The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-02-17

& Russell 1859. For sale by Cushings & Bailey.
! NICARAGUA; PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE A de
scription of its inhabitants, customs, mines, min
erals, early history, modern flibustersm, pro
posed inter-oceanic canal, and Manifest Destiny
BY Peter F. Stout, Esq, late Vice Consul limo
pp 49, Philadelphia: John E. Potter, CIT San
som street. For sale by Evans & Hoyt
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 1859.
Tomorrow is expected to bring out the Report
of the House Committee, investigating into tn,
alleged abuses in connection with the Navy De
partment and sundry Navy Yards. The evidence
has been printed day by day, as taken by the Com.
mittee, so that there will be occasion for much
delay after the report is presented. While indv
dual cases of delinquency will be exposed in the
report and evidence, the chief and more permanent
advantage to be derived from the action of the Com
mittee will result from its exposures of the corrupt
system upon which most of the public business con
ducted and its recommendations ofmOdes of elfectno
| needed reform. The contract system of obtainnp
Navy Yard supplies, for instance, appears to have
| been organized for the express purpose of enabling
political favOrites, by collision with corrupt suhor
dinates, to rob the Treasury for their own benefit
1t seems that partial reform in this respect was
effected two or three years ago,-but there is am
pie room for more Under the present system,
contractors compelled to furnish all the articles
they bid for, and then they are generally allowed
the preference, in all purchases of additional GUAM
titles of the same articles, or any of them at the
same price.
| Thus, for instance, a man NAV put in n hid to
furnish an hundred feet of timber of a GER
tain kind, at a high price-the outside pre-
sumption being that only an hundred feet
will be required. He may then bid for a quantity
OF some other article at a low rate, so that the
| m will ha In, hat Al
or even lower. But subsequently,, it turns out that
while the Government wants no more of the arti-
Gle offered at low rate than actually bid for it
wants million feet of the high priced lumber, of
which only an hundred feet was named in the bid
or course, don't pretend to give a specific case,
but only to present an illustration of the system
This can all be reformed by provisions of law, re-
curing the acceptance of the lowest responsible
bid for each distinct article purchased 1t is prob-
able that the Committee will make a recommends
ton on the subject. But this is only single exam
pie, Illustrating the general system.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives recent
presented MS report OF contingent expenditures,
containing, among other items over $40 900 for
furniture. including of over 50 600 for mirrors
alone, and another of $5l4 for combs and brushes
9ne might suppose IN y1eW of these expenditures
the business OF EMBARRASSING Judging bv the prices
paid for many articles in this account, it would an
| pear quite evident that either Mr. ALLEN had been
| very extravagant, or that his Predecessor Cen
| CuLLoM, was ii pattern of economy, instead of a
prodlgal as was charged year or more ago-
II the House initiate the needed reform
! they ought not forget their own Clerks Office
where, doubtless many a thousand dollars NAV he
| saved to the Government by rigid and constant
scrutiny of all payments made from the CONTINGENT
| fund, and the circumstances under which sucb nav
ments are required. A single instance will suffice
| to show ho,o these expenses are increased con
tract made some time since by MIR. ALLEN for five
hundred tons OF coal for the use of the House was
given at 30 5O to 1913 per ton, when thoroughly
responsible. bidders claimed the right to furnish it
at S4S5. This is small matter in itself INT many
such rapidly swell the bills which our venerable
UNCLE SAM is called upon to settle. Of course some
excuse will be offered by the Clerk for having piven
the contract to the highest rather than the lowest
bidder; put the TACT remains that the highest bid
ros accepted. Somehow other it very often if
not always happens that these highest bids are the
only bids that are acceptable to officials who have
contracts to let Why is it so? Surely the inter
rogatory is worthy of careful consideration
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 1859
Thirteen legislative days will now close the abors
of the present Congress, and how much remains
undone which ought to have received attention. II
would be curious and instructive labor to take IN
the records of Congress, and estimate the time and
effort consumed in Committee, and in one branch
or the other of the National Legislature upon
