New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-05-17
OUR NAVY.
HOW THE MONEY co.'s.
To the Editor The Tribune

| To the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR The criticisms of THE TRIBUNE on tbs
eXtrayagant expenditures OF the navy find cordial
sponse here with all who do belong that pamperei
and costly institution and who desire real retenchme
Not 1.-THE Of the gross and garng abuses have been
exposed andwhen honest effort is made 10 shed ght
upon them, combination is at once formed in the De-
partment TO decry falsify, and ealumnate every
engaged in IT, just has been done in the OF Gen.
Washburne, who has simply striyen ~ do his duty IN
arresting corruption.
There are now ten or twelve Admrals loungnc about
Washington enormous salaries and doing literally
nothing. Ingenuity is taxed to find them nominal
employment. Hence all the clamor for keeping up
pcnsye squadrons abroad, so that these Admiral. and
others may have osensbe occupation. Aud theso
foreign squadrons, especially that In Europe are noth-
ing but yachting excursions and to make them
strictly So the regulations have been changed
that Admrals, Captains, and the like carry out Their
wives and families and sometimes escort other mems
wives through the Mediterranean, In order Ia improve
the discipline, OF And this is not all. The public
documents and investigations made by committees &c
Congress exhibit the most startling frauds and yenaiy
expenditure OF the squadron in Europe and II L. 10
presumed the rule applies 10 all the others.
When the facts exposed by our Ministers and Con-
suls, instead VI applying remedy, the Bureau officers
here sought to uphold the punderers and defend them
while imputng unworthy motives TO the officials who
had only obeyed their Instructions AS the navy l.
corporation, managed for the interest Of preferred
class, the rule is to make common cause, to attack who
may be attacked by an interested officer and to de-
fend whoever may be assaied in the corporation. ot
there honorable exceptions to this rule bLs
they angels visits.
Ihave before "Ex. Doc No. 49," published 10y order
OF the House. The exposures in it are astounding
but what is astonishing st Is the fact that "A
view Of the exhibition made, various officers have not
been courtmaraled and dismissed the service. they
deserve to be- In the army that would have been their
fate is established beyond controversy not only ths
all the supplies for the European squadron fur
nished by one person at Lisbon that all the
done through him. and the entire patronage OF every
kind turned into his mill, at prices varying from 5
to 30irr above the market values Yet this
not merchant, mechanic, a ship chander-notI-
ing in fact but "a spectator and favore. The naval
ulItions require purchases to be made from regular
dealers and with strict regard the current prices
They have agrautly dsregarded for three years
past, without a word OF admoIiton from the Navy d.
partmeEt. On the contrary, the Ring inside OF thae
have managed to rebuke the Minister'S and Com
sus who exposed the corruption because they yenturcd
to interfere with this nice little game by which the pco
pie have been robbed hundreds Of thousands Of dol
lars.
Let us look at the way doing business here spec
uator Lii bon encouraged by success there Gro scs
the ocean backed by letters from certain officers who hoD
nobbed with him in port, and supported by the moral
power Of numerous OF wne cigars, gloves and to
like He presents himself at Washington In ist7 and
asks contract for Goals, though he had never sold
pound that article in his life without any knowledge
OF or regard the market prices in Lisbon the Bureau
OF Equipment gives him contract for 800 TIA
18th February, l67, the very day OF his application
and when Le returns Lisbon coal has fallen two sh
hnps per below the contract price. When the Br
Navy buys COAL it demands certain protecting oondi.
ton. mines which are well known 10 All dealers
and guards against frauds. No such prccauuol
was taken in this case, though Amercan CO..
bonds and other safeguards. Nine months afsrward.
before half this $3.50 had been consumed, the
SPECTATOR appeared again in Washn g;On. aud this tno
~ raJe anotter ,outr FOR GOO tu.s with the sam,
Bureau, al die patched - usual on the same day al y
shilling uer tun and with no protecting clauses wha
What that enormous quantity of coal wanted
fori Ii could not De consumed III several years Tho
Bureau shut the Government ont nom the bnent ~ any
IAN i'm the prices But this j. not the worst Goa Of TIC
very best quality at that very time pure hased ny tho
British and French nayicS at Is shinXs aud pence
tun after the market price fell To 20 slns,
the decline in ircgbtS, 81 that We are bound
pay nine snngs for every tun Of coal more than ito
and made contract for $500 gallons OF olive OIL al s
cents per gallon above the market price in Lisbon. ut
is say the Bureau paid hun $1,000 IN gold or his trip
Mi Neal Consul at Lisbon. appointed by Gen. Grant.
states officially that the most apdaeols frauds ae per-
petrat.d and the most garing COLLISION pr,etcod on to
part Of officers sworn 10 protect the pubic lnefess
Take illustration IN point out o. hundreds OF tho
same character. Mr. Neal Informed the Paylnastsrs 4
our ships that they for supplies about
fourth more than the British fleet which Was lying 10
favored middle man, instead OF with regular dealers
The butcher who furnished the British heet aud vino
sold also To this nn'dileinan, offered furnish our
vessels directly for The price that he did te others.
But officers insisted OH paying more, and buymA
Through this Spectator When such things occur IL q
not necessary 10 far In search of motives L. II
wonder that the should he unpopulaF, that tia
payers should complain of their burdens when this sore
mo" In few weeks. WIDE AMAkE
Washington, ID. C.. bay Id, 1870
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