Show THE U S department OF THE INTERIOR the interior department which i at present under the direction of carl ctrl schurz is the largest adm iniss department next to the treasury several of it subdivisions carry the title of department nd they are to be treated separately today to day we will follow the alert correspondent of the N Y through the chief parts of chis important branch of the federal government v the department of the interior is located in a building occupying a block and a half between seventh and ninth streets in what ie corns conly called the patent office because it was formerly used exclusively for the patent officer in the third story of the edifice there are now on deposit models of american invention end curiosities many of them of interesting historical value strangers coming to washington seldom fail to visit this gallory of curiosities which narrowly escaped destruction ioa at the occasion of the fire which consumed part of abe building in the night of the of sept the interior department was created by act of congress on march and is thus the youngest of the various executive departments of chieh there are seven Atit shead stands of course the secretary of the interior with an assistant who represents him in case of necessity and who is generally authorized to execute the orders of his clef one of tho assistants ssi stants of the attorney general is the solicitor ef the interior department to him legal questions are submitted the department comprises the following bus beaus created by law which formerly belonged to ether departments with the exception of two which were incorporated with the depart itself the general land office the office for interior affairs the pension office abe patent office the educational bureau the railroad account bureau and the census office the department directs the sur of the public lands and administers the complicated system created by the homestead act and the various laws a the ale of timber mining and marsh lands it orders the investigation and biam ignatiou of invention and issues vouchers for pension and under it is the administration of our indian affairs the laws the secre i tary of the interior to assume all the duties with regard to abe territories of the united states which the secretary of state exercised by law or usage before march ast 1st 1873 lie has to report annually to congre on ell claims handed in during the last year with regard to indian delpreda de preda bione tione he has to give the necessary orders prohibiting the sale of arms and ammunition in region inhabited by uncivilized or hostile indians one thing is rather strange the law also requires of him the execution of cheso regulations a thing of impossibility for him who has no military at his disposition in the last annual report of the recently discharged indian this adfur ia treated at length and it is shown that the re serration tho prohibition ot the ale of arms wa possible and a the commis lioner asserts even valid but out eide of the reservations civilized as well as uncivilized indians have had ample purchase all the arms and ammunition they were able lo 10 for another of the of the department part ment of the interior is the di printed journals of bolh of congles Con gres and all other works whose printing is ordered by congress mot of these publications are tent to public institution or which are designated a worthy and it for thie favor by the senators and and this distribution i ada on the rule that each congressional district receive the same amount unfortunately tuna tely chis latter regulation works rather unjustly in the seventh congressional district of new york f i there exist several large libra rie and association with great col sections of books ai the cooper union the mercantile library actor library the historical society and alie geographical society all valuable institution can ef couri not be provided for by their con while on the other hand there are so many rural in which ther exist eiter libraries nor scientific eions entitled to alie reception of the government publications an exchange of which to suit the different carlies belle is not admissible by law only with books and documents distribution ia left to the themselves frequent exchanges take place thus the representatives ot cities have lit ate use lot the numerous agrical agri cul tural reports and arkich on the other hand are alcomo to the parliamentary o from tho country who can thereby please their tho mall ing of these books done through email office in the basement of the department building and it i feared that the chief clerk entrusted with the handling of the endle pile of waste paper may ere long apply to concree Con gree for tho creation of bial department of paper thie of printed matter h in the laet years expanded to real deluge and the whole i an unmitigated julance nu lance tho national cantua chieh Is every tenth year is likewise under the control department the so called bengus are nominated the president subject to the confirmation by the senate the secretary of the interior i in to take measures for the speedy termination of the survey of the which to eared general surveyor appointed any land the unsold land amount to less alian acres tho land office in this districts is abrogated and tho respective official functions thereof aro re berred to the land office of a neighboring district in cases of contro versy of different parties concerning the right of ownership of any of these lands and of an appeal of one or the other party from tho decision of the commissioner of alie general land office or tho officials in tho districts the secretary of the interior has the final decision if a piece of land has been sold by error by the united states so that the sale cannot be confirmed for some reason or oilier the purchaser receives the amounts paid in back under tho sc creta ya exclusive control are tho wide and romantic regions on the upper yellowstone called national park it is his duty to pass and enforce regulations in order to protect the timbers mineral grounds and natural wonders in this interesting and c domain from damage or destruction lie is authorized to lease out small parcels of the land in this park for periods of ten years to such who may intend to settle for the purpose of the reception of tourists the fish and game of this district are likewise under his paternal protection which can under existing circumstances hardly be more than nominal anil whenever new building is to be erected for the use of any depart jentof the united states the plans and devises must be examined by ahe secretary of the interior in common with the secretary of tho treasury and the postmaster general whose approbation is necessary the great government printing office lands also in a certain relation to the secretary of the interior but this connection is so loose that it ie hard to find out where it begins and where it ads the pension office forms an ims branch of the deportment but is administered almost ind epen dently by the pension commissioner thi bureau is in a separate building on tho corner of twelfth street and pennsylvania avenue the office of the secretary of the interior in its limited sense is divi ded into several division which are prescribed by no law but aro arrangements range ments of the secretary the first division attends to the appointment and removal of officials as well those outside of the capital as those living in washington and the preservation of all the documents concerning these matters A second division keeps account of the salaries of the officials other expenditures of the department the annual improvements or repairs on the cap the parks surrounding it the expenditures of the hospital and the smithsonian institute and it also makes the necessary payments beside this division issues the orders on the treasury for the payment of pensions support of indians salaries of the indian agents general land surveyors etc A third division examinee and audits the contracts ac counis and claims of the indian bureau the corres pon dence regarding tho public lands and land grants to railroads is entrusted to a fourth division patents pensions census and other order of the secretary are attended to by the fifth division and the sixth division prepare tho public documents and issues every two years tho so called bluebook blue book a quarto volume containing the names of all public officials in tho united states |