The daily gazette., 1876-08-03
ROBSON,
rsJ swoR THAN L r1.NAP.

Isj woR THAN L F1.NAP.
Some of he Republican papers
which are frnornci7g " .th fou t.,
of II npe's that S~cre' .ry Robson
has been excr'pated by the committee
appo' IL to Investigate bis manag'
ment of the navy depa -ment. i'll do
well to explain ne following extrect
from an abstract of the majority re-
port of the committee. which is signed
not only by e'l ne Democrats on the
committee but also by Blu leigh, a
Republican,, of Maine:
cor ID. ON OF . fE Ma i.
The first inquiry in the regular order
presented to the committee was as to
the past as well as the present condi-
tion of the United States navy. There
has been evoended on the ma, from
the time of its organization up to the
fiscal year ending on June 80, 1875 as
appears from the reports of the secre-
tary of the treasury, the vast s., of
$940, ,779.925 G7, more than one third
of which has been expended between
the year 1864 and the present time By
way of making comparison which
will be easily understood by the House
and thei country, the corrittee call
attention to the fact +tat The expendi-
ture of the ne, J for the fourteen years
commencing at the close of the fiscal
year 1S47, ano extending to the close
of the fiscal year 1861. was $3.50, ,456,-
!, 800 .1S, while '',e expenditure for the
seven years extending from the close
of The fiscal year ending on June 80,
1868, to the close of the fiscal year en-.
ding on June 80, 1875, was. as appears
from a statement prepared in the office
of the secretary of the treas,' y, the
sum of $3.50, 035, 5,4S1.49.
The report comments at great length
upon the terrible fact that we have one
of the weF 'lest navies in the world and
have expended more upon it than al.
most any other nation. Admiral Por-
ter, in his testimony upon this subject
says: 81 need scarcely say that the offs
GERS of the navy who expect TO take
part in any conflict that may arise be.
er look with anxiety for an improve
ment in our ships, more par 'cularly
since the West India drill made it app
parent to the youngest of them that
! our combined force of vessels was in,
| capable of successful encounter with
a fleet one'foarth as large built on
modern principles. Indeed, one such
ship as the British iron clad Invinci-
BILE ought to go through a feet like
ours and put the vessels horse de COM
bat in short Time, for she could run
them down or destroy them at long
range with her heavy rifle guns"
There are pages of similar testimo.
ny from every officer of prominence
in the navy. After quoting from th is
evidence the report thus recapitulates:
1t appears that in 1869, woen the pre-
sent secretary took charge, the navy
bore upon its register 203 vessels; that
by authority of law eight sloops.of
war and two torpedo boats have been
added thereto, and that by purchase
three more, to wit: The Dispatch, Rio
Bravo and Sea Weed, have been added
making ZIG vessels which should now
appear on +'be register, but in fact, ,ac-
cording to the secretary's last report.
their are only lat, so that II vessels
have disappeared, and counting up to
the present time it is more, because
several vessels have been sold since
! December last. The committee have
therefore to report to the House the
fact that the present secretary of the
navy has expended in money about
$17o, ,0O0,t 10; has used up or disposed
of the material of more than seventy
ships of war, minus any proceeds paid
into the treasury, besides other mater
ial; has contracted liabilities amount
! ing to several millions of dollars, and
has so as a result navy whose condi-
ton as described in the testimony of
its chief officers already quoted.