CONGRESS. (TiiE PRF.SIDKNT'S MKSSAOK.) 



187 



tion iii tin; National I. cL'Maturc, it* people not citi- 

 :* a startling uiioinaly. 



ms in me In lie inevitable that there shall be 



lonir some organic changes in tlic relation of 



these people to the lulled States. What t'onil these 



changes should take 1 <lo not think it desirable now 



U> Mildest, even it'tllev Were well defined ill HIV own 

 iniiiil. They should certainly involve the acceptance 

 of citizenship by the Indians and a representation in 

 Congress. These Indians should have opportunity 

 to present their claims and grievances ii|>on the floor 

 rather than, as now, in the lohby. If a commission 

 could l>e appointed t" visit these tribes to confer with 

 them in a friendly spirit upon this whole subject, 

 even it' no agreement were presently reached, the 

 feeling ot' th" tribes upon this question would lie de- 

 veloped and discussion would prepare the way for 

 changes which must come sooner or later. 



Tin- i_'ood work of reducing the larger Indian reser- 

 vations, by allotments in severally to the Indians and 

 the cession ot the remaining lands to the United 

 States tor disposition under the homestead law, has 

 been prosecuted during the year with energy and sue- 

 In September last 1 was enabled to open to 

 settlement in the Territory of Oklahoma 900,0oo acres 

 ot' land, all of which was taken up by settlers in a 

 single day. The rush for these lands was accompa- 

 nied by a great deal of excitement, but was, happily, 

 tree from incidents of violence. 



It was a source of great regret that I was notable 

 to open at the same time the surplus lands of the 

 Cheyenne and Arapahoe Reservation, amountiiit; to 

 about 3,000,000 acres, by reason of the insufficiency of 

 the appropriation for making the allotments. De- 

 serving and impatient settlers are waiting to occupy 

 these lands, and I urgently recommend that a special 

 deficiency appropriation be promptly made of the 

 small amount needed, so that the allotments may be 

 completed and the surplus lands opened in time to 

 permit the settlers to get upon their homesteads in lin- 

 early spring. 



During the past summer the Cherokee Commission 

 have completed arrangements with the Wichita, 

 Kickapoo, and Tonkawa tribes, whereby, if the agree- 

 ments are ratified by Congress, over 800,000 additional 

 acres will be open to settlement in Oklahoma. 



The negotiation for the release bv the Cherokees of 

 their claim to the Cherokee Strip fias made no sub- 

 stantial progress, so far as the department is officially 

 advised, hut it is still hoped that the cession of this 

 lanre and valuable tract may be secured. The price 

 which the commission was* authorized to offer one 

 dollar and a quarter per acre -is, in my judgment, 

 when all the circumstances as to title and the char- 

 a.'tcr of the lands are considered, a fair and adequate 

 one and should have been accepted by the Indians. 



Since March 4, 1889, about _'.".. U>0 acres have 



been separated fi Indian reservations and added to 



the public domain for the use of those who desired to 

 >eciire five homes under our beneficent laws. It is 

 difficult to estimate the increase of wealth which will 

 ivMilt from the conversion of these waste lands into 

 farms, but it is more difficult to estimate the better- 

 ment which will result to the families that have 

 found renewed hope and courage in the ownership 

 of a home and the assurance of a comfortable sub- 

 sistence under free and healthful conditions. It is 

 also ^ratifying to be able to feel, as we may, that this 

 work has proceeded upon lines .if justice toward the 

 Indian, and that he may now, if he will, secure to 

 himself the go.,d influences of a settled habitation, 

 the fruits of industry, and the security of citizenship. 



Karly in this administration a special effort was be- 

 gun to hriiii; up the work of the General Land Office. 

 By faithful work the arrearages have been rapidly 

 reduced. At the end of the last fiscal year only 84,- 

 17'J final agricultural entries remained undisposed of, 

 and the commissioner reports that, with the present 

 tore., the work can be fully brought up by the end of 

 the next fiscal year.. 

