The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-02-27


ROBEsON'S ROTTENNESS. !,
The way tho Government IL Rob.
bed by the Truly Loyal. d
The majority of the House Naval
Committee authorized Representative
Whitthorne to present to the House
the report of the majority of the Com
mittee in relation to the administration
Of the Navy Department under Secre-
tary Robeson. It leaves no room to
doubt that the country was swindled-
out of many millions of dollars by the
gross mismanagement and criminal
dishonesty. The report says:
"During the eight years Of Robe
sons administration there disappear
ed from the navy register the names of
seventy vessels which were lost at sea
and forty-six were sold and the pro-
ceeds paid into the treasury. Three
were sold and the proceeds paid over
to the contractors, and twenty were
destroyed by order Of Robson and
the materials cut up and paid oyer or
credited to contractors. If this de-
streyed property, which cost the gov
ernment hundred millions of dollars,
is credited at only fifty-five millions,
we have an expenditure during eight
years of two hundred and thirty-two
millions. The property sold and dis-
posed of would certainly have yielded
revenue of twenty millions to any
prudent private individual. In fact,
the government received for it less
than two millions. Now, substract-
ing from annual appropriations for
navy sums applied to its maintenance,
it is found that over sixty-one million
dollars were applied to construction,
equipment and armament. This makes
nearly sixty-five millions applied to
construction, sum which, if applied
to building vessels, would have given
us seventy new vessels like Trenton,
one of ths best in the navy-a number
sufficient to have made tho navy at
once respectable and useful.
Inquiring next whether the laws en-
acted for the government of the naval
service and protection of the govern
ment's interest have been observed,
the committee say they are constraln-
ed by the facts and their sense of duty
to the House and country to answer
that these laws have not been observ-
ed or obeyed, but on the contrary
have been disregarded and violated,
and they further answer that large
sums of public money and large quan
titles of public property have been in
the administration Of the naval SER
vice illegally disposed of. A number
of instances are declared to be viola
tions of law, among which are disre-
gard of the law requiring supplies to
be purchased of the lowest bidder, and
that requiring proposals to be accom-
panied by written guarantee and sure.
ties, which the report states have
been wholly ignored in over eight
hundred and fifty cases.
The provision of law requiring that
no contract shall be made unless au-
thorized by law under an appropria.
ton adequate to its fulfillment has
been included in contracts made for
rebuilding the Mondoyack, Mianton.
omah, Amphritite and Puritan. The
law forbiddlng advance payments in
excess of work done or prior to dellv.
cry of materials has been disregarded
in the delivery of material to Roache
and others. The law prohibiting any
department from exceeding the ap.
preparations made by law is declared
to haye been disregarded, and the re.
port goes on at considerable length
asserting similar disregard of law.
The report says that up to tho close
| of Robessn's administration low price,
while having their effect on genera
business, did not affect the trade O
the navy department. Boilers were
contracted for with Hunt, Roache ani
Gardner in lS76-77, at prices whicl
had prevailed in years before, Hunt
indeed, being paid higher prices thar
he had previously built for, and hi
explanation that the same high price.
were paid to other parties is NO doub
correct. From 80 to 32H cents PEI
pound for boilers was contracted ts
be paid to these parties, when, if com.
petition had been admitted, it is tn
opinion of the committee the cos
could have been reduced to from Is t
20 cents per pound.
But perhaps the greatest loss is il
the purchase of live oak timber. l
appears from the report of Lenthall 1
sherwood, aHd the proof of chief o
the bureau, Essby, that large quaint
ties of inferior oak have been pnrchas
ed and allowed to rot from exposure
This could not have happened if re
port of contracts had been made t
Congress-, as directed by law.
Again it is shown that N. McKa
bought at private sale the ship Della
ware for S., ,175, and that after realizin
| over $4,000 out of material remove
from the ship he sold the hull fo
5000.
The Severn was advertised to b
sold at auction. A sale was had an
bid made which the secretary di
. not confirm. subsequently she ws
? turned over to John Roache at $40