Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-03-17
HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES..
WKssssnAv, tEsRuASs ~.
nraf1.ma. % ths How're.

d IlIf. DAVIS, Mn6ShChuScttS, ODScfVfd,
- o>Ain question had been SO much discussed, that
should not have entered into the debate, IT, in the
Burse of il some facts, which had bearing upon
n. lad mot been stated in such way to leave an
psroneous impression upon the Houses but he was
I'D, and there were some things in relation to the
main subject which had not been adverted to, he
slouj make few remarks in relation TO the rcsou-
ton.
The debate, he said, had taken very wide range,
and it might be proper to refresh the minds OF gen.
ueucn by stating the question, lest, In nautical
phrase, we, should lose our reckoning
Tho proDositiou before IS contained in q Tesou-
zion introduced here by authority Of the committee
retrcuchmcnt, the object OF which is to abolish
the Office Of Draughtsman, as Il is called The off,
Ger filing this place, Who has filed it. fjr he is not
now in the pay of government, is Clerk of the
House. and his duties arc of typographical char
Actcr; il is his business to dclneac such maps and
charts needed by the land committees, in The
discharge of their duties, from the data furnished Co
the Land Office by the surveyors of public lands II
is also his business construct maps and proles for
the surveys of roads, canals, and other public i'm
provements, where the surveys and examinations are
made by engineers in the employ of the Government.
These chiefly for the use of the Committee,
now called Informal Improvement, but before the
days Of reform, Roads and Canals. He is also occa.
slonaly ged in like service for the Committee ON
tho Post Office aud Post Roads.
The question which first presents itself for consd-
Grafton is, are abors and services of this kind
sary' Upon this point, said Mr.. ID. 10 not think
there il great disparity of opinion. Before had
the honor Of being elevated BY your partality sir
to the Committee on Retrenchment, was msn,-
Der for time Of the Committee on Roads and Ca
nails, and from the knowledge have of the subjects
presented to their consideration, of their
duties with some share Of confidence. hazard no.
thing in saying, that that committee could not per-
form the business 1t acts upon, in manner either
satisfactory to themselves to the public without
the aid of the maps in question. The. are called
upon to judge of the cxpediency and practcabty of
public improvements Their first object is TO under
stand the facts, and they usually decline considering
any proposal for public improvements until these arr
ascersined wthan accuracy that may be depended on
These facts are come at ny the Corps of Civil
Engineers IN the employ Of the Government either
under the special direction of Congress- under the
reueral law of 1924 which asthoriZes SURVEYS to be
made; ind whom collected they are reported to the
War Department, and placed among the files Of the
Typographical Bureau, where they remain. Now,
sir, If the committee cannot have the use of!
this Information, it avas nothing be at a heavy
annual expenditure to obtnn it. What is il design
cd for except to enable Congress to decide upon the
cxpedency of giving aid to public improvements
And Of what is il, either to this House, to the
Committee, while deposited in the department.
Will it be said that members can 60 there and ex-
anime it? 1t is sufficient to answer, that such has
never been, and probably will be, the practice:
when information is wanted here, we send to the
Departments for it. and it is collected and brought
~ tnble, and ordered to be printed. No one has
knowledge, objected to this course, or thought
pedent to send members to the Departments to
suit the original documents to save the expense
copying and printing, and yet this could be done
mere to satisfy their minds by comparing and exam.
ming surveys.
You have hut one way of obtaining this inforna-
t;on which is indispensn lie to the sale action of the
Government, and that 10 by copying. During the
whole of this debate said Mr.. D., l have not heard
any vdual who has, to my knowledge, belonged
to the land Committee or to that on Roads and Ca
nails, or to that on the Post Office and Post Roads
who has raised his voice in favor of this resolution
and this of itself ought so far to satisfy the House
that labor Of this kind is needed.
Sir, the amendment proposed by the gentleman
from Kentucky, {Mr. WIcKLrrFE,) who has through
out been advocate for abolshng the Office admits
that the labor cannot be dispensed WITH for il promo
ses to have it done under the direction of the War
Department. This Is merely transferring the pow
or to employ topographer from this House to that
branch of the government. 1t is taking from YOU
sir, the fret officer of this body, trust conided to
your care and placing IL into the hands of another
and the effect of it, Though that probably did not
occur the Dovers) to throw distrst upon you when
it is acknowledged that abuse of the power has
been perpetrated, and that the trust has been faith
fully executed am not, Sir for rejecting in this
manner upon ourselves officers. In nv iudp
Inent we safely confde in ourselves and our
officers IN any other branch Of the Government
What, permit me to enquire, would be gained by |
transferring the power7 You, Mr.. Speaker employ
a topographer, and pay him out of the CONTINGENT
fund of the House. and the Secretary of War would
employ one and pay him on of the contingent
fund of that Department. that the objection which
has been made, that the pay ought not TO come out
of contingent fund, lays as strongly against the
amendment it does against the resolution of 1924
say the Secretary would pay out Of the contingent
fund because we have proof before us that the Off
GERS now in the employ of the Department could not
perform the service. There is now doc ument jvino
on my table, in which the President says he trans,
mts to you a map of the Cumberland road, which is
the,ony one in the War Department, and asks thatit
NAV be returned for that reason and because there
is no copy to send to the Senate Another document
before me- from the Secretary Of War, says that the
Engineers and Photographers have been SO much
employed, that maps of the surveys made under the
act Of 1894 could not be completed, and he assigns
this as reason for not complying with a resolution
Of the House calling for the report Of survey long
since made The Secretary would, therefore, BIO
obliged employ additional help, and the pay would
of course come out of the contingent fund. Can it
DO the policy Of the House, under such crcumstan-
COS, to adopt the amendment, which will merely
the execnon Of The trust from iia OWN min.