JK 868 1913 Copy 1 MEMORANDUM HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. Soon after the close of the Mexican War, and as an outcome of the accession of territory resulting from that war, as well as of the great increase in population, wealth, and business throughout the country, a movement was started having in view the establishment of a new executive department, to be known as the Home Department, which should take over the various bureaus and offices transacting public business relating to domestic affairs, such as patents, pensions, Indian affairs, and the census. At that time, the work pertaining to these offices was distributed among various departments : The Patent Office was under the supervision of the Secretary of State ; the Land Office and the census were under the Secretary of the Treasury ; Indian affairs were controlled by the Secretary of War ; and pensions were granted under the supervision of the Secretaries of War and the Navy, respectively. In his annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1848, Hon. E. J. Walker, the Secretary of the Treasury, invited attention to the enormous amount of work devolved upon the head of that depart- ment, and the diverse nature of the duties performed by him, some of which had no connection with commerce or the public finances. He also pointed out that the State Department had no proper connection with the work of the Patent Office, and that Indian affairs and appli- cations for pensions could be better handled elsewhere than in the War and Navy Departments. He accordingly recommended that a new department be established, and that all the offices above named be placed under such new department. The matter was subsequently taken up by Congress, and on Febru- ary 12, 1849, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Repre- sentatives submitted a report indorsing the views of the Secretary of the Treasury, together with a bill for the creation of a new depart- ment, to be known as the Home Department, or Department of the Interior. The committee stated that the immediate considerations which urged the establishment of the new department were the mischiefs, losses, and dangers resulting from the existing irrational and ruinous distributions of executive powers and duties. They added, however, that there were broader considerations of public policy dictating the creation of such a department. Since the establishment of the Fed- eral Government 60 years before, they said, some $700,000,000 had been expended for purposes of military aggression or defense, and the averagie expenditure for the War and Navy Departments was then twelve or fourteen millions of dollars. The whole amount of expenditure during the same period for the promotion of the arts of peace, the development of agriculture and of the mechanical sciences, and for the facilitation of internal intercourse and trade, 80380°— 13 1 o the support of education, and the diffusion of knowledge did not exceed $1,000,000. The report continued: The general fact remains unaffected that war and preparations for war have been practically regarded as the chief duty and end of this Government, while the arts of peace and production, whereby nations are subsisted, civilization advanced, and happiness secured have been esteemed unworthy the attention, or foreign to the objects, of this Government. It seems to us that this should not always continue, but that we should, as a wise people, reorganize the Gov- ernment so far as to fulfill these duties also, which are suggested by the nature, aspirations, and wants of our race as physical, moral, and intellectual beings ; that it should do something toward protecting the people against those internal enemies — ignorance, destitution, and vice, as well as against those foreign foes who may invade or who it is apprehended may assail us. In pursuance of the foregoing recommendation Congress passed the act approved March 3, 1849 (9 Stat., 395), entitled "An act to establish the Home Department," etc. Section 1 of this act reads as follows : That from and after the passage of this act there shall be created a new executive department of the Government of the United States, to be called the Department of the Interior, the head of which department shall be called the Secretary of the Interior, who shall be appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and who shall hold this ofBce by the same tenure and receive the same salary as the secretaries of the other executive departments, and who shall perform all the duties assigned to him by this act. This act conferred powers of supervision and appeal upon the new Secretary over the acts of the following officers: The Commissioner of the General Land Office; The Commissioner of Patents ; The Commissioner of Indian Affairs; The Commissioner of Pensions. The act also conferred supervision and control over officers of the census; also over the accounts of marshals, clerks, and other officers of the United States courts; also jurisdiction over the commissioner of public buildings in Washington; over the lead and other mines of the United States; and over the warden and inspectors of the District of Columbia penitentiary. Only one clerk was provided for, a chief clerk at $2,000. The transfer from the Treasury Department of such clerks as performed the duties over which supervision was by the act given to the new secretary was authorized. Owing to the fact, however, that there were no clerks in the Treasury Department who had been engaged exclusively upon the business transferred to the Interior Department, it was impracticable to make the transfers directed by the act and hence it became necessary to detail clerks from the several bureaus for duty in the Secretary's office ; and the Secretary also employed six clerks upon his own responsibility, such employment, however, to be subject to the approval of Congress. "As showing that the policy of the new department was in harmony with the purpose of Congress in creating it, it may be stated that in the very first annual report of the Secretary of the Interior, Hon. Thomas Ewing, of Ohio, submitted to the President, Decem- ber 3, 1849, a recommendation for the organization of a separate Bureau of Agriculture, which should carry out on an enlarged and systematic scale the work hitherto performed by an agricultural D. QF:D. 0' 1913 division in the Patent Office. The Secretary also urged in this report the construction of a highway or a railroad to the Pacific Ocean. By the act of March 3, 1855 (10 Stat., 682), the Government Hos- pital for the Insane in Washington was organized for the treatment of the insane of the Army, the Navy, and the District of Columbia. A superintendent was provided for, to be appointed by the Secre- tary of the Interior; and the Secretary was also given supervision of certain admissions to the hospital, as well as of the requisitions for funds therefor. By the act of February 16, 1857 (11 Stat., 161), the Columbia In- stitution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind was incorporated, and the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to pay the expenses of pupils from the District of Columbia. By the act of February 23, 1865 (13 Stat., 436), it was provided that the teaching of the blind should no longer be required at this institution, and the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to contract with sonie institution, in Maryland or elsewhere, for the instruction of blind children en- titled thereto under the law. The name of this institution was changed to Columbia Institutition for the Deaf by the sundry civil act, approved March 4, 1911. By the act of February 17, 1857 (11 Stat., 162), the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to contract for the construction of a wagon road from Fort Kearney, Nebr., to the eastern boundary of the State of California, as well as several other roads in the western States and Territories. Bv the act of March 2, 1807 (2 Stat., 426), the importation of African slaves after January 1, 1808, was prohibited, the Constitu- tion having provided that no such prohibition should be enforced prior to 1808. By the act of March 3, 1819 (3 Stat., 532), full pro- vision was made for the