The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-04-17
Naval Management.

According to our Washington special OF
Yesterday, Senator Mcpherson stole march
/ on his naval committee" last Monday. We
are not sorry, for the march is Il good one
The facts presented in regard to Robeson's
monitor building have been too long kept back
They show not only official incapacity, but de
libcrate waste Of public money, and some
thing which strongly resembles organized rob
berry To build an lron-c'ad which will sink
with It's own weight, is bad enough certainly
displaying, as il does, an amount of ignorance
in the bureau Of naval construction hitherto
unsupported But to allow Roach and Others
| to make lump contracts, without speciiCa-
tons or anything binding on the contractors, -
indicates something much worse; rascalty at
headquarters If McPherson's statements can
| be sustained by unimpeaChable evidence,
| there ought to be some way OF reaching and
Furnishing the eX-Secrctary-whO is now max
| ing laws for honest people rs member of the
house.
Meanwhile We find the following IN q prom
met Republican journal;
"Practically America has no navy. few
slow, vulnerable cruisers; few ulIseaworthy
monitors which every shot from the Devas,a-
ton or Inflexible would convert into collins
lnavy.yards incumbered with halffnished yes
sells rotting away under their houses-like the
Colossus, Java and New York, at Brooklyn
and guns which any lnimical third.class power
would laugh at-that is about our actual naval
condition
I'VE have reason to believe" says Admiral
Ammen, that we do not possess one vessel Of
war capable Of overhauling even the slowcst
vessel of the numerous lines of ocean steamers
plying as packets between Europe and the
United States But we are in a flrst-rate
condition to profit by the experience and ex-
pertinent of others"
But what have we paid to be an lirst-rate
condition to profit by TIE experience and ey,
pertinent of others :" Probably $4,000 600 N
the very least. If not a ship had been built
since the war we should have been in a still
better condition to profit etc" and the largest
part Of the &l00,000000 might have been
saved. We have got no navy, and yet have
spent money enough for naval purposes to
give us a very respectable one The Republ
can organ naturally omits to remark that for
nineteen years past the navy has been under
Republican management exclusively. In 1861
it was small, Of course, but of unexceptiona
BILE quality; quite as good as that of any other
nation. At the beginning Of the war great
improvements were made in the shape of mo-
nitors and heavy guns, but these came TO a
standstll with the establishment of peace,
since which we have been going steadily and
rapidly down hill-and paving the downward
road with millions of dollars. The Republi
can party therefore, is wholly responsible for
the navy of to-day. The naval department
under Republican rule has been, for the most
part theatre for the exhibition of incapacity,
favoritism, and open dishonesty. The people
have been shamefuly plundered by corrupt
Officials, working under Republican protection
and now are told, as their only consolation
that our Republicanized navy Is In tirStrate
condition to profit by the experience and ex.
periments of others. st LINUS Repubiic0n.