Mr. WADE. I do not find fault with the general provisions of the bill; butI believe this provision is an unusual one. I have looked at the bill somewhat, and I believe that all the appropriations which it makes are upon the recommendation of the Dept founded upon the estimates and surveys of the engineer. hIJost of these, I am told, are old works where money has heretofore been expended, and where for many years we endeavored to get improvements made but failed, sometimes from one reason and sometimes from another; but they are all, or nearly all, places where large sums of money have been expended, and with' out the improvement of which the navigation of our rivers and lakes must almost cease. A great man of those harbors are in a condition of dilapiation and going rapidly to decay. Here is a discretion vested in the engineer to go back, and if he sees fit to say that, in his judgment,:1.work upon which we have expended so much money heretofore, is not proper for the public interest, then he need not expend the appropriation for it; and I do not know how during this season you will do anything with this provision in the bill that no money shall be expended until the engineer has made an examination there and perhaps caused a resurvey. We want something done this season on the lake harbors at all events; and asI said before, I take more interest in them than in any others, because I know more about thorn. I do not know that they are any more necessary than the others, but it is of the 1st importance that the work on those harbors should be done just as soon as it can be done. As for the propriety of expending money. that amendment. upon them, every engineer who has ever been sent out for the last 40 years has made the same report, that it was absolutely essential that it should be done. Money has been expended there heretofore. The works are now dilapidated. Why, then, vest the engineer with the discretion to say whether t6 work is useful or not, and that no money shall be expended until he does say that, and that he may cause a resurvey to be made before anything is to be laid out there? I know very well what will be the result of such a provision. There will be a universal scramble for these appropriations, to find out where the engi neer Will bestow his favors, and where he Will not. These works have all passed under the supervision of the Government. Every congress for years has passed upon the propriety of almost the whole of them; and why now go back and say to the engineer that he shall go there armed with despotic power to declare whether a work is useful or not, and that he may cause a resurvey and dilly dally with it another season before a cent shall be laid out upon it? I can see no possible benefit to be derived from such a provision. I know that these lake harbors, and it is well known to all navigators, and well known to all engineers, have been estimated for from year to year and their importance determined; and certainly we want no such resurvey there. We want the money expended under an engineer competent for the business; and having passed upon it already I see no reason for geing back or delaying the work any longer than is necessary to pass the bill.