Wilmington journal., 1872-10-04

AS matter of course the navy yards
have had to bear their share of the burden,
and SO we find, no matter whether it be in
Maine or California, upon the Atlantic Or
upon the Pacific coast, the same inexorable
rule prevailing-'' anything to re-elect
Grant"
But let us come to details.
In the State of Maine, just opposite to
Portsmouth,, New Hampshire, there is a
navy yard called the Kittery, or Portsmouth
navy yard. There are no ships being built
there, and during the m Onths of March and
April Of this year the officers in charge of the
yard began on the score Of economy to dis
charge supernumerary workmen. On the
18th of July there were only four hundred
and fifty men employed. On the 9th of
September, in less than sixty days, the
number of workmen was increased to two
thousand. During the war, when this
yard was full of work, the total expense OF
the executive management was four thou
sand seven hundred dollars per annum;
last year the expense was twenty thousand
six hundred and eight dollars, and there
was less work done than during any year
of the war!
There is not legitimate work enough to
keep all these extra people employed, but
still there is no difficulty i'll making show
of keeping them at work for, though it
requires a special appropriation by act of
Congress to build new war ship, which,
unavailable for mere party purposes, it
does not require any such publicity to
repair vessel to any extent and involving
almost any amount of money. The Kittery
navy yard and the Radical party are for
tunate in that ''the old Illinois, an inn
mense steam frigate, the construction of
which was begun in 1864, is still on the
stocks. She is rotting as fast as repaired,
and having served as the political trump
card in time past, is now made to subser1e
the interests of Grants reelection in No
vember. a force Of one thousand three
hundred men is now employed in tearing
the hull to pieces. At the present rate Of
progress it will require at least ten years
! to complete the job, Add to the original
cost of the vessel the wages of these men
for that time, and to this the cost Of the
! new ship to be built under the same name
as it will all be charged to the account
of the Illinois-the cost Of her repairs and
| subsequent construction, as explained, will
! not fall short of sixteen million dOllars.'
But this is not all Of the resources OF the
Administration at that lucky kittery yard
in case the exigencies OF the party should
demand larger increase. The iron-clad
monitor Massachusetts, is also ready for
repairs. She has now been on the stocks
in damp ship-house for years. She is in
rotten condition, and is not worth the
repair necessary to make her a seaworthy
craft"
It is said instead Of there being a
need for one thousand four hundred and
fifty extra workmen on the morning of the
Maine election, that legitimate work for
fifty additional men, at the outside, could
not be found It is said, too, that no
pronounced fixed Grant Or Greeley man
can find employment at the navy yard.
The only eligible men are those "open to
conviction"
| In Norfolk, also, attention is called to
the fact that g old vessels, which have long
| since performed their functions in the de-
partment, are now brought to the surface
with the view to repairs and other work OF
an ostensbly necessary character I'M
earthed, to afford employment to men
Il - 4 IN<1 IA,
at the coming Presidential election"
In New York we are told that g it is
perfectly notorious that the Administration
means to get large vote out Of the Brook
lyn yard this year, and every man in
public life knows Just how it will be done
These are the facts, as we gather them
from our exchanges, in regard to the At
lantic coast.
Let us turn now, for Il nom mt, to the
Pacific coast.
The navy yard at Mare Island, is i'll So
lano county, California. The county has
been closely balanced Tor five or six years
past, the majority for either side never eN-
ceeding a hundred. At the election for
! Governor i'll last September the Radical
majority was one thousand three hundred
and forty, 1t SO happens, too, that the
aggregate vote of the county was increased
! Just about one thousand three hundred
/ votes, though the county Was only second
or third class one as to population! What
! are the facts
For weeks before the election for State
| O Ulcers in September last, the State was
secured for men to be employed at Mare
Island. AS a rule, pains were taken to Sc
| lect for employment men who were Demo
! Gratis. Times were dull, and the offer of
the liberal wages paid at the Government
! Navy-Y ard for several weeks was temp
tation very hard to he resisted in the de-
pressed condition Of the labor market. The
! result was that very large body OF work
men and laborers, from 200 to l 400, was
in the Government employment at the
! Navy i ard on the day of the ELECTION In
September. AS events showed, the voting
Of this number of men, what votes they
should cast, how they should cast them, i'll
what divisions, and under what control,
was matter thoroughly organized before"
hand 10y the officials. The entire
proceedings were conducted with mil
itary precision and regularity. On
the morning of the election operations
were commenced before the opening OF the
polls by moving a gang of men from the
Navy Yard to the polls at one of the two
precincts where the Navy Yard vote was
! to he cast At these polls the officers of