The sun., 1879-02-24

John Roach's Three Million Job.
The closing days OF Republican rule in
The Senate have been marked by II scan
dalous Job Under the ardent lead of Mr..
BLAINE, already well known for his peculiar
connection with subsidies by land, this sea
subsidy which. ii successful is to cost the
national Treasury three round millions, was
driven through the Senate after u contest of
several days, in which the patriots who en-
gineered il. with Il majority at their back
thrust aside AL useful legislation, and held
the opposition through the weary watches
Of night sessions, in order TO make sure Of
their profitable work
Say what the Republicans may, their
party In the Senate is distinctly responsible
Tor this job, which is made all tho more
offensive by the methods that were em-
plnyed to pass it. Instead Of bringing tho
scheme forward as an independent PROPOSE
hon and testing the sense OF Congress upon
Its abstract merits, they foisted 1t on the
Post Office Appropriation bill by bare
laced fraud and false pretcXt, through sinis-
ter management in the Committee. This
Committee is composed Of five Republicans
and four Democrats. viz: WINDOW, SAR-
GENT ALLISON, DORSEY, and BLAINE on the
Republican side, and DAVIS Of West Virginia,
WITHERs, BECK, and WALLACE on the Demo
cratic side.
DORSEY, the outgoing carpet-bagger from
Arkansas, was fitly chosen as the organ OF
the Committee, and had charge Of the bill,
though in the sharp contest on the floor he
~ctcu as subordinate to BLAINE. Last year
this Job was saddled as n rider on the back
of the Post Route bill, which was lost be-
cause the Roach Ring, when defeated at
that time, were strong enough to prevent
practical legislation demanded by the public
interest, and to deny the mail facilities
which were needed by tens of thousands of
people in various parts Of the country.
Last year the bill proposed five years as
the limit Of the contract, but this year 1t has
ITuru tncf new zcu1 1IrtU was Innrscr 1iIt6-n5
support and the additional strength gath
cred. A million and IA half Of Increased sub
sidy may go far TO reconcile the scruples Of
hesitatng gentlemen in these hard times
When the COLLINS line subsidy was doubled,
and the enterprise still failed, the cause Of
the failure was asked, and the ready answer
was that it had cost more than twice as
much TO pass it the second time as the first.
The average vote on the amendments and
on the direct project, connting the pairs,
was about two-thirds Republican for the
job and two-thirds Democratic against it..
Slight variations from these figures were
occasionally recorded, but not affecting the
substance. In his vehement appeals for
building up commerce." Mr.. BLAINE for
got to tell the Senate that the experiment
by subsidized line direct 10 Brazil had al
ready been .,..cI ,r.cl from 1865 to 1875 by sif.
GARRISON. at large cost to the public
Treasury. and that line from Baltimore
had met with no better success.
All the arguments that were used in favor
OF the Pacific Mail job, in which the grossost
corruption was proven before a Congress
slonal committee, were repeated glibly by
...o a,.,.'.'e'"s so@".cc and attorneys Of
john Roach on this occasion. 1iHv studied
their lesson in the old debates. and re-
hearsed it with singular correctness. Mr..
BLAINE's early training as a schoolmaster,
served him effectively In teaching the SEN
atOrial idea how to vote. The contract with
Brazil allows one hundred and twcnty-ilve
thousand year for one line from New York,
10 be doubled by the addition Of the New
Orleans route. With three hundred thou
sand year from the United States JONI
Roach at the end Of ten years, would carry
to his credit five and a half millions for sub
slly alone for his investment in four or five
steamshipsl
The practical result Of this favorltlsm to
one shipbuldor will be to destroy the COM
petition that would naturally grow up,
other things being equal, between rivals.
JoHN Roach gets personal protection Of
sN0oO) per annum and the countcnancc Of
the Government over honorable and ofl-
cicnt shipbuillcrs who have not toasted Con-
Srcsemen; who do not own members Of
committee; who do not retain a lobby at
Washington, and who are not eloquent
enough b. persuade Senators TO lose nights
OF sleep in ncble efforts to fly the American
ilag over their lines Of subsidized steamers.
A singular spectacle was presented at the
same time in both branches OF Congress by
the Republican leaders and their followers.
In the House Nj HALE, Mr.. CoNGER, Mr..
FRYE. Mr.. GARFIELD, and others were re-
Bsting with all the might OF unity the re-
peal of their partisan election laws, on the
ground that the amendment was not GER
manc to the bill, and was, in fact, general
legislation forbidden by the rule. In tho
Senate Mr., BLAINE and his associates a tho
Roach Ring were insisting upon mounting
t,is subsidy as a rider 10 the Post Oflcc
Appropriation bill. At one end Of the Capt.
tol the rule was strictly claimed 10 exclude
ali amendment perfectly legitimate because
II might cut OF Republican support at the
coming elections; md at the other end it
was rcluXcd to admit an amendment which
rovoroda three million job, and had no more