Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-02-28

admit that there has been gross corruption, Icy
/ Labor To white-wnsh the matter over, and screen
! The only responsible parties
The minority report handles the subject f,rly
and sauarey and shows both these ncfarisus
transactions in their proper light. How long will
rubi- virtue or liberty exist under such IN All
mn-,raton as this? God gave the country.
Abuses in Navy ards, &c. Report of tho
Select Committee
The Select Committee appointed Ia examine IN
! ia ALLEGED abuses IN the navy yards, and into al
legged INSTRUMENTATION If the Navy Department.
Submitted their report Thursday.
Mes,rs. Bocock, Grossbeck, and Ready Join in
rrpor:
First on tho management Of the BROOKLYN navy.
ward They take the position that appointments
have hrrn made on political eruuuds; THAI ON tn.
incoming aud present administration, the patraf-
aye thereof was concentrated two or three d.
rIct,. All these districts mt the time were re,,rt.-
! .cnt,d by Democrats The delegation from the
| city If New York and that neglborhood petition
"a the Secretary Of the Nav to divide the patron
nSe among them equally
Ihereupon there was great deal of confusion
and controversy among the different members #
the Il, legations, aud between the delegation self
aud HE Secretary of the Navy; that great abuse.
hal previously existed nj the yard, such ~ iale
uc,s, INSTRUMENTATION leyying Of contributions hy
the masterworkmcn ON ths men and the apIlo N
urnt aud retention If nconnetcnt workmcn
The committee admit al these abuses but say
thcy have not sprung from any thing done, any
.i"p, taken by the present Secretary Of the Navy
unless this policy Of attempting to distribute the
patronage equally be the cause of part If tlsr
abuses. No cGmplaints have been made H. hun
N tie sn4ject,.nnl 10 request t. redress them III
most Of the eases; but 80 far the abuses have
hccn made known to him, he has promptly tasen
mclrs II correct them.
The seeoud p'i,lt of examination is the nnihr3
cit" cal agency 1t was proven that DR.. IIuner
tho ttrnt, has given no SIT of attention II the
,Iur..,o tho 'ihrc; but has entirely neglected H.
The rlInmitt"r condemn the course of Dir Hun.
, ',r nnl Lis partner, VI. Smith, but say iElt IL
has aivaYs been gentleman ii high standing and
character; that hr lived IN the nrl .hhotaood i ilc
c,tl I'll N. and had been ENGAGED in the iron hl-
-lu",s, which tended To make him "nnunntrl with
,i.r different lluls # coal: thai lr was ZEN.
m,G.i, IN thi~ oihrc hy lgadiuz mriubcr- u tie
huu>Y lkania Legislature, and other Influential
,aulrlts If RraluG ami phlInlo Ina; that slhss
bo has heen in office there ha. been nothing toe..tl
7 the s'lcaton of tine department Ia hs uegert -
duty No Complaint la. been ma by yhel}
T., the Secretary # the Navy On the subject Tia
..a Of the ,rIy best gnality, and has heeu fur
ui.h. regularly for tn use II the government, by
tlo liru of Tyler. SOM y 60. and it nppeaf~ ~
! - r,la. per ton hss tqn the go,crnmcnt lad ol,.
,... i II for "a - .ir ~lrnsd ISIS.
= bra ia 81 the examination relates t. t.
. lis. atb con. act. Two dealers had live oaE -
ua.r. swift, Ilc m.>t. At IT," time pre'a,at-
n,.s aed lhr government had taken steps E
a." r.n >ructlon of seven new slopps.oi-war. ui,I
',, apedtion t. Paraguay lad hcon anthorlzsd.
v trh. ,he bids came IN under these proposals.
. thee two men wh, had the timber (Swlii AMI
. lau,.s Biglcrl were not the lowest bidder
+ Others bid below them, and the contracts wclc
/ tWAre,l to them
/ Iamraiatcl, after the contracts were awarlel,
tn. contractors came 10 Washington and told the
SECRETARY Of the Navy that II was Impossible ir
. ihoul t. comply will. he contracts They knew
Whom they made lh' Lids that obey could not at
IA" tpnbor in time, but relied upon getting the
liur extended for the urlIyrry. Failing IL ron-
ply viii their contracts the latter were declared
/ would. nder the law the Secretary ha. the right
iD r1lfact with Swift ~ any other person, even
hr lad IL give HIGHER than these rro
! u.,-ri IL furnish the timber for. and charge the
. iij f-ace t. the dctaulting contractors. But
=. # anne forward and furnished the tmter at
each AID all the yard at the lowest price h'd lH
an, Ter parry. Thr committee h'licyc that the
: .r,,e WIS fair and that there nothing in the
! t'an. elton that in any wa, impcached the infeg
rit, n ihe officers of til Nay Department.
, Tia next nnd last branch Of inquiry was III re
h'ia. Ia to the awarding of the contracts f1r Tie
.,,o, ,oops.oi war ordered mt the last session ii
. Iuu.ras. Their" were seven contracts i'll all, aud
IA aN II ling five "tthcm II appeared that 10 pe-
lc,i ,.ny other Improper influence was resortei
to- %, liz, different bidder: that the proposal,
Wcfs al,ised ording 10 law; that the leading es
! t,)r. hments in New York, Philadelphia, Boston,
/ Biltimarr. and Hartford presented bids for each
b and Al ai the engine, aul that the contra; {,
/ woe III every instance awarded Ia establishments
IF hiah reputation for nndouhtcl mechanical eth
| ric'lsH. These III i N'rc referred To II board al
cu 'tHrers. consisting Il the englnccrn ch'ci AL
tlr,e shir! eng ne'r- I'D the contracts were ascu
uu' lcr#l,iius to tho X port 81 the huardin sun"
cast uuaotmous, III others un tie rrremnea9a
ton -! the N lorjty. Mr.. Marin was memhef
ct tli, leard. and j. the lnyentcr # hoer which
included in thr llnns u, all the bidders except
t,,,. whose plans were decided on hv the hoard o
wh,la he MAS member aud the plans Winch IL |
not include his boiler rejected lay every mem
hrr =, the board NJ # the plans, irr real m
pnt.f'nn included Martins boilers. The eelalut-
tea ID, under the ,ta'e The ease, that no rf'.e-
eure =. uld have been gwen 10 any plan by Mtl.ih
ON t}ar ,rare but Suggest that ii would have hen
better Il he had 10. been put on that board
| Tie eomllittee cane IL the conclusion Tat til
uct "a Il the Secrct,ry u. the Navy has Lcea -
d,cioa. AID careiul-that he has been ae'ea'e !
only - desire to gct the best machinery - lie
Lowest Practicable cost, and would not venture n
de.jr, l. change of the contracts which he ha,
made.
Minority Report
The statement signed bv Mr.. sherman, Of OH,
and Mr. Richie, Of Pennsylvania. refers IL tho
general organization ct the bureaus III the NAVY
Department, and the expenditure in each bureau
since lsa2; hut states that the inquiry Of the tem.
mittee WAS mainly confined 10 four lranehe, Il
expenditure:
l. Tie purchase If fuel in tie Navy
:. In" purchase Of live onk timber
=. TIE management Of the navy yards: aid /
!. { atracts for steam machinery.
Tie coal agency established $50, and TIM
amount If conl purchased in 1858 55.on1
tons. The compensation allowed was five Yer