it de corps_ of the officers and seamen has been fully
realized. Confidence and pride in the ship among the crew are equivalent
to a secondary battery. Your favorable consideration is invited to the
recommendations of the Secretary.

The report of the Secretary of the Interior exhibits with great fullness
and clearness the vast work of that Department and the satisfactory
results attained. The suggestions made by him are earnestly commended,
to the consideration of Congress, though they can not all be given
particular mention here.

The several acts of Congress looking to the reduction of the larger
Indian reservations, to the more rapid settlement of the Indians upon
individual allotments, and the restoration to the public domain of lands
in excess of their needs have been largely carried into effect so far as
the work was confided to the Executive. Agreements have been concluded
since March 4, 1889, involving the cession to the United States of about
14,726,000 acres of land. These contracts have, as required by law,
been submitted to Congress for ratification and for the appropriations
necessary to carry them into effect. Those with the Sisseton and
Wahpeton, Sac and Fox, Iowa, Pottawatomies and Absentee Shawnees, and
Coeur d'Alene tribes have not yet received the sanction of Congress.
Attention is also called to the fact that the appropriations made in the
case of the Sioux Indians have not covered all the stipulated payments.
This should be promptly corrected. If an agreement is confirmed, all of
its terms should be complied with without delay and full appropriations
should be made.

The policy outlined in my last annual message in relation to the
patenting of lands to settlers upon the public domain[12] has been
carried out in the administration of the Land Office. No general
suspicion or imputation of fraud has been allowed to delay the hearing
and adjudication of individual cases upon their merits. The purpose has
been to perfect the title of honest settlers with such promptness that
the value of the entry might not be swallowed up by the expense and
extortions to which delay subjected the claimant. The average monthly
issue of agricultural patents has been increased about 6,000.

The disability-pension act, which was approved on the 27th of June last,
has been put into operation as rapidly as was practicable. The increased
clerical force provided was selected and assigned to work, and a
considerable part of