The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-28

very feoblest-a navy in which there is not
q single ship which has the qualities essen
tial to n modern vessel OF war. After SECoR
RoBEsoN had spent the vast appropriations
which an extravagant Congress continued
to give him from year TO year, In the face OF
the notorious jobbcry and corruption OF the
man, the navy was in no better condition
than when he first began to make II means
for the enrichment Of himself and his con-
fedcratcs.
Even II all these millions had been prop
crly and honestly expended. n large part OF
the money would have been thrown away,
for we do not need n great navy. Our i'm
mense extent Of coast could never be sccuro-
ly defended by any navy we could build.
For the defence of our harbors we must rely
on torpedoes, more efficient for that pur-
pose than fleets of ships, however thickly
they may be plated and however bravey
they may be fought. Moreover, the expert
ence of the war between Germany and
France. and that Of the present war between
Russia and Turkey, show how obsolete
navies have become. The old naval battles
at sea are over with forever. They decide
nothing, for they can have no influence on
the fortunes of land operations; and har-
shown. may bc made safe against the most
powerful ironclads it is possible to build.
But SECoR robson did not in any wise
improve the navy. or put it on a par with
the navics Of inferior powers, though Con-
gress gave him money so lavishly. From
June 80, 1869, to June 30, 1874. he spent the
enormous sum of s5O,OOO,OOO in simply tink-
ering the old ships of the service. He
| 4. ~. 81.
ccpt two insignificant torpedo boats. Not
one Of the old tubs he pretended to repair
| and rejuvenato il equal to what is now re-
quired of a man-of-war. though he squan-
dcrcd enough money on them 10 give us n
splendid fleet. Not one OF them is efficiently
armed, not one Of them is fast aud all
are behind the age. Take the Tennessee for
instance. which SECoR robson worked
over. 80 that its cost, from first 10 last, has
/ been two and II half millions Of dollarsl He
also tinkercd up the old monitors ut enor-
nous expense, with proportionate profit to
himself and his partners. and yet there isn't
one of them Of any present value. and n
modern English ironclad could clean out the
whole lot. sending shells through their lam
mated armor as if it was pastcboard
Besides thus squandcring these fifty mill
lions, SECoR robson had the impudcnce to
ask for S39O,OOO more. for building the
eight steam slOops: lot of vessels which
were not needed, and If they had been needed
could easily have been constructed out Of
the fifty millions which the corrupt Sccre-
tary made a pretence of spending on the re-
pairs of the old ships. One Of the eight has
just carried over a hundred officers and men
to the bottom, and the remainder are not
vessels To be proud of, whatever their ulti-
mate fate may be-
The profiigate and corrupt use Of such i'm
mcnse appropriations has no precedent IN
the history of any navy or any Government.
1t is something that in the interests Of pub
lie morals should bc thoroughly investigat-
| ed and exposed by Congress, and no foolish
rivalry between committees should give the
champion plunderer OF Grantl-m a chance
of escaping the punishment he merits.
In this work of jobbcry and extravaganza
SEcoR robson found an efficient instru-
mcnt in the Bureau of Steam Engineering.
an anomalous and corrupt concern unknown
in any other navy, which has bunged and
tinkcrcd the steam machinery of our ships
from its very start. In other countries in
England for instance, where the naval
steam machinery is Of the most superb
character and the vessels are fast, the work
is given out to private contractors The
Bureau Of Steam Engineering ought at once
10 be abolished