Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-02-10
N""'S0N'S RASCALITY.
'O'EF''. J,u
SH0wlNu lE NAVY DEPART
MENT.
Report Of the Committee Appointed to In
yestigate the Administration of
Secretary RObgson-A Series
Of PalpabIe Frauds,

Of PalpabIe Frauds,
WASHINGTON, February 9.-Repre-
sentative Whitthornc has been author
izcd To present to the House the report
OF a majority OF the House Naval Com
mittcc ia relation to the administration
OF the Navy Department under Secrc-
tary Eobcson. 1t says: During the
eighth year OF Robcson's ) administration
there disappeared from the navy regis
ter the names Of seventy vcgsels, of
seventy vessels, Of which five were lost
at sea and ioytv-siX were sold and their
proceeds paid into the treasury. Three
We're sold and their proceeds paid over
to contractors, and twenty were do
stSoyed 10y order al Robeson and the
materials rut up, paid over, or credited
10 contractors. Ii this destroyed
property which cost the gov
crnment over SlOO,OOO,O0O, is credited
al only S5OOOO,OOO, we have IN cXpeu-
hturc during eight years Of over S232,-
Ooo,uoO. The property sold and dis
posed oi would certainly have yielded
revenue of ~2O,OOU,OOO % any prudent
private individual. In lact, the Gov
urumrut received ior it less than So
OOU,OOO. Now, sUbtrdrting from the
annual appropriations ior the navy the
q. 1. i
found that over SCI ,OD),OOO were ap-
Piled 90 construction, equipment and
armament. This makes nearly -6l,-
OUu,UuO applied % construction II sum
which, II applied to the building
of war vessels, would have given
us seventy new vessels like the Trcn-
ton, one oi the best IN thcugvy, u num-
hyr sufficient tu have made the navy re-
Specialize AMI useful. lnuuiriug next
whether The laws enacted for the GOV
uruWuut Ui the naval service and the
protection ui government interests, the
committee say they ARE constrained 10y
the facts and their sense of duty to the
House and the country, To answer that
these laws have not been observed or
ubcvcd. but ON the contrary have been
disry-Jdyd and violated. They further
answer that large sums oi public
money amt large quantities of public
property have been, IN the administers
ton of the naval service, Illegally dis
posed Of \ number of instances are
declared tp br violations OF Law, among
which are. a disregard ui law requiring
/ supplies 10 be purchased from the low
est bidder, and that requIrin.a proposal
I 10 be accompanied bv written guaran-
tee and surrtivs, which, the report
states. has been wholly ignored in over
$50 r;I,v~ The provision ui the law re-
/ guiriug that no contract shall
be- made unless authorized by
law or under an appropriation
atcuuntr to its iuliilmcnt has been viola
re I'm ttc contracts made for rebuilt
iug the Mouolhock, MiIntouumat
Amprititu and Puritan. The law for
/ bidding advance payments in excess OF
work done, or prior TO the delivery ot
materials has been diSrcgardcd in the
delivery of material To Roach and others.
The law prohibiting any department
from exceeding the appropriations made
. hv luW Is declared tu have been dlSrc-
+ .arjrI, and the report gocsun at consid
/ cradle length asserting similar disregard
/ OF the laws. The report says that up 10
J the close of RpbcSOn'S admins
| tration, low prices, while having
| their effect upon general business, did
| not affect the trade %, thS Navy Depart
/ mcnt. Boilers were contracted Tor with
/ Hunt, Roach and Gardner in 1876 and
/ 1877 at prices which had prevailed in
I wears before, Hunt. indeed being paid
/ higher prices than he had built before
/ for. and his explanation that the same
/ high prices were paid To other parties Is,
/ no doubt, correct. From 80 TO 3O4 cents
/ "A pound for boilers was contracted 10 be
| paid these parties, when, ii competition
/ had been admitted it is the opinion OF
! the committee that the cost could have
| been reduced 10 from Is To- 20 cents
a pound, but perhaps the greatest loss Is
/ i'm the purchase of live oak timber 1t
appears from the report ot Lcntnal *
| sherwood and the proof OF Chlct
! ui Bureau Earle, that large guam
/ titles of inferior timber have been
| purchased and allowed to rot from cX-
/ posurc. This could not have happeNcd
/ lila report ut the contracts had been
. made tp Congress, aS directed ny
/ law. Again. it is shown that
/ y. Mckay bought the private
sulShip Delaware for $40, and that
after realizing over 100000 out Of TN"
material removed from the ship, he
sold the hulk for 5000. The Severn
WAS advertised To be- sold; an auction
was had and bid made, which the
Secretary did not confirm, subsequently
. She waS turned over To Juo. Roach at
/ $4,000. though other parties were
anxious to know OF the Secretary the
price asked and We're willing to give