Year: 1869

AAcpOSs VI sn0 secretary OF tho Intorlpgh


We publish to-day the report or the Seerss
tary Of tho Interior, giving the salient points n
the management Of that department for tho lass
fiscal year. We have some interesting statIs-
tics Of the sale Of public lands, Of which moro
than seven and half millions Of acres were
disposed Of; million acres more than last
year. 1t Is worthy of notice and well to know
that there has been a large increase Of land
entered under the Homestead law, amounting
to nearly half million acres moro than last
year. With regard to the management of the
Patent ONCE Secretary Cox urges the repeal ol
all laws which authorize an appeal from the
decision of the Commissioner of Patents on av.
plications for letters patent and in Interference
cases. Referring to the subject OF pensions
the report states the curious fact that there ID
not single soldier of the Revolutionary war
living to claim pension, while there are
eight hundred and eighty-seven Revolutionary
soldiers widows surviving and drawing
pensions. Within the last year only one Of
these widows died, the number on the rolls
then being eight hundred and eighty-elght.
The total number Of pensions on the roll Is one
hundred and eighty-seven thousand nine
hundred and sixty-three, and the total
amount disbursed was over twenty y-eight mill
lions dollars. F0t the prevention of the In
Vulnerable frauds which have infested tho
pension bureau the Secretary recommends
that pension agents should be paid by fixed
salary, and the present system Of per centags
on the money disbursed should be abolished
q point upon which we think the Secretayy ID
right.


Indian affairs, of course, absorb q good
portion Of the report. The red man Is one Of
the difficulties Of the government. Mr. Cox,
however, thinks that the present Quaker sys-
tenn Of dealing with him is an excellent one.
and is quite satisfied with the work the Friends
have already done. The employment Of unat.
tached army officers as Indian agents he alse
approves Of, on the score Of economy. The
old idea ofgathering the tribes on reservations
and civilizlng them, and even giving them
. representation In Congress, is advanced;
but the trouble is that we have been trying
this plan for many years and have as yet had
but little success, except with the Cher0keeS.
Pottawottamies Osages and few other tribes.
The Secretary reaches the real cause of the
difficulty in this respect when he says that tho
want Of appropriations to fulfil our treaties
with the Indians is the chief obstacle in the
way of peace. The fact is that our agents
and commissioners promise too much and
perform too little. The savage is distrustfal.
If he makes bargain with the white man he
expects him to keep his word, and If disap-
pointed he becomes unmanageable. The SUBJ
jects of education and Of the census also
occupy brief space in the report. The Union
Pacific Railroad completed one hundred and
sixty-fve miles Of road and telegraph during
the last fiscal year, and in the regularity Of
running trains and general management makes
altogether fair show, according to tho report
of the commissioners.


The present Secretary has had but q brief
experience in office, but his report is, never.
theless, full and satisfactory.