 Your attention is called to the difficulty presented 



by the Secretary of the Interior an to the administra- 

 tion of the law of March 8, 1891, establishing a < 'ourt 

 of Private Land Claims. The small holding in- 

 tended to be protected by the law are estimated to IM: 

 more than fifteen thousand in number. The claim- 

 ants arc a most deserving class and their titles are 

 supported by the strongest equities. The difficulty 

 grows out of the fact that the lands have largely been 

 surveyed according to our methods, while the' hold- 

 ings, many of which have been in the same familv 

 for generations, are laid out in narrow strijw a few- 

 rods wide upon a stream and running back to the 

 hills for pasturairc and timber. I'rov sions should be 

 made for numbering these tracts as lots and for pa- 

 tenting them by such numbers, and without reference 



to section lilies. 



The administration of the Pension Bureau has been 

 characterized during the year by great diligence. The 

 total number of pensioners upon the roll on the 80th 

 day of June, 1891, was 676,160. There were allowed 

 during the fiscal year ending at that time li.'.o.;,.,.-, 

 cases. Of this number, 102,387 were allowed under 

 the law of June 27, 1890. The issuing of certificates 

 has been proceeding at the rate of about 30,000 per 

 month, about 75 per cent, of these hein.' cases under 

 the new law. The commissioner expresses the opin- 

 ion that he will be able to carefully adjudicate 

 and allow 350,000 claims during the present fiscal 

 year. The appropriation for the payment of pension,, 

 for the fiscal year 1890-'91 was $*1 27,685,7 93.89 and 

 the amount expended $118,580,649.25, leaving an un- 

 expended surplus of $9,155,144.64. 



The commissioner is quite confident that there will 

 be no call this year for a deficiency appropriation, 

 notwithstanding the rapidity with which the work is 

 being pushed. The mistake which has been made by 

 many in their exaggerated estimates of the cost of 

 pensions is in not taking account of the diminished 

 value of first payments under the recent legislation. 

 These payments, under the general law, have been 

 for many years very large, as the pensions, when al- 

 lowed, dated from the time of filing thi 1 claim, and 

 most of these claims have been pending for 

 The first payments under the law of June, 1890, are 

 relatively small, and, as the per cent, of these cases 

 increases and that of the old cases diminishes, the 

 annual aggregate of first payments is largely reduced. 

 The commissioner, under date of Nov. 13, furnishes 

 me with the statement that during the last four 

 months 113,175 certificates were issued, 27,893 under 

 the general law and 8.v_'82 under the act of June 

 J7. 1*!0. The average first pavment during these 

 four months was $131.85, while the average first pay- 

 ment upon cases allowed during the year ending June 

 80, 1891, was $239.33, being a reduction in the aver- 

 age first paymenbuluring these four months of $107.48. 



The estimate tor pension expenditures for the fiscal 

 year eiidinir .Mine ,'50, 1893, is $144,950,000, which, after 

 a careful examination of the subject, the commissioner 

 is of the opinion will be sufficient. While these dis- 

 bursements to the disabled soldiers of the great civil 

 war are laix'c, they do not realize the exaggerated 

 estimates of those who oppose this beneficent legisla- 

 tion. The Secretary of the Interior shows with great 

 fullness the care that is taken to exclude fraudulent 

 claims, and also the gratify inir fact that the persons to 

 whom these pensions arc going are men who rendered, 

 not slight, but substantial war service. 



The report of the Commissioner of Railroads shows 

 that the total debt of the subsidi/ed railroads to the 

 Tinted States was, on Dec. 81, 18!>0, $llSli.tt&M. A 

 lar-rc part of this debt is now fast approaching matu- 

 rity, with DO adequate provision for its payment. Some 

 policy for dcalinir w ith this debt, with a view to its 

 ultimate collection, should be lit once adopted. It U 

 very difficult, well-nigh impossible, for so large a body 

 as the Congress to conduct the necessary negotiations 

 and investigations. I therefore recommend that pro- 

 vision be made for the appointment of a commission 

 t<> a'.Tcc upon and report a plan for dealing with this 

 debt. 



