168 



CONGRESS. (THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



The solution of the Indian problem depends very 

 largely upon good administration. The personal fit- 

 ness of agents and their adaptability to the peculiar 

 duty of caring for their wards is of the utmost im- 

 portance. The law providing that, except in special 

 cases, army officers shall be detailed as Indian agents, 

 it is hoped will prove a successful experiment. 



There is danger of great abuses creeping into the 

 prosecution of claims for Indian depredations, and I 

 recommend that every possible safeguard be provided 

 against the enforcement of unjust and fictitious claims 

 of this description. 



The appropriations on account of the Indian Bureau 

 lor the year ending June 30, 1894, amount to $7,954,- 

 962.99, a decrease as compared with the year preced- 

 ing it of $387,131.95. 



The vast area of land which but a short time ago 

 constituted the public domain is rapidly falling into 

 private hands. It is certain that in the transfer the 

 beneficent intention of the Government to supply 

 from its domain homes to the industrious and worthy 

 home seekers is often frustrated. Though the specu- 

 lator, who stands with extortionate purpose between 

 the Land Office and those who, with their families, are 

 invited by the Government to settle on the public 

 lands, is a despicable character who ought not to be 

 tolerated, yet it is difficult to thwart his schemes. 



The recent opening to settlement of the lands in the 

 Cherokee outlet, embracing an area of 6,500,000 acres, 

 notwithstanding the utmost care in framing the regula- 

 tions governing the selection of locations, and notwith- 

 standing the presence of United States troops, fur- 

 nished an exhibition, though perhaps in a modified de- 

 gree, of the mad scramble, the violence, and the fraud- 

 ulent occupation which have accompanied previous 

 openings of public land. I concur with the Secretary 

 in the belief that these outrageous incidents can not 

 be entirely prevented without a change in the laws 

 on the subject, and I hope his recommendations in 

 that direction will be favorably considered. 



I especially commend to the attention of the Con- 

 gress the statements contained in the Secretary's re- 

 port concerning forestry. The time has come when 

 efficient measures should be taken for the preserva- 

 tion of our forests from indiscriminate and remediless 

 destruction. 



The report of the Secretary of Agriculture will be 

 found exceedingly interesting, especially to that large 

 part of our citizens intimately concerned in agricul- 

 tural occupations. 



On the 7th day of March, 1893, there were upon 

 its pay rolls 2,430 employees. This number has 

 been reduced to 1,850 persons. In view of a de- 

 pleted public treasury and the imperative demand of 

 the people for economy in the administration of their 

 Government, the Secretary has entered upon the task 

 of rationally reducing expenditures by the elimina- 

 tion from the pay rolls of all persons not needed for 

 an efficient conduct of the affairs of the department. 

 During the first quarter of the present year the ex- 

 penses of the department aggregated $345,876.76, as 

 against $402,012.42 for the corresponding period of 

 the. fiscal year ending June 30, 1893. The Secretary 

 makes apparent his intention to continue this rate ot 

 reduction by submitting estimates for the next fiscal 

 year Jess by $994,280 than those for the present year. 

 Among the heads of divisions in this department the 

 changes have been exceedingly few. Three vacan- 

 cies occurring from death ancf resignations have been 

 filled by the promotion of assistants in the same divi- 

 sions. These promotions of experienced and faithful 

 assistants have not only been in the interest of effi- 

 cient work, but have suggested to those in the de- 

 partment who look for retention and promotion that 

 merit and devotion to duty are their best reliance. 

 The amount appropriated for the Bureau of Animal 

 Industries for the current fiscal year was $850,000; 

 the estimate for the ensuing year i's $700,000. 



The regulations of 1892 concerning Texas fever 

 have been enforced during the last year, and the 

 large stock yards of the country have been kept free 



from infection. Occasional local outbreaks have been 

 largely such as could have been effectually guarded 

 against by the owners of the affected cattle. While 

 contagious pleuropneumonia in cattle has been erad- 

 icated, animal tuberculosis a disease widespread 

 and more dangerous to human life than pleuropneu- 

 monia is still prevalent. Investigations have been 

 made during the past year as to the means of its 

 communication and the method of its correct diag- 

 nosis. Much progress has been made in this direc- 

 tion by the studies of the division of animal pathology, 

 but work ought to be extended in co-operation with 

 local authorities until the danger to human life aris- 

 ing from this cause is reduced to a minimum. 



The number of animals arriving from Canada dur- 

 ing the year and inspected by bureau officials was 

 462,092, and the number from transatlantic coun- 

 tries was 1,297. No contagious diseases were found 

 among the imported animals. The total number of 

 inspections of cattle during the past fiscal year was 

 611,542. The exports show a falling off of about 25 

 per cent, from the preceding year, the decrease oc- 

 curring entirely in the last half of the year. This 

 suggests that the falling off may have been largely 

 due to an increase in the price of American export 

 cattle. During the year ending June 30, 1893, ex- 

 ports of inspected pork aggregated 20,677,410 pounds, 

 as against 38,152,874 for the preceding year. The 

 falling off in the export was not confined, however, 

 to inspected pork, the total quantity exported in 1892 

 being 665,490,616 pounds, while in 1893 it was only 

 527,308,695 pounds. 



I join the Secretary in recommending that here- 

 after each applicant for the position of inspector or 

 assistant inspector in the Bureau of Animal Industries 

 be required, as a condition preliminary to his appoint- 

 ment, to exhibit to the United States Civil Service 

 Commission his diploma from an established, regular, 

 and reputable veterinary college, and that this be 

 supplemented by such an examination in veterinary 

 science as the commission may prescribe. 



The exports of agricultural products from the 

 United States for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, 

 attained the enormous figure of $800,000,000 in round 

 numbers, being 787 per cent, of our total exports. 

 In the last fiscal year this aggregate was greatly re- 

 duced, but nevertheless reached $615,000,000, being 

 75-1 per cent, of all American commodities exported. 

 A review of our agricultural exports with special ref- 

 erence to their destination will show that in almost 

 every line the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 

 Ireland absorbs by far the largest proportion. Of 

 cattle, the total exports aggregated in value for the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, 1893, $26,000,000, of which 

 Great Britain took considerably over $25,000,000. 

 Of beef products of all kinds, our total exports were 

 $28,000,000, of which Great Britain took $24,000,000. 

 Of pork products the total exports were $84,000,000, 

 of which Great Britain took $53,000,000. In bread- 

 stuffs, cotton, and minor products, like proportions 

 sent to the same destination are shown. 



The work of the statistical division of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture deals with all that relates to the 

 economics of farming. The main purpose of its 

 monthly reports is to keep the farmers informed as 

 fully as possible of all matters having any influence 

 upon the world's markets in which their products find 

 sale. Its publications relate especially to the com- 

 mercial side of farming. It is therefore of profound 

 importance and vital concern to the farmers of the 

 United States, who represent nearly one half of our 

 population, and also of direct interest to the whole 

 country, that the work of this division be efficiently 

 performed, and that the information it has gathered 

 be promptly diffused. It is a matter for congratula- 

 tion to know that the Secretary will not spare any 

 effort to make this part of his work thoroughly useful. 



In the year 1839 the Congress appropriated $1,000, 

 to be taken from the Patent Office funds, for the pur- 

 pose of collecting and distributing rare and improved 

 varieties of seeds, and of prosecuting agricultural 



