Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-01-12
oregon national Guard


ey. The act of congress approved Jan
uary 81, 1908, for promoting the efa.
cheney of the militia has done muck
to bring about this result, but this
high character and standing Of the Of
ficers and men composing the guard
have played the most important part
therein. Representing as they do evl
cry trade and calling of our CONNER
ciql and industrial life, they may safe
ly be relied upon to perform any duty
assigned to them by state or nation.
Indian War Veterans
The appropriation made at the last#
session of abe Legislature for the pay
ment of the amounts due the v0ianf
teers who served in the Indian wars OF
1S55-1S56 was insufficient for that pur1
pose Claims were paid as they were
presented until the appropriation was
exhausted Many have been presented
since, and to pay them all will required
an additional appropriation of about
$4,000.
These brave old pioneers have wait
ed long to have Justice done them by
the state for faithful and efiicienlA
service rendered in ''times that tried
men s. souls" They are rapidly pass
ing away, and if anything is to be dont
for them it ought to be done now, els,
it will bo too late Their claims ought
to be paid, and the amount appropriate
ed for this purpose should be certified
to our senators and representative
with the request that they urge con
gress to reimburse the state therefore
Health ofices.
He renews recommendation of twtN
years ago for the ab0lishment of the
state quarantine service because hs
feels that their establishment and
maintenance along the coast come,
more properly within the iurisdictioif
of the federal authorities.
Public Lands.
Upon assuming the duties of the ex
ecutive Office l at once turned my att
tention to n rectifcation, so far al
possible, of the abuses which had
grown out Of the methods in vogue fo
lisposing Of the public lands, and
feel safe in saying that my efforts N
this direction have been measurably
successful.
The Offices of state land agent and
clerk OF the state land board havs'
been practically consolidated within th
last two years, and the state land agen
has done nothing during this administ
tration that is not to be found of res.f
ord in the Office of the clerk of thf
state land board. Arrangements ard
now in progress TO have the forme
move into the Office of the latter ant
| rearrange the remnants of records thn
were found there two years ago, q
that il will be possible from an I'M
pection of the records TO ascertain a
"a glance the present status OF everI
acre of land in the state.
The state land agent and Ilork oA
the state land board have devoted mucl
" their time to strengthening out th +
tangle into which the records Of bot +
offices have become involved becaus I
If the lack OF unity of action betwee
the two. This task was carefully b..
gun under the administration of Mi
III. w. Morrow, and has been scrupI
lously and persistently followed by hi
successor, Mr.. Oswald West, TO whom
rs well as to Mr.. George g. Brow
clerk of the state land board, niue
credit Is due for bringing order OF
Of what at first seemed hopeless chao
The lands granted to the state upo
it's admission TO the union for educt
tiOnal and other purposes have bee
practically all disposed Of, and thoe
that remain are Of little value con
pared with those that have been sole
IL might be interesting to review th +
Legislation of the state as affectin +
those lands which have been sold an
TO point out how profitable such LEI
islation has been TO spectators an b
how costly TO the irredueible schos
i E,,k at u
late date do no good, and I contei
myself with dealing with condition s
found them and as they are at pre-
ent.
The grant to tho state OF the al +
teenth and thirty-sixth section in o.
cry township for school purposes di L
not carry with IL the title to those SO
tions which were known to be mon
valuable for mineral than for oths
purposes at the date Of the surve
land for every mineral section lost I
the state it had the right to select 4
demnity lands in lieu thereof. Hei
was rich field for exploitation / n
the speculator in mineral base, and
seems to have been farmed out TO pr
vate enterprise. During the -four yea
prior to 1908, application was made
the executive to the several local lar
offices for adjudication of about 5000
acres of so.called mineral base, abol j
10000 acres Of which had been 80 4
in place by the state land board pri /
10 this attempted adjudication, al
title had passed from the state. eth
by deed or certificate Of sale. All
these lands were returned as miner
and without waiting for n final dete
mination by the general land depai
ment at Washington about 10000 acr
so adiudged as mineral by the loc
land Offices were used as bases for
demnity selections and the seleetio =
sold by the state at the uniform pri
Of $3.50 per acre. While these adjuC
cations were progressing, and afte
wnrda nhont 2h.0OO nereR Mere HOld 4