Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-03-22

pleases without shadow OF responsibility, and the same pm
vilege will pass round any other member who chooses TO
exercise it. easy toNee what kind OF operations as well
legislative typographical all this will lead and if It does
explain how this bill has been passed with Its enormous
load be because mental vision is shut in by
Egyptian darkness.
do pretend, s that even the most accurate surveys
and the carefully prepared estimates tx with accu-
racy The nua or eventual cost of work From the very
nature OF the elements which necessarily enter into the cacu
aton, and from the accidents Of water and weather. we must
only expect general approximation towards the object STILL
with all these accidents the plan highly useful ndspensa
be indeed to discreet Legislation we'll faithful admin
sraon. And besides the Department is responsible for any
gross errors and its character committed the result But
make loose appropriation without inquiry and who Is re-
sponsble Years after the Department and the Bureau,
course say, aye, and would say We know nothing Of
the origin of this work. We have only been obeying the
will OF Congress, who did not ak our views upon the subject
The fault is not
II obvious SIR that system thus prone abuse instead
being relaxed should be surrounded with still stronger bar
riers The greatest danger lies in the temptation barter
work for another, by which means is not their
tive claims real improvement which decides their introduce
ton BILL but the mutual support they give each other
upon the question OF lis passage One obvious remedy for
this state Of things would be TO consider every object sepa
ratey and in bill by ITSELF Such understand to be the
si,ions of the New York constitution in similar cases,
and such was the proposition of Senator from that State,
made when be the chairman Of Committee Com
mece, and retired to private le Another check would
be- by including ard old works bills, and also
by grouping together The several objects proposed for the
ous great sections Of couny for the Atlantic coast for
instance the Mississippi ss~y the great lakes, and the Pa
cifc coast, and providing for them in different bills am
confident must adopt such plan, and the very rs
time this subject up this modhcaion IN one or another
of these foms shall receive my cordial support Without IT.
shall vote, if ALL with great reluctance. This will open
the way for cautious and discreet legislation, and wish the
Administration would send US the next estimates with some
such classification
slight analysis of this bill will show how amentably de-
cient in all practical checks, and how utterly it sets at
naught the established policy of the Government.
The regular estimates Of the Department upon which we
are acting submitted in December ls49 Not hav-
ing been acted on they referred TO in the report OF De-
cember 1885, then presenting the views OF the Depart
ment with only two EXCEPTIONS at Milwaukee and the
other Racine both Of which, in consequences Of severe
Storm require the local engineer sad some addition to
the estimates"
The amount thus asked for in the annual Of the De,
PaIrment :.
The amount included in the bill before the Sc
nate Is i,uuu
Being an excess beyond the demands OF the De-
partment Of 200
And how is this excess created
1st. BY the addition Of various sums 10 the sew
era objects recommended by the Department.
which had stated the amounts it needed, and to
which additions are made by the action of the
miuee upon their responsibility, varying from
$40, 900 in to smaller Sums in other cases,
but producing aggregate Of 1924, 900
I'd. By increasing the number Of the objects,
without previously consulting the Department. SO
far as the documents show, in any case, and with
out consulting it at all in other important cases, to
the amount Of Observation-Disclosures s, 600
The number of the various objects of appropriation esmat
ed for and asked by the Department. including dredge-
boats is Observation-Disclosures. A
The number added by the committee is. ........ So
/. -
90
An improvement in Florida left out ............. l
-
Making the whole number in the bill ............ 95