The Portland daily press., 1876-03-31
Democratic Unfairness.

The Democrats are persistently bent on
breaking Secretary Robson down, not only
without evidence of his guilt but in spite of
evidence of his innocence. To effect their
purpose they have resorted to unfair and even
dishonest ways, In the letter from the Sec
retary bearing the date of the 10th of March
he says Il expect to be able to answer more
speclhcally upon some of the points above
'mentioned in few days, and also at the
same time to answer the remainder of the in
terrogations." The second letter was sent
and has been in possession of the committee
for nearly week. Itgives full explanation.
says the Washington correspondent of the
Boston Adcertisers whose account we give.
A clear, complete statement of the
whole affair; and yet it was withheld, and the
earlier and partial statement placed before the
public in the most unfavorable light possible
The list of dispatches printed in connection
with the letter of the 10sh is curiously incom-
plete. According TO the list Mr.. Robson
sent despatch from Long Branch, September
10th, 1873, to Commodore Reynolds, acting
Secretary, 20 ''give requistion in favor of jay
Cooke. McCulloch & Co., for 1000 900 for
FOR. ign account of pay of navy" and on the
18th he received this reply from REYNOLDS;
L
The plain inference from this is, that the re-
mi tance ordered by RObeson was stopped by
the Treasury department ON its owu moron.
The TACT is that on hearing of the failure of
Jay Cooke, McCulloch & Co.. on the 18th
Robeson sent a dispatch which is omitted
from the printed list, ordering Reynolds to
stop the remittance and Reynolds dispatch of
the 18th is in reply TO that and not TO the des-
patcn OF the 10Th, as appears il the garbled
hst. subsequently the remittance was made,
out on security so ample that not only has the
remittance been repaid bat the original indebt-
edness bas been reduced by 500, 900, with
every prospect OF total extinction within a
few months. Thus it appears that the head
ana 'root OF the Secretary's offending is the
exercise OF discretion in a case where the alter
native was the utter loss of nearly million of
dollars due from Jaw Cooke, McCuiloch & Co.
and the Jeopardizing of the success of the oper
aIlons OF the syndicate then engaged in plac pg
our new loan in Europe. In other words had
the Secretary declined to allow the remittance
10 oe made IN the usual course. the early sus-
pension OF the firm would undoubtedly have fol-
ioWed, resulting in a loss to the government of
uearly million of dollars. The friends of
the Secretary warmly declares that, so far from
oelDg blamable in the mat er he deserves high
praise for the skill with which he has brought
the aHaIr to successful issue, The latest
scandal affecting the Navy Department, the
story that Robson has accepted drafts to be
Gald out OF next years appropriations in order
to cover deficiency caused by heavy expendi-
lures during the preparations for active service
last fall. has absolutely DO other basis of fact
tban that the Secretary has accepted certain
9raIts upon the navy-pay fund. There is no
doubt that full answer from the Secretary
will be received within few days by Mr. Bee
be, who has asked for the information, and in
the meantime it is sufficient to ~ that there is
money enough TO the credit of the NAVY De-
partmept TO meet these drafts at the present
time; that the drafts are drawn as a matter of
convenience, and that the assertion or pre-
sumption that they are drawn upon, or will be
irawn from, next years appropriation is Who'll.
1v false