The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-01-16

! IIouse-A Member Troubles the Navy
| Department with Some Pertinent
MISUNDERSTANDING Developments
Expected-Etc.. Etc.
From our Regular Correspondent
wAsnINGroN, Jan. II, 1870.
The curious investigator Is loose In
House, and is pointing to other por-
lions OF the GLORIOUS record" portions
that Republican orators have not re-
lerred TO In their campaign spread
eagle ilatulence.
The resolution Of Mr.. Goode, OF Nir-
glnla, requesting the Secretary OF the
Navy to Inform the House whether the
eight vessels of war authorized 10y the
net of February 10, 1873, have been
constructed, aud II 80, the cost of each
vessel, and the aggregate cost OF those
built, will, II is thought, open up II sub
ject full OF damning details.
There was another resolution offered
iustIucting the Committee on Naval
| Affairs 10 inquire whether any OF
the public money appropriated at the
time of the "Virginius' difficulty has
been misapplied 10 promote the sue
cess of any political party, or whether
| IL has been used for the employment
of persons possessing no mechanical
skill, under the eXpecwd or implied
condition that they would support tho
nominees of any political party.
a probe applied here is sure TO result
in uncanny developments. The fact
that our superiluous navy yards have
long been used rs means of most per-
nicious political corruption, Is almost
too self.evident for proof Mr.. Goodies
resolution was aimed directly Mt the
Norfolk Navy Yard, which by being
packed with enfranchised mendlcants,
under the name of lab0rers, just be-
fore the election, was very nearly the
means of his defeat. His seat Is now
contested, and, If the majority in the
House were not of his political party,
IL is not probable that he would be able
to retain it.
This packing of navy yards for po'
| litical purposes has been practlsed for
years, not only ut Norfolk, but mt
Portsmouth, n. H., Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, Pensacola aud San Fran
cisco.
We have no need for more than
three of these yards, say those at New
York, Norfolk and San Francisco.
These would leave us two on he Al
lantlc coast and one on the Pacific.
The reduction would cut down the ap-
preparation to u figure beyond the
dreams of the severest economist, ana
would enhance the efficiency of the
service, by II concentration of forces
and facilities. Each of these yards is
q fat salaried sinecure for II command
ant, his staff, secretaries, messengers,
and horde of other loaiers, yclept
mechanics" and laborers on the pay
roll. This is the perennial status in
the yards, but just before an election
there Is busy note of preparation. a
declaration of war with Il first class
naval power, could not be the occasion
of greater hustle or the introduction Of
Il larger number of voters mot work
mem to The pay lists. They are placed
there by the candidate who has the
favor of the Administration, and paid
out of the National treasury - this
bonus for their votes. 1t is the price
of the prostitution of their manhood,
citizenship, conscience - II charity
thrice-cursed-clrsing him that gives,
and him that receives, and cursing
the country.
Public schools arc good, education is
mighty and commendable, but would
it not be more seemly for some distin-
guished men who are pratiDg or full
minating about the schools, Tor politi-
cal effect, to work of little of their
reforming energy here, and to begin
by reforming this one (by no means
alD of their peculiar institutions?
1t is believed that investigation with
view to the reduction of expenses
will be much broader than the field
suggested in Mr.. Goodies resolutions.
We have six fleets on the seas, four of
them in foreign waters. 1t is difficult
TO see what use there is for them. We
have no foreign commerce worth men
tjoning, and, if we had q commerce,
there would be as little necessity for
protecting it in this age as there would
be for sending Il convoy with stage
coach between two New England vii
lagos. 1t is known to many that our
navy of iunks and pleasure-yachts is
impotent to afford protection in war
with "a first-class naval power, and
it is wretched policy to flaunt our i'm.
potence in foreign seas.
am not ignorant of the fact that the
Navy has very recently covered itself
with glory by the protection of citi-
zen from the semi barbarous Tripoli-
tans. But the question arises after all,
is it our duty as nation to protect all
our idle tourists that are cumming
around In out-of-the-way places? Is 1t
right to tax the country for the minute
minority that has the means and in
clinatlon to go abroad, or, to draw II
finer, the still minuter minority that
90 among savages?
fear | am transcending the prov
ince of your correspondent, whose con-
ventional rule il to tell what he sees
with his eyes and hears with his ears,
but to spare you from the reflections
the sights and sounds suggest. There
are few millions Of emotional patriots
who will dissent from these views, in
order that sentimental tourists may
write gushing ditties suggested by the
sight of the flag in foreign ports,
they are willing that forty mil.
lions of people shall be taxed
at home. There is still in this hum
dreth year of our national life much OF
that cheap patriotism that finds its
most exalted expression in the def
ance of a cock on his ancestral dung
hill.
Carlyle's brief history of England Is
that the country consists Of fifteen mil
lions of people, mostly fools. We have
copied in many things tour naval es-
Enlistment especially from the
mother country, and, perhaps, the
greatest difference, after all, between
| 10 nnl I'm al nd L. that there are forty