Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-06-22


passed the House and been sent up to
the Senate, Mr.. HUNTER, the Chairman
of the Finance Committee of the lat
ter body, on the 2lst of August, 1851,
moved 10 amend the bill by inserting
therein the following appropriation:
j "To enable the President of the United
States to cause the necessary surveys, pro-
jeets and estimates to be made for determin-
ing the best means of affording the City of
Washington an unfailing and abundant sup
ply of good and wholesome water; report
thereof to be made tn Congress at its next
session, the sum OF s., 900.
This appropriation passed the SEN
ate, went down to the House, and, af
ter being reduced to SIS, 600. along with
other Senate amendments passed the
House by the casting vote of the Dem
| ocratic Speaker-the vote being a tie
yeas SO, nays 6S-and IsHAM G..
HARRIS voting in the affirmative-that
is, voting for an appropriation of S., 900
to enable Preside It FILLMORE to cause
the necessary surveys, estimates, &C.,
to be made for supplying the cities of
Washington and Georgetown with
water.-[S See Con. Globe, vol. "a, part
3, p. 2477.
To, cause those surveys and esti-
mates to be made, was all that Mr..
FILLMORE had to do, or did do, in the
matter. Gov. HARRIS voted for the
appropriation of $4,000 to defray the
expenses of those surveys and estimates.
He UOted 10 make II The duty of Presi-
dent FILLMORE to cause those surveys
and estimates to be made. And having
thus voted, Gov. HARRIS is not de-
TERED by any sense of propriety and
manliness from holding the measure
up to public view, as one of the ex-
travagances which originated with the
Fillmore Administration
With the simple act, in compliance
with an act of Congress, of causing
the surveys and estimates to be made,
began and ended Mr.. FuIMoRE's whole
agency in the work He had no au-
thority TO act upon those surveys and
estimates, nor did he do so. He deci-
ded upon no plan-made no contracts
nor did he in any way commit the
Government to the execution of the
work. Whether or not it should be
undertaken, rested with Congress.
That this was so, will appear from the
following proceedings in the Senate, on
the 2Sth day of February, 1858, only
three days before Mr.. FILLMORE went
out of office. On that day, the Civil
ard Diplomatic Appropriation bill,
having passed the House of RepreseE
tatives, and being under consideration
by the Senate, Mr.. HUNrER, of Virgin
ia, said that he was instructed by the
Committee of Finance "a majority o
whom were DemOcrats) to offer the
following amendment to the bill:
ITO lie expended under the President of tn,
United States for the purpose of bringing
water into the City of Washington, upon suci
plans and from such places as be may APP
prove, Sl50,000
''The Senate is aware" said Mr.. Hunter
"that there has been a report made by
member of the Engineer Corps in relation t.
} the plans for furnishing water to the City O
Washington. Three plans are suggested in tina
report; one to obtain water from Rock Crrel
; another from Little Falls, and another iron
the Great Falls. One plan, that of gettin,
the water from Rock Greek, it is estimate,
| would cost about million and quarter
another plan, million and a half; and
thid, one million nine bundr,d thousand
Various reasons were urged for ard agains
the various plans, but the committee propos
to leave it TO the President"
This amendment was adopted by
vote of SO to u, in Senate consistin;
of SO Democrats, 20 Wings and
FreesoiIers-six Democrats only votin,
: in the negative.
The amendment was subsequent
concurred in by the House, after bein!
reduced to 500, 600. 1t was Their
ultimately acted upon, in lump wit
other amendments recommended TO b
passed by committee of conference
ayes II, noes 60. Among the latte
: was Gov. HARRIS. Among the aye
were some of the leading Democrats G
a the House-AIKEN and Orr, of Sout
> Carolina, BAILY, CAsKIE, MEADE, an,
MILLsoN, of Virginia, PHELPS, of Mis-
= souri,, BRECKENRIDGE, of Kentucky, }
| CLANCY JONES, of Pennsylvania, an,
many others of the same party Con
t Globe, vol. &c, p. 1857.
The provision, we have seen, left tn
: selection of the plan to the incoming
q President-Gen. PIERCE.
I In his report at the next session o
, Congress, December, 1858, the Secre
. tary of War, Hon. JEFF. DAVIS, said:
IAN appropriation was made at the las
2 session OF Congress for the purpose Of bring
ing water into the city of Washington. l
order to obtain an ample and constant suppl
? from a source so elevated 10 avoid the n,
cessity for the Of machinery. il was d.
/. cided Lby President PIERcE1 Il at the wate
: should be brought from the great falls {
the Potomac, through a conduit nine feet /
diamater. The works are est
: mated to cost rather less than 50 800 900
and when completed, will be capable of d,
livering nearly seventy millions of gallon
I Of water daily. at an elevation Of fourtee
feet above the upper floor of the Capitol"
1
Thus from its very commencement
. has this work been under Democrat
control. A Democratic Congress mad