New-York tribune., 1885-07-23
THE RAID ON JOHN ROACH.

The Administration has succeeded in driving
John Roach out of the ship-building traue
This is result that will be heartily appreciated
by the free trade Democracy. AS soon rs Con-
gress reassembes the agitation on behalf of
free ships will be renewed with fiattering pros
poets of success. Free traders will consider the
battle half won. if the chief representative of
the industry which they seek to destroy is
crushed in advance by the Administration. But
while Southern and Western Democrats may
rejoice in the prospect of repeating the laws by
which American ship-bulding has been fos-
tered the Administration will have to adopt an
alternative policy which has been condemned
by the principal organs of the party. If John
Roach is forced to suspend business at once in
consequence of political persecution and
Government assaults upon his financial credit
and business reputation, his competitors in the
trade will not be able to survive legislation in
favor of free ships. The Government will be
compelled to have It's new ships built and its
old ones repaired at the navy yards. After
wiping the American industry out Of existence,
it must either do the work itself or have it
done in English ship-yards and naturally it
will give the navy yards the preference.
Mr. Roach's bids for the Dolphin and the
three cruisers were So, 100000; Cramps for
the same work, $2,755 900; and Harlan e.
Hollingsworths for the cruisers alone, without
the dispatch boat, $2,G72,000. The Govern
ment has cOntrived to break up the business of
the firm which agreed to build the four vessels
for 1915 200 less than their chief competitor
and for $232, 900 less than the third bidder
asked for the cruisers al Jne. Now il the work
of building new navy is to be actively prose-
cuted, it would appear to be ruinous policy to
drive cut of the trade the firm that has made
the lowest bids for the first four vessels. Still
more ruinons will be the effect of successful
agitation in favor of free shipping by which
American ship-building will be Frustrated alto
gether. Is there any sane official connected
with the Administration who imagines that the
Dolphin and the three cruisers could have been
built at the navy yards as economically as
under Mr. Roach's contract Any competent
naval engineer or practical ship-builder would
ridicule the assumption that the same work
could have been done at the navy yards with
out an enormous increase in the outlay. The
British Admiralty invariably contracts with
private builders for the construction of its new
war vessels, since experience has demonstrated
that this is the more economical method The
United States Government does not have all the
facilities required for adequately repairing its
own ships in the navy yards, and withoutextra
ganr expenditures no work is ever done in that
wsy. If it attempts to build new fleet of iron
ships in its own yards, there must be consid-
erable outlay for machinery and construction
works, and every stage of the process will be
imperlled and made costly BY the corrupting
tendencies of political patronage.
Now since the Administration planes itself
upon it's practical, business methods, We desire