Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-11
INTERIOR ORDEPARTMENT WORK
Secretary Hitchcock Reports on Events
During Last Twelve Months
BUSY TIMES FOR ALL THE employees
Land Frauds, Indian Affairs and Irri-
gatiOn Furnish Greater Part of
Labor Aside from ROu-
tine Business.


tine Business.
WASHINGTON, Dec 10-In his annual B
report Secretary Hitchcock of the Interior
department says:
There has been no diminution in the vol
ume of work coming into the deparInlentl
during the period covered by this report |
on the contrary, the past year mas been |
characterized by an increaSe-notably 80 I
in the patent office the geological survey; ,,!S
the reclamation service, the general lahu /
Office and the secretary's otdce-necesslcc
tating in some instances the extension OI
the hours of labor, as well as an lhcreaSe ,,'au'
in the number of employees. The Wotk'
however, / am gratifled to be able TO statc,
has been expeditiously dispatched, ana ,e tlee
public business may be regarded as "eii
in hand. -,
The unusual activity in the public land
service referred to in my last annnai annltn,a re- re-
port has not abated The prosecution OF
all persons conspiring to defraud the gov
ernment Of it's public lands is being COR
tinued with vigor, as is shown by the tacI
that 400 persons have been indicted in the
various land states and territories Tor tne
violation of the public land laws, elghty-
nine have been convicted and indictments
are still pending against 40l. .,,-
THE zeal with which the officers OF thls
department and the Department OF JusulUe
are looking into these matters rs COn.
stantlyi uncoverlng new cases that arr
startling in character, but1t ts tne poltCS
Of the administration to continue tnesi m1tii
vestigations and prosecutions nnli nniiI
proper respect for the properly rlEhts Oh
the government and regard for the Jaw
are established thrOughout those secIlons
of the country in which such laws apply
Law OmciaIs Involved.
The Importance of our great public do
| main to the people cannot be overestl-
mated. 1t is to be regretted, however,
| that the efforts made to release II Iroan t
| the grip of it's despoilers have been met
| bv every embarrassment that human In
| genuity could devise powerful influences
| have been concerned and nave not s Iesi,
! tated to aggressively exert every agency
\ that could be commanded to weaken lhs
hand of the law; even local lana ONCE
! officials have been subservient TO such IN
/ huences and the punishment imposed by
! the courts has, in many cases, been so
! conspicuously inadequate as to epcouIage
rather than deter violations of the law.
! Whether this official stagnation Is due IN
! any degree to local political influences 10
| which these officials are more or less ln-
| debted for their commissions and the re-
| tention of their positions is not impoT-
| tant to discuss at this time, IT being SUM-
! Client to state that IT is depiorapie rae
| bringing reproach upon the puDllc seIEicS'
besides enhancing the difficulties whlcn
( beset the administration in any eHorts
| that It may make to rescue the public do
| main from serious peril
Law Invites Fraud.
1t is not possible for persons and corpo-
rations of great influence and power 70
MAINTAIN measures Oh the pubic ldhus III
out thereby encouraging others 10 40 IKE
wise, and here it may be properly noteu
that reports on file in the depar%tInenl % IN IN
dicate that approximately 6OOOO acres anu
more of the public domain in certain states
and territories are by unlawful means ap-
propriated TO the exclusive use OF private
interests for private gain
Until, therefore, the opportunities afforded
for the fraudulent acqulslhon aot puDHc
lands by the timber and stone act tact
| of June 3, 1873 20 Stat H. S9), the desert
land acts (act of March g. 1871, ~ stat l.,
377, as amended by the act of March = 1871,
! e Stat. L., 1885,, and the communication
clause Of the homestead law (section 250l
of the revised statutes, as amended py
section of the act OF March 8, 1871, ~
| Stat L.. 1923, and the act of June 9, 1885,
! 20 Stat. L., 1870, are removed by the re-
} peal or modification of those measures,
! the government may expect TO e1pend us
} money and energy In apprenendlng ano
; convictng those seeking to defraud 1t out
Z of its public lands -,
3 MY official influence in this matter will
soon terminate but l shall have the COM
, fort in retiring from the public service oi
, a we'll founded conviction that the action
I of the president relative to this class oi
l lawlessness will be so rigorous as to enable
r my successor to successfully administer
! the law.
: There was disposed Of during the fiscal
year ended June 3d. 1906 public lands ag'
gregating 49, 431, 1914 acres, classified as fol
, lows: Cash sales, 1,774,341.6Si miscellaneous
: entries, embracing homesteads, land war.
rants scrip locations swamp lands, railroad
: and, wagon road selections, Indian allot
mehts, etc, 175n, ,102,53 acres, and Indiar
lands, S5,743a acres showing an increase
=, ! of 2S74565.20 acres as compared with the
aggregate disposals for the preceding fsca
year
year from various sources, including dis
posal of public land, amounted to $652S,
v 4U.SS, and Indian lands, $751; $3.50; from
:, depredatipns on Indian lands, S8S0.4 from
q sales of timber, sl25; from sales of gov
nishing copies of records and plats $50, ,225
= aggregate, S,5S5 $3.50 an increase of 1861,
!, 71252 compared with the preceding hsca
n year.
l. In the Indian service the policy Of in
IT ducng able-bodied Indians TO seek employ
L ment outside Of their reservations, wher
e they have no prontable work al home an
e as white men do in the open labor market
n has been made a prominent feature Of In
le dian civilization during the last year. A
10 employment bureau for the purpose o
N finding Indians who want work and O
N providing work for those who desire II, wa
IN established last year In the southwest
under the care OF Charles E. Dagenett a
D. Albuquerque, n. NJ, and the results so ia
" have been most encouraging. A simlla
v effort Is being made In the northwes
Of notably at Pine Ridge, s. d.. where ther
80 are about 900 able bodied adult male IN
g dians, $50 Of whom are at work outside q
ID the reservation on railroads, irrigatio
so bitches and on farms or herding sheep
ne Allotments Of land In severalty are bein
X made as rapidly as possible. the fun fore
" OF alloting agents being constantly at wor
re in the field. The leasing OF allotted an
e unallotted lands is conducted under II
n supervision Of the department and contir
~ ues to be a source Of considerable revenu
" to the Indians. Logging opera tions on sey
u eral OF the reservations in the northwe
have been carried on under rePuia tions Al
81 proved by the secretary OF the interior wit
hi Increasing proft TO the Indians. This irr
- cation OF Indian reservations and allo
u, ments in the arid sections has been vigo
~ ousv prosecuted during the year with vel
gratifying results
10 Protecting the Land.
VI" An average OF about seventy-hve specI
agents OF the general land ofice were er
o. ployed during the year In investigatiI
alleged fraudulent land entries and othe
wise in protecting the public lands fro
timber trespass or illegal appropriation.
on July j, 1906, there were i65 90 entri
and filings awaiting reports from speci
4. agents or action upon reports already +
ceived or hearings had under such report
Ell During the last fiscal year there were =
he ceived S.517 entries and filings requiring /
20 vestigation. OF the total number 2l
- were cancelled, 3s29 approved for pater
'rt and 1853 were relieved from suspensi
.ry and otherwise disposed OF. leaving lR1
he entries and filings pending June so le
During the year 1850 entries were held I
TOT cancellation or suspended on special aFent
reports and 400 hearings were ordered