New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-07
FROM WASHING TON.
NO PETREycsV MENT-ATRAro CANAL
sCYEIy.
from Our SPECIAL corrsrpoossst

from Our SPECIAL Corrsspoossst
wAsnYGToy, N.rct 2, 1850.
Congress viii sit all this night, or 20 much Of 10
a. members will be able 70 endure. Both branches
have devoted themselves the l.si feS days ysry In.
dusuio1sly TO the various Appropriation bill, bar.
ring farewell address OF Gen. Houston, welsh
took up large part Of ore sitting, and which as
conceived It necessary 10 deliver 10 sq1sre up his
political accounts and leave clear record - bis
children.
Notwithstanding al the talk, there viii Be no
ret1enctment 10 the general Expenditures Of ths
government worth speaking Of. Most Of the 81.
yirg attempted ia in cases where appropriations
for certain public works can b. d:ferred. These
viii show nominal reduction, but Il is only nom
nal and future years vii have - bea, the burdens
Of oil such. Cus.om-lTouses in the South pubic
buildings in this city, expensive works in Caliio'-
Ma and the lie, can bs all arrested aud ippropr
stions for them be defeated. But not a dollar is
saved in the end by such q process.
No radical effort 10 reduce eur expenditures has
been attempted. Legislation making the Post
Ofice Department selfsustaining, or even looking
toward this eud, meets with no favor. TIE ei-
trtmest economy proposed in regard to this De-
partmeut is 10 limit IL expenditures to ak millions
beyond IL revenues. A pretty idea Of retrench.
ment, The notion q raising the rates Of postage,
according TO Yulee's bill and thus taxing unfairly
the business spondence of the country in or
der TO sustain ex rsy,gant or corrupt contracts on
the outskirts, everybody knows is as impractcabie
as it is unjust.
So is with the War Department. Not step
is favored that looks towars the great sources OF ,s
dram. bill of half:adOze lines, putting it back
where it was three years ago, would reduce its
expenses three and half millions year. THIS
could be done without the least detrlInent 70 the
service. But nobody proposes anything OF the sort
because Congress could not be brought To consider
anything of the sort.
Things are little better with the Navy. The
Navy Yards, having been demonstrated to be
mere hospitals to support heavy force Of merce-
uaries. kept and used to carry close election dis
tricts, some disgust toward them has been mani
tested, and appropriations for their support have
been cut down million in the House. Whether
the Senate will concur, we shall know alter Con
press adjouns But the main expenditure Of this
branch Of the service stands.
In the Civil List there ia no reform and 20 re.
trencbment but such as ! have referred h.. All
cbareeabe upon the roJf.
The general expenditure will not thus be mate
rally reduced from the original essmttes OF
$4,000, 0C0 sent in by the Treasury Department
at the opening Of the session. saying bothing about
Paraguay expeditions, Pension bills, extra Indian
wars, &c,
perceive some one of the Atrato Canal gentle
men has undertaken in your columns 10 review
an 10 in detail my remarks on that enterprise. L
do not know that it is worth while n refer further
to that case am unable TO see that any OF the
statements made are weakened by this eXpOsr
ton Of one Of the friends Of the scheme. The Lead
ING facts aimed 10 establish were, that Lient.
Craven a highly competent officer, after detallei
personal examination, with no causes operating to
bias his Judgment has estimated the cost OF the work
at between $500 600 900 and Si00 600, 600, making
no allowance for the deadly effects Of the climate.
Behind this the main difficulty existed, which Is IN
making tho cannl at GH under those destructive IN
fuences. The replies 10 these Two several ODJoc-
lions have been answered by the writer referred
to- by saying first in regard to cost, that the est
mates Of Other parties are seventy three Millions
fact | had already stated. DO not see that that
statement gains additional force by being restated.
Ma representation on the point remains untouched.
II il not uncommon for the friends OF an enterprise
to underestimate IN advance ITS probable cost
though think It is unusual 10 tax PuOlc credullty
To tie extent that is attempted IN tbIs instance.
the extreme unhea'thiness of tho climate, the tact
that any writer has the audacity to attempt TO I'M
pose upon the public the belief that out OF $500
while men constantly employed in building the
" Panama Railroad only DOB persisted from the
fatal influence of the climate, is sufficient to render
il quite work of supererOgatOn to contradict MS
statements on this head, supposng Am to have
made any to be cOntradicted. The enormous sac
rifces OF human life in building the Panama Rail
road. though kept as quiet as possible, are now
widely known to be unparalleled IN tho constrGc-
ton Of any work of the kind IN existence. Inc
idea conveyed by the writer referred "a, though
expressed with remarkable jesuitisn, that QUO
men built II with lOss Of less than per cent oil
their number, is a monstrous Imposition. And the
inference iutimated, that the construction Oi tle
Atrsto Canal would cause no greater waste OF lie
in proportion, is equally sublime IN It's lmpudence
The question of geographical knowledge referred
10 is not material to the ease, neither Is the sup
posed bunder so great as is imased. 1t Is modern
practice to speak of the lsthmus OF Panama.
Those of us who studied Geography in our youth
were taught respecting the lsthmus OF Daren ana
the Gulf or Bay Of Darien. TWAS these OF winch
Thought and wrote, with avery clear, and, may be
permitted TO say yery correct, idea 0i the reIa-
tive positions of both. j. = l.