punishment of persons engaging in the slave trade ; for the use of armed vessels in the prevention of such traffic ; and the President was authorized to make arrangements for the re- turn to Africa of slaves illegally imported. By executive order of May 2, 1861, the President devolved upon the Secretary of the In- terior the execution of the act of March 3, 1819, and other laws adopted for the suppression of the African slave trade. For several years there was considerable activity in apprehending and punish- ing violators of the law prohibiting the importation of slaves, but partly as a result of the Civil War, and partly as a result of the vigilance of the officers of the Government, the Secretary of the In- terior was able to state in his annual report submitted to the Presi- dent December 5, 1864, that in no part of the United States had a vessel been fitted out to engage in such traffic. Connected with the slave trade and the suppression thereof were the laws authorizing the colonization in Liberia, or elsewhere, of persons of the African race. The act of July 17, 1862, authorized the President to make provision for the transportation, colonization, and settlement in some tropical country of persons of the African race set free by the provisions of the act; and the act of April 16, 1862 (12 Stat., 378), authorized the colonization of free persons of African descent resident in the District of Columbia. These duties, also, were devolved upon the Secretary of the Interior by the President. By the act of April 16, 1862 (12 Stat., 617), the supervision of the Capitol extension and the erection of the new dome was transferred from the War Department to the Department of the Interior. By the act of March 30, 1867 (15 Stat., 13), it was provided that all improvements, alterations, and repairs of the Capitol should be made under direction of the architect of the Capitol, and should be paid for by the Secretary of the Interior. The act of August 15, 1876 (19 Stat., 147), conferred upon the architect "care and supervision" of the Capitol building, and provided that estimates therefor should be submitted through the Secretary of the Interior ; also that the archi- tect should perform all duties pertaining to the Capitol formerly performed by the commissioner of public buildings. The act of February 14, 1902 (32 Stat., 20), changed the title of the architect to Superintendent of the Capitol Building and Grounds. In 1839, and subsequent years until 1862, there was an Agricul- tural Division in the Patent Office, and various appropriations from the Patent Office fund were made for the collection of agricultural statistics, the purchase of seeds, etc. By the act of May 16, 1862 (12 Stat., 387), however, the Department of Agriculture was es- tablished as an independent bureau or office, and the property of the Agricultural Division of the Patent Office was transferred to such The act of June 2, 1862 (12 Stat., 412), required the Secretary of the Interior to establish in his department a Returns Office, in which should be filed all contracts executed on behalf of the War, Navy, and Interior Departments, together with the advertisements, pro- posal, etc., relating to the same ; and it was provided that any person interested could procure certified copies of such contracts upon pay- meiit of a reasonable fee. This act was designed to prevent fraud in the letting of public contracts, as well as to furnish evidence by which officers guilty of such frauds could be convicted. The officer signing the contract must make an oath that he made the contract fairly, without benefit or advantage to himself, or allowing such benefit or advantage corruptly to the contractor; also that all papers pertaining to the contract are attached thereto. By the original act incorporating the Union Pacific Railroad Co., approved July 1, 1862 (12 Stat., 489), the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to nominate five of the incorporators, and the com- pany was required to file its acceptance of the conditions of the act m the Interior Department. Various other duties with respect to the Pacific railroads were imposed upon the Secretary from time to time, and he was, generally speaking, made the medium of carrying out the policy of the President with regard to such roads, with the exception, of course, of duties pertaining to the indebtedness of the roads to the United States, which were performed by the Secretary of the Treasury. By the act of March 2, 1867 (14 Stat., 434), a Department of Education was established for the purpose of collecting and diflPus- ing such information relative to schools as would aid the people of the United States in the establishment and maintenance of efficient school systems, and otherwise promote the cause of education throughout the country. A Commissioner of Education was au- thorized. By the act of July 20, 1868 (15 Stat., 106), the name of the Department of Education was changed to the Office of Educa- tion, and the same was placed under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior. The first national park to be established was the Yellowstone National Park, in Montana and Wyoming, which was created by the act of March 1, 1872 (17 Stat., 32), and placed under the exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior. The Yosemite National Park, in California, was set aside and placed under the control of the Secretary of the Interior by act of October 1, 1890. By joint resolu- tion of June 11, 1906, the Yosemite Valley grant, situated within the national park, and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove, adjoining the park, which had been previously ceded to the State of California, and had been retroceded to the United States by act of the State legislature, were attached to the Yosemite National Park and made part thereof. Ten other national parks, situated in the Western States, have also been placed under the control of the department, as follows : Sequoia and General Grant National Parks, in California, were established and placed under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior by act of September 25, 1890 (26 Stat., 478) ; Mount Kainier National Park, in Washington, was established by act of March 2, 1899 (30 Stat., 993) ; Crater Lake National Park, in Oregon, was established by act of May 22, 1902 (32 Stat., 202); Wind Cave National Park, in South Dakota, by the act of January 9, 1903 (32 Stat., 765) ; Sullys Hill Park, in North Dakota, by the act of April 27, 1904 (33 Stat., 319) ; Mesa Verde National Park, in Colorado, by the act o£ June 22, 1906 (34 Stat., 616) ; Piatt National Park, in Oklahoma, by the aat of April 21, 1904 (33 Stat., 220), and by joint resolution of June 29, 1906, by change from the prior designation " Sulphur Springs Reservation " ; and, finally, the Glacier National Park, in Montana, by the act of May 11, 1910 (36 Stat., 354). The Casa Grande Euin, in Arizona, was set aside by Executive order of June 22, 1892, under the act approved March 2, 1889 (25 Stat., 961). By the act of March 3, 1877 (19 Stat, 377), the Hot Springs Reser- vation, in Arkansas, which had been previously reserved for public use, was placed under control of a superintendent to be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. By the act of December 16, 1878 (20 Stat., 258), the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to lease bathhouse sites, together with the privilege of receiving hot water from the springs, under regulations to be prescribed by him, and by the act of June 16, 1880 (21 Stat., 288), the lands were dedicated to public use as parks, etc. Under the act of March 1, 1873 (17 Stat., 484), it was provided that the Secretary of the Interior should thereafter exercise all the powers and perform all the duties relating to Territories that were, prior to March 1, 1873, by law or by custom exercised or performed by the Secretary of State. Under this enactment all the organized Territories created or existing since 1873 have been under the general supervision of the Secretary of the Interior, and that officer has also had supervision of affairs pertaining to Alaska. The act of March 3, 1871 (16 Stat., 506), making appropriation for the Freedmen's Hospital and