The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-02-26

in The navy yards Than haps before, ana Of
larger number Of master rkmen also.
From whatever causes has sprung, your committee
are satisfied from The To Ony, that great abuses have
' Where So many men are thcred together in govern
ment employ, abuses are some extent unavoidable.
But the system of appoinn and retaining in tins
yard upon political influence works great evil
INCOMPETENT MEN EMPLOYED.
Men have been appointed without due regard to
their qualifications and retained sometimes after they
had shown themselves unworthy They learned to
rely in part upon strong friend to retain them, instead
of striving 10 entrench themselves behind mertorious
services This state of things has shown its natural
results in producing insubordnaon dlencss and dig
regard Of obligation and duty IN general. - ).
this conclusion mainly the testimony of Captain Rootes
Who was for months the executive officer aud frequently
during that time the acting commandant In the yard
the confessions Of the workmen themselves aud
the letters aud testimony Of the members OF Congress-
The complaints of displaced and disappointed men, who
discredt themselves by saying that they knew Of these
abuses while employed in the yard, but never
gave information about them till they were
allowance Wherever their stories have been tho
roughly investigated they have generally been shown to
bc either wholly or in great part untrue
A man named Berry, who was displaced from the posi-
ton of painter alleges that the Hon. john Kelly
became rated with him and had him displaced because
he would not keep in office men who he informed Mr.
Kelly were drunkards and entirely incapable of proper
discharge of duty. Mr. Kelly on tho contrary denies the
ateent alleging that be never asked TO have any man
e:aned after being informed Of his inCompetency, and
ays that the Of his difference with Berry vas that
latter used towards MIN coarse ana insuu.nk IAN
Guase turns out however, that Berry was not dismiss
ed until some three months or more after bis difference
with Mfr. Kelly.
Another man tells Of place being bought by Mr..
Teller of the master painter Turner) with present OF
five gallons Of whskey. When examined, Teller aud
Turner in representation Of the matter utterly
unlike that given by the informant as to make It. in all
essentials, act OF SANDER Yet another states that he
assessed twenty dollars for political purposes upon his
clcrsbip in the Custom House at New York. aud he re-
fused to pay it, and when asked 60 What the result?
answers, 81 was remoyed-from what cause cannot
tell.r fe attempts TO convey the impression distinctly
that he removed for this REFUSAL aud upon examna
is found that s assessment certificate dated 1906,
and his removal took place on the 7th OF August 1885,
Such chargeE are entitled to very little weight.
THEFT AND INSTRUMENTATION IN THE YARD.
Commander Rootes says There were a large mum.
my my opinion, thtft was common in the yard 81
think that short time before ! left the New
York yard, the foreman under Mr.. Cohea male
charge against Mr. Cohen and one else in the yard
that they the habit Of letting go out OF the
yard and s.ill receive their wages have no doubt in
my own mind that ii done" ga short time before
Left the yard the got knocking or work twenty
thirty minutes before bell-iing in the evening"
When asked to what these abuses were owing, Com
ander Rootes answered. From the fact that they think
members Of Congress put them there and keep them
there, in defiance of the officers of the yard
Lieut. Barnett says, when asked what abuses passed
under his observation in the New York Navy Yard
think there that exists in relation taking in la
oeIs should be PARTICULARLY the p5o, , Of the officers
capable. In insts in dismasting The st. Louis
not Ssa get fA he &C. h' %ais FACT @
strong enough. If they had been sailors could have
Sse eH @ - wSs1s
auifed Of them If would set them 70 whewashng would
have to watch them to that they did not stop frepored
discharge them and take In better men, although besvs he
he na
by neck and heels.
Merrlfeld and Turner who are still master workmcn in
The yard and who testify under bias state that they
often kept incompetent men under them for fear OF giving
offence to members Of Congress- Aud the letters Of
show how fercely some Of them welded the rod OF
terror. But i is due to these gentlemen to say
he had ever desired the retention of an incom.
pecnt man. and all agreed that the duties imposed
upon them by the necessity of this division
Of patronage very rsome and annoying They did 1t
because the system imposed upon them but would have
been glad TO be relieved
They recommended men, from the nature of the case,
without knowing much aboat their qualifications, and
when these remove they apt to attribute
it to some other cause than incompetency.
II is very probable that the system Of appointing men
upon the recommendation OF members OF Congress tends
to the retenson Of too many men in the yard especially
done to some small extent during the last fall But the
| proofi is not decisive on that point.
THE YARDS NOT STUFFED FOR ELECTION PURPOSES.
both at BSyn Eae ass a o hf hs
aseuy Employed Mr. cra6be, the Clerk Of the Phila
dolpha yard testies that at that place the number OF
men greater after the election than before.
The official Of the number of at the diff
erent yards does not sustain the allegation that the yards
were stuffed with view to the election. In New York
the greatest number Of men in the yard concded with the
State and Congressional election In Philadelphia the
ton occurred in the first half Of October while the great
number OF employed there In the latter part
that month It happens that the greatest number of
men in other yards viz in Portsmouth, Boston, Washing
ton, Norfolk and Pensacola, employed also In the
month"; Of September October and November 1858, cx-
cept perhaps, in Florsa II will not be conendcd that
the yards stuffed In New Hampshire Massachusetts
New York.
1t appears from the testimony that there at all the
Eastern yards in the fall Of 1858 unprecedented amount
Of work in progress and that that work completed
| the number OF men was diminished.
Commander Rooes speaks of the large number Of men
necessary for fitting out the Niagara and Plymouth expe
dtion and Sailing Master Brady follows up with this state
! ment:-
How does the amount Of work going on now compare
think doing similar amount OF the present
e we Are a @
as we could possibly dispense with The services Of such
vi;e they were dschsrged $3.50,
act, think was made some tune after got tSere hni
ne I OF the ms % mS e s Of December
I But the testimony of Mr. Lenthall makes more full
| and satisfactory explanation to the work.
g State what work has been done IL your department in tn.
s % Se @
hey have Ssn TIE
and ye esn building s Of the
hey ssys ang he sabine Sassrs s. LeS.
soops aud fitting the Atlanta Wesernpot
Caledonia and Memphis at Philadelphia they have been
pairing the frigate finishing the sloop Lancaster
building of the soops fitting out the steamer Chaplin
for the Paraguay expedition repairing the merchant
Richmond which had been seriously
into BY vessel a. Norfolk they have been build
repairing the John Adams and hitting ont the South
Star the Preble Fulton and Wafer Witch for the Paraguay
expedition; Pensacola they have been building soops
one called the Pensacola and Of the sloops last
horized by Congress- that all remember OF the WORK
/ curing the last summer and fall.
O. How did this OF work compare with the amount
Of work any time before going in the navy yarda A.
think Is rather than we have had any time
before.
O. What stoned the necessity OF this great
work being done last autumn? A. Part of Il due the
fitting out ofhe Paraguay expedlor occasionally ships
IN waning more repairs than we could oresee IN
o. How many sloops did have at this time, A. One
at each Of the yards; at Philadelphia there two
q How many vessels have had In progress DURING
The last yesr A. Five authorized by the ast Congress- and
| seven authorized since.
O. Was there ever q time before when there have been
twelve 10 the course OF construction at the yards
| A. think not