The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-06-06
TWO SPECIMENS.

TWO SPECIMENS.
Estimates have been made that the rob
berry of the government during the tweny
five years of republican rule by corrupt
officials was equal to the cost OF the civil
war. This looks rather wild, as the wal
cost AT least seven thousand millions, but
when the enormous steaings of the shoddy
contractors are taken into account, the
steals In palming off worthless shipping on
the government, in constructing useless
vessels, in selling TO it worthless Austrian
muskets, &c, &c, and then add the pension
ropberies, the Indian service robberies, the
robbery of S150,OO0,0O0 by the Pacific rail
road Jobs, &c, &C. and to all these add the
untold millions of which the government
was plundered by the Robbersonian system
of naval management since the war, ana
the formidable estimate referred to above
ceases to bear altogether so extrayagant a
look.
The present democratic Secretary OF War;
Mr.. Whitney, has commenced systematic
averhauling of the naval management I'M
der the Robertson Chandler regime, and TO
show the euormousness of the plunderings
1t involved, presents the following among
numerous other like caaes:
The wooden ship Mohican was built du.
ring the war, at war prices, for S333OO0,
including machinery In 1872 she was
sent to Mare Island for repairs on the Rob
bersonian plan of giving the job opoltical
pets From that time up TO 1880 there was
expended upon the vessel SS5O,OOO and the
late Secretary Chandler, in 1880, finding
that repairs upon her had been barely com
menced, during the next four years spent
100000 more in repairs upon the vessel,
and Mr.. Whitney finds her still unfit To go
TO sea. Thus upon vessel that originally
cost but 1898 900, and duplicate of which
could now be built for $250,000, under the
republican Robbersonlan system, has cost
the government to date for repairs Sl,6I9,-
600, yet isn't worth the powder to blow
her up!
Another specimen of fraud Is found in
the United STATES man-of.wa Omaha. This
vessel says the New York Sun, "was built
and equipped by Secor Robertson, at enor-
nous expense, was found TO be worthless,
was practically condemned three years ago,
and was then taken in hand by Secretary
Chandler and repaired at the kittery Navy
Yard, at cost of between five and six hun
dred thousand dollars. Now she is ready
for such services as can be performed on
the high seas by slow vessel OF obsolete
type, with clumsy, cumbrous and antigua.
ted machinery, and hardly able to carry
enough coal for voyage TO Havana. She
is about as valuable on the whole for often
sive or defensive operations in war as the
James Rumsey, the oldest and feeblest and
oftenest repaired ferryboat in the Hoboken
Land and Improvement Compsnys noole
fleet.
What has the Omaha cost the people
The $545,2 0S expended at Portsmouth I'm
der the superintendent of Mr.. Chandler
of New Hampshire is only an item of the
total expenditure on her account:
Original cost, without machinery, SGOl 400
Original cost of machinery, 1924
Bureau of equipment and recruiting, AGO
Repairs on hull previous to 1899, 1884
Repairs on mach'ry previous to 1882, 1891
New boilers in 1873 1896
Repairs under Chandler, 545,20S