The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-05-14
POLITICAL NAVY YARDS.

The New York Eoening Post thinks both
our Navy and our politics would be gamers
by the abolition of our navy yards. 1t says:
The general question of the abollshment Of navy
yards and the building of Government vessels by pr
vate contract has recently been discussed. The par
tIcuar question Of the Of the Brooklyn Navy
Yard WAS brought Informally before Mayor Low and
| u committee of Aldermen several days ago. The
Mayor and some OF the committeeman clearly OF
the opinion that the city would be benefited 10y get
ting rid of the yard and there would be very nearly
unanimous agreement with them on the part Of the
citizens If the subject conld be fairly presented.
Whatever the facts may be now heretofore the Brook
lyn Navy Yard has been largely political nuisance.
Its history abounds in partisan scandals It's admin.
istraton has often controlled to q great degree
by considerations of local politics City bosses -
have graduated from 1t, aud Its patronage has been
used to carry primary meetings and influence cOnven-
tions. The familiar device OF employing superhuous
laborers just before elections has been shamelessly
practIced. The yard is believed 10 be Injurious to
Brooklyn in other ways. 1t breaks the line of an al
most unequaled water front II Is an obstruction To
the Improvement of large part Of the city which Is
bounded by It, as by foreign territory. 1t Is be-
leyed that II this Land recOnyeya& 10 the city,
not only the water line but long reaches of streets nov
wholly partly occupied would be greatly benefited,
and many millions OF dollars would be added TO the
| taxable property. Against the existing disadvan-
tages there little to he offset except the possession Of
a curiosity shop Of antiquated guns aud cannon. balls
and museum Of decayIng hulks which help to make
up our Navy, aud the occasional employment Of a
| few mechanics one VI the Aldermen said that Ia
this last respect New York Is benefited moro than
Brooklyn; but 1t may be doubted that either wonld
| lose much by the removal. The Government should
remove the yard from Brooklyn aud not think Of es
| tabshing It anywhere else. Ihs navy yards should
be abolished altogether. II Is notorOns fact that
they give us bad ships and worse politics. In every
sense they have become nuisances.
This is very good as far as it goes, but as
Tia se Is no voting in the District of Colum-
bia, the worst evils that allict the navy yards
in the States are absent from ours. The
best thing, therefore, would be- while
abolishing the political navy yards, to en-
large and keep NJ the one in Washington,
and dredge out its channel. II Is important to
keep up at least one good constructing and
manufacturing yard, if for nothing else, as a
check upon the rapacty OF private builders.
| Under our protective system, If our new
ships are to be built by contract a few
great firms will have an easily cemented
monopoly OF the building, and will charge
such prices as they choose. The best way to
put check upon them, and probably the
only way, is to have the only one Of our navy
yards which cannot be prosttuted to politi-
cal uses in a condition to compete with the
contractors.