Mr. WELKER. There is no such provision in the bill. If this company cannot get a line near the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, they are to be allowed to avail themselves of that part of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal between 17th street and Georgetown, so long unused, and for which damages are to be assessed and paid. So far as the Washington city canal is concerned, it has not been used for 25 or 30 years, except a very small art of it. The General Government have a ready expended upon it at different times $100,000. On 3 occasions $150,000 was appropriated by the Government; at another time, in 1849 $20,000; and in 1851 $20,000, making in all $190,000 that this Government has already spent on this canal; and we find it still a uni sance upon our hands. When Congress assembled, the ComDistCol was called upon to make provision at ainst the cholera, which might be engendered here in consequence of this canal. The corporate authorities of the city of Washington ask you to allow them to expend $75,000 to make temporary and sani tary improvements of this canal. They have gone on and expended a large sum for mere temporary improvement, an probably congress at its next session will be called upon to pay the expenses. It really is worth nothing in a pecuniary point of view to the city of Washington, if owned and to be kept up by the city for it will cost 3 or 400,000 dollars to put it in repair. If it had been a valuable franchise to the city, would this canal have been allowed to 0 without repair and entirely useless for so orig a time? Now, if the city of Washington ever expects to derive any commercial advantage from this canal let them take it from under the control of the corporate authorities. Who ever heard of a municipal corporation running a railroad or canal to any purpose? The business of everybody is said to be the business of nobody; and a city that undertakes to run a canal for commercial purposes will find out that it is an unprofitable investment. Private corporations can always manage this class of improvements to much better advantage to all concerned. The people of the city ougbt not to be taxed to keep up this nuisance. hat is proposed? It is to authorize and allow this private company to make this a navigable canal, and require it to furuisli this sewerage for the city of (Washington, and relieve the Government of any more expense in relation to it. Gentlemen will remember that in all these improvements in Washington he Government pays about 1/2 the expense. The people of Vashington expect us to pay half the expense of grading their streets. ey expect us also to pay about the same proportion of the expense to provide them with an efficient system of sewerage. We have undertaken to do so by this bill. This is the best system of sewerage that has occurred to the committee or to anybody else in Washington, during tiis session of Congress. Here is a bill which will afford to the city complete and adequate sewerage, and without any expense to the Government. Here is an opportunity to get rid of this nui sance, and also to get a good and practical system of sewerage, with a good navigable connection with the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, by which coal may be brought down and delivered at the wharves in Washington. We now have an opportunity of getting all the advan tages without contributing a single dollar of the public money. Shall we not take advantage of the means of accomplishing all these objects, especially when we can do it without injury to the parties interested in opposition to this bill? It