New-York daily tribune., 1856-03-28

pufvleN OF lnls Oil. "a ~ n,
This year, the bill, as itorisaaSed WIN INC oo'-'
mittee of Ways and Means, called Tor sess 'aan
On,, Million and Half and this was rnaihy te'
,nira,l 70 meet an actual deficiency in the rost'
Office Heyenue, and the House didnOt sid aPenny'
but struck out one item-the additional compenss-
t;on 10 the Governor of New Mexico. Thus the
bill went 70 the Senate, where it has finally passed
to.day-the Senate retaining all that was votea oy
the House, and adding thereto various lteSs'
amounting Il judge) to Two or Three Milllons
Some of these, though Of doubtful pertinency, are
TO meet inevitable OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OOO tor the
extension Of the General Post-Ofce, and some
$3.50, 900 for extra Engraving, Printing and Bind
ing for example This enormous sum is nearly
or quite all devoted to the great work on Japan,
based on Com. Perrys Expedition, with scores OF
costly illustrations; the kindred work OF Lieut.. Ii
lis detailing bis Astronomical Observations on the
Southwest Coast of South America but giving
graphic accounts also of the botany, ornithology,
zoology, &c, of that region; add TO which no less
than S49, 300 Of the sum total is required for
engraving and printing the official surveys made OF
the various routes examined for railroad to the
Pacific and as to the propriety Of this item, l
believe there was no dispute. Nor was there any
serious difference as to the two preceding items.
Congress had set on foot two costly expeditions In
tha interest of commerce and science respectively,
had supported them generously throughout and had
ordered their results to be published. 1t may Do
that the expeditions were intrinsically absurd, or
that the results were not satisfactory-or that 1t
was not expedient to publish them with so many
costly illustrations-or that much smaller num-
ber of copies should have been printed. But as
the expeditions had been got up and carried
through. the accounts thereof written, the en-
craving Of costly and profuse illustrations decreed
and very large number of copies ordered, 1t was
too late now for repentance; yet these two last
days have been mainly devoted to mOralizing
on this fruitful theme. Everybody seemed to
agree that Congress had overdone the busi-
ness of printing heavy editions OF costly IL
lustrated works. and nobody appeared con-
fdent that this fit of post mOrtem penltence
would prove of the least practical use. The up
shot was the voting of the money, with virtuous
resolve to lock the sabledOOr next time before the
horse is stolen. presume the House will concur,
as il well may. To reject the item is simply to put
off the payment for few months-a matter OF no
moment to the Government but probably quite es-
sential to the engravers, paper-makers, and prln-
ters. or whoever the money may be going to so fast
as the work is completed
But there is one item of Senatorial addition to
the Deficiency bill which trust the House VIII
consider earnesty-that which approprlates seve-
raj hundreds of thousands Of dollars TO the con.
struction of costly aqueduct intended to supply
this city with water from the high falls of the Po-
tomac, sixteen miles distant. The total cost OF
this enterprise is estimated at S2,3OO,WO, which
| multiply by four in order TO bring il into the
neighborhood of what believe the actual cost,
should the work be executed by Government, will
be- But do not object to the enterprise; pro-
test only against the whole country being re-
quired TO pay for it. Let company
be chartered to construct this aqueduct,
and let the Government agree to pay literally for
the supply Of water to the Public Buildings As
for the rest of the expense let it be assessed the
real estate or betrayed by water-rents. AT all
events, let the House meet the question now, and
decide whether the country shall or shall not be
sadded with the entire cost of these Water Works.
The House has wasted the last two days main
ly on bill regulating Elections in this District
1t originated as follows There are in this city
a large number of mechanics and laborers employed
on Public Works who are esteemed but imperfect
and transient residents; many of them Of foreign
birth. Being employed aud brought reby Admin
istraton contractors and superintendent, they gen.
orally vote what is called the Democratic ticket
The election laws requiring citizenship and
years residence as qualifications for voting, the
Judges of elections last year decided that legal
voter must have been one year citizen and so shut
out all who had been more recently naturalized
The bill now before the House, reported by Mr.
MEACHAM fromthe District Committee, is intended
to oyerbear this construction and permit every cit
izen who has been one year resident here to vote
Against this proposition, all Nativism rises up,
ard an amendment is pending intended to legalize
the Native construction of last year The subject
has been sufficiently discussed and is well under
stood so that the question should have been taken
to-day if not yesterday; yet the House, after sus-
tanning the Previous Question, failed to order the
Main Question, and thus threw the business over
to tomorrow. So the day was as good
as wasted though bill from the Judiciary Commit
tee. relating TO the confinement Of L. s. cOnyicts
in State Prisons was considered and passed. after
defeating an amendment which was deemed Objsc-
tionable by the Free-State Representatives, as
leealizDg the removal of conycts from one State
10 another for punishment / apprehend both