Washington sentinel., 1854-04-08

Nebraska-kansas BILL and Mr.. Washburn, of
Maine, spoke in opposition to it. The House
adjourned until Monday.
$50
MILITARY SUPERVISION OF CIVIL
WORKS.
| In our paper of Wednesday, we presented
general argument on the propriety of giving
the control OF civil works to military officers.
We did not feel it necessary to examine the le-
gal enactments touching this subject, because
we wished to condemn the system of employ
| ing military men beyond the line of their ap-
propriate duties, no matter what the state of
the law may be; because we hold that, if the
law permits that they be thus employed, that
| permission should not be acted on except in
cases of emergency, and that if the law be
mandatory it ought to be repealed, as unwise
and dangerous.
The Washington Union, of Wednesday, also
contained an article on this subject, in defence
of the War Department. This defence was
called forth by fve-minutes' speech delivered
some weeks since by MIR. Stanton, of Kentucky,
in the House of Representatives. 1t is not our
desire to assail the conduct of the War Depart
ment; for, in some instances, the law leaves it
no discretion as to the employment of military
men, and remedy can only be applied by the
two houses Of Congress. But believing that
many Of the statements made by the Union are
founded in error, and that the drift of its argu-
ment is calculated to uphold an obnoxious sys-
tenn, against public sentiment, as evinced in the
| memorials now before Congress praying that
it ba abolished, we submit the following COM
ments
Mr.. Stanton, in the fve-minutes' speech re-
terred to, mentioned about seventy officers Of
the army who are employed in the performance
Of civil duties. The Union meets this point by
expressing the conviction that "these officers
are discharging their proper and legitimate du-
ties, in compliance with the laws of Congress
and the orders of their government" 1t then
says:
"Of the thirty-two engineer officers, who Mr.
Stanton states are employed on civil duties,
t'cnfy-three are in charge of the construction
of Notifications upon our Atlantic, Gull, and
Pacific coasts"
The impression conveyed by this state
ment and what follows is, that the officers
referred to are confined to their legitimate
duties, and have no connexion with any civil
employment This is deceptive, and unfair,
and may be illustrated by the case of an
officer employed in this city, who is one of the
tacenty-ttree officers enumerated. This officer
has charge of the fortifcation at Fort Mont
gomery, New York, and to that extent is in
the proper and legitimate discharge of his
military duties; but he also has charge of two
stupendous civil works in this District-the
Capitol extension, and the aquedpct for sup
plying Washington and Georgetown with water
He perhaps does not see Fort Montgomery
more than once or twice year, while either
the Capitol extension or water.works is enough
to employ the exclusive attention of one man
all the time.
But, happily for the elucidation of truth, the
annual report Of the Colonel of the Engineer
Corps, made to the present Congress, sheds
some light on the employment to which these
officers are assigned. On page $50, of part H.,
Presidents message to the present Congress,
is attached to the annual report of the Secre-
tary of War, "a compendium of the report of
the Colonel of Engineers" from which we take
the following paragraph:
"Of the fortythree officers now commissioned
in the corps, ifteen are employed in the engi-
neer department, at the military academy, in
the coast survey, and in constructing public
buildings; six of the younger graduates are
without much experience; six officers are en-
ployed in California on the Oregon route and
the Texas frontier; leaving on this side of the
continent but sixteen to conduct operations on
more than forty fortifcations, upwards of thirty
works Of river and harbor improvement, to serve
as inspectors or constructors of lighthouses,
and members Of two boards Of engineers. 1tis
evident from this that an addition to the strength
of the corps is indispensable"
IL but sixteen OF these officers are left to con-
duct operationssupon the numerous forti6ca
tions and river and harbor improvements men
toned, and to perform the other duties emu
merated what foundation has the Union for the
statement that teenty-three are in charge Of the
construction of Notifications? Add the whole
six officers ain California, on the Oregon route
and the Texas frontier" and still the number
does not reach tpcntythrce. We leave the
Colonel Of Engineers and the Union to recon-
cile these discrepancies.
The Union, after enumerating various civil
duties to which army officers are assigned, thus
remarks:
can examination Of the laws making appro
priations for the numerous works which have