Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1884 — INTERIOR DEPARTMENT [ARTICLE]

INTERIOR DEPARTMENT

Secretary Teller's Annnal Report—The Indians and Man-ual-Labor Schools. ; The Homestead Question Discussed— Be peal of Pre-emption Laws Becommended. Needs of the Pension Bureau—The Indebtedness of the Pacific Railroads. In submitting hi* third and last annnal report of the operations of the department,' the Secretary of the Interior renews recommendations of former reports, so far as there may be necessity therefor, and makes each suggestions as experience and observation have shown that the public interest demands. In viewing the Indian question, he maintains that judicious treatment of the Indian question will prevent the recurrence of hostilities between the rod and the white men. In support of thl. opinion, he cites the fact that there have been no recent outbreaks. In the face of lnadeanate appropriations the work of educating the Indians has been poshed vigorously. live boarding schools and twelve day schools were erected during the year, making the total number eighty-one boardingschools, seventy-six day-schools, and six schools of industrial labor. These find a strong auxiliary in sectarian schools. All the institutions are doing good work, bat they will not be able to obtain tbeir full efficiency until some system is devised by which the educated Indians can put to use the intelligence they have gained, Instead of allowing it to fall into disuse while they lapse into their former modes of life. Speaking of this defect, the Secretary says: "It has been the great object of the department in dealing with the Indian to make him selfsupporting. When an Indian yonth has been taught to labor he is self-supporting, if an opportunity is presented to him to secure employment. One great difficulty met with is, that when the young of both sexes return to the agency there is no remunerative employment for them. They lack capital to open and cultivate a farm, and if they have acquired a troft, they find no employment of that character. It is as necessary that some employment should be secured for them as it is to teach them to labor. An Indian educated at Government expense should not be allowed rations, but should receive encouragement to labor by donations of stook, implements of agriculture, etc., and then be compelled to take care of himself. He has the knowledge that enables him to make his living. Give him an opportunity, and if he fails, let him give way to those of his race who will work and lire. If, however, the Indian boy or girl prefer to go out among the whites as a laborer, the Government should encourage and aid them so to do. A little money expended in that way will save a large amount that otherwise must be expended in their support. It ought to be the primary object of our dealing with the Indian to make him dependent on himself, and not on the Government; throw him on his own resources, with such aid only as is occasionally needed and a 3 honesty and good faith on our part demands. All educated Indians should be citizens of the United States, and I suggest that those who shall complete the regular course at the several manual-labor schools be given citizenship without their incurring the risk of a forfeiture of their interest in either tribal lands dr tribal funds."

In reviewing the wort: of the General Land Office the Secretary repeats much of the data given by the Land Commissioner in his report recently published. He accepts the Commissioner’s opinion that the pre-emption and timber culture laws should be repealed. The Secretary deplores the waste of the public domain and its absorption by syndicates, and accepts the views of the Land Commissioner as follows: “It is my opinion that the time has fully arrived when wastefnlness in the disposal of public lands shall cedse, and the portion still remaining should be economized for the use of actual settlers only. An act reserving the public lands, except mineral lands and timber reserves, for entry exclusively under the homestead laws, and amending the homestead laws so as to prevent the present easy evasion of wise restrictions and essential requirements, would be a measure meeting this end, and answering a pronounced public demand.” The Secretary urges a severe overhauling of the laws in relation to the taxation on railroad lands. He says: “I again call attention to the necessity for some legislation to compel the railroad companies having earned the land granted to them to take a patent therefor, so that the States or Territories in which such lands lie may have the benefits derived from taxing the lands within their boundaries. By the failure of the companies to pay the costs of surveying, transfer, eta, and apply for patents, a large amount of lands granted to and held by railroad companies under the rulings and decisions of the Supreme Court are substantially relieved from State taxation and contribute nothing to the fair support of the burden and revenue of the local governments, and at the same time deny to the General Government the due’eompensation provided by law for the surveys already extended over a portion of the lands and the benefit of the enlarged appropriations intended to secure further surveys along the line of the roads: Experience has shown that Instead of aiding the Government and facilitating the survey and sale of the publio lands along the routes, and the consequent settlement of the- country, the provision has operated to retard such laudable results, and also has served to enable the companies to obtain such valuable parcels of land as they may find speedy profit in selling, thus imposing the full burden of taxation upon their grantees and other settlets who purchase lands in the same neighborhood, while refusing to take the patents for the larger body of less valuable lands upon which such burden would fall in the hands of the companies themselves. It to earnestly to be desired that some means of adjustment of these grants, as a whole, be provided, or some method devised which shall under cover of legislative authority, not qnly remedythe evil suagested.but enable this department to reach a finality as to the titles to be conveyed to these corporations at the earliest practicle moment, and thus relieve an anxious and excited public feeling, already sufficiently aroused, upon the various difficult and complicated questions connected with the administration of this momentous and important brafech of public affairs. To this end, I most urgently recommend that the prompt and serious attention of Congress be invited to the foregoing suggestions, and that the several companies be compelled to take patents for the lands earned, and to pay for the surveys made in accordance with the provisions of the statutes heretofore cited.” In support of his position, the Secretary submits the following statement of the estimated number of acres of land granted to railroad companies by the acts of July 1, 1862, and July 2, 1864, the number of acres on which the cost of surveying has been paid to Nov. 11, 1884, the estimated cost of the survey of the remainder of the grants, and the number of acres patented to the companies named np to June 30, 1884:

