Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-08-10

throughout the whole length and
breadth of the land and it seemed for
time that war with Spain was i'm
minent. Our Navy was in no eopdi-
tion to meet the navy of Spain or of
any OF the great European powers.
The Secretary of the Navy, acting as
he testifies in the belief that il was his
duty as the administrative officer of
that Department to prepare for war,
did make use of and expend the whole
of the appropriation for the eight slools
in preparing the Navy for that exigen-
cy. The President of the United
States, his Cabinet, every patriotic
American citizen, looked to him In his
preparations with anxiety, hoping that
he might be ready whe n we were COM
PEELED to strike the blow or when the
blow should come upon US.
This is one of the violations of law"
to which the attention of the American
Congress is called in this report; one of
the 'violations of law" by the Secre-
tary OF the Navy, and perhaps the very
gravest upon which the majority of this
committee propose, If the judiciary
Committee shall see f1t, that he shall be
impeached before Congress and the
country. Why, Mr.. Speaker, If he had
not done just what he did in this ext
gency he would have been derelict in
his duty.
More than this, when Congress met
in December the condition of this ap-
preparation was brought at once to the
attention of Congress. The Secretary
came to the Committee on ApprOpri-
ations and said to them, "I have ex-
pended all the money you gave me for
the purpose of building these eight
slOops of war; have expended all the
appropriations made for my Depart
ment;. / am without money!" The
committee and the House and the
country, responding to his demand,
gave him 81 ,OO0, 900 in order to replace
the appropriation for the eight sloops
of war as we'll as continue the force of
the different bureaus of the Navy up to
the beginning of the next fiscal year.
This is one of the matters, repeat, to
which the attention of the country is
called in connection with the impeach-
ment of the Secretary of the Navy.
Another matter dwelt upon in the
report of the majority is the present
condition of the Navy as compared
with what it was some years ago.
| Upon this subject dc not propose to
speak further than to call the attention
of the House to the rebuilding, as it Is
termed in ereport of the majority,
of old vessels Under the name of repairs.
The conduct on the part of the Secre.
| tary Is criticised as violation of law,
and the House Is to be called upon to
impeach him-fOr this conduct.
Now, desire to state to the House
just what this rebuilding of old vessels
under the name of repairs spoken OF by
the majority of the committee consists
in. Annually Congress appropriates
to the Bureau of Construction and Re-
pair stipulated sum of money, and
the present chief Of the Bureau of Con-
struction and Repair, with the knewl-
edged and consent of the Secretary of
the Navy, instead of going to the var
ioHs pavy-yards of the country and
using his annual appropriation in the
unseawOrthy hulks, built of white-Oak
timber which came down to US from
the war, sloops and steamers which
served their purpose, hastily construct
ed, some built In less than one hundred
days, sent out as cruisers during the
war, and which are now almost entire
ly worthless from defective material
used in their cOnstructi0n-I say that
instead of using his entire appropriation
upon dozen or q half dozen OF those
old vessels, the chief of the Bureau,
with the advice and consent OF the Sec.
retary, has seen fit to 60 into the navy.
yards and take out entirely not only its
masts and spans but its keel from one
of those old vessels, replacing them en-
tirely with substantial material, especi-
ally of live-oak, giving to the Navy
each year In this way one good, sub
istantial vessel which will last almost
half century. This Is the manner in
which the Secretary and the chief Of
the Bureau have been expanding the
appropriations for constructions and re-
pairs from year to year. In the Judge
ment of the minority Of the committee
it Is the better economy and wisdom on
their part to enter into this sort of re-
building of q vessel rather than taking
out rotten plank here and there from
a number of vessels which are to disap-
pear entirely from the Naval Register
in short time on account OF unsea-
WOrthiness.
Another matter complained of large
ly, and upon which two hundred pages
of testimony have been taken, is the
manner in which labor is put in the
various navy-yards Of the country.
Just here let me remark there is, at
least in the manner in which labor is
employed in the different nsvy-yards
of the country, an existing abuse. 1t
is true now, as mas been for the last
half century, that to some extent at
least politicians control the labor en-
ployed in the various navy-yards.
Local politicians, notably members OF
Congress, come to the various chiefs
and commandants of the navy-yards
and others having charge Of the em-
ployment of labor, and in this way we
have do doubt that occasionally an un-
skilled workman replaces skilled
mechanic. But We protest there is
nothing in the testimony taken by the
eommittee-and they have labored up
lon this subject In every navy-yard of
the country-to show there Is anything
peculiar to this administration. This
matter of political influence pertains to
the very system of government under
which We exist. And so long as We
have political parties, and so long %
we have affirmative principles, and
especially affirmative men, this thing
will exist to some extent. s..
The majority complain especially OF
the Republican party and the Repub-
lican Administration, for the reason
| that in 1862, or 1868 perhaps, certainly
since the Republican party came into
power, Congress attempted by legisla-
| ton to cure to some extent the abuses
which have grown up In the employ
ment OF labor in the navy-yards OF the
country. The Democratic party, In
power in this country almost continn-
ously since the days Of Jefierson, never
even made an honest attempt 10 cure
the evil which grew up and which ex.
listed to a greater degree In 1859 ana