The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-25

the committee. pleads Ignorance OF the fact
! that the law required advertisement to be made.
MIR. Mathews has supplied 10 the Navy Deuart-
ment, rrlncp Nv to the bureau o Provisions
/ aud Clothing, since ISL, nearly s3WOOO worth
/ Of goods, materi Is, &c., the major portion Of
| winch b been done without advertisement or
/ competition. Ills regul.r business II that Of n
/ retailer ~ ury goods. though for number OF
/ yours he has furpisne1 naval clothing: llttcrlv
! he has rupplied beef PORK. snip furniture. SC.
! lhcsc jrticles he would purchase imsclf IN
/ open market, after m King his agreement with
| the bureau or purchasing paymaster, and then
! turn them ov to tie dep rtment ~ a pr, lit
; ranging from fifteen 20 thirty per cent. rs will
/ he son upVn reference 70 his proof. pages 257,
/ 2dl. ~ aud 2,3 Of the miscellaneous testimony
taken Nv your c"uuittee Averaging the rate
| Of profit made by MIR. Mathews IN these trans
actions ~ twenty per cent, " - manifest that
the Government In these uu chhscs from G'n
alone has lost from $1,000 to 100000 In
| committee are persuaded that in these trans
actions aloue the Government could have saved
, over h,If million II rs. lneir asent could
| have bought. Rs MIR. Mathews did the same arti-
cles at the same rrises. L. MIR. Matthew'S, or
| others who Ike hin 50 deal with the Govern
| escspi7
! more instance, from among the number Of cases
before them, showing the abuses and fr.ul
| growing out Of the disregard Of the law, which
contemplated far dealing anu economy In the
public service; and that Is the connection OF
Gran, Rippy ohtsin from J. H. savage tSooo
/ Tor the uIere procurement OF an order from the
Bureau Of Construction for 500 ship knees,
which they hand over to said savage at nis place
OF business. Grant obtains an oruer to deliver
larae lot Of ship knees e philadelphia, where,
according to the cOuimandaut Of the yard,
| Commodore Preble, they are not wanted. lie
also obj ina z simil ,r order to deliver large lot
at brooklyn Navy Naid. Ihis favor Is procured
| by Grant when, according to Judge Fisher, citi-
gems oi Del ware, who were anxious To secure
zens, VINO would have delivered them Tor less
money than Grant was receiving. being refused
| by the department, witness the fact that from
their very midst Grant ~ nlhng his order. lhe
pront made by Grant and ms partner. In this
that savage pays 500 for the privilege OF de-
| BARTER AND EXCHANGE.
Your committee invite the attention Of tho
| House to the magnitude OF the barter aud ex-
| change" trade Done by tue Navy department.
| Inc Bure u ~ Proyi ions and Clothing hi~ bar
tered OF its stock Of condemned and surplus
clothing, and rss Quantities Of other stores
| aud supplies. The Bufe IA Of Consructiun aud
Repair mas aud IL oarleriug OF ITS surplus iron,
| machinery, &c. The Bnreau OF stem Engineer
Ing It's surplus boilers, en.tnes, &c. And all tus
| without any regular report or account thereof
| beng submitted TO Congress by tue secretary q
the Navy, VINO, lniefentally. II ut directly,
| would nave hhd the committee believe that u
| was Ueing done without his knowledge OF sane
ton: out VINO, evidently. upon auyice or renee-
not Of sufficient thickness" and now
assumes, at least 80 far as tne ma
81 uction aud the Bureau of Steam EnRineering
are concerned that ne suomi ed to rue Appro-
prtauon Committee of the Forty tara Coueress
| the prupiety OF So using their useless material.
| IL is sufficient 20 SOY That the sanction OF said
| committee, without the authority OF the Two
| Houses aud tue President, ~ legal form ex
! pressed, could not make or alter the law GOv-
| etninR such cases. Ii Is submitted to the huuse
| tnat TINS mode aud manner Of the disposition
al property bel, nslOg - Tue naval service u
| without authority Of law or. IN other words,
| II Is an unlawful disi OsiuOu 81 sucn property,
ana hence a crime. II the Secretary Ut tue
| Navy may 81 convert one piece vi property ue-
lonIue to the naval service, why not ally Where
Is the dividing liner And VINO possesses the
power II discretion To determine tits questlouI
1t Is, in eject, lie; anu, VI so, tue law de-
terniues the manner IN winch II snail oe cOu-
Quoted, and thea provl4cs that the pro, eeos
| q l.Tk
Ii seems passing STRANGE That In the dis
position Of 50 much OF tue properly OF the Gov
eminent belonging to the naval service, the
Secretary OF the Navy mas never felt ~ u toe his
duly officially to report the facts connecu.d
large quantities " TINS very material come from
tue destructon OF vessels belonging TO and
constituting part Of The United States Nav.
tire Orense OF The Secretdryof the Navy and his
chiefs OF bureaus becomes more serious and
grave. Vessel after vessel Das been broken up
and destroyed. at large cost to the Government,
and the material disposed VI by barter anu ex-
Oh nge.