Asylum in Washington, placed said hospital under control of the Secretary of War. The act of June 23, 1874 (18 Stat., 223), however, transferred control of the institution to the Secretary of the Interior. The control of the expenditures of appropriations was transferred to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia by act of March 3, 1893 (27 Stat., 551) ; but by the act of March 3, 1905, such control was again vested in the Secretary of the Interior. The office of the auditor of railroad accounts was created by act of June 19, 1878 (20 Stat., 169), which provided that the duties of the auditor, under direction of the Secretary of the Interior, should be to devise a system of reports for Government-aided railroads west of the Missouri Eiver ; to see that the laws relating to said companies were enforced; to examine the companies' accounts for Government transportation, etc. By the act of March 3, 1881, the title of the auditor was changed to commissioner of railroads. Many geographical surveys were made under the War Department from the year 1834, and even prior thereto. By the act of March 3, 1879 (20 Stat., 394), the appointment of a Director of the Geological Survey was authorized; and it was provided that said officer, under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior, should have the direction of the Geological Survey and the classification of public lands; also the examination of the geological structure, mineral re- sources, and products of the national domain. A Bureau of Labor was established in the Department of the In- terior by the act of June 27, 1884 (23 Stat., 60), and the Commis- sioner of Labor was required to collect information upon the subject of labor, its relation to capital, the hours of labor and the earnings of laboring men and women, and their material, social, intellectual, and moral prosperity. The act of February 4, 1887 (24 Stat., 383), entitled "An act to regulate commerce," by which the granting of rebates or undue pref- erences as to facilities was prohibited, and various other restrictions were imposed upon common carriers by railroad, an Interstate Com- merce Commission was created, to be appointed by the President. This act required the commission to submit an annual report to the Secretary of the Interior, and authorized said Secretary to provide quarters for the commission and pass upon the accounts thereof. The Secretary was also required to approve the appointment of employees of the commission. In his annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1887, however, the Secretary of the Interior recommended that the supervisory powers conferred upon him with respect to the Interstate Commerce Commission be revoked; and by the act of March 2, 1889 (25 Stat., 861), the interstate commerce act was amended so as to require the commission to submit its report to Con- gress direct, and to withdraw from the Secretary the power to approve appointments, provide quarters, and pass upon accounts of the commission. By the act of August 30, 1890 (26 Stat., 417), a permanent annual appropriation was made to each State and Territory maintaining an agricultural and mechanical college under an act passed in 1862. This appropriation amounted for the first year to $15,000 for each State and Territory ; but a gradual increase in the amount was pro- vided for until 1900, after which the act provided for a permanent annual appropriation of $25,000. Jurisdiction to determine the right of a State to a share of the appropriation was vested in the Secretary of the Interior, and under the general discretion vested in him by law that officer delegated to the Commissioner of Education the direct 1 administration of the fund in question, subject to the supervision and control of the department. The act of March 3, 1891, authorized the President to set apart and reserve any part of the pubHc lands wholly or in part covered with timber or undergrowth as public reservations and by proclamation to declare the establishment of reservations and the limits thereof. By the act of June 4, 189T (30 Stat., 34) , the Secretary of the Interior was given jurisdiction of surveys of such reservations and was author- ized to make regulations for their protection, the sale of timber there- from, etc. He was also authorized to recommend to the President the restoration to the public domain of lands found valuable for min- erals ; and by subsequent legislation the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to appoint forestry superintendents, agents, and super- visors, and to lease portions of forest reservations. The administra- tion of forest reservations was placed by the Secretary under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of the General Land Office. By the act of March 3, 1893 (27 Stat^ 645), there was created a commission, known as the Dawes Commission, vested with authority to negotiate agreements with the Five Civilized Tribes of Indian Territory looking to the disintegration of the tribal governments and the abolition of communal holdings, preparatory to separation of those tribes, aggreating nearly 20,000,000 acres. The work of this commission w^as performed under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior. The act of June 28, 1898 (30 Stat., 495), greatly enlarged the powers of the Secretary of the Interior over the Indian Territory. Among other things, the Secretary was authorized to locate one Indian inspector m said Territo^3^ who should, under his direction, perform the duties in said Territory imposed by law upon the Secre- tary of the Interior. The Commisison to the Five Civilized Tribes was abolished by the act of April 21, 1904 (33 Stat. 204), to take effect July 1, 1905. The act of Congress approved March 3, 1905 (33 StaL, 1060), provided that the work theretofore under the jurisdiction of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes should be completed by the Secretary of the Interior, and conferred all the powers granted to said commission upon the Secretary on and after July 1, 1905. Since that date the Secretary has had one representative in Oklahoma in lieu of the commission, who has been designated " Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes." Howard University, in Washington, was established by the act of March 2, 1867, " for the education of youth in the liberal arts and sciences," without regard to race or color. The institution was sup- ported in part by donations from benevolent societies and in part by appropriations from Congress, the latter being expended undei the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior. By the act of June 4, 1897 (30 Stat., 39), it was provided that no part of the congres- sional appropriation should be paid until the university should ac- cord to the Secretary of the Interior, or his agents, the right to in- spect the university and control and supervise expenditures under the appropriations. And the act of Congress approved March 3, 1891 (26 Stat., 973), requires the proper officers of the university to report annually to the Secretary of the Interior how appropriations 8 made by Congress for the maintenance of the university have been expended. , The act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat., 388), known as the reclamation act, directed that moneys received from the sale of public lands in Western States and Territories to be set aside and appropriated as a reclamation fund, be used for the construction and maintenance of irrigation works for reclaiming the arid and semiarid lands of said States and Territories. This work was not delegated to any partic- ular bureau or office by the act, but was placed directly under the Secretary of the Interior. In the exercise of the discretion conferred upon him by law, however (sec. 161 of the Eevised Statutes) , the Sec- retary at first placed said work under the Director of the Geological Survey, but later separated it from the survey, placing all work under an officer designated as director, and the new activity desig- nated as the Eeclamation Service. The act of Congress approved May 16, 1910 (36 Stat., 369), estab- lished in the department a Bureau of Mines. This bureau is charged with the duty, under the direction of the