National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-02-12

different surveys, as chairman of his commit
tee. He naturally desires to be pestered by
not more than one. lie therefore refers the
subject of consolidating his trouble to the Ma
tional Academy of Sciences, which ought
to be scientific body, aud is bound
by its charter TO come to the relief
of Congress when requested. What does
the academy do? II does not refer the matter
to q committee of experts of its own members,
but, instead, adopts report written By an as
tronomer, without the consideration Of experts
upon the subject involved who are within its
membership, which report is not what Con-
gress called for, a plan for consolidated SUR
veys. but plan of legislation, referring the
plan for surveys to still another committee.
This plan Of legislation Mr.. Atkins and his
committee accept, without the opinion of an
expert being asked at any stage of the proceed
ing, and without request from any Depart
ment Of the Government, or the opinion of one
being asked upon 1t as to its suitability or
economy. This may simplify Mr.. Atkins du
ties, but will it have the same effect with the
Departmental
But how does Mr.. Atkins propose to reduce
tho trouble and expense of surveys which have
become necessary, and have In fact long beon
necessary to the GovernmentH By consolida-
tion. How docs the plan consolidate2 BY
making two bureaus where there have been
several surveys, seems to be the answer. But
there are still the several characters of
survey left, which he provides for in bis bill,
viz; Coast lake, land, Typographical, geologi-
cal. Docs the bill lessen the number2 No.
Does it then lessen the expense2 No. What
does IL do? 1t lessons the trouble of the COM
mittee, in that two estimates, or three, are
made in place of fve That is absolutely all,
80 far as he is concerned But Mr.. Atkins
fort1es himself by the plea of economy, and
herein his good impulses are greatly imposed
upon. Where Is the economy? The coast
must still be surveyed so must the lakes; so
must the land for settlers so, by his bill, must
the geology Of the West; and it will all cost
about the same under the different organza-
tions as now conducted, under necessarily diff
ferent parties under one Department with sew
eral bureaus. The shifting of ground does not
constitute shifting of financial attitude to-
ward tho money-granting power. SO, on equal
terms as to merit, there is no decrease of cost
as to work. Therefore the plea of Mr.. Atkins
that by the abolition of surveyors. general and
their retinue, and the abolition of three de-
partmental surveys and their personnel, he
proves nothing in favor of economy so long as
he does not abolish tho work of these organiza
tons, for he proposes by his bill to 90 on with
this very work.
Mr. Atkins acknowledged, therefore, that
the work is necessary, and must bo continued
by providing for its continuance in another
way. He investigates, of course, the expense
of the Government or experts outside. There
is no shade of evidence of it. He waits for
light.
One Department of the Government is in
| terested by the necessities of its administra-
tion and accountability in this matter. 1t has
been the pioneer Of States 1t has been the
| first pushed forward to protect those entitled to
protection by the Government, which seldom
goes too far in this direction. 1t has stood as u
shield against encroachments of the savage
without and the lawless within so far as IL
might. 1t has done this under the pressure al
ways OF the responsibility of II duty to be done
and to be accounted for strictly. And never
in any such instance has it betrayed its trust
| of life or money. So far as such department
should claim voice in anything affecting its
usefulness and its duty, one would think II
should be heard, and its opinion considered
| gravely.
In doing its duty IL carries its life in its
hand, with not too much prospect of recon-
pense of honors in these days. But this branch
Of the Government, the most directly and
seriously affected possibly, and indeed prob
ably, is not consulted about a change that is
most important to it, and through it to the
Government and instead, when its sworn
and experienced officers, under the pressure
OF hard earned knowledge and of duty, pre-
sent facts not in their own interest but in that
OF the service to which they have devoted
something more than partisanship, for the
consideration of Congress unasked, they are
met by the chairman of the Committee on Ap
preparations of the House-Mr. Atkins, l pity
you-with the cOntumely and reviling, the
insinuations and slurs, that belong to bien
nial scramble for political position.
And how does the chairman of the commit
tee sustain himself? By opposing to the esti
mate of costs of the proposed survey Of thu
whole country, based upon the reports of tn,
| tOnSt SurVpv for n series of fOurtpnu
and upon the lake survey of this country, anC
upon consideration of the cost of surveys II
other countries of character with those pro
posed by Mr.. Atkins, the simple statement 0
the Superintendent Of the Coast Survey con
cerning-not the cost of the full Typographical
7 work expressed, as it must be, in maps, but o
just one element-triangulation. Are you al
ignoramus, Mr.. Chairman?
What does Mr.. Atkins propose, at tho recon-
mendation of an astronomer, through TIN
Academy of Science, to doP Not to reduc
expenses at an even rate of cost for work, 70
he proposes to carry on the same work. No
to very much diminish organizations, for h
keeps the coast survey in existence and 70
the present the lake survey, and allows tn
War Department to still reconnoitre, and tn
survey of the public lands must yet go on
and the two geologsts Of the Interior Depart
ment, telescoped, are to extend their area;
Not to decrease expenses after all, for it vii
take as many men under the coast survey
under the Land-Office to parcel the land, an
at certainly as high salaries.
But here is economy. The geological SUI
veys Of the Interior Department are absc
lutely consolidated into bureau, the work c
which is ten times that of the surveys, and OK
tended ad infnitlm. A geodetic system
{ adopted which, by virtue of It's qualifyin
, name and the utter lack of limit of expens
under it, commits the Government to an eS
pense one-fourth as great rs that Of the lat
war; and, greatest of all, the engineers surve
, is abolished. Glorious victory
i j cannot notice all the Inconsistencies of TIL
! speech Mr. Atkins made, in his honesty mad
dishonest by dependence upon false light
But wish to notice one more sample one. III
says the survey Of England has been put int
the hands Of the geological aud georgraphict
!. surveys and taken out OF the hands Of tn
\ military. That is true. Why2 Because
is too nearly finished to need completion {
its odd and ends by the ordnance survey. BJ
why not gain more facts from the Old World
If ii costs England $3.50 per square mile for
}, geodetic survey, how will II be possible for
= to get one for Captain Pattersons cost Of triar
Q guation If ii costs, as 1t does, every EurOpea
nation more than hundred dollars per squai
mile for maps based upon accurate geodot
surveys, how are We going TO escape the iii
/. cost? Not by the plan Of the academy fc
@ maps upon an accurate geodetc survey, an
t surely not under the Coast Survey, which HI