The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-12-27
TIL E r EPU BLIC.
Report of the Secretary of the Interior.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
December 3, 1919.

interior passed at close Oh the vi
Congress, when the attention of that body was oc-
cupied by large accumulation OF public business,
in consequence Of which it was left in some re-
spects, imperfect. The department is named in
| the title ga Home Department. but the body OF
the provides that it shall be called The Depart
ment of the Interior" The title of the act, being
the part last adopted in the process OF enactment,
believed TO express the intention OF Congress as to
the name, but the language Of the act itself being
imperative, felt constrained to conform to 1t in
the adoption of SEAL and in all other official acts
| Important duties, requiring much clerical labor,
were transferred from the President, and from the
State, the Treasury, and the War Departments to
the Department of the Interior. The act provides
for the appointment of secretary and chief clerk,
but directs the employment of no other clerks, ex-
cept in the provision THAT the President OF the
United States, on the recommendation of the said
| Secretary of the Interior, may transfer from the
| Treasury Department proper to the Department
Of the Interior such clerks III the office OF the Sec
rotary of the Treasury as perform the duties over
| which the supervision and control are given by
| this act to the Secretary of the Interior"
| 1t was, however, ascertained, on careful exam
inaton, that there clerk who could be trans
ferred, by virtue of this provision; for, although
some part of the duties of several clerks, employed
in the Office of the Secretary of the Treasury was
transferred TO this department yet there was not
transfer of ALL the principal part, OF the du-
ties of any clerk. Therefore, on taking charge
of the new department, found that there were
onerous duties, running into much detail, enJolned
by law to be performed, and no means provided to
enable me to perform them. great proportion
was current business, which required attention
from day to day, and would not bear posponement.
Pressed, therefore. by the necessities OF the public
service, | felt il incumbent to employ such
clerical aid as would enable me to organize the de-
partment, open it's books, and keep up the current
business, until Congress should make permanent
provision for the full and regular discharge of all
its duties. For this temporary purposes took from
the General Land Office two clerks, from the Indian
Office one from the Pension Office one; and, in ad-
dition thereto, employed hve-three of them at
agreed salaries Of eighteen hundred, fourteen hun
dred, and twelve hundred dollars respectively sub
ject to the approval of Congress; the other two at
the usual per diem wages There will be needed,
as permanent force in the department proper, ten
clerks, whose compensation in the aggregate Is c.
timated at fourteen thousand two hundred dollars.
In addition TO his various administrative duties,
there referred TO the head of this Department
from the Pension Office, the General Land Office,
and the Office of Indian Affairs, many cases for Ju-
dical decision, involving the examination of evil
dence, and the determination of questions of law.
The decision of these many OF them OF great
magnitude and importance, requires all the time,
care, and research which due to the safe and
proper exercise of judicial functions. For many
years there was Solicitor pertaining to the Gene
raj Land Office, whose office WIS abolished In 1872
But since that time, the acts of Congress giving
bounty lands to soldiers who served in the Mexican
| war, have greatly increased the number OF legal
questions arising in that bureau, while those from
the Pension Office, under the same acts and other
laws conierrlng pensions and military Dounues are
very numerous and often difficult. The number of
private land claims, and questions arising out of
our Indian intercourse, will be also greatly IN
creased by tho extension of our settlements to Ore
gon and the accession OF California and New Mex
leo. From all these sources will arise amount
of judicial duty sufficient to require the undivided
time and attention of an able law officer, and which
cannot be promptly and well discharged 10y the
head of a Department engaged in his daily admin
istratiye duties In my opinion, therefore, the
public service would be promoted by the creation
of the Office of Solicitor Of the Department of the
Int hnf1c no chs rureH Inc
examination and decision of these various cases and
claims.
The act establishing the Department of the Int
ror passed so Immediately before the adjourn
mcnt OF Congress- that no provision was or could be
embodied in the general appropriation act for It's
support In the law by which it is established there
is provision directing that portion of the con
tins gent fund Of the office Of the Secretary Of the
Treasury should be transferred TO the office Of the
Secretary Of the Interior. Under this provision the
sum of four thousand dollars has been so transfer
red, leaving estimated deficit to cover expenses
incurred, and which must be incurred IN said office,
in the past and present fiscal years, of thirty -four
thousand seven hundred and thirty seven dollars
and sixty eight cents, for which an carly appropr
alton will be desirable
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
In applying the appropriation for the painting
and repairs of the Capitol, il became necessary TO
examine with care the condition Of the walls, and
TO remove such portions of the stone were crum-
bling falling off in scales, that the coat of paint
might be laid upon a sound and solid surface. On
this examination IL was found that many Of the
stones, especially those the base of the build
ing, were disintcgratcd at the surface, and some
were much and deeply affected that II was
necessary 10 remove them The Capitol IL mas
sive building-its walls are thick and maintain a
certain equality of temperature, changing slowly
with the changes in the temperature of the air In
a change from cold 10 warm, the walls remain for
a time cold, and there is condensed upon them a
portion of the moisture of the atmosphere, as upon
] N nit berc nj " "A
stone being very porous, readily absorbs the mos-
ture, and the natural cement, which seems to be
slowly soluble in water, Is dissolved or otherwise
loses It's adhesive power, and the stone crumbes To
sand. A thick coat of paint, carefully applied
from time b. time, has been resorted TO 10 preserve,
and, no doubt tends TO preserve the building; but
unless some other and more permanent protection
be resorted to, il is destined 10 carly diapidaon.
II left wholly unprotected from atmospheric action
for one-th Of the time that marble structures arc
known 10 have STOOD this noble edihce would be-
come a mound Of sand.
The Treasury building and the present Patent
Office building arc Of the material, and, hav-
ing been in no manner protected, already show
signs of decay. The cornce of the Treasury build
ing, which exposes a heavy mass of stone To atfno-
spheric action, begins 10 be moss grown; and
pieces Of the moulding of the PatentOfhce building
have crumbled and fallen. Besides it's tendency to
disintegration ON exposure, the stone IN lts best
condition is weak, Offering little resistance to
, n crushing force than common brick. These build
ings cannot, with all possible care, be long pre-
served by the means at present adopted. But II
the stone az IL stands in the walls could be rendered
permanently and absolutely impermeable to mois-
ture, the principal difficulty would be removed ;
and this may perhaps be done by some means
known 10 the arts, or which may be discovered by
experiment. For this purpose would recommend
that specimens Of the stone be carefully analysed,
and that a series of experiments be tried, with a
> view of finding some chemical agent, the aPpca-
ton Of which will prevent its absorption oil mos
turc, and thus strengthen and render II durable.
In consequence of the defective quality of this
stone, and of reports from committees In Congress
in 1887 and 1889 condcmning it, / thought proper
to direct that the wings of the Patent Ofhce build
ing should be constructed of different material.
After full consideration, white marble, from a
quarry in Baltimore county, Maryland, was Sc
lectcd IL IL strong stone, resisting about three
times as great crushing force as the sandstone OF
the front building. All the practicable tests which
were applied show il to be durable. II is material
Of great beauty, and II will be easier TO make the
front building correspond with IL in color, than
with the gray gneiss, or any other strong and du,
rablc stone Of mixed varied colors, wirch could
be readily procured. The work ON the eastern
wing is considerably advanced Something has
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