330 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL

 "Senator FLE CHm. It is the same way with all these projects. The Florida
 canal does not stand distinct and separate from other projects. It is among the
 group of projects which have been authorized by the President and adopted by
 the President.
 "General MAnKRAM. That is correct, sir."
 The Senator from Michigan [Mr. Vandenberg] gives the impression that the
 project with which we are now dealing has had only superficial examination;
 that it has not been thoroughly considered and has not been properly examined
 by the engineers and its merits disclosed. I read this from General Markham's
 testimony in reference to the work that has been done in pursuance of the act of
 Congress calling upon the Army engineers to make examination and survey; and
 I am going to contend, and I think I shall be able to show, that no river and
 harbor project has ever been authorized by Congress which has had a more
 thorough and more complete examination and consideration and study than this
 project has had.
 Mr. President, I venture to say that for 27 years I have been a member of the
 Commerce Committee of the Senate. That committee has to do with river and
 harbor legislation. In all my experience I do not know of a single project which
 has ever been considered and approved or adopted by Congress which has had
 back of it a more complete and thorough and exhaustive investigation and study
 than this project-not one-and I shall show directly a comparison of the
 benefits arising from this project with the benefits arising from other projects
 which have been adopted by Congress.
 General Markham, in his communication to me on this subject, said as fol-
 lows-I read from page 56 of the hearings before the subcommittee of the
 Committee on Commerce of the Senate:
 "My DEAB SanAToa: In your letter of January 23, 1936, you referred to Senate
 Resolution No. 210, with respect to the Atlantic-Gulf Waterway and asked to be
 furnished with certain specific information.
 "I take pleasure in furnishing this information herewith:
 "1. You state that paragraph 1 of the resolution proposes an inquiry into 'the
 nature and extent of expenditures to be made from emergency relief funds and
 subsequent expenditures for construction and maintenance to be made from
 regular funds', and ask whether or not, in my opinion, there has been sufficient
 competent survey, examination, and study of this project to determine its con-
 struction and maintenance cost with the same degree of accuracy as in the case
 of other river and harbor improvements in general heretofore approved and con-
 structed. The investigations undertaken by this Department with respect to the
 Atlantic-Gulf Waterway have been as exhaustive and detailed as those normally
 undertaken in connection with the preliminary examinations and surveys of
 river and harbor projects. This Department has realized from the inception of
 this examination that the magnitude of the project required a comprehensive
 study and its investigations undertaken over a period of 6 years were conducted
 in scope and detail sufficient to establish construction costs with reasonable accu-
 racy. The estimated cost of maintenance, which must be based in large part on
 the experience gained from the maintenance of the many river and harbor
 projects throughout the country, would also appear to be dependable."
 That is the statement of the Chief of Engineers. General Markham, the Chief
 of Engineers, will supervise this construction work. It is under his charge, not
 as a hireling of the P. W. A., as stated yesterday. He is in charge of this work
 by direction of the President, in accordance with and in pursuance of river and
 harbor practice, and in accordance with his official duties as Chief of Engineers
 of the War Department of the United States.
 The P. W. A. has nothing to do with this construction. It is being done by the
 Army, as other river and harbor projects are being done; and the Chief of Engi-

 neers of the Army will have entire charge of this work from beginning to end.
 The Chief of Engineers is an expert, trained, capable engineer. His standing
 in his profession, as Emerson said of Aristotle, is that of "master of those who
 know." He will have charge of this work as Chief of Engineers.
 Now, as to the intimation which has been made that there has not been suff-
cient and thorough examination and survey and study of this particular project.
 In the first place, the act of Congress of 1927 directed a survey for a canal
across Florida. In pursuance of that act of Congress the engineers were directed
to proceed to make that examination and survey. The task was not delegated
to a district engineer and in turn delegated by the district engineer to individual
engineers, as is the practice in the ordinary run of river and harbor projects.
The Chief of Engineers appointed a special board of engineers, a special board