Estimated ” Acres in Cost of snr“ Name of Company. acres - ' Acres Cost of remainder veying re- Acres patgranted. surveyed, surveying, of grants, .maiiider. ented. Union Pacifio 13,222,40 3 2,302,817] $51,842.39 10,019,583 $370,905.79 2,305,024.64 Kansas Pacific, sue. 2 , . to Kas. Pacific... 6,000,000 1,530,537 31,041.07 4,469,463 ~ 127,626. 64 963,714.03 Union Pacific, sue. Denver Pacific... 1,024,000 221,942 9,304.67 802,058 1 84,50100 164,721.51 Central Branch of Union Pacific... 1,160,000 265,684 5,196.97 894,316 1 17,492.58 187,444.99 Central Pacific.... 9,248,200 1,006,881 68,787.23 8,241,319 * 411,732.37 814,344.08 Central Pacific.suo. , - ' Western Pacigc.. 1,676,448 , 44§£387 f } 17,397.17 1,128,061 . 43,631.25 446,230.65 Burlington & Mo. • ■ * I *• Riv. in Nebraska 2,882,208 2,378,556 50,515.79 2.878 290 77 Sioux City and Pa- . cifio 45,000 41,398 680.13 3,602 77.80 41,398.23 Totals 34,658,256 8,196,203 « $219,715.32 26,458,402 $1,005,968.48 7,296,1 7L 90

The Secretary speaks of the necessity for. some legislation in reference to lapsed land grants, and says: “The department Is not at liberty to declare a

grant forfeited because the road is sot completed within the time fised in the grant. The Supreme Court of the United States declared in the case of Schoenberg vs. Harr him that a failure to complete the road within the Httm» fixed in the grant did not forfeit the grant. Under this decision the department cannot treat the land so granted to the railroad companies, or to the States for the benefit of such corporations, as public lands; and to all intents and purposes, so far as the public is co cerned, the grants are private property, notwithstanding that the companies In some instances have not even attempted to comply with the conditions of the grant. Complaint to made »■»««■* grants made more than a quarter of a oentury ago are still treated as valid subsisting grants and the settler forbidden to go thereon, although nothing has been done toward the building of the road, which must be built before the railroad company can receive the evidence of the title Riven to it by the Government po many years before. If the grants are not forfeit/ d when there has not been a full compliance with the conditions of the grant, it seems to be just and proper that some provision should be made by which the settlers, who, through ignorance or because they believed such grants had been or would be forfeited, have made settlement on such railroad lands can secure a title through ffcerkiiro&d company or from the Government.” The figures given in Commissioner Dudley’! recent report are repeated, and In oonclnsion the Secretary says: “P erßonß applying for pension prior to July 1, 1880, are entitled to pension from the time of discharge or the death of the person on whose aooount the claim is made, unless the disability occurred after discharge. In all claims made snbsequent to that date the pension must commence from the time of the filing of the application. No good reasons can be given whv the claimants who tile their claims after July 1, 1880, ought not to receive their pensions time of discharge if such disability then existed, or if not then «vriat4n<r from the time such disability originated. I.um? .} nß * tija*«U persons who are' able to establish the right to receive a pension should be treated alike with reference to time of the commencement thereof. It has been urged in favor of this limitation that the large amount of arrears is an inducement to applicants to apply and secure a pension, and that the large amount to be realized is a temptation to commit fraud on the Government by means of false witnesses. The Government has the means of attempted, and Injustice should not be done to the deserving and needy soldier for fear the Government may in some few instances be imposed upon and compelled to pay a pension to which the soldier to not justly entitled. It is impossible for a soldier to secure a pension for disabilities not* existing; b° w e v er, a question whether such disability is or to not the result of service in the line of duty. The rules of the Pension Office for the determination of this question are sufficiently strict, and, with a proper administration of the affairs of that office, verv few pensions will be allowed parties not entitled to receive the same.” The relations of the land-grant railroads to the Government are given in detail, and are comprised in the following summaries. The accounts with the Pacific roads as to monevs actually covered in to their credit, but taking no account of the moneys in the sinking fund held by the United States Treasurer or of the compensation for services not settled at the time, are as follows:

