Charlotte home and Democrat., 1882-05-12
Which TO Believe.


treasury, is the report now before Con-
gress recommending the appropriation of
100000 for building new Navy. 1t
is signed by none of the House Committee
m Naval Affairs, but Mr.. B. w. Harris of
Mass, submitted it to the House as the
product Of can entirely unanimous COM
mittee," virtually saying he is responsible
for it. Of the present condition of the
Navy Mr.. Harris gives the following ex-
bibit: "Of the eight steam vessels now un-
finished Oh the stocks, they are rotten and
utterly useless" Fourteen other vessels
he classifes as sworn out, worthless, and
absolute, which it would be shameless
folly and objectionable extravaganza to
attempt to repair" Eight more are
"utterly worthless for naval purposes and
wholly unworthy of repair" Fourteen
more are "old sailing vessels of bygone
age, and of an outgrown and abandoned
system" "But our humiliation" says Mr..
Harris's report, ''is not yet complete. If
we seek our present real naval power for
active service at sea We must continue this
dissolving view" Eleven more are "not
in present condition for service, some of
which can never be made 80, and all of
which are of very doubtful value" And
SO on through many pages to the con-
clusion that we have absolutely no navy
at all, and that this Government is "help-
less to defend itself against even the
feebler naval powers"
In the summer of 1876 a majority of the
House committee on Naval Affairs, re-
ported a state of things in the Navy De-
partment precisely similar to that which
Mr.. Harris now recounts. A minority dis
sented and their report was signed and
submitted by Mr.. B. w. Harris, who en-
lightened the public of the permanent eff
cheney of the Navy thus: "The real fact
is that during the last five years, besides
building eight new sloops and two torpedo
boats, the department has almost entirely
rebuilt the navy; almost all it's efficient
ships have been put in good condition !;
several of it's most convenient cruisers,
which would otherwise have been wholly
lost to the service, are rebuilt of live oak !;
the whole fleet of monitors, which before
could not fire gun, has been put in a
state of permanent efficiency, and it's pow
erful double-turreted ironclads are in
progress of thorough repair" The pur-
pose of this minority was to defend Secor
Robson, whom the majority of the COM
mittee desired to punish, for he was the
man responsible for the destruction of our
ships and the robbery of our treasury.
Mr.. Harris to pave way for another era
of Secor Robeson's administration of our
Navy and management of large sum of
money, now reports the Navy "utterly
worthless and in need of entire recon
struction." Emblazoned with his success
and escape from punishment, Secor Robe
son seeks this corrupt method of pushing
through Congress bill for appropriating
large sum OF money ostensibly to equip
the Navy that he can again obtain con-
troll OF the finances. That within our
legislative halls are to be found the ele-
and managed, whose sole object is to des-
poll and rob the country, and the honest
rank and file powerless to prevent the con-
summation of their schemes, is viewed with
unfeigned sorrow by all patriots and
causes one to ask how long will they be
permitted to disgrace their positions.
What reliability is to be placed upon a
man who is willing to distort facts to help
carry out shameless job.