New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-06-18

partment has prepared areport severely condemnine
Mr.. Robeson's management Of the Navy Depart.
ment, and declaring that the exsecretary and sew
eral chiefs Of bureaus ought TO be punished The
Republican members Of the committee bad nothing
70 do with the report. The general features Of the
document are presented below. -, -. II
wll'aI AN ABSTRACT or THE REPORT.
RESOLUTIONS TO BIZ oFFERRD 10 TRE HOUSE ASK.
t1a82 na' Ho ING FOR PROSECUTIONS.
WASHINGTON, June 17s--fhe House Com
mitsee on Naval Affairs has concluded las Investigation
OF the late standardization Of the Navy Department and
by the vote Of the Democratic members thereof he's
adopted the following resolutions fOr tho action OF che
House Of Representatives, ff ar F.'-- f..rr
Resolped That the acts and eOnduet OF the late secre
tary OF the Navy, George ~ RObesou Of the late CHes
Of the Breaus Of Steam Engineering, Construction and
Repair and Provisions and Coihiag a. the sale aud dis
contracts and anvoying the Government in indebted
and beyond The aPPIOpriatons made ~ Con,
receive the seversst censure and condemnation and
hstin addtlea theTeto Ssid Pa5sies a. we AZ slhess
ResOlsed rtA@l That Il shan be The da!y q tas
Clerk OF the House Of Representations TO deliver certified
copies the testimony taken before the Committees
20 the President OF t1e United states and the Attorney
General, with the recommendation that the parties
especially IN regard 70 the unlawful disposition Of public
property and money may be tired ana punished az pre-
ID
The Democratic members OF the committee an present.
ing these resolutions that the evidence which has
been obtained Is FOR the most part taken from Official
repors and records OF the department. which are sub
mltted 70 the House The following Is oondensed
statement OF the more important facts IN evidence be-
fore the committee:
A GENERAL INDICTMENT.
Tfrst is found that since the close OF the rebellion
over 800 900 900 IN money have been expended Cor
rofsh nav m IN
1882 OOOO 900 expended during the Administration
Secretary Robson II Is also found that during his
administration the proceeds Of tho sale of from Sl0
100000 to S5OOOOOO OF public property which should
by law have been turned into the Treasury have been
expended inand tor the Navy Department. 80
Seeond-The Democratic members OF the committee
find that every protective and prohlbtve enactment
Of law made for the security OF public money
and public property has been disregaTded and
violated They fad that asl a result OF these
violations Of law, excessive prices we're paid for
property winch was bought without advertisements
or competition; that vast amounts OF public property
disposed Of In secret aud improper ways and the
proceeds applied 20 naval accounts instead OF being
necessary supplies purchased; Chat irregulariiy
extravaganza and fraud were found at every step aud
that vast OF public money aud amounts OF the pub
lie property were wasted and expended without sny
compensatng benefits The Democratic members Of the
follows:
And in the further discharge of their duty, your
NAVY Department aud that for the unlawful sale and
disposition OF large amounts Of valuable property be
ton % barge sums Of she public money eppro-
late seeretary Of the Navy W. W. Wood late chief
OF the Bureau OF steam Engineering Isaiah Hanscom,
and Jas H. Watmough. late Chief OF tao Buroau Of
ProvisiOns aud Clothing are chiefly responslDe Ihere
the public service deserves 60 DO inquired into by the
Executive Department, and they are Chief Engneers
stewart aithan and Henderson, whose hasty examiBa-
ton Of material at the Boston Navy Yard does not
sgnee very hugh Interest IN OF nfd ieI me public
ferred and also the conduct OF the late Paymaster-
is claimed and urged that the aDuses for which these
parties are arraigned existed wth ther Preaeessots
and that precedent should eXtenuate their conduct OF
coInftee mat n A not shown thar any Of their pre-
decessors involved their Government In liabilities IN
81 900 O6 and since the acts OF 1872 hfreiubefore re-
ferred to- these and but these partiee have been In
tration of the Government nor can se that 80 arge
an amount OF public property has been disposed OF at
lime under any Government claiming the protection OF
law, suoh utter disregard Of is authority.
Therefore 30 the ODuiOn Of your committee that the
Law DO Yndioated, and respect Tor rs mandates
maintained II is the doy OF the House 70 marx ts con
DENIM o. the illegal practices OF these former OH
Gers Navy Department. and to rcoOmmeDd 20 the
Executive Department q the Government the aragn-
naval and criminal tribunals OF the country TO the end
that II upon such trial they are found guilty they may
be punished; and accordingly your committee subInit
for the favorable confederation Of the house. the above
resolutions. ...
KUMBER or SPECIAL cgARGEs. s-
Thir-Tbe report says that contracts 20 the amount
OF over s2O 900 900 have been made by the heads Of
three bureaus IN the Navy Department CyE steam En-
epoering Construction ana Provisions and Clothing,
under what are termed bureau orders bureau accept
ances without any regard the requirements OF law In
the manner OF making tbem. THIS does not
include an equal OF larger amount Of pur
chases made under what Is known the
omen purchase system. 10 appears that the result
OF these practices was that the Governments has uni
ory paid higher rates for supplies than other buyers
one OF several instances of the kind ~ given where
contractor nc regular and legal bddinSs proposed 20
was permitted by the head Of the Bureau OF Construction
to Withdraw his bid and through another favored con-
tractor to supply the same aber 70 the department at
Fo,T@The report states that unnecessary and unde-
andcd supplies were purchased at exorbtant prices %
tine amount OF millions OF dollars. great amount OF
timber OF character and Description nos demanded by
the service. was purchased and stored In
vast quantity of 1--we o oak timber which
could be used m the construction OF any except
ser9 sA Iays ssS have or paid for al all
Fggth-The Democratic members OF the Committee md
the o fSa Is table, H Witch Tsp cost e S Of
the United States over l3OOOOOO ana whose appralseq
ioF about half million dollars They also End that
that cost the Government Ia the aggregate over
proceeds OF which amounted after payng the cost OF de
srefon G4z 600 From this appears that property
that cost the Government 600 sold for less
than one million whom the Government under hon
est administration might have realized several millions
theFefTOm.
SrhIt Is stated that the original cost OF i've double
turreted monitors the amount already expended upon
them aud the amount OF money required 20 complete
them together With the original cost OF che old material
supplied 20 the cOntractOrs win RgTegate over S2oDO
600 each or over S20,0OO,00o for the whole. In the
ease OF the new Puritan, the Official reports emp
Piled by Secretary Thompson show that no regular
and proper contract made for the eonstfue-
steps taken guard the public interests. ChiefEngi
neer sherwood and Naval Constructor Lentha that
tbis vessel a. far constructed, and n finished
CONTEMPLATED, Is total failure, and that no changes
now practicable can mako her efhclent--neaning by
that term equality with foreign TOnciads OF the same
t,ao Tbev alan sav that no measures We