The daily gazette., 1879-01-18
Rebesen Defsnding Himself.
Trying TO Explain his Unwdrrd,lted
Expenditure of Millions of Dollars.

EIpenduure o. MutOHS OJ DONuTS.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.-The iestinon
in rebuftal of tho evidence taken by Mr..
Whitthorne's committee at the last ses-
sion of this congress-testlmony which
was considered by the Democratic mem.
bers of the Committee TO he of a char
actrr TO recominr the Indictment of
ex. Secretary Robeson-was closed to-day
by the animation OF Robson himself.
His testimony, which was delivered for |
the most part la the form of connected
defence, without the Interruption OF
questions, included the repet ton Of a
large part of his testimony before tue
Committee on Naval Affairs In the For
ty-fourth Congress, and did not esse H.
italy differ from the defence he then
II aie save as to the additional evidence
accessible since Of administrative waste
and abuse made changes IN the earlier
apology necessary. 1t was not then
known as II is now known, that, without
advertise ment. without explanation in
the department reports or Information to
the Committee, Robson ordered prop
erly costing Sl2,500,000 broken up and
sold for S45O,0O0. This transaction, and
the series Of contracts made under Robe
son, in exct ~ Of current appropriations
and contrary to law, was the principal
burden of RobesOns defence. "Neither
L." said he, OF the sale of old material,
"who devised this policy, nor those who
carried 1t ont under mo had any thought
of personal aggrandizement." And af-
ter marizing the testimony of those
who purchased the old iron, mot CT
whom have been here in behalf of Robe
son and testified that they made very
bad bargains indeed, he tried to clear
himself personally by saying that he be-
heved now that the delivery of the old
material was the best that could be done
l al. a .N.In u
| Of iron to be sold, and never interfered
in any particular 10 any transaction"
| In short examination Mr. Whitthorne
drew attention to the fact that the law
whose operations were so widely ex-
tended by Robson was not even techni-
cally followed, and Robeson's defence
remained resting on the assertion that
these wasteful bargains, since formally
condemned by the best experts In the
country, were adm nistratively wise.
The defense of the three separate sets
of contracts made by Robeson's direction
for the completion of the double turret-
ted monitor was less plausi BILE. The first
contracts were made in 1875, and were
explained upon the same grounds that
they were in Robeson's previous exami-
nations. At this point Whitthorne drew
out the admission-itself affsrding the
best posi- bic illustration of the methods
I
that while the original authority for
"repairing" these monitors contemplated
an expenditure of only 81 600 600, further
contracts for rebuilding these monitors,
entire, costing nearly $4,000, 600, we. g
made without authority Of law, and this
wholesale change Of plan Robeson al
mitted was never mentioned n an an
nual report, and remained unknown by
the House until an investigation brought
. the fact to light. Throughout, a. to these
| contracts, Robeson took the ground that
while they were not strictly according to
the letter Of the law, his practice wa
Justified by the practice of other depart
ments, and he read in this respect n let
ter from L. b. French, Assistant Secre
! tary of the Treasury. Robeson argued
that the wants of I he service had beer
regarded The multiplied facts hict
show that these contracts were made
, with favored parties at exorbitaat sums
in excess of appropriation in plans since
proved valueless, were not explained.
Some questions were asked by Mors'
of NJ Massachusetts, ~ to the general repor
| and belief that certain officers in tn
Navy Department had madeBore none.
than they could by saving their salarie
: entire. Robeson answered that he ha'
no knowledge ~ to others; as to hlmsel
= he said "Well If anybody will pay m
debts | should be glad to give them IN
property" and an instant later he added
~ don't know that | should want to "a
n that entirely, but | should like to hav
= my debts paid"