Interest repaid by com♦lnterest panies to credit of bond accrued and Interest paid and interest account. Balance of Name of railway.. Princip’l out- notyetpaid by the United interest paid standing, by the Unit’d States. By transpor- By cash by the United States. tation serv- pay 15 $ ct States. ices. net eam’gs Central Pacific.... $26,885,120.00 $776,533.60 $24,229,108.87 $4,784,617.43 $648,271.96 $18,796,219.48 Westem Pacific... 1,970,660.00 69,116.80 1,727,365.74 9,367.00 1,717,998.74 Union Pacific 27,236,612.00 817,095.36 25,774,945.77 10.006,107.79 v ,,.. 16,768,837.98 Kansas Pacific.... 6,303,000.00 189,090.00 6,318,423.09 8,056,291.60 8,263,131.49 Central Branch, Union Pacific.... 1,600,000.00 48,000.00 1,697,808,26 162,401.27 6,926,91 1,428.480.08 Sioux City and Pacifio 1,628,320.00 48,849.60 1,513,147.09 131,138.32 1,382,008.77 Totals. $64,623,512.00 $1,93,8705.361 $61,160,798.82 $18,148,923,41 $655,198.87 $42,356,6'. 6.54

♦Due July 1,1884. The total net indebtedness of the subsidized railroad companies to the Government to as follows: Due from Union Pacific $50,142,090.49 Due from Central Pacific 46,557,045.14 Due from Sioux City and Pacific... 8,159,178.37 Due from Central Branch Union Pacifio 3,076,480.08 Total $102,934,794.08 The sinking-fund accounts of the Union and Central Pacific Companies under the aot of May 7, 1878, amounted on June 30,1884, to $6,084,099.82, the Union Pacifio having to its credit $3,435,576.34 and the Central Pacific $2,648,523.48 Investments have been made in the funded-loan bonds and currency sixes as follows: “Union Pacific, principal, $2,270,000; premium paid, $172,990.43; total, $2,443,090.43. Central Pacific, principal, $1,379,800; premium paid, $179,663.73; total, $1,559,863.73.” There remains uninvested to the credit of the Central Pacific, $1,089,160.75; Union Pacifio, $902,485.91; total, $2,081,643.06, which the Secretary reoommends be Invested at once, so that the several sinking funds may earn a reasonable rate of interest.

The Secretary invites attention to the Bubject of funding the debts of the several Pacific roads, and renews his suggestion that the present mode of payment, being uncertain, be commuted to one of fixed obligations having the same lien. He says: “It is manifest that the act of May 7, 1878, has not adequately accomplished its purpose. It would seem of the highest importance th t Congress take Immediate and final action looking to the ultimate payment of this indebtedness. Under existing laws the debt to steadily 'increasing at the rate of $1,000,000 per annum. I am of opinion that the best method of dealing with this indebtedness would be to authorize the founding of the debt on an extension of time, and to require the payment of fixed amounts at stated periods. In consideration of this extension, the companies should be r quired to file assignments of all earnings already accrued for Government transportation over non-alded portions of their roads. All future earnings for like services over all roads owned, leased, or operated by these companies should be pledged by the terms of the act to the payment of the accruing installments of the debt as they mature. If it be not deemed by Congress expedient to. thus fund the debt, the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury as to the investment of the sinking fund whioh to now confined £o 6 per cent. United States bonds should be enlarged, as the interest of the whole investment thus far made has not yet equaled the premiunto paid for the bonds.”

The Secretary expresses confidence In the civil-sorvioe act,, and says that the experience of one and a half years has shown the system to be a valuable one, wd .one that, should have the support of - both; the- legislative . and the executive departments of the Government. The clerks selected do their wort well, showing that the examinations have been businesslike and practical, and disproving the belief that prevailed to some extent when the act was passed that it would be too technical to be practical. thSjftE* Depart UMnt, census to geological survey, the Bureau of the Yellowstone National Park, the Hot Springs, the Freer,man’s Hospital, the Columbia Institution foe thobeaf jmd l?rtmb, the Hospital for the Insane, tße Arcultecturai Department of the CapKol, the'new Penjsnn .Building, and the reconstruction of the Interior Department MSS***

The cane which President' Lipcon carried on the night of his assassination is now the property of Colonel W. H. Harris, of Cleveland, who was with the President on that fateful night The cane haß a bent top, a dog’s head of ivory, and a narrow gold band on which is engraved "Abraham Lincoln, 1865.”