Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-07-20
0be Canfaster 1ntelligeufer.
LANCASTER. JULY 20, 1885.
John ROaeh's Failure.

frown of the administration is not surpris- |
ing since he has been sustained only by its
favor. There has been little profit in
his business and his contracts are nearly |
all with the government. With favorable
construction of them and prompt ad-
vance of money from it as the vessels
proceeded, the financiering to get out even
and to meet current obligations was |
easy enough but when the govern |
ment clearly indicated its disposi- |
tion to deal strictly with its
ship-builders it made their load heavy
and damaged their credit. Mr.. Roach's
works were very extensive at Chester and
in New York, and required a great deal of
money to keep them going. He says his
weekly payroll was 600 He has been
very large borrower, and with the navy
department backing him, he borrowed
readily. The great ease in the money
market at present would have en-
abled him to continue TO command all
the money he wanted, probably, if bankers
had not been alarmed at the refusal of
Secretary Whitney to accept the Dolphin
and the apparent danger that he might
refuse to accept the other three vessels that
Roach has nearly completed. 1t is true
that only a small balance of $4,000 is un-
paid on the Dolphin, but the secretary has
declared his purpose to hold Roach respon-
sible for the amount paid on her account
and probably would have refused to pay
anything further on account of the other
vessels that are being built, pending the
Dolphin dispute.
So it is clear enough that II was the
action of the secretary of the navy that
precipitated this great failure, which is an
undoubted calamity to the country. Yet
the secretary cannot be held responsible
for thiSH his action was just as it GER
fanny cannot be denied to have been, if the
Dolphin was not what the contract called
for, and if the builders were responsible
for her failure to realize expectations
There seems to be no reasonable question
that the Dolphin is not as fast as Con
gress expected her to be, nor as good sea
: boat as she should be. But it is not so cleal
that her builders were responsible for this
She was built, it is conceded, under the
immediate direction and superintendent
VA eiC navy uCpui ehlpuSh stu
yisory board of officers, appointed for the
purpose, who planned her and inspected
her, and seemingly are responsible for her
The attorney general decides that tht
builders are responsible for her failure t
meet the requirements of the law, notwith
standing she may have been built as di
rected by the government agents. If thi
is sound law, it is hard law, certainly ; ant
We doubt somewhat its soundness, despit,
its high authority. But whatever the Law
may be on this point, it is clear enough
that the builders of the Dolphin, if limo
cent of her faults, will not be made to suf
fer by Congress for the delinquencies of tn,
navy departments officers.
Mr.. Roach thinks that after long lif,
devoted to the developing of the shiI
building industry of the government, he i.
hardly used to meet at its close abuse ant
loss of fortune. Mr.. Roach has been tht
chiefest promoter of ship building indus
try. He has been an ardent advocat,
against the doctrine of free ships. In thi.
position he isstrongly sustained by the fun
damental justification of a just protectiv,
policy, that it gives to the nation the abili
ity to create within herself the things thai
she must have for an independent prosper
ity. Ships are essential to us, and it il
greatly to our advantage that we should be
able to build them ourselves.
But Mr.. Roach's advocacy of this doc
trine was greatly weakened by his persona
interest in its success and his standing il
the country has been damaged by his evi
dent disposition to use the government il
illegitimate ways for the benefit of JOIN
Roach. He may possibly be greatly be
Lied, but he bears the repute of canny
man who got possession of the navy de
partment and worked it for his own good
f0rall it .waS-Morth.~ lie has held it con
tinuously since the war days. Robesor
was his agent and Chandler his attorney
He has grown under this favor and if he
has been tempted to extend himself toe
far, under the belief that he could com
mand it continuously, it is an error of judg
ment for which he suffers, and in which ht
is deprived of sympathy by the accredited
selfishness, if not dishonesty, of the labors
of his life, valuable though they may have
incidentally been to the nation.
An Early Right. About