1st Session. No. 1589. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES. AUGUST 15, 1890.-Ordered to be printed. Mr. HALE, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the fol lowing REPORT: [To accompany H. R. 11459.] The Committee on Appropriations, in reporting back to the Senate the bill "making appropriations to supply deficiencies in the appropri ations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890, and for prior years, and for other purposes," submit herewith a statement showing amount of the bill as passed the House of Representatives, and the amount as reported to the Senate, with the items of increase and reduction recommended by the committee, and append various letters and documents relating to the subject-matter of the amendments reported. Amount of bill as passed the House... Increase (net) made to bill by Senate Committee... Total, as reported to Senate..... $5, 230, 535.78 1,889, 643. 61 7, 120, 179. 39 The items of increase made to the House bill by the committee are as follows: INCREASE. United States and Mexican boundary survey United States and Venezuelan claims commission expenses.. Purchase of prehistoric copper implements.. Dayton, Ohio, public building.. Pittsburgh, Pa., public building. Relief of Samuel Hein.... Re-imbursement of North Dakota. Re-imbursement of South Dakota.... District of Columbia, miscellaneous items.. Payment of judgments against District of Columbia Transportation and recruiting, Navy. Equipment of vessels, Navy Provisions, Marine Corps. Clothing, Marine Corps Fuel, Marine Corps Forage, Marine Corps $75,000.00 9,000.00 40, 000, 00 7,000.00 10,000.00 110,000.00 1,285.85 10, 854.71 14,859.80 529.99 1,260.00 652.83 435.00 754.39 527.00 3, 330. 12 Contingent, Marine Corps Contingent, Department of the Interior Penitentiary building in North Dakota.. Improvement of Hot Springs, Arkansas.. Payment to Robert Berry, public lands service.. Re-imbursement of late superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. Payment to certain Post-Office Department employés. Payment to M. M. Lynch... 317.80 2,968.71 167.39 30, 000, 00 5,000.00 1, 109.67 169.37 12,766. 80 101.65 40,000.00 2, 138.55 Payment to Lafayette Dawson, late judge in Alaska.. Payment to Daniel F. Wyatt, late deputy marshal in Oklahoma. Payment to district attorneys and assistants.. Expenses of the Senate.. Payment to telegraph operator of House.. Judgment of Court of Claims.... Fox and Wisconsin river judgments and awards.. Payment to E. E. Chapin.. Expenses inspectors, General Land Office.. Pay of the Navy, certified claims.... Provisions of the Navy, certified claims. Total increase.. $246.60 198.00 71, 615.80 41, 606. 12 300,00 400,00 120, 402.70 787.50 78.21 6,595. 26 137.55 140, 159, 32 1,239, 688.98 2, 002, 445. 67 The items of reduction made in the House bill by the committee are as follows: Redemption of unsigned national-bank notes Payment to Susannah George.. Re-imbursement of life-saving crew at Muskeget, Massachusetts.. Town sites in Oklahoma, expenses.. Re-imbursement of B. C. Hobbs Payments to widows of deceased members of the House.. Payments to official reporters............. Total reduction.... Net increase made to House bill. $600.00 15,000.00 1, 772.35 2,500.00 365.15 170.65 25, 000, 00 122.50 60, 771.41 6,500,00 112,802.06 1,889, 643.61 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, Washington, August 13, 1890. DEAR SIR: I have received a copy of the amendment to the bill (H. R. 11459) con cerning the collection of prehistoric copper implements collected by Mr. Frederick S. Perkins, with your request for an expression of my views upon its subject matter. From the wording of the amendment it might appear that the money asked for to secure the purchase of the collection represents a deficiency, and that the collection has been already bought by the Smithsonian Institution. This is by no means the case. The Smithsonian Institution declined to buy the collection, because it had no money available. Furthermore, as acting secretary of the Institution, I declined to ask for a special appropriation, for the reason that no such request for the purchase of specimens has ever been made. The collection is now on exhibition in the Archæological Hall of the National Museum, but is still the property of Mr. Perkins. Since, however, you have requested my views upon the subject, I beg leave to make the following statements. (1) The collection of American prehistoric copper implements belonging to Mr. Frederick S. Perkins consists of 422 specimens. The assemblage is unique, and is beyond all doubt the finest in existence. Mr. Perkins has been engaged in gathering it for twenty years or more. His home is in the richest locality for objects of this character, and he was the pioneer collector. Since he has set the example, many others have followed it, and there are now a large number of small cabinets of a similar character in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the United States. It is doubtful, however, whether all of them combined would make one collection equal in scientific importance to that of Mr. Perkins. (2) The price asked by Mr. Perkins for his collection ($7,000) represents an average of about $17 for each object. For several of the single objects he has paid $100 or The price does not appear to be exorbitant, and it is certain that the collection could not be duplicated for double the amount, if, indeed, it were possible at any price. more. Specimens of this kind have of course no fixed commercial value, for there is no standard of comparison, most of the objects being unique. (3) Special reference may be made to the importance of such collections to science, in connection with the study of prehistoric archæology in this country. The retention of the Perkins cabinet in a public museum in America seems to be essential to the proper study of the original inhabitants of the continent, and indeed it is probable that these very objects may afford a key to the solution of unsettled problems in American archæology. Of especial importance is the light which they may throw upon the study of the use of metals by prehistoric man. (4) There can be no question that it is desirable that this collection should become the property of the United States, in order that the Government Archæological Museum may be a thoroughly representative one. It would be a misfortune to American science, and in future years would undoubtedly be regarded as a reflection upon this country, if the collection in question should become the property of some foreign government. The transfer of the famous Squier and Davis collection of stone impleinents to England, some twenty years ago, has ever since been a great regret to Ameri cans. Should you desire further information, Prof. Thomas Wilson, curator of the archæological collection in the National Museum, will be glad to appear before the committee to explain in full the peculiar merits of the case. I am, sir, yours very respectfully, Hon. WILLIAM B. ALLISON, G. BROWN Goode, Chairman Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate. Acting Secretary. PUBLIC BUILDING AT DAYTON, OHIO. