Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-04-23
A AEsiSEE EHDABD.
he analogy Between a EansisuEet
for VI Williams and Zine Eurni-
tssse for Nr <SObes0n, and Fonts
and Picture Eram Is for Others

he = natCgE Between a E4and&ueet
for 1sfr Williams and Zine Eurni
lssse for Tr ObesBn. and Fonts
and Picture Frames for Others.
| Wash ngtou Jurisprudence \ Y. Tribu ne. ]
| WASHINGTON, April THE appro-
| priation Of government property to
| private II is Il form of official dis
| honesty which has long prevailed to a
| greater or less extent IN nearly every
| department OF the public service
| Instances OF 1t are as familiar to news
| paper readers as household words.
| Cabinet and bureau officers III Wash
| iagtou have for years used the horses
aud carriages belonging to the United
| States f.r private purposes, q stiN
| d., SO. III spite of the fact that Attor-
| ney Gt-uerai Williams ianiiault-t cost
| hm The position If Chief Just CO of
| tie Supreta" court OF the United
! States Some OF the same officers
| :.ave rOums III tueir houses rchiy fur
| HisiI. i At government expense, on the
| theory that they ought to be provided
! ny ghe Un'ed States with the meaDs
of traua4ctlag business ut home.
| la" employment Of the government
| workshops, government material, and
| government labor for the manufac
sure OF arflcl- for private use las
| also been common. Il used to be as
serted that u:.ler former adiuinist, a.
lions III the Treasury Department
drawings and plans for the private
| residences ui government officials were
! sometimes prepared III the office of
| toe huprrvlslb8 architect, and furni-
| ture for pr.vat. use was also Inanufac-
! h., u. I.
| believed that uLuer 81 cretary Bria-
| tpu's administration nothing of this,
kiUd has occurred.
IGr- Workshops Ia the navy Yards
! nave alNay, i.'oH lsp,. to some extent
for tar pa pose; # private manufactur-
! i,,Q, at Il ~ II NE OF Them regulations,
! lav,s h-.n established by bich hi
r;.u lie: s!.,oe IL c"lta II c.sS,es, aud tl,e
/ GOV, r.iir,,,.f H. i;!'sy reimbursed. III
ti4s5 A.~.,.i'4*,-. y ri tins is soiu. Ines
! done - t,ls towing way: III ortiyr
! from til. e:'i--t Ot 80 bureau II cor
/ a,rue'Io,i aad r,pair for GLe nanGEac-
! tuftt, ~ Il : ultl article = DntaIICd.
I TINS l. presented Z, t',v proper Object
! Of the yard, WHO I>'n-, N ord. - tie
/ proper ip:-iu II y iii instructions -
| keep Il strict account Oi the material
, ustl Il aai tie lab n employed. When
! the work * completed the paymaatci'
! Of ti:e ward IS PAID II accordance with
! n hi! JJttiS~tu icy the foreman who
| did tue wafk, aud vouchers for the
| ni;.t.'r,.,l aLtt labor SO used are made
cut III trli,lIcate. One Is retained By
iii" paymaster, one by the foreman
under whose direction the work wa:
| done, and one l., sent 10 the bureau OF
construction ana repair IN tie navy de-
! D IT meat. It Is doubtful ii Their l.
/ any legal authority for using the gov
erumeut work hops for private pur-
poses, even nnier these regulations,
! bat IL such cases the gov=Inm- Mt Is
REIN burstd aud really does not lose
| anything.
High officials have been recent. '
! accused # using tue Washington
navy yard and the government mater
ial and labor for the manufactuGe ~
articles for private use, without re-
| quIiIng any account 10 be keph or any
! othtr niesus to be taken by winch
! payment could he made If it we're dc
sired. On the 9Th of FEBRUARY, some
| IneL formerly employed III the navy
| yard, W M lad the means Of know1. <
| waat they asserted, Offered 10 prove
! that splendid sidehOard had bter
y y
! Robesou ont of the government Ina
/ tcfIaI, and ii the main by government
! em p!nyeS; that the halter had been
. p4lu by the p"ymnster OF the yard,
ana that no separate account of the
material Dr labor had beeen kept
III Older that tho cost of the side board
| N KAT BE- determined and the gov
eminent reimbursed. They cleo as
serted that, III the Spring OF 1874, a
iont was made IL tie naVy-yard, also
! IL government material and by gov
eminent labor. and that, by the Be
cfetirv II Tie Navy, It WAS shipped !!
:w0 boxes, about the middle ii May,
10 H0n. \. 9 ke&sby, care OF W.
liam -icnahan, Nonmuuth Beach, :.
J., via Long Branch boat. They also
asserted that Auudrs as Of dollars
worth II fancy boxes, lIcture-frames
I'D other furniture had been made + T
private usr, for which the govetnmtr
has never been repaid
Recently board. consisting = ofi
c=rs IL the navy-yard, was appointed
u Investigate these accusations, ans;
tie 1nen who made them offered 10 go
bt fore the board and explain the
whole case oa four conaitions, VIZ:
/ Tint witnesses should be exam
ined under oath.
2. That one of those who made Tic
accusations shonid have the privilege
OF cross-exa mining witnesses
3 The production of such docu-
mon's belonging to the government as
those making the accusation should
consider necessary
That the board should sit with
open doors.
These conditions were not agreed
10 by the board, aud those makiag
The accusation withdrew. The whole
case reduces itself to this: Eth
er Secretary Rubeson is guilty
of converting public property to
his private use, or there has been
irregularity aud dishonesty in the
Washington navy yard. The friends
Of the Secretary believe the latter 70
be the case, and while they would re-
gret his want Of discretion in using
the government shops fOr the manu-
iacture of articles for private use. even
though the government has bsen fully
reimbursed. the believe il to :. his |
duty to relieve himself from every
shadow Of suspicion by causing the !
present nvest:gation to be thorough |
l,nd conducted III public, so that nj |
the world may know what the facts |
are.
The Charlotte Observer scy5: ThIrc |
Ger loads Of iron ore, from what Is |
known as the University Nine"
near Ctarel Hill. 0rarge County, own