The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-20
Mr.. Whitthorne's Last Report.

The country is indebted to Mr.. WHIT
THoBNE for another, and still more valua-
bic service than he rendered in the last Con-
gress. when the rottcnncss and corruption
and rascalitics Of the Navy Department un-
der SEcoR robson were fully exposed to
view by his Investigations. He has now
completed the work, and convicted from
the records of the department and from
the reports OF us own CHOSEN officers. the
Ring Of plundcrers. with the late Secrc-
tary at their head, who prosttuted the
public service to their own corrupt ends.
demoralizcd the navy, and made iolbery
In contracts the chief aim II their official
action.
All the evidence that j. now produced cx-
listed when robson was in Office, and when
the first investigation OF Mr. WHIrTHoRSE
was going on; but it was purposely con-
cealed, distorted, and falsihed in order TO
prevent an exposure, that must have ended
as this has done. by recommending that
GEORGE NJ. robson, W. w. W. WOop, late
chief Of the Bureau Of Steam Engineering;
ISAIAH HANsCoM, late chief OF the Bureau
OF Construction and Repair and JAMES NJ.
WATMoUGH. late chief of the Bureau of Pro-
visions and Clothing. be prosecuted and
punished as prescribed 10y law Also that
the conduct of Chief Engineers STEWARD,
FGTHIAN, and HENDERSON, Pay Director
RUSSELL and the late Paymaster-G General
BRADFORD, who represented robson in the
loans Of public money today COOKE, MCCUL-
LocH u Co.. be subjected to inquiry.
The proofs upon which this report rests
were obtained by addressing specific in
qurcs to the head If every bureau, rcqur-
ing exact answers, SO that when they We're
all brought together the true state Of the
service, the expenditures under the late Adj
ministration, the exchange and barter Of
materials, the destruction OF ships the
building Of new vessels under the disguise
Of repairs, the collision with favored con-
tractors the purchases in defiance Of law,
and the whole organized system of robbery,
stood forth us plain rs the sun at MONDAY.
Some OF the chiefs of bureaus in sym
pathy with their predecessors. sought 10
cvadc explicit replies to these demands, but
they were soon made to know that the in
formation must he furnished in the precise
form that was asked, or they would have To
confront the House Of Representatives a.
recusant witnesses. Others never under
stood the drift OF the questions until they
compared opinions With their colleagues
and saw that further suppression Of the
truth, such as had been practiscd habituully
under robson, was impossible.
For more than Slso,OOO,O0O, appropriated
by Congress for the navy during the era 81
Giantsm, there is nothing now 10 show but
some forty vessels Of an Inferior class, and
most of them wholly worthless for olIensiv,
or defensive warfare Included in this num-
ber are the eight -loops Of war built ioul
years ago, only one Of which has the least
value as "A public vessel. With this cXccp
ton, they are all shoddy ships, and were
constructed with reference to jobbcry.
So too, Of the ironclads like the Puritan
five Of which, when completed, will have
cost Si,OO1,OJo each, and then be unable {,
contend against vessels Of a corresponding
class in any Of the great navics, which di,
not cost a sixth part OF this immense sum
The testimony Of Naval Constructor Len
THALL shows how utterly reckless even o
appearances RonEsoN's Ring had becom'
ingving out contracts. Wequotc his words
Neither pians nor specifications were drawn for Oh
construction Of uc nrw rultau NOR were any measure,
adopted TO ascertain whether when built ic would -.u
nr win - TINS vessel NJ lar a, constructed ami
hn.'hcd as contemplated iaaioHi inlm..'
JoHN Roach was simply told by RouFso,
TO build vessel like u smaller class, and IA
understood the rest 1t was q job, and tn
success Of tho ship was Of no account To- hlf
or To- his employer. What they both wantc
was a largo expenditure and large div
sion. \ part II the work on this "totj
failure" was lnoIu1, d la tho thlcc-milio
steal Which Nh, e. \. " lLlI5 succeeded /