New-York tribune., 1885-08-17
A JOST ISSUE.

| A LOST ISSUE.
The comments of the Democratic press upon
| the Governments compromise with Mr.. hoach 3
assignees are amusing. 1t disposes, they assert
of the chief Republican issue in the next can
syass, namely, that the free-trade Adninis'ia-
ton has ruined great shpbuilder anu oe-
@prived American worknen of employment
| We bad supposed that the main issue invoiVeu
| in the campaign against Mr. Roach was that oil
| administrative reform. The Democratic press
has rtanly employed much nervous energy
| and not a little bad language in denoumcing INC
! contractor as a public pluDderer who Win the
| conniyance of Republican officials had enrIched
himself by fraudulent contracts. 1t has con
Gdently asserted that the Dolphin was :" irauu
all the way through" and that tie cruisers
were not the ships which the contracts called
for 1t has assumed that the Democratic Ad-
ministration would effect a complete revolution
in the management of the Navy Department,
which would henceforth be conducted on
practical business principles. What A"s De-
come of tl,is Democratic reform issue
Let us see. Under the last Administration
contracts were made for the construction oil
four vessels in Mr.. Roach's yard under the
supervision of the Advisory Board and Govern
ment inspectors. The contracts provided Una
the materials and Workmanship from the begin
| ming To the end of the work should be subject
TO the inspection of the Naval Advisory Board.
| These vessels are now u be completed IN NJ.
| Roach's yards under the supervision oil naNai
constructors and inspectors acting under the
FtlirecliOn of the Naval Advisory Board. Ihe
| Democratic Administration ends where tie Re
uublIcan Administration began. The vessels
| are To be finished in the same yards, by the
| same contractors men and plant, and under tue
same rigid system OF Government Inspection.
| The contractor through his assignees Will per-
! form the work which tbo contacts call iOr ana
naval experts will be employed 10 watch every
| stage OF tic process ana when the ships are
finished, lac will get the contract pricc. WIN any
additional charges approved by tho Advisory
Board. Tins was the system under the kcpub-
ncan Secretary, and It Is TO be followed by the
DemucratIc Secretary without any material
change Where, then, does the principle OF
administrative reform appear NOwhcic uh-
les, il Is in the Governments dealings with the
assignccs IN place Oi the contractor, OF possibly
~ It's systomatlc attempts to discTcdt the Board
Oi Naval experts who were Responsible lOI tue
ships and empowered by law 10 supervise Their
construction. The vessels VIII he built pre-
cisely as thoy would have been without all
these camor0us proceedings and ploI,stations
oi REFORM
Partisans OF the Administration may reply
that the people now have the assurance that
the crulscrs vail be finished strictly IN accord
ance with the contracts. since the Government
has taken charge oil the work, aud also that
there will be no Illegal charges for extras.
Wei, the people had the same assurance In tn2
calhor ages OF thC Work. Government IN
syeciors have been employed i.Om iho lay mg
oil oacn keel. The contracts explicitly provided
for materials aud workmanship oil the iirsi class
and of the best quality. and II was expressly
cOvcnanted that the Secretary may appoint
"Nuilablc inspectors acting under the direction
"or the Naval Advisory Board, 10 whom the
contractors agree 10 furnish such samples ana
- such information ~ 10 the quality thereof
land the method Of using the same as may be
9rcquired.r These inspectors were empowered
TO reject any unit material. and the contractor
WAS required TO furnish them with full facilities
for the supcrIntcudcnce OF the work. The
vessels were Luiit under their eyes aud nO de-
yi.tion from tho plans was ever made without
official authority. Every plate of metal bears
struction has been critically supervised by naval
experts what assurance that material Is good
and workmanship honest can the people have
during the remainder of the work which they
did not have bctoIe2 AS for the bills for
extras the contracts limited the liability Ct the
Government Ia changes made "up0n the APP
"proya of the Naval Advisory Board, or a ma
j0rity thereof, in writing, andthc written order
"or the Secretary OF the Navy" Fraudulent
bills for extra charges were impossible without
the cOnDvancc OF the Advisory Board, COM
posed Of the most reputable officers III the Navy.
No; tho peoples interests were we'll pro-
tectcd under the cOntracts-sO well, indeed, that
when the Attorney General drove the builder
into bankruptcy by deciding that there was no
valid agreement, the Secretary was able to find
clauses which empowered him To pronounce the
covenants forfeited and to take charge OF the
work. The Republican Administration had had
sufficient business shrewdncss to provide in tho
contracts means by which their Democratic sue
ccssors could extIicatc themselves from dill
culties Of their own making and from tho con-
sequences of their own folly. Meanwhile, what
has become of the issue of administrative re-
form 2 What is it and where does il come in 7
Ask the August wind whistlIng IN the nearest
chimney, The contractors bankruptcy and the
experts wranglng are the only practical re-
suits of these Wanted "reiorms" of q
practical, buslness-l like Administration
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