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, August 15, 1890. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith for favorable consideration of Congress, a communication from the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, as to the need of providing a further appropriation of $10,000 on account of the construction of the post-office, etc., at Dayton, Ohio, in the deficiency bill now pending. Respectfully yours, Hon. WILLIAM B. ALLISON, O. L. SPAULDING, Chairman Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate. Acting Secretary. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISING ARCHITECT, SIR: I have the honor to request your consideration of the matter of a further appropriation on account of the construction of the post-office, etc., at Dayton, Ohio. In brief, I may state that an item of $10,000 for the building named was included in the deficiency estimate Executive Document 174, but during the interval a bill was introduced for an appropriation to increase the size of the building, and no provision was made for the appropriation of $10,000 asked. It is believed that no further action has been taken in regard to this extension of limit, and as all preliminary arrangements have been perfected to invite proposals for the supply of the interior finish as originally contemplated it is submitted that an item of $10,000 should be included in the deficiency bill to enable proper procedure with the work. Respectfully, yours, Hon. WILLIAM WINDOM, Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C. JAS. H. WINDRIM, COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, NEW YORK. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, August 14, 1890. SIR: Under the provisions of section 2722, Revised Statutes, there were appointed in the district of New York the following officers, being in addition to the special deputy naval officer and special deputy surveyor, already in office, viz: Herbert H. Taylor, deputy naval officer; John W. Corning, deputy surveyor; Avery B. Catlin, deputy surveyor. The services of these officers were and are still considered necessary to the proper conduct of the customs business at that port, but the honorable Attorney-General, having construed the law as allowing the appointment of only one deputy naval officer and one deputy surveyor at that place, these services were at once discontinued. The persons employed having, however, been paid by the collector of customs at New York, under the authority of the appointments issued from the Department, out of the appropriations for expenses of collecting the revenue from customs for 1890 and 1891, it is requested that authority be given in the pending deficiency bill to the accounting officers of the Treasury Department, to allow in the disbursing officer's accounts the payments already made, viz, $4,775.96; of which sum $3,960.74 pertains to the fiscal year 1890, and the remainder, $815.22, to the current fiscal year. The payments were made as follows: John W. Corning, deputy surveyor, November 1, 1889, to August 9, 1890.... $1,936. 14 Respectfully, yours, Hon. WILLIAM B. ALLISON, 1,936. 14 903.68 O. L. SPAULDING, Chairman Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate. RE-IMBURSEMENT OF NORTH DAKOTA. [House Report No. 2034, Fifty-first Congress, first session.] The Committee on Territories, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 9916) to reimburse the State of North Dakota for expenses incurred in holding the constitutional convention in that State in July and August, 1889, submit the following report: That the constitutional convention of North Dakota was in session forty-five days, while the appropriation made by the Fiftieth Congress to defray the expenses of said convention was only sufficient to pay the mileage of members and their per diem for thirty-one days each, leaving a deficiency of fourteen days for each member, at $4 per day each. A detailed statement of the expenses over and above the amount appropriated by Congress is herewith given, signed by the president and the chief clerk, respectively, of the said convention: Hon. JOHN R. BRAY, Auditor of North Dakota: DEAR SIR: The outstanding indebtedness of the constitutional convention of North Dakota is represented by vouchers signed by its president and attested by its chief clerk, and were issued in accordance with the instructions of the convention itself. This indebtedness is grouped as follows: Per diem of members, fourteen days each. $4,500,00 3,253,00 Per diem of officers and clerks, joint commission.. 428.00 Per diem of stenographer, joint commission, and transcribing debates of same 369.65 45,000 Transcribing debates of same.... 314.86 Printing, balance unpaid.. 1,539.20 Completing journals and debates, engrossing constitution, and miscellaneous items, as represented by vouchers to Messrs. Gooduer, Gowran, Purcell, and the Misses Davidson.. 750.00 Total....... 11,604.71 The details of this amount you will find on pages 216-340 and 352, journal constitutional convention, excepting vouchers to Goodner, Gowran, Purcell, and Jewell. There were seventy-five members of the convention. Each has a voucher for $56 except the president, whose voucher is $84. You will find the names of members on pages 2 and 3, journal. Respectfully, F. B. FANCHEr, President Constitutional Convention of North Dakota. |