WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON. 1858
138
greater amount of work and receive a much larger bonus than others, and he will pay them, under the pretext of their having done more work than others, a greater sum than is due to them when you compare their labor with that of others. It affords an opportunity to the ends of justice and the accomplishment of labor for the public. Thus it is that I am clearly of opinion, so far as these two points are concerned, that there is no just demand for this appropriation; and, if at the distance that California is off, money would be an inducement to them to do wrong in designating and defining the boundaries of private claims, what guaranty is there that the same inducement might not operate on the surveyor general? Here is an inducement of $100,000. If he were to disburse one-half of it, he would have a handsome residuum left; and I cannot but think that, if he is honest now, the best way is to keep this money out of his hands. I have no idea that we are to -abstain from an act of inhibition on our part in regard to this appropriation, because we are threatened that the office will be closed. There is a remedy for that. Dismiss the officer, and say, "If you have not the competency to do this labor and to execute this work, I will place one there who will do it." Then, you will get your wo1i done; but to·menace Congress, and tell the Senate- [Some questions and objections of the California Senators Gwin and Broderick, with Houston's replies are here omitted.] This year they will exhaust this $100,000, and next year, un- less they get half a million, they will strike for higher wages! That is it. You are holding out inducements to them to extort from the Government. I am for giving them fair and _just compensation; but I am not for ~ringing to their demands, but meeting them with the just rebuke of removing the officer in whose hands the control remains; for you need not tell me that surveying cannot be obtained, and plenty of it, in California, or in any other part of this continent, for fifteen dollars per mile. It is an extravagance that has not heretofore been heard of. If they are receiving fifteen dollars a mile, is their labor more toil- some, and laborous than that of the mechanics who can be ob- tained for four dollars and a half? If their science is greater, if they have had to devote more time to study and application to obtain a scientific preeminence to enable them to be surveyors, you give them two or three hundred per cent on their attain- ments. I cannot believe that this is just or fair, or that the Government is bound to succumb to it and let the surveying stop.
Powered by FlippingBook