New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-09-21
GRANTS NAVY-YARDS.


ARE USED TO PERPETUATE THE PRESENT
ADMINIsTRATION-THE KITTERY NAVY-fAkD
GROSS EXTRAvAGANCE-THE sUkRENphh
OF ALL POLITICAL RIGHTS THE OsL, DUAL
FICATION FOR OBTAINING WORK.
70 me Editor Of The TrtoUns
SIR: am connected with tho Government works
in the Navy Yards of the United States am at
present employed in the Kittery Navy-Yard. in The
State of Maine, opposite Portsmouth, N. II. have
been engaged az an engineer in the Navy-Yards OF
France and Spain, and have also served IN the ma
chine-shops of those countries. / am familiar with
the general routine of the work in GoysInment
ship-yards aud arsenals in several countries aud am
acquainted with the economies under which they
are conducted abroad With such experiences and
qualifications, think myself capable of Judging OF
the manner in which similar institutions should be
managed in this country. / therefore address my
self to the task of describing the means employed
for subverting this NavyYard to the political inter
ests Of the present Administration during the ate
canvass.
The use of the Kittery or Portsmouth Navy-Yard
as political engine for the manufacture of votes IL
universally known and openly commented upon in
this vicinity. 1t is affirmed, without reserve or fear
of contradiction that the Secretary of the Navy has
repeatedly authorized the employment of large num-
bers of men to be used in swelling the AdmInistra-
ton vote and that this Yard has been turned over
to scheming politicians TO be used by them in defeat
ing the will of the people Although the regulations
of the Navy Department emphatically forbid that
Government works shall form part of the political
machinery they are to-day, from the State Depart
ments and CustOm-houses TO the pettest p0stoices,
the machinery by which the friends of the Grant
Administration hope to work out success in the No
vember election. 1t is % fact capable OF the most
complete demonstration, that any man can now OBJ
IT, L..
cured thereby for the Two-Term party. In speaking
more explicitly, shall tell only what do know
what l have myself seen, or what has been ascer'
tanned after the most careful inquiry.
THE ECONOMY OF WAR.
During the time of Mr. Lncon's Administration,
and under the of the late Rear-Admiral Geo. f.
PiersOn, the Kttery Nayy-Yard was conducted with
close regard to economy. The entire of the
stores was for several years in the hands of Andrew
Simpson, returned navy volunteer, who had no
difficulty in tTansactng the business with just one
fourth the number Of clerks and workmen which is
now employed; notwithstanding the fact that the
amount Of work is now very much less than during
the war. One of the first acts of the present
Administration was to establish in every Navy
Yard what is now known the bureau
system, the ostensible advantage of which is to
simplify the business by giving separate head
10 eaCn Df3nCn OF DuSllltss III Ine laIu, anu
thus make it Independent of the Others. The
establishment Of this system largely increases the
number of influential officers, foremen, quarternas-
ters and clerks, and all of these positions filled
by politicians carefully selected from among the
ranks OF the industrious and eloquent support
ers of the denomination candidate That the sys-
TEN is fraught with great additional expense In
each and every department into which it has been
introduced comparison of the relative cost of OPP
Grating the warehouses in this yard may be cited.
During the war and down TO 1868 the charge of tho
| stores was intrusted to Andrew Simpson, who re-
ceiyed salary of SLIGO per year. In order to ais
patch the comparatively enormous amount of bust
ness doing at that tIme this stOrekeeper employed
one clerk with salary of 81 800, two weighers at 81
per day EACH oopyiss at 50 per day. making IN al
eight persons at aggregate of $500 per annum This
betrayed the entire executive expenses Of the whole
storage system Of the Kittery Yard.
TIE ExTRAvAGASCE OF PEACE
Az present however, the Departments Of Yards and
Docks OF Construction and Repairs, OF Equipments, ana
of Steam Engineering each have their sorekeepers and
the number OF employees each is equal to that needed
In the general system in operation during 1853 For
performing the services for which at that time eight
men were sufficient twenty required, as follows:
Bureau of Docks and Yards-Co Wentworth, store
keeper, salary $500 per anRum John Wentworth, MS
brother clerk 5000; Chas Gardner ecpyist 500, aud
Bureau OF Construction and Repair-Chas. III. Chase
sto7ekeeper salary $3.50; Geo. W. Putnam, clerk.
5000 Charles Baily clerk $780, John Knowlton, wegher
5000 aud messenger boy $55Sn all, five employees al
s47Js per annum. Bureau OF Equpments-Cavin J.
Hays Clerk of the Office OF the Bureau Of Equipments,
s4O0; Charles Delany, storage clerk, $1,000 W. b. Ham
clerk 5000 John Knox, weigher, s9cOfour employees az
an annual expenditure Of g. C0 Bureau OF steam En-
| gineerng-Samuel Hoyt clerk In charge, sl,ioS = r.
shaw clerk, 81 200; - writer $780, Capt Richmond,
muster clerk, $1,000 Moses Stafford clerk of the naval
store sl40O; Samuel A. James, wegber 500. and mes
senger BOY, $780, giving total OF $500 per annuin la
all cases these expenses apply to the civilian service
The yearly expense oI the executive management OF the
sorehouse thus increased from $500 in 1863 TO soeo
The actual amount OF work performed during any pc
rod Of the and down 10 1863 greater than dur
ing any corresponding period since Ths Yard was, dur
ing the entire struggle the center OF active work
count Of the facilities which 1t possessed for sp6uild-
ing In neither instance does this estimate touch the in
dustrIes themselves. The workmen performed their Ia
bors under their own OF masters fore
men and mechanics Thus there are at this
time four clerks, copyists, weighers, etc, for each
one employed during the hurry OF war times. This -
the spirit of retrenchment which has pemeated every
department and bureau OF the Navy ard! In every
case the keenes selections have been made for the ia
cumbens Of the Offices aud they with two e1
ceprons men who are qualified, from their Influence AM
perseverance, throw the Of the entire body OF
men, directly or indirectly under their con
troll in favor OF the Administration. The salaries which
these men receive disproporti0nateiy large as
compared with OF the class Of labor In me
yards nearer great Cities where rents and prov sons
are higher. These men, purpormg 20 be storekeepers
and clerks, but Who IN reality. are only political trick
sters are vested with tho entire supervision Of tho
workmen.
THE MAYNARD AS A POLITICAL ENGINE.
The Navy.Yard thus becomes machine Tor the manu-