In some Instances, the circumstances sur
rounding the order 81 destruction give rise to
enclug tue results ~ politicsl elections was the
moving cause u the order. To snow TINS -
Of pubic properly, tue following proOf Uf Gao
Young L, >. n. from testimony at Kittery Navy
Yard. y. lO. Is Submitted:
v DO you know auythins aSoui the brcasing up 81
%, yhex AS mi. .d eST T Of s1 ~ xs be-
rotten Az N9'n 80 VIII. KIP nnt srHf %
aua dout thins tlelr ~as any tn.us particular ior
Virginia Ane-of.1atne th.p th4t w. on the ,tocK-.
the nrsi say that the timber was put into ncr.
.a, G 81 is7S sne %s Exact, In, ss S KID
Oi .hl thal 1ae Ouio was
neS seen launched. sac vas buI and planEed all
q AID t6cn tn,y tore her up Ayes. rr. They
pu tao. men a, wcrH, saved er in sections and brs~e
Hcuse Tor OISsSinS esr ny "a. a sasy wa9!se Inc
on abot .oo men. Ano ~orAel her untll lacy sot
sS n e, so e"ae nrs 's shp 90 sn.
.upy 9g As nuen room IN me sphouse 40 The dd ue'
o-Ina!~s, qo9s jss, i,Te an sies,ion in Mas's
'OTrne cause OF the sudden discarge OF ii ihSse
na ard the g Of woTS va '1e passing o. toe
NSyecr s!eT w. .ns sSp eaa pee Psea ss To piece but
Your committee do not fnI that the Score
targ Of the NAVY possesses any right or aut hor n
under the law to destroy vessel belonging Il
the United States Navy. He possesses power
to sell az pubic sale any vessel and materi 4 -
OF the United States Navy that " cannot be adj
vantaGeousy used, rep tired. or fitted out" IL
Ia his judgment such sale coulI not he advan-
tIgeousiy maze, II was and Is manfesty his
duty 10 have made report to Congress- Oh the
facts. aud from Congress 90 hive Obtained the
Authority to DESTROY and to convert the N te-
rial-. The disaupearanCe Of millions 81 their
money, 10 people who areisrowing poor under
the weight Of their taxes, while their agents
VINO control it ana the recipients OF 1t grow
rich Is not to be accounted for satisfactorily by
| speed lus arguments. III lpr all thts property
I and all the money expe IA ditures Ia I have van
, | shed within the last sew years any CORE
| spending results returns were shown. then
plausible excuses for Violations Of the law mi It
| be patiently listened to.
, There have been purchased by the present
y | Secretary Of the Navy two vessels, aud one by
= his chief ~ bureau, Hanscom. 1nese pur-
, | ch SEES have been made without AL horitv Of
= law, and without any specific appropriation
/, | III de for that purpose.
me Dispatch. formerly the America, and the
Rio Bravo, formerly tue III anter, were bought
hv the Secretary at a cost for the n-phtcn oil
. $4,000 and the Rio Bravo $4,000; both, how
, | ever, since repaired at large cost. Inc sea
r | weed was bought bv the Chief o. the Bureau Of
y Construction at a cost OF $500. without the
knowledge or sanction OF the SecretirN; but
inasmuch as That chief is not rebuked b. the
Secretnryi is inferraole that this purch Sc IL az
D | proved by hin. 4 he bureau ofhu er reasons like
\ | the Secretiry, that there was an eLigency re-
| curing such purchase. and II being adnissa t,o
: tuat such plea protects these agents OF the
Government IN the purchase of vessels. 1t Il
dift cult - see why other officers and agents
A | may not do likewise, ami each and all OF the IN
/, | purchase indefinitely limited only BY the
9 | amount OF money uuon winch they can lay
: | their hands and their own discre ion! Your
: committee do not fail to see the opportunity
fraud m M ictices like these. but content
now to call the attention Of the House II tue
4 | conteIn OF the Law manifested IN this regard
| Of ma Inv