Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-05-16

Government, any member OF the Senate or Of the
House Of Representatives who may choose to at
tend will be cordially received The officers of
the Army and Navy requested to take notice Of
this postponement.
THE REPORT OF THE BOARD TO EXAMINE THE
NAvY-fARDs.- Secretary Toucey has recently had
occasion to send to Congress a copy of the report
Of the Board Of Naval Officers who not long since
made a tour Of inspection among the navy-yards
and las very properly instructed SO to dol sug-
gested various changes, improvements and alleged
reforms which in their Judgment would conduce
TO the interest of the Government. Among these
was recommendation that those esta blishments
should be more completely under naval authority
than at present, which, the board conceive
would put stop to number Of abuses that have
In long series OF years crept into the manage
ment OF various branches of their business that are
necessarily conducted by civilians employed In
them. Secretary Toucey, in his letter Of COM
ments upon their report evidently nterprets their
recommendation to mean the expression of an
opinion that the duties In navy-yards now dis
charged by civilians should hereafter be per-
formed by Z" Salts" a conclusion which seems to
us not to be warranted by the tenor Of the report
From that conclusion he of course very properly
dissents Nevertheless 1t strikes that he entirely
misaPPrehends the meaning Of that portion of the
recommendation. Their design was simply to
recommend that the civilians employed in the
navy-yards be, in the first place so employed with
ont reference to their politics; and in the next in
stance, that they be brought more completely
under the authority Of the naval commanders Of
the yards so that the latter might have the means
of PromPtlycorrecting any abuses of the existence
Of which they may become aware
Both these recOmmPn nd ationS saorn 70 ne
proper, and, If carried out likely to prove as i'm
portant and valuable changes for the Government
as for all civilians employed in those establish
ments who are simply ambitious to discharge
their duties we'll AS matters have tended in the
navy yards for the last twenty twenty-five years
politics, rather than mechanical skill and steadi-
ness, have become the best recommendation for
the mechanic or laborer seeking employment or
promotion in them; and that politics may have
full sway in such matters in them, the authority
OF the commandant to employ, promote, or dis
charge has been made virtually subordinate to
that of the master workmen who are rarely them
selves employed except upon satisfactory assuran-
ces that they are " all right upon the goose, and
at least active politicians as they are compe-
tent as workmen. We know nothing more de-
moraliZing than the growth of this custom of en-
ploying mechanics and laborers more or less upon
political considerations-tending as it does to
make small politicians Of persona who do far more
harm than good to society when essaying to be-
come prominent in the regulation Of its affairs
That 1t also costs the national treasury heavily is
seH-eVident truth for such places or employ
ment cannot be put up as prizes for political CON-
petluon, except at an enormous aggregate eventual
Cost ny the Government should make Ques-
ton of the politics of the men who Law brick
40 drfn ~
them, (when no private citizen would venture 10
do any such thing without anticipating having to
pay heavily for their politics in addition to what
he pays for their work, y we cannot imagine.
The truth is, year by year, politics have been
gradually creeping into the control of every de-
partment Of the Governments business: until
we care not which party may be in power hard
ly a federal dollar can be discussed without be.
ing tolled by the politicians; without a per cent
age Of II going to reward some body for political
services already rendered, or expected to be rem
dered in time TO come 1t is not wonderful
therefore, that we have become nation of small
politicians; for the same truth holds good in the
management OF the affairs not only of the Gen
eral Government, but of every State and incorpo-
rated city in the Union. Travellers marvel at the
swarms of clergy they see in Mexico and other
Catholic countries, and wonder how the working
populations subsist them all. They (.ravelers) of
course abuse their systems of Government roundly.
for permitting the alleged abuses OF popular rights
involved in state of things which causes taxes
to be laid in hundred different WAYS for the
benefit Of that class-the clergy and their Law ad
juncts.
This politcian-abuse is becoming a greater
nuisance and evil In the Cnitsd States than the
surplus Of the clergy in Mexico. Much more
money is taken from the labor Of our land for the
support Of the class-far worse than worthless
SO far as the good they do-than Mexico exacts
from her non-clerical population, for the church
Perhaps the worst feature Of the whole business IL
the fact that besides the hundreds of thousands SO
employed, who do something for the pay they
receive, there are twice as many more who throw
away much of their time and money in efforts 70
obtain such employment, and who become un.
scrupulous in all things by degrees in accustom
Ing themselves to practice the vagrant habits and
loose morality prevalent among those who do the
dirty and disreputable work Of the political
parties in this country. IL the board of naval
officers who last inspected the United states navy
yards prove TO have driven an enterinp-wedge
into the shameful practice Of employing mec hanics
and laoorers according to their politics, in the
Governments service, which shall eventually
split II into shvers, they will have deserved well
OF their country, indeed.
HOUSE JAPANESE EMBASSY COMMITTEE The
House Committee appointed to wait on the
Japanese Embassy, and extend an invitation 10
them to be present at the sessions Of that BODY,
consists Of Messrs. Sherman, III. Winter Davi.
r. Joy Morris, John Cochrane, Of New York, and
Branch, of n. c.
a.