Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-24
WOULD GUST GRAzERS
Sec. Hitchcock Declares War
on Squatting Cattlemen.
s-E
"H0Bo FILING" CHARGED
CHIEF FEATURE OF HIS ANNUAL
REPORT.
Irrigation of West-5o, 900 Patent APP
Observation-Disclosures Needed for
Timber Lands-Indian Service.

| dent for the fiscal year ended June 30 last
| has been made public. 1t includes the fol-
lowing digest of the more important under
| takings of the year:
| Considerable progress has been made in
the Inauguration and carrying into effect
| Of necessary reforms in various branches
| of the service.
THE advisability OF the early enactment
| of legislation looking to the reclamation Of
| the arid lands of the country has been fire.
| quently mentioned In previous annual re-
ports of the department and Congress at
! its last session recognized the national i'm
| portance of irrigation by the passage of the
| reclamation law, approved June II, 1902
| This law creates a fund from the moneys
| received from sales OF public lands, to be
expended in the construction of irrigation
works which pass ultimately into the con-
| troll of the settler, the moneys received
therefor to be applied to the further ex-
| tension of the irrigation system. The act
Is general in character, and leaves to ad-
| ministrative action most of the details,
thereby imposing upon the Secretary of the
Interior very great responsibility in car
rying 1t into effect. =
Incursions on Public Lands.
New forest reservations have been es-
tablished during the year, the forestry SER
vice extended, a better and more thorough
system of patroling the reservations has
been perfected, and the work of reforesta-
ton on the various reservations has been
entered upon with satisfactory results.
THE unlawful fencing Of the public lands
for grazing and other purposes referred to
hereafter has greatly increased in some
sections OF the west and grown so fragrant
as to cause much concern: vigorous meas
ures, however, have been pursued regard
ing these unlawful occupants of the public
domain, and prompt steps taken looking to
the institution of civil or criminal proceed
ings against them
Timber on the unreserved public lands
cannot now be properly protected existing
| laws relating thereto, and especially the act
of June 3. 1878. known as the timber and
stone act. If not repealed or radically
amended, will result ultimately in the COM
ple.te destruction Of the. timber on the I'M
appropriated and tirreserved public lands.
| The situation demands the passage of the
remedial legislation on this subject herein
after mentioned. IL ala
Questions of Industrial Policy.
Under the act of January IA. 1898 CO
| Stat. L. $40. the Chippewa Indians failed
| to receive the full amount of money to
| which they were entitled from the proceeds
| of the sales of timber on their ceded lands
| in Minnesota, owing to improper classical
| ton Of lands to fictitious values Of timber
| fixed by incompetent est imators and frauds
perpetrated by the Contractors for the
handling Of the timber Under the act of
| June q. 1882. enacted by Congress upon
the recommendation Of the department,
| timber will be sold only under sealed bids
! and not at public action. The measurement
thereof VIII hereafter be made at the stump.
| and none is to be removed until it has been
| cut, banked and scaled where cut; the
| quantity, as per scale, to be paid for at the
price bid per 1000 feet, fnsuring to the In
| dams full value for their property, result
| which 1t was not practicable to obtain I'M
| der the administration of the old law.
| In the Indian service regulations have
| been adopted providing for the considera-
| ton Of sealed bids for leases of Indian
| grazing lands, and awards made to the
| highest responsible bidder, thereby securing
| to the Indians just return for the use of
| the leased lands. Under the old method of
| permitting the tribes to Unfortunately en-
| ter into contracts for the of their lands
| such a result was not practicable.
| Agreements have been negotiated with
the five civilized tribes Of Indian territory
/ whereby just allotments of land can be
| made to them in seyeralty. Provision has
been made for the leasing of coal. asphalt
and other minerals in the Seminole. Creek
| and Cherokee nations. respectively and
| also for the sale of coal and asphalt lands
in the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, re-
| spectively, in such manner as to protect
the interests Of all parties. definite time
has been fixed for the closing of the citizen
| ship rolls of the several Indian tribes. as a
| result of which. in all probability, 1t will be
| practicable for the five civilized tribes COM
| lO llidliy ClOSe It's IN III LILO lcI
| ritory within the next two years."
Following this summary. Secretary Hitch
| cock discusses the work Of the several bu-
reaus Of the department as follows:
"squatting" on Extended Scale.
There is now pending before Congress a
| bill entitled A bill to provide for the leas-
ing. for grazing purposes. Of the vacant
public domain. and reserving all rights Of
homestead and mineral entry. the rentals to
| be special fund for irrigation
SHOULD that bill become law. the public
domain in the sixteen states and territories
mentioned therein. aggregating an area OF
| 525, 900 900 acres, practically all OF the va
cant public domain west Of the Mississippi,
would be subject to lease at cents per
acre for ten years, with a privilege OF re-
| newal for ten years more. During the last
| fiscal year there were made within that
area 53,654 original homestead entries and
27,904 final homestead entries, embracing
| persons; and during the present fiscal year
indications are that more entries VIII be
made, Affecting more people, and embracing
| greater acreage. 1t is needless to say
| that such bill, If enacted into law, would
place the last acre of desirable public land
| out of the reach Of the home seeker and
defeat the purpose of the government 10
preserve the public domain for homes Tor
| actual settlers. 80.
I'm Nebraska It Is alleged that large
part Of the public domain is under fence In
some manner or other. and that the home
stead law Is practically dead letter what
Is known as hobo fling, the making OF
entries by tramps and other irresponsible
persons in the interest. Of those desiring to
obtain large quantttfeshof public lands for
grazing purposes sso MS averred' is there
"The department q using every effort.
with the limited f6fce AT its command. to
break up this practice have the fences re-
moved and the land illegally tnclosed
thrown open to Occupation by actual set
tiers, and the trespassefs brought to justice.
| Dehes the Government.
'In the TerritoryM New Mexico 1,07e,ooo
acres of public lands Dire embraced within
the unlawful inclasutes Of the Interstate
Land Company. Endsr representations to
this department that its order to remove
said fence by April /. 1902. would prevent
| the execution by the company OF contracts
| to deliver large quantities OF stock on june
| l. in that removal 81 the fences would
cause an intermingliaE Of the herds and
great financial loszI the President author
lied an extension of, time for the removal
of said fences to July j, 1902.
The understanding was that the FENCES
| would be removed at that date. They were
| not removed then, and said company mani
tests no disposition to remove them. In
fact. it's attitude is one OF defiance and OF
| NIT ort for flxo 1oy NJ