The New York herald., 1879-02-11

mark its pathway. The constitution OF
try should be maintained In letter and in spirit
though the so-called peace policy should tail. In
conclusion he referred to the removal OF Joseph and
characterized it W. cruel. The climate and atmos-
phcre of their present location affected them like
deadly and slow poison They could not stand tho
Joseph had lost his lands and his horses, ana
now prisoner and an exile Would powerful gov
ernment permit him and his people to suffer. or to
return to peaceful life in the mountains Of Idaho?
(Applause i'll the galleries.)
THE GOVERNMENT SURVEYS.
DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
MIR. ATKINS SPEECH ON THE SCIENTIFIC
SURVEYS AND THE PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE
sYsrEM-wHAT THE APPROPRIATIONS SHOULD
BE.
WASHINGTON. Feb. TO- 1879.
The House Of Representatives, at three o'clock
went into Committee of the Whole dr Blackburn, OF
Kentucky. in the chair the Legislative. Executive
and Judicial Appropriation bill.
The bill appropriates $15.154,475, against esti-
of $16 COL and as against anappropriation
in the like bill of last session Of s15,35l. 1885,
Mr.. ATKINS (dem.) of Tenn. chairman of the Com
mittee Appropriations. made statement in regard
to the bill and the state Of the finances Referring
the number Of employees in the executive depart
ments he stated that the bill provided reduction
of thirty from the aggregate estimated number which
was equal to reduction in amount for salaries
of $225 For the State Department there are al
lowed sc employees; Treasury Department. 1920;
War Department., 691; Navy Department, s9 Interior
Departments, 375; Post Once Department. $751; Do
pertinent of Justice 4e, and Department Of Agrcul-
ture 40. making grand total of 4329. The amount
appropriated by the bill for the payment of these
employees S. 17s Various changes in salaries of
the higher officials. such the Commissioner Of In
dian Affairs, tho Commissioner Of Pensions and chief
clerks in Postal and War departments provided
for; those of the assistant treasurers Of BoS.
ton. Baltimore ST. Louis Chicago and Cincinnati
the assistant examiners of the Patent Once Changes
Affecting the superior officers Of the Life Saving Ser
vice are made. and also in the payment of Congress
sional employees. Mr.. Atkins added
The most important feature in this bill, as many
regard it, and one to which invite the careful
ention Of the committee. is the proposition place
the scientific surveys. now carried under the War
Interior departments, also the surveys of the
General Land Office. under the immediate supervs-
ion of the Coast Survey, and the transfer OF the
Coast Survey, with its old well Duties
the Treasury Department to the Interior Depart
ment.
Under clause in the last sunary Civil Appropria
ton bill the National Academy OF Sciences re-
quired to take into consideration the methods aud
expenses of conducting all surveys of
scientific character under the War or Inte
rior department and the surveys Of the
Land Ofce. and to report to Congress plan for
States in the best manner and at the least cost and
also TO suggest the best mode of publication and dis
trbuton OF reports, maps and documents of the
veys
gress addressed itself to tins important task and
hand. There to-day five surveys OF different
kinds being conducted under the auspices and by the
patronage of the government In pursuance OF appro-
priations made by Congress. These surveys are not
carried on by any system unity of purpose. The
National Academy Of Sciences chsracterizes them
follows:-
Tho Anal object of all these works of tho
determination of position and the laying
soordIDa.ion between these Aye surveys Their original
OF s"r~eys their results show many
tlons and involve unnecessary cxpcnds.re The geo;
Interior departments Of little value for tho parcelng
Ss values TSc
Of ho ss coast and Sssdets survey in
rsphy and land paresllins;. To attain the dsrir;
that there should bs only ono seodec system ono sop"
a sns 'ns ds"s
graphical and land gaceing surveys to be properly
single rigid sesdssis fosndsio these ssss diss IsS%
ss q s cay
The Academy. speaking of the operations Of the
plan proposed, says:- .t
The cnccs Of tho sbovc changes win se to naiassin
sFrst The Coast and Interior survey ~hoss i"ne
son ~ s n. stations arrs snS whose
function viii be .hs aetermin.sion Of All qao..ons
Of tho public. domain; third, tho Land once
s rHS ..s ..a 'r Ss r'Ss
d,vs." So"a be secured % perfce. sCordins,,c" aud
Office should call upon she coas, and Interior
s'y % % $ sS'.;sss
should sl.o call upon the United States Geological Survey
land. 1sS: ess.%r.siss ss,yss:
Oce Geological survey other brancnc.
should Is "a,SoSaea to
ysys sr pss, pc Tor % ns sss
Bach % ,hs three orTsn,ss.,o.: ,ns sscnsa should
the interior Tho publications Of tho Land oec should
%a sale Z. % % together ss % to ss
map, The The , OF the csns aud % In,Ssr
It's scode'ic results geographical Typographical and
trcsses ccnaec'sd the,ewith the shalt
deem q value Tho q ,hc svccsics
cal economic maps illustrating the elias
% n ses
paiconio'ogy.
Tho academy will be commended for looking to the
solution OF the practical idea and leaving tho scien
tinc feature q secondary one. The legislation pro-
posed in this bill is is-namely, ,n the placing Of the
Land Ofce under the control OF the Coast Survey
and the transfer OF that bureau 10 tho Interior De-
parment; also the abolition OF the Office Surveyor
General and the creation Of the Office Of Geological
Director who shall be attached 70 tho Coast Survey
CAL geographical and other scientific surveys. II s
designed TO substitute the surveys of the Geological
Diroctor for the surveys carried by Wheeler,
Hayden and Powell which 1t is proposed TO abolish.
may be urged that in cffectng this change In our
system of land surveys we giving up tried and
known for an untricd and unknown system. Well,
IL is concedcd even by the Land Occ that the pres.
ent system IL q costly, clumsy and unsatisfactory
ono, hence there is a demand tor reform and Inn
provecnt One fact u is we'll for the House 20 un-
observation-disclosures one hundred and fourteen
million acres OF public lands already surveyed and
now open to ntry and settlement costing about