveyors who have
10Y waited nearly two years for their
nay will have to wait probably three.
four or five years for Il. II they get
Il.
What Is still worse, the whole IS. 900
for 1900 having practically been
turned back into the treasury, the |
secretary may cut the appropriation
for the @ and succeeding years to
$1,000 or $4,000, or cut II of alto
gether, particularly II the present sur.
veyor general retains his office. The
year 1898 shows about the same.
But the half has not been told.
Take up the matter OF private land
claim surveys. Where millions upon
Millions of acres of private land
grants have been approved by the
court Of private land claims, or con-
firmed by congress and are escaping |
all taxation for the territory, county,
schools and city because not surveyed.
the record Is even worse. In 1898 the
amount apportioned for surveys of
private land claims in New Mexico |
was $4,000: contracts let, $4.709.60,
and nearly all was turned back into
the treasury. In 1899 there were ap-
pOrtloned $4,000: contracts let, So
pcb'io' anu Httliy All tuIntu DdCh lHto
the treasury. In 1900 there vas ap-
portioned $4,000: contracts let. ST.
SS5.36. and nearly all-over 1000 Il
was turned back into the treasure.
Owing to this fact the mount appor-
toned for 1901 was 10000; q loss OF
$4,000 certain to the territory. Con.
tracts let that year. SAFES, most
turned back into the treasury. The
present surveyor general has caused
New Mexico to lose $50, 900 that
should have been expended In sur
veys OF public lands, private land
claims and mineral surveys and scat.
tered among the people: so that many
thousands of more taxes could have
been collected on patented lands
grants and mines. What shall be the
outcome of 1902. on which the Wash.
ington officials are now proceeding,
God alone knows. Comparisons are
odious. but the odium in this case
should be heaped mountain high
where II belongs.
In Oklahoma, whose active delegate
fought for big appropriations and
whose surveyor general expended II,
every acre OF land has been surveyed
end no appropriations are now made
for that territory; so that New Mex
leo could get that much more by
merely showing that she wanted,
needed and would use 1t. Think Of
IL. All OF Oklahoma lands surveyed
In six years; New Mexico in ffty-fve
years has not half its lands surveyed.
In Oklahoma 5000, 900 acres Kiowa,
Comanche, Apache. Wichita Indian
lands contracted for, surveyed; sur
veys and plats accepted by the secre-
tary; surveyors paid, making 100000
profit, 5000 Indians placed on allot-
ments; $50, 900 acres of grazing lands
set aside: hundreds of thousands of
acres for educational, charitable and
public building purposes approved;
$4,000 homesteads located; $500. 900
town lots sold, money in the United
States treasury, all in four months.
Would New Mexico's surveyor gen.
eral get through such a job in thirty
years?
More odium to be piled up: Mon.
tana gets SAP, 900 ap%portioned and lit.
tie Idaho 1872, 000. They use II and
cry for more. Poor New Mexico! Can
the surveyor general explain why he
has throttled the people of Las Vegas
and San Miguel county, as II were,
by holding up the Las Vegas grant
Tor over three years? Has not his &C.
ton as an obstruction In the matter
OF making mineral surveys and hold.
ing up mineral surveys after being
made, aroused the miners of the hun.
dred districts OF New Mexico almost
to evaporation? Don't forget the sur.
veyor general draws his salary, every
cent OF II, every quarter; none Of that
goes over from three to five years.
-
What a Tale II Tells.