Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-05-25
The Nnral Inrestirntlon.

The Opposition journals throughout the country
are industiously circulating the calumnies of the
Black Republican minority Of the naval inTestigs-
ting committee, in preference to the statement Of
the msjority signed by Messrs. BoCoCK, of Virgins,
GRoEsBECK, of Ohio, and READY, of Tennessee, all
honorable men, and of whom is personally
known to the citizens of Tennessee as q gentleman
of unimpeachable character, who was not liable to
be governed by any unjust partzan bias in favor
Of this administration The msjority report gives
fair and candid statement of the evidence elected
in the course of investigation and from that evil
dence fully and entirely acquits the Secretary Of the
Navy and the Administration from all the charges
alleged against them. On the other hand, the
minority report is signed by two Black Repub-
lcsns, bitterly hostile to the Administration, and
displaying throughout the investigation the vinaic
tveness and recklessness Of the partisan, and not
the impartiality of the Judge Now, the Opposition
organs of the South manifest at their enmity
to Democracy and their devotion to their Black Re
publican allies, by adopting the unsustaned state
ments of the minority of the committee, in direct
conflict with the sworn facts of the case as set forth
in the evidence.
A single instance will be sufficient to show the
character of these charges and the sntire absence
of auy evidence to sustain them.
The Richmond Whig in an article copied by the
Nashville Banner, makes the following statement
with regardt to the management of the Philadelphis
Navy Yard
Another haul upon the treasury for the election Of
Colonel Florence is exposed by the Committee Of In
vestigatiOn.
Here the WRig quotes passage from the re-
port of the minority of the Committee showing that
eighty oakum spinners had been employed some
time in the month of August in the Philadelphia
Navy Yard The Wig then adds;
Gan the oakum spinning for year crowded
into few weeks" for the purpose of slecting q
Democratic member Of Congress.
Now, here is distinct charge that these eighty
Oskum spinners were employed for the purpose of
electing Col FLORENCE to Congress The evidence
of the Witnesses examined in the proves that
charge is utterly false and unfounded.
OvERToN CARR, the executive officer of the Phila-
delphis Navy Yard, to titles as follows:
QUESTION We're they 1.-THE Oakum spinnersl kept
diligently at work?
ANSWER. Yes, sir.
QUESTION Was it before or after the election that
they were discharged?
ANSWER They mere discharged before the election.
There may have been some kept until afterwards
But the work was very soon done up and in the
slOOU csulking now, we are using the very oskum
spun at that time.
QUESTION. Could those Is men you had at the
time have done the work necessary for the yard
ANSWER. No, sir; because we we're ordered to
prepare the Lancaster Immediately for launching,
and build the slOop as possible and get ev-
erything ready for her. Report page S4S.
On this and other evidence to the same effect the
majority Of the committee report:
Z" The Philadelphia Yard was the only ether to
which the investigation of your committee
riOusly invited
1.-The testimony in relation to that diseloses moth
ing which calls, in the opinion Of your committee,
for special comment.
The question in relation to the employment of
eighty oakum-spinners in the summer Of 1858, 30
far as the government is concerned appears to have
been simply a question whether it was better to
have the oskum spun up rapidly by large number
of men, and then dismiss them all, or whether 1t
should have been done by q smaller number in
longer time. The competency Of these persons for
this work and their fsihfuness in labor is proven"
-[RspOrt page 49,
Thus we find that these oakum spinners who,
the Wing charges, we're employed to elect Col FLOR
ENCE, were really employed because their services
that they were dismissed before Col. FLoRENcE's
election came more unjust and unfounded
charge was never made even by the recklessaess of
political partisans than this, which is now clrcuat-
ing through the columns of the Opposition press.
What credit can be attached to the statements of
these Opposition organs when they thus disregard
the facts and testimony in their relentless war upon