New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-03

wise pushing the scheme forward, been de.
voted to some practical business purpose, to
establishing manufacturing industries, or de-
velOping the resources and capacities of the
town, New London would have been vastly
better of, and would have had some material
prosperity of more account than skeleton OF
Navy-Yard which is liable to be blown away
at any moment by the action of Congress
Years were spent in making surveys, prepar-
ing reports. compiling statistics, and pillng up
arguments for New-London as naval station.
The town voted money to press the matter
upon the attention of Congress and secure an
appropriation; Committees danced back and
forth between New-L London and Washington,
and Mr.. Brandagee, Starkweather's predecessor
in Congress, had his life almost harassed out
of him by them, till, upon being accused by
some of the movers in it of GOODNESS and in
difference, the poor man threw up the sponge
and retired, letting in Mr.. Starkweather, who
seems to enjoy it better.
After Congress had been bored with the ap-
plication beyond all bounds. and had persist
entity refused to appropriate a cent, the New
Londoners put their tunneling powers at
work upon the State Legislature, and by such
boring as the Hoosac Tunnel never dreamed
of, procured the passage of an appropriation
to pay for the land now occupied as Navy
Yard, and a resolution offering it to the Gov
eminent for use as a naval station. The land
having been fairly flung at the head OF the
Government, was accepted, and then-ah, then
the member of Congress began to earn his
salary, and the gratitude of his constituents
A. 10 hod an
coded to the Government, Congress could not
be so mean as to keep it and do nothing with
it. The least it could do was to build wharf.
An appropriation was made accordingly for
that purpose AS usual in such cases, the APP
preparation served only to begin the work, and
another was required to complete it. Then a
monitor or two and an irOn-clad were sent up
there to lie at the dock, and please the people
with the notion that it was really a Navy Yard,
and no humbug. Then there had to be
brick building for storage and other purposes,
and an appropriation was made for that, and
for grading &c. Well, the result OF 1T Is that
there is a wharf, with two or three vessels
lying at it; there are one or two officers and
as many men, brick building and flag
staff and that is all the benefit reaped by
is no more need of the Yard there than of sew
enteen wheels to coach, and all the advantage
gained by New-LondOn for her expenditures
of energy and money and boring capacity Is
in the profit upon four mems groceries and
wearing apparel.
The last Congress appropriated. we believe,
some 100000 to be expended on this Yard, and
q committee has been up there to discover
some way to use it, There is no need of it,
to be sure, but the member of Congress would
not be earning his salary if he did not get
grab for his district in the appropriations.
That's the way appropriations are made and
the way the money goes. But the attempt to
abolish this useless source of expense will be
opposed with all the force of the district, and
MIR. Starkweather knows enough of the meth
DDS by which appropriations are obtained to
be able to defeat it,