Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-07-16
RoAon AND nnaNnnrR.


ROACH AND CHANDLER.
what sHr. Crnnp Thought when the
Bids Were opened.
Attorneys General Garland has given
decision upon the three points relative to
the acceptance of the dispatch boat
Dolphin, recently submitted by the
Secretary Of the Navy. The Attorney
General holds that the vessel cannot be
accepted by the Secretary of the Navy;
that no contract exists between Mr.. John
Roach and the governmt Mt, and that the
large sum of money paid to him for the
vessel may be recovered.
The Washington correspondent of the
Baltimore american had an interview
with one of the Cramp brothers on July
18th, 1883. This is the published report
of Mr.. Cramps declaration:
"We got IN idea, after the bids were
advertised for, that Roach aud Chandler
were working together, so we put in bids
lower than il was possible for Roach or
any one else to build the vessels for.
Now, see how 1t came out. Roach bid
lower yet, and so much lower, too, that
he cannot begin to do the work according
to the specification. Thus II was plain
enough that there was an under
standing with Chandler that the extras
should cover the rest tell you that
Chandler gave the whole thing away on
the day the bids were opened. His hand
shook like leaf when he opened them.
We saw through II at a glance, and
would have given him a piece of my
mind then and there If my brother hadn't
held me back. All that said was, MIR.
Secretary, are You going to give all these
contracts to one manY and all that
Chandler said was, Il don't see how can
help it, But he trembled from head to
foot rs he stood there, and was uneasy as
long as we were there"
BosroN, July 14.-Ex.Secretary Chand-
| Ter, in letter to the Journal in reference
to Attorney General Garland's decision
that the contract with John Roach to
build the Dolphin is void, says:
"This may seem TO be an extraordinary
decision, but it was not difficult to an
Encouragement who, when 80 requested
| wiped out IN amendment TO the. United
States constitution with the utmost
promptness. The soundness of his present
position depends apparently upon the
| proposition that it was an essential and q
fundamental condition of the act of Con-
gress that the Dolphin should have Is
knots sea speed (Which Secretary Whitney
says she has not reached) that the CON
tract omitted to require the contractor to
produce this speed and, on the contrary,
expressly provided that failure to reach
1880 horse power should not prevent nc
ceptance of the ship, if the materials and
workmanship were good and that this omis
sion was fatal defect and rendered the
contract wholly imperative and void
from the beginning.
Mr.. Chandler quoted the Inv and the
language of the naval advisory board and
asks if in the face of these provisions any
sound jurist or unprejudiced person
would say that the naval department
was bound to insert in the contract anG
insist upon guarantee by the contractor
that the dispatch boat should prove Il
have sea speed of 10 knots and that tn,
contract would be absolutely null ant
void without such guarantee. lie think
the idea preposterous.
Mr.. Chandler says that the navy depart
ment carefully considered the question
whether under the law of Congress
authorizing the new ships bidders coul,
l
. other results beside good work an
materials, and, in view of the nbsolutel
mandatory provision of the law that u
A department should provide befCrohan
+ the designs in ali their Details il wa
e decided that no guarantees could fnitl
be expected, except of goot material
5 and workmanship.
b Mr.. Chandler thinks the reasoning thu
| nj fagiGt 10 &c nj tba ne
. lawyers. He says: Perhaps two Inv
yers wrote opinions for the Departme1
of Justice, one holding TINT speed WI
:, guaranteed and that, therefore, the Do
phin must be rejected, and the 9th,
~ holding that speed was not guarantee
y and, therefore, the contract was void an
u must be rejected and the attorney gel
=" eral and Mr.. Whitney liked the concl,
sions of both opinions SO much they Il
termined to put them both together IN
promulgate them 10 wondering worl,
Those who choose TO accept Mr.. Garland
u opinion AS good law may find some excu
for the treatment by Mr.. Whitney of Il
he advisory board aud Mr. Roach, but
III all Others it must be considered uniu
ID and oppressive.
lie LET il he noted that this wicked Il
lie sault upon Mr.. Roach by two newt
e tledged cabinet ministers, reveling
Il misued power, is perpetrated solely f
81 the assumed reason that the Dolphin Ia
r not 10 knots sen speed, when, in fact {
~ every one of her several trial trips she b
10 reached l5 knots, and the lust trip w
N made mt sen in pursuance of the orders
Mr.. Whitney, but Mr.. Whitney, enragt
!, ut the result, says the sea was not his
IN enough nnd l5 knots sea speed means /
p knots when there il not high sea, III
e. upon his arbitrary assumption the who
N fabric of outrage committed by him
is built. While even the packed board c
~ ganiZed by him to condemn d
lie Dolphin reported as follows: xvi
ne regard to the engines, boile
I'd and main machinery of the vess
ut the board is of the opinion that Il
ne general construction and the character
ne the material Of which they IRE made co
ut form to the terms of the contract NJ
of specifications and the various chang
y, made by authority of the naval advise
y. board from time to time, yet this ship
ke to he rejected because the contract
nd build her was wholly void, Mr.. Roach
ig to be ordered to pny back all moneys
"a has received, the rejected vessel il to
DE seized by the government as security
es the repayment, and all this to crafty N
at Whitney's spirit of resentment and on t
s. authority of such legal opinion us til
at of Mr.. Garland"
TO SECRETARY WHITNEY TO ACT.
lg WASHINGTON July IA. Secretary VII
ney said tonight that he had not as )
he determined what lie would do under /
or Attorney-General's opinion with rega
d, to the Dolphin. 1t was matter requ
d, ing careful consideration, and he won
j. not act hastily. He would give the a
Y, swer of the advisory board to the pub
he as soon as he had time TO read it. 1t
d, generally believed that Secretary VIII
he ney will exercise to the utmost the powt
nd which the Acknowledgement recogni2
1d as belonging to him in dealing with t
II. Dolphin.
er THE INDIAN TROUBLES.
The Chez ennes Evidently Preparii
se for Determined Warfare.
of WICHITA, KAs., July 1.-THE Edgl
er special from the Cheyenne agency 81