The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-22

Secretary Robson BADLY smirched.
The testimony which has been laboriously
taken by the committee for investigating the
Navy Department has been printed. 1t
makes, in small. close type, volume OF sew
eral hundred pages, through which only
those who take q special interest in the sub
ject will ever have patience to wade We
print in another column such extracts from
this voluminous mass as we can find space
for, and even these, small as they are in pro-
portion to the whole, are sufficient to justify
public demand for the removal Of Secre-
tary Robson from the high trust he has
abused. If the evidence were of such ma
ture as to afford grounds for impeachment q
removal, or an acceptance of his resignation
ii he should offer it, would not be the APP
propriate step. But it happens in this case
that while the proofs can leave no moral
doubt in the minds of those who attend to
them of Secretary Robeson's guilt, he has
acted with such consummate cunning and
taken such care to conceal himself behind
his instruments that it would be difficult to
procure legal conviction in conformity
with the technical rules of evidence
which are observed in . court of
impeachment the same as in other
courts. Secretary Robson is clearly
unfit for his place, and as impeachment is
improbable the President ought to remove
him at once, and thereby wash his own
hands Of all completely with the shameful
transactions brought to light by the COM
mittee of investigation.
The evidence is too extensive to be gone
into in detail, and we will illustrate its gen.
eral nature by a specimen There are in
Philadelphia two prominent gentlemen by
the name of Cattell They were formerly
partners in firm styled "a G. Cattell Il
Co.," the senior partner, A. G. Cattell, q
United States Senator from New Jersey
few years ago, being most intimate and con-
fdential friend of Secretary Robson. His
partner, +. G. Cattell was one of the wit
nesses examined by the committee Of investi-
cation. 1t appears by his own testimony
that after Mr.. Robson became Secretary Of
the Navy this Mr.. Z. G. Cattell entered into
arrangements with firms who had been &C
customed to furnish materials and supplies
for the navy, in pursuance of which he was
to receive large share OF their profits with
out furnishing any capital or render
ing any service except such as might
lead to securing them contracts with
the Navy Department. Why did they
think it for their interest to divide
their profits with this Mr.. Cattell9
There is but one credible answer; they
knew or were told that his influence with
the Navy Department, through the intimacy
of his brother with the Secretary, might be
potential in securing profitable contracts.
1t appears by his own testimony that he kept
the details of these transactions out Of his
books, and that he destroyed the stubs of
his checks. Why did he thus obliterate all
traces of what he was doing if he did not
know that this part Of his business was of
such a nature as to require profound secrecy?
He testifes that he paid the cost of Secle-
tary Robeson's cottage at Long Branch,
allowing Robson to take the deed without
protecting himself by mortgage on
the property, or receiving from Robson
any acknowledgment on paper of the in
debtedness This was a strange way of
transacting business. Cattell further testi-
fed, after a good deal of squirming, that
Robeson's Long Branch cottage was paid for
ont of the profits which he (CattelD made in
his dealings with navy contractors. Nobody
who is not an idiot or lunatic can doubt
that Robesons Long Branch cottage was
gift in consideration of favors to Cattell in
awarding contracts. Other pecuniary favors
to Robson appear in the testimony which
are equally incapable of explanation except
on the hypothesis that he was to be repaid
for enriching the Cattells Mr. Robson is
clearly an unfit man to be at the head of q
department which has the power to make
fortunes for its cronies and favorites.