Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-02-28
How the Patronage Of the Government 10 Used
for Party Ends


Investigation Committee on the Navy Yards,
exhibits the amount and variety of the
frauds discovered by the Committee, and the
overwhelming force of the evidence, by
which the charges were supported. We are
forced to restrict ourselves TO extracts from
different portions Of the document.
BROOKLYN NAVY YARD.
Shortly after the organization of the pre-
sent Administration, the patronage of the
New York yard having been previously con-
fined chiefly to few of the congressional
districts of New York, an understanding
was entered into between the democratic
members from New York with the acquies-
cense of the Secretary of the Navy, that it
should as near as practicable, be equally di-
yided among them. In some cases the Secre-
tary created new places of master workmen.
The correspondence of these members with
the department is herewith reported, exhibit
ing on its face the evil effects of the system
The division of patronage among members
was we'll known in the yard. Each master
workman understood to whom he and each
of his fellows owed their places. Thus the
constructive engineer, the master plumber,
and the master block maker represented MIR.
Sickles; the master painter represented Mr..
Soaring the master spar maker, master
blacksmith, and timber inspector, represented
Mr. Maclay; the master laborer, under the
constructing engineer, the master boat bull
der and the master ship carpenter reprcscn-
ted MIR. Taylor; and the master stone cut
ter represented Mr.. Ward. Until May,
1858, the master laborcr under the construc-
ting engineer represented Mr.. Clark, and
the master arpenterrepresented MIR. llaskin
and SO with all the heads of the departments
of labor i'll the yard at Brooklyn.
Lawrence COhane was appointed master
carpenter upon the nomination of Mr.. Has
kin, in the general division of patronage
He was removed on the 9th of June 1858,
on account of Mr.. Haskin's course upon the
Lecompton constitution, as he says. Alex
ander Ward was appointed in October, 1867,
for Mr. Clark: and in May, 1853, after Mr..
Clark had taken position upon the Kan
sas question, he resigned. He states that
he wanted to use his influence for the re-
nomination of Mr.. Clark, and he knew that
if he did 30, and still remained in the yard,
he would subject himself to being removed.
Rather than that, he preferred to leave HIM
self. These places were then given to MIR.
Taylor.
Each master workman selected all the
workmcn under him, and upon his requsi-
ton the number was increased or diminish
cd, he naming those to be selected or dis
charged.
This SYSTEM added to the abuses previous
" existing, has reduced the Navy Yard TO a
mere political machine, where idleness,
theft INSTRUMENTATION, fraud and gross ne
glect of duty prevail to an alarming de-
gree Members of Congress, officers of the
yard, both naval and civil, master workmen
contractors and labOrers, have all testified to
many abuses.
Hon. John Cochrane testifes that the ten
dency of ''the distribution of patronage by
members was very deleterious upon the pur-
ty of elections; injurious to the workmen, in
that it teaches laborers and mechanics TO
look to political influence for sustenance and
support injurious to the member of Congress-;
that he himselfhad been besieged--beset by
hundreds of claimants ut his house and in
his Office, until now, having been driven
from his Office he was in doubt whether he
should return to New York.
And Hon. Ii. T. Clark. in reference to the
same subject, makes the following statement
INV attention was first attracted to the
subject by receiving very great number of
applications from mechanics and laborers in
my district for my interference to procure
for them places in the navy yard. To such
an extent was this demand that it became
onerous, indeed offensive. My house was
run down. was addressed in the street
upon the subject. When in the lower part
Of the city on business | would he pursued;
and really could find no rest by reason Of
the great number of such applications.
\ Another class Of
application was from men who desire to have
procured for them the situation of quarter
men in the navy yard at $3.50 per day. An
other class was from men who desired To
have procured for them the situation of mas
ters in the navy yard. And between them all
| found that more was required of member
of Congress than had imagined. ltappear-
ed to me that was expected to find places
for the unemployed. and there were too
MANY of that class in New York to render it
possible that should voluntarily undertake
that business.
"This whole system tends. in the first place,
to the decentralization Of the laboring classes,
to their serious detrimcnt, and. in my judg-
mant, to the degradation, personal and poll
teal, of members of Congress-
The incidents and details of these abuses,
are shown by the testimony, and the very
voluminous correspondence of the department
with Commander Rootes and MIR. Graham,
the constructing engineer. Most OF the
members of Congress went to the yard, dur
ing the hours of work, to look aftsr their inter
ests. Each was anxious to have his friends
in the yard, and most of them. in person, fire.
auently pressed these applications. They
had controversies with the officers of the yard
and with the master workmen, about the d.
vision of patronage. Several cases of this
kind are testified to by the master work
men, aud are shown by the correspondence.
Pressed by aborers begging for work as
reward for partisan services, members sent
them to their master workmen, in some cases
to others, with letters of recommendation, in
many cases without proper inquiry as to
their fitness or ability to DO work The mas
ter workmcn, themselves appointed for par
tisan services, often yielded. In some cases,
when they refused, threats of their own re-
p,oyal were spnt 70 them; and when compel
led to choose in some cases, they preferred
packing the yard with idle and unskilful
workmen OF lahorers, to risking they own
places.
How far or whether cmployments were
sold in the yard, your Committee have not
l,n.,, nkl. tn aucertnin Master WOrkmpn