New-York tribune., 1878-12-04


on the other hand declare, with some justice
that the present activity is due to their ag-
gressive industry that the Engineer Corps
itself has given up it's old methods, and is
following their livelier, more modern, and
more precise methods; and that military
works are really done by civilians hidden be-
hind Opaque leutenants who are slnguiarly
apt at monopolizing the credit for investiga-
tions they are quite unable to perform.
Thus it is that at the time of year when
the field Of active operations is shifted from
the Rocky Mountains to Washington, the
lobbies and committee rooms of the Capitol
are filed with wrangling and recriminatlon'
Defrnceless Congressman are driven into cor
ners and warned of the terrible consequences
Of permitting discOrdaDt surveys to waste the
peoples money and discredlt American science.
Each corps wishes all the others consolidated
out of existence and there have been such
exhibitions of jealousy and bad temper that
members of Congress who are disposed to be
Liberal toward scientific enterprises have more
than once shown a readiness to stop the WORK
altogether Quarrclhug, however, is not the
worst of it, Our Government surveys are ID
fact executed under various systems, at un-
necessary expense, with no common basis OF
method, and with results which can never be
satisfactory, for the simple reason that they so
often do not agree. The coast survey under
the Treasury Department. the military surveys
under the War Department, two systems OF
civilian survey under the Interior Department,
and the surveys of the Land Office, cover
more or less of the same ground; but they
have no general direction, and they frequently
contradict one another.
Mr.. Hewitt opened a good road out Of this
discreditable confusion by adding to the last
Sundry Civil Appropriation bill clause re-
duiring tho National Academy OF Sciences 10
consider the various undertakings and pre-
pare," such general system as might in their
Judgment securc the best results at the least
"possble cost" Under this requirement the
Acting President of the Academy, Professor
0. c. Marsh, with committee of dlstin-
guished men Of scicnce-ProIessor James ID.
Dana, of Yale College, Professor William b.
Rogers, OF JAc Massachusetts Institute oi
Technology Dr.. }. 5. Newbery and Pro.es-
sor w. p. TrOworilgc, of Columbia College,
Professor Simon Ncwcomb, the well-knoWn
astronomer and chief of the Nautical
Almanac Office, and Professor Alexander
Agassiz, oG Harvard-has made thorough
investigation into the practical and scientific
works of the Government which require for
their administration either geographical or
Geological surveys, AID has prepared for Con-
gress brief but comprehensive report winch
Il printed in this mornings TRIBUNE. lhe
committee recommend general discontinue
auce of the present conflicting surveys III the
West, and Of thc existing land survey system,
substituting in their stead two compact and
effective organizations, both under the control
of the Department OF the Interior. Evidently
the work Is committed to that Department on
account OF the essential connection between the
surveys and the management OF the public lands
and not with the idea of depreciating IN any
way the valuable labors of the Engineer Corps,
or the high character of the officers OF that
organization. To the Engineers are reserved,
in the plan Of the Academy, all "surveys and
Investigations which apply solely to engl-
"neering works, such as the Improvement OF
rivers, harbOrs, lakes, ETC., irrigation ana
" drainage OF public lands, and protection OF
"alluvial regions from floods" and OF course
all surveys for military purposes. The two
ORGANIZATIONS desC,ibed in this report have
reference solely 10 the public domain. One Is
To be called the United States Coast and lnte-
rior Survey, and Is to be built up around the
present Coast Survey its object is to execute
all the works of meusuratiOn, including land
parcelling, required by the United States Gov
ernment, except those just specified as reserved
for the Engineer Corps OF the Army. The
other organization is to be known as the
United States Geological Survey, and is
charged with the study of the geological
structure and ecOnOmio resources of the pub
lie lands.
The scheme of the Academy will commend
itself at once to the approval of the country.
IL is practical, logical and scientific. The
best work can never be secured without the
best organization and there can hardly be
doubt that when the industry, intelligence,
and professional training which are now Ill
part wasted under a cumbrOus and preposter-
GUS system-Or lack of system-which sends five
independent corps into the same field, to con-
tradict one another, are properly concentrated
and directed, the people will be much better
served than they are now and at a smaller
cost, and the American Government cxplor-
atoms will take u much higher rank in the
estimation of learned authorities abroad than
even the creditable place they occupy at pres
ent. There is always certain number of
Senators and Representatives to whom we
can look with confidence for a generous sup
port of projects of scientific research and en-
lishtened enterprise, and from them at all
events this report will obtain prompt and
candid consideration. If the majority are not
deeply interested in such matters, they are
not averse to liberal policy in regard to
them, and the conviction is becoming more
and more general that in the prosecution of
those lines of research which properly belong
to government, the United States ought to