164 



OONORBSa (THE P*ESIDIHT'S MBSSAOK.) 



fairly awarded to will- cases, numbering 3,000 or 4,000 annually, are sent 

 by the local officers to the Commissioner f th<> 



continues to be 



rUNn continue 

 r vifl moil be a* a 

 -h an oiualiM 







..... 



tho morons an n 

 aervios connected 



mi this report and th valuable no- 

 of UM Secretary to the 



. . 



inlorestinff br 



of UK- public aervios connected Icpart- 



finmmmi this 



: 



0077 acn 



<>f during the year 



-.-;.... 



.;. . , :.:;_ 



that the publfc 

 to a Hole more ' 

 Bwmr.abootMQ 



rvmain- 



m Alaska 



0TO.WU 



a t w|la military reservation* and railroad and other 



The total oash receipts from sale of lands amounted 

 10 tSJTi^tMt, including $91,981.08 received iron. 



Thirty -five thousand patents were issued for agri- 

 cultural lands, and S,loo patents were issued to 

 Indians on allotments of their holdings in s, veraltv. 

 the land so allotted being inalienable by the Indian 

 allomai for a period of twenty-five years after patent 



There wort certified and patented on account of 

 railroad and wagon-road grants during the year 865,- 

 6M.4& acres of land, and at the close of the year 

 ai/WOyOOO acres were embraced in the lists of selec- 

 tion* made by railroad and wagon-road companies 

 and awaited settlement 



The selections of swamp lands and that taken as 

 indemnity thai nib? since the passage of the act pro 

 for the same in nt to nearly or 



800400 acres, of which 68,000,000 have been 

 to State*. About 18SJOOO acres were patented 



during the laM year, 

 and education grants 

 and at its clo l 





 It appnuv that the 



N .- . .. r- ' I.....! 



>roved during the year, 

 acres remained unad- 



e <-urrent 

 the pn>t, 

 thereon is much 



and inadequate for 



of the work. A larger sum 



the appropriation f< 



--...-..;,: r 

 and the timber th 



in the particular service mentioned, and I 

 will not be crippled by insufficient appropria- 



of the public lands 



-- - ( i ... r , 



of money than has boon appropriated during" a num- 

 ber of yean past on this account has been returned 

 to the Government as a result of the labors of those 

 employed 



: . 



r. : T- -.. r. : ii , r, ..." n of !.. -. r. 



* . ffl_t -^ *- - *mm*ifm* sV^ arhaari art -* ^^1 ^- -,.- 



***/ lOBsv MmaW nWOCtKM DO UftlVKlOCl Idr OUT 



AMM^S** as^^aSB^AA AM, I &._ A j^jt*> * * a*!ii a i 



vwsw tTOTrTOT 4w<i inai a cofnurBJiciiAive lorevcry 



system be inaugurate!. Such keepers and superin- 



.... .... . . r .. ........... ^ . 



reserved should be provided. I am of the - 

 that there should be an abandonment of the 

 -Cloned by present laws, under * ) 



for a very small consideration b rapidly losing 



trm^t. T l.rwl Mst_MMn_\ 



tna^p 01 UUMI coversu wiui vim oer 



.oftimb.^SST 17 

 i that a char 



The 



change be made in the man- 



tally worthy-of 



unreysof the public lands is 



' 



1 am satisfied 



espe- 

 that 



iold be made by a corps of com - 



' 



. important recommendation of the 

 to the manner in which contests and 

 nring oat of efforts to obtain Govern- 

 dotorminod. The entire testimony 

 which those controversies depend in all theb- 

 btokon before the local register, and receives, 



by the local 



General Land Office for his action. The 

 ciesof his other duties oblige him to act upon the 

 decisions of the registers and receiver- without 

 an opportunity of thorough personal examination. 

 Nearly 2,000 of these oases are appealed annually 

 from the commissioner to the Secretary of the in" 

 t.-nor. Burdened witii other important admii 



tive duties, his determination of these appeal 

 be almost perfunctory and haxdupon tin examina- 

 tion of Others, though thi- determination of t ),, 



tary operates as a final adjudication upon r 

 very great iin|Nrt4ince. 



1 concur in the opinion that the < omrnissioner of 

 the General Land ( Mlicc should he relieved from the 

 .ding litigated land cases, that a non- 

 partisan court .should l.e created to pass on 

 cases, HI id that th< it should be 



final, a: e decisions of the delta' 



arc now final. The proved court mijjrht I" 

 authority to certify ijucstioiis of law, in mav 



.. unportanoe, t>. the Supreme Court of the 

 i States or the < o U rt of 

 of<'nlumbia for decision. The -uch a 



trihunal WOUld expedite the disposal 



insure decisions of a more satisfactory character, 

 iristers and receivers who originally h 

 these disputes should be Invested with au- 

 thority to compel witnesses to attend and 



before; them. 



Though the condition of the Indians shows a 

 and hea'.thv progress, their situation is not satis- 

 factory ut ul I jxunt*. Sonic of them to whom allot- 

 ments of land have heeli made ure found to Ite uimhle 

 or disinclined to follow agricultural pursuit- 

 otherwise lu-nefieiallv manage their land. This i 

 especial Iv true of the Cheyennes and Arapahoea, 

 who, as it appears by report* of tlieir nircnt, have in 

 many instances never been located UJM.H their allot- 

 ments, and in some cases do not even know where 

 their allotments are. Their condition has deterio- 

 rated. They are not lalfHrannorting, and they live 

 in camps and spend their time in idleness. 



I have always believed that al lot men t of reserva- 

 tion lands to Indian- in -ivraltv should be made 

 , or at least slouU. and with the utmost 



caution. In these days, wlien white agriculturist* 

 and stock raisers of experience and intelligence find 

 tlu-ir lot u hard one. we ou^ht not to expect Indians. 

 Unless far a<lvance<l in civilixation and huhits of in- 

 dustrj-, to HUpport themsflves on the small tracts of 

 land UMiullv allotted to them. 



If the seif-cupporting scheme by allotment fails, 

 the wretched paupt rism of the aQotteai which results 

 is worse than their original condition of rcgu luted 

 dependence. It ix evident that the evil conncquencc.s 

 of ill-advised allotment are intensified in cases where 

 the false step can not he retraced on account of the 

 purchase by the Government of reservation lands re- 

 maining after allotments are made and the din 



remaining lands to settlers or purchasers from 

 the Government 



I am convinced that the proper solution of the 

 Indian pmhlcm and the success of every step taken 

 in that direction depend to a very large'extent upon 

 the intelligence and honesty of the reservation agents 

 and the intercut they have in their work. Ai. 

 fitted for hi* place- can do much toward preparing tin- 

 Indians under hi* charge for citi/eiiship and allot- 

 ment of their lands, an- . any matter 

 concerning their welfare will not mislead. An unfit 

 agent will make no effort to advance the Indians on 

 his reservation toward civilization or preparation for 

 allotment of lands in severally . and his opinion as to 

 their condition in this and other regards is heedless 

 snd valueless. 



The indications are that the detail of army officers 

 as Indian agents will result in improved management 

 on the reservations. 



Whenever allotments are made and any Indian on 