Secretary, of making " diligent investigation of the methods of mining, especially in rela- tion to the safety of miners and the appliances best adapted to pre- vent accidents," etc. By the act of Congress approved June 25, 1910 (36 Stat., 743), so much of the act establishing the Bureau of Mines as transferred to the bureau supervision of the investigation of structural materials and equipment was repealed. And by the same act (36 Stat., 765) under the heading, " The Department of Commerce and Labor," subheading " Bureau of Standards," an appropriation of $50,000 was made for continuing the work under the supervision of the Director of the Bureau of Standards. During the year 1909 it was reported that due to the overflow from the Colorado River a cut back was taking place at the upper end of the branch of the Hardy-Colorado, which connects Volcano Lake with the Gulf of California. This cut back finally reached the Colorado Eiver at a point just below the boundary line between Arizona and the Republic of Mexico, finally diverting practically the entire flow of the Colorado River through this new channel. On June 25, 1910, the President brought the subject to the atten- tion of Congress, which was then in session, and suggested that a joint resolution be passed putting at his disposal a sum sufficient to meet conditions. He also suggested " that the resolution authorize the expenditure of this money on either side of the international boundary, and that the President be authorized to secure the permis- sion of the Republic of Mexico." By joint resolution approved June 25, 1910 (36 Stat., 883), $1,000,000, or so much thereof as might be necessary, was placed at the disposal of the President for the purpose of protecting the land and property in said valley and elsewhere along the Colorado River within the United States; and the President was authorized to ex- pend such portion of the amount within the Republic of Mexico as he might deem proper under such agreement for the purpose as he might make with the Republic of Mexico. Under the act of Congress approved June 8, 1906 (34 Stat., 225), the President is authorized " in his discretion to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United Mates to be national monuments," and by the same act the heads 1 -i ,r^io"s. departments who have supervision over lands on winch the various antiquities are located are authorized to o-rant pennits for examination of ruins, excavation of archa^ologicarsites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity, to reputable museums. . universities, coleges, or other recognized scientific or educational in- - stitutions, or their authorized agents. Various other duties of a miscellaneous character have from time to time been imposed upon the Secretary of the Interior. Thus by section 1818 of the Revised Statutes he is required to prevent the improper appropriation or occupation of any of the public streets, avenues squares, or reservations in the city of Washington. Bv the act of March 3, 1875 (18 Stat 395) , the Secretary of the Interir, together with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Postmaster General, was required to approve plans and estimates for public buildings through- Stat., 699), section 3734 of the Revised Statutes was so amended as to require that the " sketch plans and estimates" for new public buildings sha 1 be approved by the Secretary of the Treasury and the head of each executive department who will have officials located m such building." By the act of July 1, 1879, the Secretary was authorized to execute conveyances of lots in the low grounds in the city of Washington to persons found to be entitled thereto, and by he act of May 17, 1862 (12 Stat., 389), he was required to 'approve tlie form of rai adopted for its hne of road by the Washington & Georgetown Railroad Co. (now merged into the Capital Traction Co ) it will be seen from the foregoing outline history that the Interior Department bears the same relation to the Government generally that a residuary legatee bears to the estate of the deceased. In other words It has been the custom for Congress to impose upon the Secre- tary of the Interior any newly created duties which could not be d^^artment "^ '''' ''''''^^'''^''^^^ P^^^^^ ^^^^r the head of any other Various duties and powers have been from time to time taken from the Secretary of the Interior, as follows • The result of the Civil War rendered obsolete the provisions of law relative to the slave trade. ^^ ia,\y By the act of June 22, 1870 (16 Stat., 162), establishing the Department of Justice jurisdiction over the accounts and expense? of district attorneys United States marshals, and other court office^ was transferred to that department. ^^uil omcers . ^y t^^^ct «f March 2, 1867 (14 Stat., 466), the office of Commis- sioner of Public Buildings was abolished and the duties thereof were devolved upon the Chief Engineer of the Army ^nereot were The act of June 13, 1888 (25 Stat., 182), transferred the Bureau of Labor from the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior and Seta\ttnrSVaU"''^^^^^^^ establishment, under the name of By the act of February 14, 1903 (32 Stat., 825), creating the De- partment of Commerce and Labor, the Census Office was tr?nsfermi 80380°— 13 2 10 from the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior to that of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. The act of March 3, 1903 (32 Stat., 1119), abolished the office of Commissioner of Railroads and provided that the records and files of said office should be transferred to the Secretary of the Interior. By the act of February 1, 1905 (33 Stat., 628), upon the recom- mendation of the Secretary of the Interior and of the Public Lands Cormnission, the execution of all laws affecting public lands in forest reserves, excepting such laws as affect the surveying, prospecting, locating, appropriating, entering, relinquishing, reconveying, certi- fying, or patenting of any such lands, was transferred to the Secre- tary of Agriculture. By Executive order of July 15, 1909, based on the act of Congress approved that date, Porto Rico was transferred to the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the War Department. , BUILDINGS. / By the act approved July 4, 1836 (5 Stat., 115), the President was [directed to select an appropriate site for and cause to be erected /thereon a fireproof building suitable for tlie accommodation of the I Patent Office and provide necessary cases and furniture therefor, and ithe sum of $108,000 was appropriated for that purpose from the Patent Fund in the Treasury. Accordingly the plot of ground on which the Patent Office is now located was selected as a suitable site, plans and specifications for the building were approved, and, under the supervision of the Secretary of State, one wing (the south) of the present building was constructed. Additional appropriations for the continuance of the construction of the Patent Office Building were made as follows: By the act of March 3, 1837 (5 Stat., 172), of $100,000; act of March 3, 1838 (5 Stat., 346), $50,000; act of July 7, 1838 (5 Stat., 266), $50,000;. act of May '8, 1840 (5 Stat., 378), $100,000; act of May 3, 1841 (5 Stat., 429), $7,550. An appropriation of $2,000 for fencing around the Patent Office Building, etc., was made by the act of May 18, 1842 (5 Stat., 479). An additional appropriation of $50,000 for the erection, under the supervision of the Secretary of State, of the wing (east) of the Patent Office Building in accordance with the original plan and to be paid from the Patent Fund was made by the act of March 3, 1849 (9 Stat., 364). At the time of the organization of the Interior Department under the act of March 3, 1849 (9 Stat., 395), the Patent Office occupied and had used sinc6 1840 the wing constructed for it under the acts above mentioned. iThe. department from its organization up to the year 1853, occupied rooms in a building rented by the Treasury De- partment. These quarters appear to have been unsuitable and in- adequate for its accommodation, and the Secretary of the Interior in his annual report for 1851, (p. 34, H. R. Ex. Doc. No. 1, 31st Cong., 2d sess.) formally announced to the President