Apbil it, 188B.1
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��departments, in which department four bureaus should be organized to carry on the four principal clasBCH of work: namely, 1. Geodesy, topography, and hydrography; 2. Geology; 3. Meteorology; 4. Fhyaical standards of weights and measures. la order to assist the secretary ia charge of the de- partment to which these works are to be trans- ferred, and under whom the four bureaus are to labor, the committee proposes the formation of a permanent commission, which is not charged with any administrative responsibility, but which shall be attached to the oSice of the secretary of the selected department, and, under his presidency, shall exercise a, general control over the work of the four bureaus, and shall have charge and custody of all the archives, apparatus, and other things ap- pertaining to their work. The commissioners are to receive a salary; and, if any of the four bureau officers spend money contrary to their recommen- dation, the commission shall notify the proper authorities. In general, the commission is to an- nually examine, improve, and approve the plans of work and estimates of the four bureaus, but is not charged with purely administrative responsi- bility: it recommends to the secretary or chief of the department whatever is necessary to the best work of the four bureaus, but has no power to en- force its own recommendations except by remon- strance (o the auditor against payment of funds. The commission shall, it is suggested, consist of the secretary, the heads of the four bureaus, six officers of the navy and army, two civilian scien- tific men, and the representatives of the Smithso- nian institution and the national academy, — fifteen in all; viz., one statesman, six military officers, four bureau officials, two scientific men, and two acode- miciauB. Presumably it is contemplated that all shall be chosen by the president or the secretary.
This second proposition of the committee of aca- demicians wc have given somewhat at length; and, if we have not misunderstood it, there is in the proposed advisory commission a want of strength, and absence of personal responsibility, a liability that science will be in the small minority, — a cum- bersome number of persons, such that certainly all of them, or even a majority, will never enter into the merits of the numerous difficult scientific ques- tions that will be laid before them. The consequence will be, that the whole commission will simply ap- prove the recommendations of its own sub-commit- tees, and thus, after all, the conduct of the four bureaus will be entirely in the hands of these bu- reaus themselves. We can easily grant that the transfer to one department, and the organization of
��four bureaus under its secretary, may be a great step towards economy, harmony, and efficiency: but the appointment of an irresponsible commission as advisory to the secretary, who is under more or less obligation to carry out its suggestions, on the one hand gives the fifth wheel to the coach, and on the other hand relieves both the secretory and the super- intendents of the four bureaus of all personal re- sponsibility; BO that if any thing goes wrong, and congress should appoint a cominittee of investiga- tion, the report must necessarily be that no one is to blome. This arrangement is inferior to that by which the people hold congress, and congress holds the secretary, while he holds the four bureau offi- cers, to a strict personal responsibility; while each has perfect liberty to call in such advice as he feels
We have here three propositions. The important general feature of them all is that ot consolidation, unification, and systematization of a certain class of government works, either under the Smithsonian, or under a new executive department, or under some existing department. Abstractly such con- solidation appears desirable, it certainly pleases the mind of a systematic person; but whether it will result in the greatest good, for the greatest number, is a question that needs consideration, not so much from an idealistic stand-point as from the side of statistics, experience, and history. Con it be shown, from the experience of nations or smaller corporations, that the combination under one de- partment of such diverse matters is really a step in advance? First of all, what ore the diverse in- terests whose welfare we propose to secure? Only a partial exhibit of government work has been given in the act under which the commission is now proceeding, or in the statements that have been made before it, which specify only the signal- service, geological survey, coast and geodetic sur- vey, and the hydrographic office of the navy. The very firet act of the commissioners, in their letter to the president of the natiotinl academy, is to call attention to the fact that the preparation of their i-ejiort involves nothing less than an investigation of four important branches of our government, alt scientific in their character, and invites attention to the question, " In what way can these tour scien- tific branches be best co-ordinated ? " If such eo- orriination on this smaller scale ever be accomplished with good results. It will be an argument for the application of the same principles to the remainiug scientific, economical, and practical .work of the government. It will therefore be well for us here to consider all such work as is now being prose-
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