The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-10-05

The greatest burden to the Repuollcar
camnairn at this time is the presence Of
Mr. Robeson at the head Of the Navy
and If Secretary Chandler would induce
President Grant TO remove Robson he
wonld give the party an immense lmpe
tus. If investigation into the ansirs OF
this Department has no other enect IL
serves to relieve all officers OF the Navy
of any of the odium brought upon the
service by the secretary's treachery and
Tnismanapement. For some months past
there has been general feeling in the
public mind that there was great u> al
of
CORRUPTION IN THE NAVY,
but tbe responsibility for this was never
Lnown until the Naval Committee made
jis renort. During the investigations OF
Congress all the prominent officers. from
Admiral Porter down, have been called
nnon to testify as to what frauds or irreg'
uIarilies had come under their knowl-
edge and who we're responsible ior their
commission. With that love Of trutn
and straightforwardness which charac-
teriyes the sailor their evidence was CIV
AN. and its importance can only be known
by a careful reading Of the Committees
yeport, This evidence, impartlallly weigh
ed. shows painful state OF affairs IN the
NAVY and that for this no officer IN the
service is responsible.
The committee in their report say that,
though the Secretary was not detected IN
receiving personally any OF the plunder,
vet there was chain of circumstantlaI
evidence running around all his transac-
tions, and an indisposition to account for
a portion of the large fortune he had
amassed that left but one impression
upon the minds Of the committee. ms
impression was so strong that they re-
ferred the whole question to the judiciary
Committee to decide whether or not ar
ticles of impeachment should be, drawn
up against the Secretary. Thus the mat,
ter stood when Congress adjourned, and
there is but little doubt that
MR., goBEsoN would HAVE BEEN IMPEAcH'
ED, TRIED AND CONVICTED
ifthe Naval Committee could have made
their report month sooner. AS it was,
however, Congress turned over the naval
officers whom they had called upon to
testify as to the management ofthe Naval
Department to the ten Ter mercles OF
Robeson. The Democrats did this be-
cause they were in hopes that 1t would
benefit them in the coming election; the
Republicans because they were angry
with them for having testified as to kob-
eson's mismanagement. Congress had
no sooner adjourned than Mr.. Robson
who had all his plans prepared, put them
IN operation and issued an order to the
navy intended to deceive the American
neople. He informed the world that he
was forced by necessity to place every
officer not on active duty on frIough
Day. There are three kinds OF pay au'
thorized by Congress for the navy-sea
pay, shore pay and leave of absence pay
There is also an old law authorizing the
Secretary to place any officer on furIough,
This was intended to reach worthless
officers who had committed any act that
could bring them to court martial, put
who were worthless to the service. This
law was not many years ago repealed
Since then the act repeating 1t has been
repealed, and now it az pears that this
second act gives it new existence.
GALLANT OFFICERS REDUCED TO DISTRESS.
At all events this is Mr.. Robeson's at
tltude, and so his order has reduced four
or five hundred gallant officers of the
service to a position causing them great
distress and calculated to work great
harm to the naval service. No one be-
Ieves the Secretary when he says that
he performed this disagreeable duty to
enable him to conform to the appropria-
tions of Congress" The appropriation
was for five million eight hundred thou
sand dollars Last year it was not over
six million four hundred thousand dol
lars. The service this year has been re-
duced one thousand men, which would
cost on an average for pay and rations
three Wlndredand ninety-eight thousand
dollars. Assuming that this deficiency
existed, there ives enough money to last
until the next session of Congress, when
it would have been remedied,
WHERE THE REVENGE COMES IN.
The truth of the case is that Mr.. Rob
eson, Knowing that the true men of the
navy testified against his mismanage-
ment, determined to wreak his revenge
Therefore he had imposed an indignity
upon them. He had revived an old law
devised for the punishment of worthless
officers to reduce the pay of rear admiral
to the pay of master or commander;
captain to the pay Of an ensign a com
mander to little more than a midsbip-
mBn lieutenant to less than a mate.
An ensign under this law receives less
than the cadet at the Academy. Even
Admiral Porter, the distinguished head
Df the navy, and Vice Admiral Rowan,
did not escape this indignity. President
Grant suspended the order so far as Ad-
mirBl Porter was concerned, showing
chat he had not forgotten the services of
his brave comrade at the siege of Vicks-
burg. This furlough order has irretriev-
ably damaged the navy. Itshows every
officer that he is at the mercy of the Sec
cetary. 1t reduces the service which is
the glory of England, and whose exploits
emblazon the brightest pages in Ameri-
can history, to dependence upon the
whims of an angry Secretary of the
Navy.
RADICAL LIES,
Tie Republicans are endeavorine to
make capital in the campaign by claim
ing that this order is the work of Dem
cratic House. But if we look down the
list of witnesses before the Naval Inves-
tigating Committee and then on the list
of furloughed officers we find that every
officer who tes fled to the truth about
Robson had been punished that this
power ofpunishment has been given by
Republican President. If the Republi-
can party is true to its convictions and
purposes it would compel from General
Grant revocation of his subordinate's
deeds.
GOVERNOR TILDEN has won his reputa-
zion as a reformer mainly by the prose-
cution of the canal ring in the State of