and Congress his in- tention as soon as the wings of the Patent Office Building should be completed to transfer to it the department proper and the different offices thereto attached. The proposed use of the building, at least so far as the department itself was concerned, was sanctioned by 11 Congress in the act of August 31, 1852 (10 Stat., 98), section 5, which is as follows : And be it further enacted that the appropriation "for the compensation of the superintendent and four watchmen in the building occupied by the Secre- tary of the Interior " of $1,700 and of $1,550 by the acts " making appropria- tions for the civil and diplomatic expenses of the Government for the years ending June 30, 1851 and 1852," approved September 30, 1850, and March 3, 1851, be, and the same are hereby, made applicable to the " compensation of the superintendent and four watchmen for that portion of the Patent Office Build- ing which shall be occupied by the Secretary of the Interior, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1853." Under the head " Contingent expenses of the Department of the Interior," the following item was submitted in the annual estimates of the department : " Contingent expenses of the east wing of the Patent Office Building, to wit : For labor, fuel, lights, and incidental expenses, $2,200." In the appropriation bill, as reported to the House of Representa- tives, provision was made in the form submitted with the following proviso : " Provided that neither the office of the Secretary of the Interior nor any bureau thereof other than the Patent Office shall be located in the Patent Office Building until directed by law " (see pp. 663, 664, Congressional Globe, vol. 102, 32d Cong., 2d sess., for dis- cussion on the subject) . This proviso was opposed in the House upon the ground that the building had been erected chiefly with funds of the Government, that the department was not properly provided for, and that the Government had the right to use it for the purposes proposed. Among other things, however, it was stated in support of the proviso that if the department moved into the Patent Office Building with its J^- -clerks there would be no room left for the Patent Office. The Senate, however, apparently having knowledge of all the facts and wants of the department, struck out this proviso (see p. 1136, Congressional Globe, vol. 102, 32d Cong., 2d sess.), and the House ultimately receded fron,i its amendment and the appropriation passed in the following form : " Contingent expenses of the east wing Patent Office Building, for labor, fuel, lights, and incidental ex- penses, $2,200." It thus appears that Congress not only refused to exclude the De- partment of the Interior from the Patent Office Building, but twice made appropriations of money which could only be used if the de- partment should occupy a portion of that building. By the act of August ,31, 1852 (10 Stat., 93), appropriations were made of $103,000 for the completion of the east wing of the Patent Office Building ; $3,200 for finishing the basement of the center of the Patent Office Building to make it conform to the designs of the wings ; and $150,000 for the erection of the west wing of the Patent Office Building. In neither instance was it specified that this money should be taken from the patent fund. By the act approved August 18, 1856 (11 Stat., 89), an appropria- tion of $200,000 was made toward the erection of the north front of the Patent Office Building for the accommodation of the Department of the Interior. In the act approved March 3, 1857 (11 Stat., 224), an appropriation of $50,000 was made for preparing, etc., the west wing of the Patent ■Office for the reception of models and $200,000 for continuing the 12 erection of the north front of the Patent Office Building for the ac- commodation of the Department of the Interior. In the act approved March 3, 1859 (11 Stat., 428), an appropriation of $50,000 was made for the completion of the erection, etc., of the north front of the Patent Office Building. In the act approved June 12, 1858 (11 Stat., 322), an appropriation of $50,000 was made for completing the west wing of the Patent Office Building. In the annual report of the Secretary of the Interior to the Presi- dent, dated December 2, 1850, in discussing among, other things the necessity for providing adequate quarters for the Interior Depart- ment's bureaus, the following statement is made : The office of the Department of the Interior is now kept ir^, a rented hunfl- . ing, which is ill adapted to such purposes and too contiguous to private dwell- ings, which constantly expose it to casualties. The Pension Office is also In rented apartments in the fourth story of the Winder Building. The Indian Office is in the War Department, and occupies rooms which the head of that department has assured me are indispensably necessary for the accommodation of his branch of the public service. The Land Office is in the upper story of the Treasury Building, where it is kept to the great annoyance of the Secretary of the Treasury, who is obliged to rent rooms in private buildings for the use of some of his bureaux. It is believed that the rent now paid for the use of inconvenient and unsafe buildings is nearly equal to the interest on the cost of constructing a new one in all respects suitable for the purposes of the department. When to this fact are added the loss of time in communicating with the heads of the bureaux, who are scattered through five or six buildings, some of which are more than a quarter of a mile distant from the office of the head of the department, and the increase of expense occasioned by the employment of additional doorkeepers, messengers, watchmen, and laborers, it will be found that true economy will be promoted by the erection of a suitable building for this department. The eastern wing of the Patent Office, including the basement, contains thirty rooms besides the large saloon, 268 feet long and 63 wide, which is designed for the display of models. The Patent Office does not now, and probably will not for years to come, need one-fourth of these rooms. I propose, therefore, as soon as that wing is ready for use, to transfer to it the officers attached to the department proper, and also those belonging to the Indian Bureau. When the west wing shall have been completed it should be appropriated, with the exception of the upper saloon, to the Land and Pension Offices. The War and Treasury Departments would thereby be relieved from the inconveniences to which they are now subjected, and all the bureaux connected with the Department of the Interior would be brought together under one roof. If in the progress of time the Patent Office should need more room, it could be supplied either by the construction of a building on the north side of the square, so as to complete the quadrangle according to the original design, or by withdrawing one or more of the bureaux to some other building. Many years, however, will probably elapse before such a withdrawal will become necessary; the demand for increase of room will be for the exhibition of models and not for the accommodation of clerks ; and as the plan which I suggest contemplates the appropriation of two halls of the entire size of the wings for that purpose, it is hardly probable that they will be filled for twenty, years to come. Objection has been made to the occupation of any part of the Patent Office for purposes other than those for which it was originally designed. It is said that it was paid for out of the patent fund and that it therefore belongs to the inventors. This objection rests upon a mistake both as to the facts of the case and the inference which is drawn from them. But as it may possibly mislead some who are not conversant with the subject it is proper to notice it. It is not true that the cost of the Patent Office Building has been paid out of the patent fund. On the contrary, it will be found, in a careful examination of the accounts, that but little more than one-eighth part of the cost of the principal building and two wings has been derived from the patent fund. 13 But if the facts were as represented they by no means justify tlie inference derived from them. In the annual