The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-07-25
THE FAILURE OF JOHN ROACH.
Statement From the Great ShipbuiIdcr
lie Regards His Failure a. SaIio-
nal Calamity.

property. l cannot now say what the
exact amount of my liabilities is, nor
what the sum of my assets will be to
meet it; but if | were not SO old man.
and if had health while longer, |
could pull things together again. If the
people understood this matter, if the
mendacious free trade press had NOT so
extensively deceived them, the failure of
John Roach would be recognized as a
national calamity. Twenty-four hun
dred workingmen--S00 in the Morgan
Iron Works and twice that number at
Chester-went out of my shops Saturday
night who will not go back tomorrow.
In these hard times that is serious
matter. This is not party question.
have been a Republican, but above that
l have, first, last and ever, been an
American. 1t was my great ambition
that our nation should recover its glory
and prosperity on the sea, | wanted to
prove that American merchandise, grown
i'll America and made by American work.
| ingmen in American shops, could be
| sold the world over through the medium
OF American ships built from iron rolled
in our own shops, and of timber cut from
our own forests. l wanted to prove that
We could do business in our own bottoms,
and that other nations with less re-
sources were not more sagacious and en-
terprising on the seas. | have given my
life and fortune to that end, and even in
the presence of this calamity am proud
| of what John Roach has accomplished.
Ten years ago an American minister &C
credited to Brazil was forced to 90 to
England in order to reach Rio Janeiro.
Today Roach's iron vessels take him
there direct. My fleet, representing mil
lions of invested capital and millions of
wages that have gone into the me-
chanics' pockets and millions of mer-
chandise bought and sold at Southern
ports, cruise along the coast under our
American flag, and the rates of freight
are less than half what they once were.
AT an expense of more than million
| erected shipyard. l built a rolling
mill to prepare my own iron aud steel.
employed $500 American workmen. /
Incorporated companies to sail vessels,
and, despite the fact that the govern
ment lent me scant encouragement, while
foreign governments practically sup
ported their shipbuilders, l have proved
that it is possible for US to secure an i'm
mense foreign trade and to become, if
| the government would but lift it's con-
senting finger, the greatest sea- trading
nation of the earth. Traduced and
abused by those men and newspapers
| whom foreign interests have subsidized,
and brought into scandal with millions
| of my fellow citizens who are deceived
\ by them and who did not understand nv
| purposes, in my old and enfeebled age,
and after half century of toll, | have
lost my money and my spirits: but am
consoled by the fact that the people will
one day understand it all, and see at it's
real value what | have done of good and
what they have done of harm to Our ma
tional interests.
| business became stagnant about a
year ago, when the Presidential nomina-
| tons were being made. The free ship
movement was strong, for it has catchy
sound. 1t sounds practicable that, if we
can buy ships abroad at less than we can
build them here, that is where to save
money. Bat the fact is that it is neither
fair nor honest nor possible. In dozens
of pamphlets and in arguments before
| Congress have so forcibly established
| that fact, that the repeal of our naviga-
| ton laws has been invariably defeated.
| The Democratic party is supposed to be
| IN favor of free ships, and when the cleo
ton excitement began and people saw
| the possibility of Democratic success and
! OF the passage of law that would mean
the annhiliation of American shipbuiid-
ing, there was no business. Carrying
| companies would not build ships, be-
cause they did not know how soon the
| foreign ships, operated by foreign cheap
labor, would be admitted to drive their
business away. All the work, therefore,
| that have had on hand has been the
| construction of the new despatch boat
and the three new cruisers.
81 tell you, my friend, that these boats
were condemned before their keeIs were
! laid. They were condemned in Con-
gress. The Democracy dared not op-
| pose the plan of a new navy, because 1t
had become very popular notion. The
people III mass wanted navy. But
they opposed the appropriations be-
cause, as they claimed in their Congress
sional speeches, the money would not be
honestly spent. The appropriation was
made against this clamor, and bids for
the work were asked for. Mine was the
| lowest bid, because | had far greater
facilities for the work than any other
builder. l secured the contracts and be-
| gan the work of construction. In the
meantime the Democracy had GENE into
power and prepared to prove their prop
hecy that the appropriations were not
honestly obtained. The Dolphin, a
strong, substantial, excellent vessel, was
condemned on the most puerile techni-
cality, and to add to this injustice At
torney-General Garland has repudiated
the contract and practically said that
there existed no binding agreement be-
tween me and the government. That
capped the climax. Business stagnant;
$50, 900 of weekly wages to pay, works to
maintain and contracts repudiated! Still
| bore up and tried to raise money on
my securities and property to finish the
cruisers, trusting the result to the good
| ldlIu Vi lue people. DuG men VINO laQ
money did not wish to lend with the
prospect that the government would re-
ject the work. My credit, too, had been
badly hurt by the wicked representations
of the newspapers, and, consequently, in
the best interests of my creditors and of
the government, | judged it best to call
a halt, pay off my men and surrender my
property to trustees, who could pay my
debts and leave me what balance, for my
last days, there might be.
81 have told all can now say. When
the true facts are laid bare in time, and
the public have had an opportunity to
make candid judgment of them, they
will see that no man has tried harder
than to be of service to his fellow man
as well as to himself, and no man has
been more cruelty prosecuted and lied
about"
the workmen employed at Mr.. John
Roach's shop in New York were on Mon
day paid off in full the wages due them
Until the present financial troubles of
the Reaches are settled, only sufficient
force of men to complete existing con-
tracts will be retained. Mr.. Roach's en-
ployees to the number of several hun.
bred, have united in letter rendering
the firm their heartfelt sympathy in their
present trials and expressing the hope
that Mr.. Roach will speedily recover
from his present affections.
A certified copy of the assignment of
, John Roach, presented to the county
, clerk of New York city on Saturday
| last was filed on Monday last in the