River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-11-27
HAD VERY BUSY YEAR
Secretary Hitchcock Tells of Affairs
of Inter or Department.
Danger from Illegal Occupation OF
Public Notwithstanding Statis-
ties Regarding PensiOns-Ed-
ucation and the Indians.

ucation and the Indians.
! Washington, Nov. 24-Following
are extracts from the annual report
of Hon. Ethan Allen Hitchcock, secre-
tary of the interior: The past year
has been characterized by further
increase in the volume of business,
notably so in the patent office, genera!
land office, geological survey, and the
secretary's office.
| The Public Lands.
! The necessity of protecting public
lands from unlawful grazers, despoii-
ers of forests and land monopolsts,
and the encouragement and fostering
of irrigation that they may De made
more productive, form the principal
part of the report on the public do
main. The secretary praises the
presidents efforts in behalf of irriga-
| ton and argues that when land
i ceases to be public it should become
| the property of those most deserving
of its use, and be given to them IN
the most productive condition. The
rapid curtailment of the public do
main, the increase of population, the
| tendency in the far western sections
| of corporations and individuals to
| seize and hold, in violation OF law, the
areas which are the common prop
erty of all, causes him to sound
| warning to the country.
There were disposed of during the
| fiscal year ended June 30, 1902, public
lands aggregating 19,488, $3.50 acres,
| classified as follows: Cash sales, 1,75T,
| 1853 acres; miscellaneous entries, en-
bracing homssteads, land warrants,
scrip locations, Indian selections,
swamp lands, railroad and wagon
| road selections, Indian allOtments, etc,
| 1854, 1926 acres, and Indian lands,
| 116, 150.12 acres, showing an increase
| OF 3,925,739 acres as compared with
| the aggregate disposals for the proceed
| ing fiscal year.
The total cash receipts during the
| fiscal year from various sources, in
Guiding disposal of public land, $780,,
0SS.65; Indian land, $28S, 666.6S; from
| depredations on public lands, SAL, 1857;
from sales oftimber on forest reserves,
| $27, 47S.70; from sales of government
property, $1,014.45, and for furnishing
copies of records and plats, $23, 262.73;
aggregate, $6,261 ,927.18, an increase of
| $1,2S9, 1868 over the preceding fiscal
year.
The total area of the public lands
may be stated to be proximately $780,
$50, $40 acres, Of which 800, 1856, 476 acres
nre undisposed of, Isl. 161, G3S acres have
been reserved for various purposes. and
| 764, 422, 726 acres have been appro-
priated.
Indian Affairs.
The total Indian population of the
United States is approximately $780,
306, of which the New York Indians
and those known as the Five Civilized
| Tribes embrace 89,732, leaving 1854.
occupying 156 reservations, having
55,127,00O acres, outside of New York
and the Indian Territory.
During the past year 6, SOS allotments
We're made, the area thereof being APP
proXimately 100000 acres. Allotments
in severalty, embracing in the aggre-
gate S,612,000 acres, have been made
since the passage of the act of Febru-
AIRY s, 1887, to approximately 71,421
Indians,
The general condition of the Indians
has been fairly satisfactory during the
year; no serious trouble has occurred.
Progress toward civilization has been
marked, more Indians having engaged
in. civilized pursuits and in efforts at
self-support than ever before
Pensions.
The report of the commissioner of
pensions shows that the total num-
Der of pensioners on the roll during
the fiscal year ended June 80, 1902, was
1,041,687, and the number remaining
on the roll at the close of the wear
was 999, 446, net gain over the previ-
Gus year of LII: and exceeding in
number of pensioners any former
year.
The gains to the rolls during the
year were 40,121 new pensioners and
1881 renewals and restOrations, to-
tai of 1882. The losses to the rolls
during the year by death were 37,145,
and from other causes 5.O06, total of
42,241, leaving net gain of !, I'll for
the year.
Education.
The value of property used for pub
lie school purposes for the scholastic
year 1901 has arisen to S576, 1868 ,O89
from $130,38O,OOS in 1870, and the ex-
| penditures for the common schools
| Gncluding elementary and second
airy schools, but excluding all insti-
tutions for higher education) amount
ed to $226,043, 236, as against $63,-
| 396,666 in 1870. In the latter year
the expenditure for schools per CAPT
ia of the population was $1.64; in
1901 it was 1898 per capita, the high
est rate ever reached, and an in
crease of ten per cent. to each man,
woman and child over the year pre-
vious.
The entire income for public
schools, reported at 1924 ,967,0 19, has
increased from S143, 4,8O6 for 1890.
Hat Flowers on His Grave.
ST. Louis, Nov. 24.-James Culps,
60 years old, who travelled for a ST.
Louis nursery firm, was buried at
Macon. and, according to his dying
request, there was no ceremony and
no flowers, except artificial ones
taken from his widows hat. He fur