report of the Secretary of the Interior to the Presi- dent dated December 5, 1853, the Secretary of the Interior, in fur- ther discussing the needs of the department for proper accommoda- tions for the bureaus thereof, states that — Much inconvenience and embarrassment are experienced by this department, as well as most of the bureaus under its charge, in consequence of their dis- tance from it. That freedom of intercourse which is essentially necessary to the proper discharge of the dutes incumbent on each can not exist. Questions of moment are constantly arising that might be considered and decided promptly and without consuming much time if the head of the department and the chief of the bureau having charge of the matter could readily and conveniently con- sult together. This, however, is not the most serious objection to the present position of these bureaus. The Indian Office is in the War Department and occupies rooms which are not fireproof. They are also needed and haVe been demanded by that department and should be surrendered. The General Land Office remains in the Treasury Building, notwithstanding the Secretary of the Treasury requires the rooms and has made a pressing application for them. These rooms are too small and too limited in number. The commissioner has been compelled in several instances to crowd eight or nine clerks, besides the desks, paper cases, and ordinary furniture, into a single room where more than two clerks can not conveniently be accommodated. In consequence of this and the want of proper ventilation the health of the clerks is impaired and their ability to labor much diminished. The files and papers have increased so rapidly that, for want of space, many cases of valuable papers are placed In the passages, where there is not that security from fire which is requisite. The Pension Office is in a better situation, but it occupies inconvenient and uncomfortable quarters belonging to the War Department. The Indian and Land Bureaus must be removed, and the only question ap- pears to be whether the west wing of the Patent Office Building shall be fitted up for the temporary accommodation of these bureaus or they be placed in rented buildings, not fireproof, thus exposing to imminent i)eril papers of immense value to the General Government, the States, and private individuals. This building may be so finished within a year ; and, until a suitable structure can be erected for this department, it will not be required by the Patent Office. Some opposition has been made, heretofore, to a somewhat similar proposition ; but this, it is presumed, was based on the erroneous supposition that the cost of the entire structure had been defrayed out of the patent fund. The amount thus far expended and appropriated is $1,367,750, of which $1,048,750 has been paid out of the Treasury, and only $319,000 out of the patent fund. Such being the fact, there is no reason why a portion of it should not be temporarily used, as proposed, until needed by the Patent Office. If this should even somewhat incommode that office, it would be of small moment in comparison with the evils that might result from withholding the use of It from the bureaus. Skillful artisans are of opinion that the necessary improve- ments can be easily made without interfering with or injuring the original de- sign. Unless, therefore. Congress by express enactment otherwise determines, I intend to direct the completion of the west wing so a,s to accommodate these bureaus and secure the public archives. Within a few years the Patent Office will need the main building and the two wings for its exclusive use. In the meantime a structure should be ejected for this department; and, as it consumes much time to complete such a build- ing, sound policy should induce its immediate commencement. One sufficiently large and commodious, and entirely separated from the other departments, can be constructed in a plain, substantial marfner for $250,000; and in the most approved style, with all the modern improvements, for less than half a million. Surely, at this time, there can be no more proper or profitable application of the public money. The considerations urging it are strong and apparent, and It seems to me can not fail to convince everyone who reflects upon the subject of its absolute necessity. In the winter of 1853, the east wing of the Patent OflSce Building having been completed and the Secretary of the Interior learning 14 that the Patent Office proposed to occupy it, by letter dated Febru- ary T, 1853, called the attention of the Commissioner of Patents to section 5 of the act of Congress approved August 31, 1852, stating that he reserved for the Interior Department the whole of the second, or principal, floor of the east wing of that building. In the annual report of the Commissioner of Public Buildings, dated October 11, 1855, he states, among other things: The progress of tlie west wing of the Patent Office Building has been satis- factory. * * * One story has been finished and is occupied by a portion of the clerical force of the General Land Oflice. It is expected that the re- mainder of the interior of the building will be ready for occupancy during the approaching winter, and that the portico and whole exterior of the building will be completed during the next season. An appropriation of $150,000. how- ever, will be required to finish the portico and exterior, to pay the reservations due, put up iron railings, lay down flagging, etc. By letter dated October 25, 1855, the Secretary directed the Com- missioner of Patents to set aside a portion of the Patent Office Build- ing for the use of the Office of Indian Affairs. In the annual report of the Secretary of the Interior, dated Decem- ber 1, 1859, it is stated among other things : The north front of the Patent Office Building is nearly completed, and the appropriations already made for it will suffice for that purpose, and also for the improvement of the grounds around it. When finished, the entire building will, as is believed, be the finest specimen of architecture of its order in this or any other country, and for the present will afford convenient accommoda- tions for the entire department as now organized. The south, or F Street, front of the Patent Office Building was completed in 1840, and the Patent Office at once took possession thereof. The east, or Seventh Street, wing was completed in 1852, and was taken possession of by the Secretary of the Interior. Plans for the entire Patent Office Building as it now stands were prepared in the year 1852, and the erection of the west, or Ninth Street, wing was commenced. This wing was completed and occupied in 1856, and in the, same year work was begun on the north, or G Street, wing, the latter being completed in 1867. The Pension Office Building, located on a portion of Judiciary Square, was constructed under plans approved by the Secretaries of War and Interior, the building being partially occupied by the Pen- sion Office in May of 1885, and provision was made in the act of July 7, 1884 (23 Stat., 187), for a superintendent of such building. Until July, 1909, when the Indian Office was removed thereto, the building was exclusively occupied by the Pension Office. The old Post Office Department Building, which now houses the General Land Office and the Bureau of Education, was by the act of June 4, 1897 (30 Stat., 28), specifically transferred from the super- vision of the Post Office Department and placed under the control of the Secretary of the Interior. By the act of March 4. 1911 (36 Stat., 1213), the chief clerk of the department is designated as superintendent of buildings. At present the Civil Service Commission, the Geological Survey, the Bureau of Mines, and the Reclamation Service are in rented buildings. 15 PRESENT ACTIVITIES OF DEPARTMENT. At the present time the Interior Department embraces supervision over the following subjects and activities: General Land Office.