UNITED STATES. 



777 



bia, and rejected it by substantially the same 

 vote as at the preceding session. The Presi- 

 dent then named James M. Trotter, of Massa- 

 chusetts, who was confirmed without difficulty. 

 In November Commissioner William A. J. 

 Sparks tendered his resignation as head of the 

 General Land-Office, in consequence of diffi- 

 culties arising between him and Secretary La- 

 mar. S. M. Stockslager, of Indiana, was nom- 

 inated to succeed him. 



In the diplomatic service an understanding 

 was reached with Austria regarding her re- 

 fusal to receive Minister Keiley, and Gen. 

 Alexander R. Lawton, of Georgia, was ap- 

 pointed in April to the post at Vienna, which 

 had been vacant for over a year in consequence 

 of this refusal. About the same time the va- 

 cancy at the court of Turkey, caused by the 

 resignation of Samuel S. Cox, was filled by the 

 appointment of Oscar S. Strauss, of New York. 

 New ministers resident and consuls -general 

 were appointed to Liberia and Corea during 

 the year. 



But little outside of the ordinary routine oc- 

 curred in the general administration during 

 the year. One Executive act, however, aroused 

 much discussion. This was the order direct- 

 ing the return to the States of flags captured 

 from the Confederates during the war which 

 are now stored in the War Department at 

 Washington. The order was made upon the 

 suggestion of the Adjutant-General, and with 

 the concurrence of the officers of the War De- 

 partment. No sooner had it been published 

 than indignant protests arose throughout the 

 Northern States from the men whose bravery 

 and toil had won these trophies, and to whom 

 they were invested with peculiar value. The 

 action so exasperated some of the veterans of 

 the Grand Army of the Republic as to pro- 

 voke intemperate threats against the Execu- 

 tive. But it was soon discovered that these 

 flags had become, by capture, public property, 

 which could not be disposed of by Executive 

 decree, but required an act of Congress. Find- 

 ing, therefore, that his act was not only ill- 

 advised but nugatory, the President hastened 

 to recall it, and to assure the country that it 

 had been prompted only by patriotic motives, 

 and in the hope that it would accord with the 

 general feelings of conciliation hitherto ex- 

 pressed between the two sections. 



In the department of foreign relations, new 

 postal conventions were arranged during the 

 year with Mexico and Jamaica, and an agree- 

 ment was reached with Spain by which each 

 country abolished the discriminating duties 

 against the commerce of the other. The Presi- 

 dent's proclamation abolishing these duties 

 was issued on September 26. On the 29th of 

 the same month the President appointed R. B. 

 Angell, of Michigan, and W. L. Putnam, of 

 Maine, commissioners, with the Secretary of 

 State, to meet representatives of England and 

 Canada, for the purpose of settling the Cana- 

 dian fisheries dispute. (See FISHEHIES.) The 



representatives of England were Hon. Joseph 

 Chamberlain and Sir Lionel Sackville West, 

 British Minister at Washington ; the Canadian 

 representative was Sir Charles Tupper. The 

 commission began its session in Washington 

 late in November, and, after deliberations last- 

 ing over a month, perfected a new treaty, the 

 provisions of which had not been published at 

 the close of the year. 



Public Lands. The number of acres of land 

 disposed of during the fiscal year, under the 

 various acts of Congress authorizing sales, en- 

 tries, and selections, aggregates 25,111,40084, 

 of which 746,637'29 acres were Indian lands, 

 5,511,807-33 railroad selections, and 2,109,431-- 

 43 selections under other grants ; the aggre- 

 gate amount showing an increase of 4,862,524'- 

 55 acres as compared with the previous year. 

 The receipts from disposal of the public lands 

 were $10,783,921.72; from sales of Indian 

 lands, $1,484,302.30 ; a total of $12,268,224.02 ; 

 an increase over the previous year of $3,247,- 

 727.08. 



During the year the Secretary of the Interior 

 instituted special investigations into the status 

 of the various grants of indemnity lands to 

 railroads under different acts of Congress, with 

 a view to restoring to the public domain such 

 lands as had been forfeited by non-compliance 

 with the conditions of the grant. He found 

 that, notwithstanding these indemnity with- 

 drawals were made exclusively for the interests 

 of the company, few of these, if any of them, 

 constructed their roads within the time pre- 

 scribed in the granting act. Maps of " proba- 

 ble," "general," "designated," and " definite " 

 routes of the roads were filed with rapidity in 

 the department, and withdrawals thereunder 

 asked and almost invariably granted, until the 

 public-land States and Territories were grid- 

 ironed over with railroad granted and indem- 

 nity limits; and in many instances the limits 

 of one road overlapped and conflicted with 

 other roads. Accordingly, on May 23, the Sec- 

 retary issued orders to various companies to 

 show cause before a certain date why grants to 

 them should not be revoked. The objections 

 of such remonstrants as appeared were consid- 

 ered, and a decision given by the department 

 on August 13. Two days later orders were is- 

 sued revoking grants made to about thirty dif- 

 ferent companies, restoring to the Government 

 and opening for settlement an area estimated 

 at 21,323,600 acres, or equal in size to the State 

 of Maine. In addition to this, there was can- 

 celed for various causes, from March 4, 1885, 

 to Oct. 1, 1886, a total of 24.339,794 acres of 

 entries or grants. The work of destroying un- 

 lawful inclosures of the public land by cattle 

 owners upon the plains also progressed suc- 

 cessfully during the year, about 5.000,000 

 acres being thus reclaimed. 



Indians. The statistics compiled from the 

 annual reports of the various Indian agents 

 represent that, of the remaining 173,600 In- 

 dians under their supervision, about 58,000 



