New-York tribune., 1874-02-23

Coast Survey. Last years w0rk was 1ully up
to that of its predecessors. Great progress
was made in the general triangulation, by
which the Survey is gradually fixing the po'
sitiOn, not only Of every point along the coast,
but of all tho interior measurements of the
United States. Eventually, all maps and all
descriptions of real estate boundaries In the
country, will be dependent upon the data fur
nished by the Survey. Errors, varying from
two to ten miles in the positions Of landmarks,
are reported as among the discoveries OF last
year. The description of the researches In
our harbor will be read with interest it ap-
pears from them that while extensive changes
may result in consequence of the docks and
piers now building, thene will, it is hoped, be
no injury 20 the harbOr, if the improvements
are kept within the limits assigned by the
Survey.
Do Congressman, who are getting 80 be-
logged in financial complications, realize how
easily they might earn the gratitude of every
business man in the country9 We do not
now mean that they should do this by the
adoption of any particular tbeOry-by an i'm
mediate decision either in favor of imitation
or contraction. free banking or specie pay
ments. What the business interests lmme-
| diately demand is vastly simpler than any of
| the questions raised by these subjects. All
that is just now asked OF Congress Is that it
will have the goodness to fix the status of
forty -four millions of greenbacks. Are they
to be part of the circulation, or are they
not t7 If they are, will not Congress say so at
once? If they are not, will not Congress say
that at oncef Prompt action on either side
| would be positive advantage to every
| legitimate business Of the country. The delay
is absolutely and solely IN the interest
of gamblers. Whatever else Congress does.
or fOrbeaTs to do. will it not at least earn the
gratitude of business men by deciding this
question? Give our merchants some clue to
the value of the dollar in which they are
DEALING Business is stagnant and will remain
so till we know whether we have 366 or 400
millions of Greenbacks. Cannot the House
take the initiative on this point and settle it'
On Saturday last Winchester BrittOn walked
into Court with Grand Jury which had been
sitting lseven weeks, whose term had been
twice extended at his request, which had found
important bills against grossly delinquent
officials, and whose bills he had neglected TO
sign, after he knew this own friends being
the witnesses that he would have but a day
or two more in which to act and cOolly an
nounced that the jury had no bills to present
as there was no District-AttOrney to sign them.
1t was cynical defiance of public opinion,
that fully iustifes, as perhaps nothing he has
done in the past more emDhatically indOrses,
the Judgment and the language of the Gov
ernOr. There will be few henceforth to doubt
that the charges that he was in the District
Attorneys Office to protect rather than to
prosecute the thieves were true, and that the
Governor was not incorrect in saying that he
has been guilty of San official malfeasance
(which is declared to be a felOny.' 1t will not
now be improper to state that the Commits
sioners of Charities were introduced before
the Grand Jury by Mr.. BrittOn in their own
behalf to testify in explanation of their own
violations of law, and that still the Grand
Jury found cause to order ten indictments
against each. Mr. Britton, faithful to the
Ring as ruin overlook him, defeated the will
of the jury by delaying to sign the indictments
ordered, just long enough to destroy them.
The Committee of Fifty of Brooklyn are at
work again with renewed energy. They indi-
cate the direction of their next attack by
exposing in the report published elsewhere
one of the jobs in sewer building of Con-
tractor Kingsley and Commissioner Fowler.
The report is milder in language than the
facts really warrant, but the conservative
tone of its reports has been a characteristic
and possibly source of strength of the
Reform Committee Of Brooklyn. Briefly told,
the facts about this job are these y: A sewer
needed repair ; the Board OF City Works there
upon concluded to build a new one; instead
of advertising for bids, the work was
privately given to Kingsley Gust as the great
Hempstead Reservoir swindle was arranged)
and now after costing 1881 ,077 50 (or S1@,00O
more than competent engineers say 1t could
have been we'll built for), the sewer is found
to be practically worthless. This is one of the
many jobs in Brooklyn authorized by corrupt
Legislatures in the past. 1t is time the present
Legislature should set committee to investi-
gate this matter. the Hampstead Reservoir
! contract, the Third-ave sewer. the Nicholson
pavement, and the enormous Bridge frauds.
They are all Of class, and the same men who
are now after third of a million dollars for
| a useless work ineficiently built, profjted by
them. II is a very good time to investigate
in Brooklyn
| Without insisting that Dir. EastmaD,s plan
is the best for attaining rapid transit. we
nevertheless hope that the meeting tonight
at the Cooper Institute may be largely at
tended by that class Of our citizens who can
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