— The Commissioner of the General Land Office is charged with the survey, management, and sale of the public domain, issuing patents therefor, etc. Ofice of Indian Affairs. — The Commissioner of Indian Affairs has charge of the Indian tribes of the United States, exclusive of Alaska. He looks after their lands, moneys, schools, and general welfare, and purchases the necessary supplies, etc. Peiision Office. — The Commissioner of Pensions supervises the examination and adjudication of all claims arising under the laws passed by Congress granting pensions on account of service in the Army and Navy, and those granting bounty-land warrants for service in wars prior to March 3, 1855, Patent Office. — The Commissioner of Patents is charged with the administration of the patent laws and supervises all matters relating to letters patent for inventions and trade-marks, prints, and labels. Geological Survey. — The Geological Survey makes topographic and geologic surveys, collects statistics of mineral resources, conducts investigations relating to surface and underground waters, classifica- tion of public lands, etc. Bureau of Education. — The Bureau of Education collects and pub- lishes statistics on education, issues bulletins on educational topics, has charge of the schools for the education of native children in Alaska, including the reindeer service for Alaska, and the adminis- tration of the endowment fund for the support of colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts, etc. Reclamation Service. — The Reclamation Service is charged with the construction of the irrigation works in arid States, authorized by the act of June 17, 1902. Five Civilized Tribes. — The duty devolves directly on the Secre- tary of closing out the affairs of the Five Civilized Tribes, such as the selling of surplus land, timber on certain lands classified as " timber lands," town lots, courthouses, jails, schools, and other buildings be- longing to the different tribes; the issuance of patents to allottees, purchasers of unallotted lands, and town-lot patents; approval of mineral leases covering allotted lands on which the restrictions on alienation have not been removed, etc. Bv.reau of Mines. — This bureau is charged with the duty, under the direction of the Secretary, of making investigation of the methods of mining, especially with relation to the safety of miners, appliances best adapted to prevent accidents, possible improvement of condi- tions under which mining operations are carried on, treatment of ores and other mineral substances, the use of explosives and elec- tricity, and the prevention of accidents. It is asserted that " the newly created Bureau of Mines and the Bureau of Standards in the Department of Commerce and Labor duplicate many investigations." This is not a fact. The Bureau of Mines is authorized to investigate the treatment of ores and minerals with a view to increasing efficiency in their use. The Bureau of Standards tests the manufactured com- mercial products from such minerals, oresj etc. 16 The Territories.— Since the transfer under Executive order of July 15, 1909, of the supervision of affairs in Porto Rico to the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the War Department, the Territories of New Mexico and Arizona have been admitted as States, and there now re- mains under this department the supervision of but two Territories, Alaska and Hawaii, and the mine inspector for Alaska. The national parks. — Supervision has been vested in the Secretary of the Interior of the tracts of land reserved by Congress from time to time as pleasure grounds for all the people. The location, acreage, and special characteristics of these parks as well as the Casa Grande Ruin are indicated in the following tables: Location and area of national parks. Name. Yellowstone . Yosemite Sequoia General Grant. Mount Rainier . Crater Lake Wind Cave Piatt Mesa Verde. Location. 5-mile strip for pro- tection of ruins. Hot Springs Reserva- tion. Glacier SullysHill Casa Grande Ruin Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. California do do Washington Oregon South Dakota Oklahoma Colorado . .do... Montana North Dakota. Arizona When established. Mar. 1,1872 Oct. 1,1890 Sept. 25, 1890 Oct. 1,1890 Mar. 2, 1899 May 22,1902 Jan. 9,1903 (July 1,1902 {A-pT. 21,1904 June 29,1906 do Arkansas June 16,1880 May 11,1910 Apr. 27,1904 Mar. 2, 1889 Area (acres). 2,142,720 719,622 161,597 2,536 207,360 159,360 10,522 42,376 175,360 911.63 981, 681 780 480 Private lands (acres). None. 19, 827 3,716.96 160 18.2 2,458.11 160 None. None. 16, 668. 11 None. None. Visitors, 1912. 22,970 10,884 2,923 2,240 8,946 5,235 3,199 31,000 230 135,000 6,257 About 200 450 The special characteristics of these parks are as follows : Yellowstone: Wonderful scenery, geysers, boiling springs, mud volcanoes and springs, mountains, grand waterfalls, brilliant-hued <3anyons, great lake 8,000 feet above the level of the sea, wild animals. Yosemite: Mountain scenery, magnificent waterfalls, the Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley, ice-sculptured canyons, glacier lakes, forests. Sequoia and General Grant: The home of the "Big Tree" (Se- quoia gigantea), growing to a height of 300 feet with a diameter of 30 feet, the bark being 2 feet thick ; rugged and picturesque scen- ery, beautiful cascades and falls, and wonderful caves. Mount Rainier : Glaciers and wild mountain scenery. Crater Lake: Rugged mountain scenery, beautiful lake within the crater of an extinct volcano, etc. Wind Cave : Well known for a cavern having many miles of gal- leries and numerous chambers of considerable size containing many peculiar formations. Piatt : Noted for its bromide and other springs, the waters of which have medicinal qualities; park well wooded, scenery picturesque. Mesa Verde: Set aside to preserve the prehistoric ruins of an an- cient people; rugged scenery. Hot Springs Reservation : Famous for its thermal springs, having wonderful medicinal qualities. 17 Glacier: Famed for its beautiful lakes derived from glaciers, lofty mountains c ad ^vith forests, magnificent glacial formations, number- less waterfa s. Game and fish abound, but birds are not numerous, ^uliys Hill: Small rugged hills. Practically a local park. Casa Grande Eum: These ruins are one of the most noteworthy relics of a prehistoric age and people within the limits of the United fetates. The ruins were discovered in 1694. _In all the foregoing national parks, excepting Crater Lake and Mesa Verde, the revenues derived from hotel, transportation, and other privileges for the accommodation of tourists, etc., are devoted entirely to the management, protection, and improvement of the re- spective reservations. The money is spent m the State in which the park IS located, and, aside from the general effects of the location of the park m the particular State, the people thereof profit by the expenditure of the money therein for materials, supplies, labor, etc. In many of these parks, particularly in California, Washington Oregon, and Montana, there are numerous streams furnishing power for the generation of electricity. With the view to utilizino- this power and giving the benefit thereof to the public, as well as to securing revenue to he applied to the improvement of the reserva- tions, permits for the use thereof have been granted. It is the policy of the department to so utilize the revenues from these parks as that instead of their being a charge against the Government, as in the past, they will m the future be practically self-sustaining. American antiquities.— Un^ev the act of Congress approved June 8, 1906, there has been reserved from entry national monuments or landmarks, including cliff dwellings, petrified forests, and oth^r natural wonders, m the States of Montana, Wyoming, California Utah, South Dakota, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona New Mexico, and the Territory of Alaska. ' The following is a list of the national monuments under the In- terior Department set aside by the President under the above-men- tioned act: National monuments under Interior Department. Name. Devils To%ver Montezuma Castle EI Morro Chaco Canyon Muir Woods 2 Pinnacles Tmnacacori Mukuntuweap Shoshone Cavern Natural Bridges '•> Gran Quivira! Sitka Rainbow Bridse ■> Lewis and Clark Caveri Colorado Petrified Forest Navajo ■* State. Wyoming Arizona New Mexico . do California do Arizona Utah Wvomine; Utah...: New Mexico. Alaska Utah Montana Colorado Arizona ....do Date. Sept. 24, 1906 Dec. 8, 1900 do Mar. 11,1907 Jan. 9, 1908 Jan. 16, 1908 Sept. 15,1908 July .31,1909 Sept. 21,1909 Sept. 25,1909 Nov. 1,1909 Mar. 23,1910 May 30,1910 May 16,1911 May 24,1911 July 31,1911 Mar. 14,1912 Area. A cres. 1,152 160 160 1 20, 629 295 2,080 10 » 15,840 210 1 2, 740 »160 »57 160 160 13, 883 25, 625 4 360 1 Estimated area. 2 Donated to the United States. 