business which will not be disposed of by final ac
ton. 1t will be safe to say, that not one tenth of
the time would prove to have been expended unon
anything leading to results. There are several yerv
important bills, which, even having passed one
House, are in danger of failing of action in the
other. The French Spoliation Bill-involy
ing the payment of millions of dollars
of just claims withheld from citizens until compar
ativey few of the original claimants are above the
sod-has passed the Senate but is apparently
doomed to the sleep of death in the House The
Homestead Bill, and the Old Soldiers Pension Ri
have passed the lower House, but apparently have
| little chance in the Senate and the House Bill
granting lands to the several States for the estab
lishment OF Agricultural Colleges is still pending
in that body, having been returned from the Sen
ate with unimportant amendments. 1t is dopbtfn
whether either of these becomes law The Aeri
cultural College bill may be sent to the PREsInFyT
but it is threatened with his veto. 1t is to be
hoped, however, that it will not Re subjected ta
such fate. The bill would confer larger and more
substantial benefits upon the great national inter
est OF agriculture than any other ever conceived bv
Congress. While it embodies, probably, the only
scheme by which the old States will ever derive INV
benefit from the public lands, it is calculated also
to elevate, by educating that interest which EN-
ploys an overwhelming majority of our people
and thus indirectly vastly enhancing the chief ele-
ment OF prosperity in country such as ours
The public and private calendars of both Houses
contain numberless bills in various stages of for
wardness, which evidently to receive the 90 bv
for another year. While the Senate wastes its
days in frutless discussions about the purchase of
Mead
for the measure of justice due them at the hands of
the Government and necessary to save them from
absolute poverty and want. They turn away in
hopeless sorrow, because while grave Senators are
pushing their vain demand for thirty millions of
dollars, they cannot bend low enough to hear the
plea OF those who ask the few hundreds due them
from the Government system of more rank or
more cruel injustice could not be devised than that
which results from the constitutional inability of
the citizens to sue the Government of the United
States. 1t is high time that some remedy was de-
vised. The maxim that the 'the King can do no
wrong, is shocklngy misapplied in the case of our
Republics utter hopelessness of the citizen with us
instead Of securing speedy attention to his claim.
is avaled of for his oppression.
The Committee on Ways and Means have had
another meeting this morning to see if it is possible
to agree upon plan of tariff modification close
canvass, made by friends of revision, shows clear
majority OF twenty or more in the House. and ten
or twelve in the Senate, for MoRRILL's BILL il no
better one can be had. Even the Pennsvlvanians
am assured, will accept it rather than nothing
The position of affairs in Congress is certainly be-
coming critical. The time is getting verv short
for action upon the Tariff; and if revision is
not secured, there is exceeding danger
that some of the appropriation bills viii
fail, and extra session of Congress thus be rem
dered inevitable. The president and MANY mem
bers of Congress anticipate the extra session now
and MIR. BUCHANAN constantly states his purpose of
calling extra session to meet about the LIST of
August. Neither Senator HUNTER or the CHAIR
MAN of the House Committee on Ways and Means
have now any expectation of an agreement in the
latter upon tariff bill. Mr.. HUNTER insists, how
ever, that simple bill for the reissue of Treasury
notes can be carried.
The House this morning laid on the table the
bills creating Territorial Governments for Arizona
and Dacotah This result is exceedingly unfortu-
nate far the Arizona Bill is concerned; for it
is morally certain that there will be imminent ne
cessity for strong government in that region next
summer to preserve order among the turbulent
population that will pour into it. The cause of the
defeat of the bill un9uestionably grew out of an
amendment which Mr.. HAsKIN, of New York. asked
Mr.. STEPHENS, of Georgia, to allow him to submit,
providing that whenever the Territory shall have
tne requisite population for member of Congress,
they form a Constitution and State government,
which Constitution shall be submitted to the people
for rati1cation. The principle embodied in this
proposition is the unalterable platform of the anti
Lecompton Democrats, and will be insisted upon
by them to the end. Mr.. s. refused to entertain
the amendment or allow it to be put to the vote,
and, as consequence, the opposition generally
to defeat the bill.