3 Within an Indian reservation. * Based on 15 known ruins, with a reserved area of 40 acres surrounding each ruin. Exterior limits of tra/>t specified m proclamation contain 918,310 acres. ' Originally set aside by proclamation of April 16, 1908, and contained only 120 acres. 18 The following regulations for the protection of national monu- ments were promulgated on November 19, 1910: 1. Fires are absolutely prohibited. 2. No firearms are allowed. 3. No fishing permitted. 4. Flowers, ferns, or shrubs must not be picked, nor may any damage be done to the trees. 5. Vehicles and horses may be left only at the places designated for this purpose. 6. Lunches may be eaten only at the spots marked out for such use, and all refuse and litter must be placed in the receptacles provided. 7. Pollution of the water in any manner is prohibited ; it must be kept clean enough for drinking purposes. 8. No drinking saloon or barroom will be permitted. 9. Persons rendering themselves obnoxious by disorderly conduct or bad behavior, or who may violate any of the foregoing rules, will be summarily removed. The supervision of these various monuments has, in the absence of any specific appropriation for their protection and improvement, necessarily been intrusted to the field officers of the department hav- ing charge of the territory in which the several monuments are located. This supervision in many instances is limited, and con- siderable difficulty has been experienced in protecting the monuments from vandalism, unauthorized exploration, and spoliation. Bird reserves. — The President, under his general supervisory au- thority over public lands, has established from time to time reserva- tions for the protection of native wild birds. The act of June 25, 1910 (36 Stat., 847), authorizes the President in his discretion to temporarily withdraw from settlement, location, sale, etc., other lands of the United States, including the District of Alaska, and reserve the same for water-power sites, irrigation, classification of lands, or other purposes to be specified in the orders of withdrawal, and such withdrawals or reservations shall remain in force until revoked by him or by an act of Congress. The act of June 28, 1909 (34 Stat., 536), provides for the punishment of any person wdio trespasses on any of the reservations so established, and this act was substantially reenacted in section 84 of the act of March 4, 1909 (35 Stat., 1104), providing a new penal code. Between March 14, 1903, and December 31, 1912, there have been set aside by the President 56 bird reserves. These reservations are administered under the direction of the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture. Eleemosynary institutions in the District of Golumhia. — Super- vision over the following institutions: The Government Hospital for the Insane, the Freedmen's tlospital, the Howard University, and to a limited extent over the Columbia Institution for the Deaf. The Government Hospital for the Insane, Washington, D. C, is the only Federal hospital for the insane maintained by the Govern- ment, with the exception of a small one devoted entirely to the care of the Indians and located in South Dakota. It provides for the care of the insane of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Public Health Service, and the Revenue Marine; also for insane residents of the District of Columbia, inmates of the Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in various parts of the United States and the Soldiers' Home, Washington, D. C, and United States prisoners before and after conviction, and convicts. In 1904 the hospital was extended by 19 the construction of 15 new buildings, representing an outlay of $1,500,000, and it now cares for approximately 2,500 patients. District of Columbia. — Supervision over the office of the Superin- tendent of the United States Capitol Building and Grounds; the handling of matters pertaining to the condemnation of lands em- braced within Meridian Hill, in the city of Washington, for park purposes, under acts of Congress of June 25, 1910 (36 Stat., 700), and March 4, 1911 (36 Stat., 1310) ; and rental under the provisions of the general deficiency act of AugTist 26, 1912, of the buildings on lands acquired for enlargement of the Capitol Grounds. Also the protection from improper appropriation or occupation of the public streets, avenues, squares, and reservations in the city of Washington, the issuing of deeds to certain lots in that city, and various other duties in connection w^ith other activities in the District of Columbia and elsewhere. A-pfTo-priations. — The aggregate appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30^ 1913, to be expended under the Interior Department, as compared with the aggregate appropriations for other depart- ments, are shown by the following table : Agriculture $22, 894, 590. 25 Commerce and Labor 14, 875,475. 61 Justice 9, 845. 268. 79 Navy 126, 095, 47.5. 21 Post Office 2, 776, 222. 51 State 4, 188, 430. 39 Treasury (including sinking fund, $60,650,000) 142,020,635.43 War 190, 297, 967. 31 Interior 202, 250, 598. 36 From the foregoing it appears that the appropriations for the Interior Department are greater than those for any other depart- ment under the Government. With regard to the Post Office Depart- ment, however, it should be stated that while the specific appropria- tion from general funds in the Treasury amounts to only $2,776,- 222.51, there is approximately $269,704,599 representing revenues from the postal service, which, under authority of law, are deposited in a separate fund in the Treasury, and which the Postmaster General is authorized to expend. Conclusion. — The volume of work considered in the Department is exceedingly great, but it is dispatched expeditiously and with but little friction. The work pertaining to the various l3ureaus is con- sidered in such bureaus, the heads of which consult with the Secretary from time to time in relation to questions of general policy and im- portant special matters. A large amount of work, however, relating to the bureaus, and particularly that relating to the national parks and reservations, the Territories and eleemosynary institutions, as well as matters relating to the District of Columbia, is initiated and carried to a conclusion under his personal supervision in the various divisions of the Secre- tary's office. From the foregoing recital of the activities entrusted to this depart- ment it is evident that they cover a very wide range of subjects, the' output of the work of the department extending to many countries outside of the United States. Some idea of the territory covered by the work devolving upon the department may be gathered from the fact that, in the exercise of his supervisory powers, the Secretary of 20 the Interior maintains a school at the most northerly settlement on the Arctic Ocean, at Point Barrow, Alaska; he supervises the sale of all pubiic lands in the United States, including Florida on the extreme south; and also receives and considers matters coming from the Territory of Hawaii on the west. Diplomatic correspondence, growing out of the carrying into effect of the patent system and the enforcement of the pension laws, brings the department in touch with applicants for patents and pensions in nearly all foreign countries. The number of persons employed in the department on July 1, 1912, was 14,719. This number does not include 4,601 examining surgeons and specialists for pensions who are not salaried employees but compensated by fees, nor does it include about 3,770 laborers in the Reclamation Service on June 30, 1912. W. B. Acker, Assistant Attorney. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS August, 31, 1912. o WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1913 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 012 321987 9 O i HoUinger Corp. pH8.5