The Republican journal., 1885-07-30

uopuNtiOuU UUusIiuI uUIioIlIlt6 w.
CHARLES A. Observation-Disclosures. EDITOR
RUSSELL G. DYF t..............LoCAL EDITOR
The Democratic Warfare on John Roach.
The Lancaster, Pa, Intelligencer Is Demo-
cratic newspaper of the strictest sort, but it is
not SO blinded by partisanship but that it can
see the iniquity Of the persecution of John
Roach by the Administration, and the blow
struck, through him, al the great industry and
at the American workingmen. The Inteli-
gencer says, and truly, that it is ''clear enough
it was the action of the Secretary of the Navy
that precipitated this great failure, which is an
undoubted calamity to the country" And 1t
does not lake much stock in the Attorney
Generals law, nor in the attempt to make Mr..
Roach responsible for the faults, if any, in the
Dolphin, because of the fact that she was built
from plans furnished by and under the inspec-
ton of the Naval Advisory Board 1t says
She was built, it is conceded, under the i'm
mediate direction and superintendent of the
navy department, through an advisory board
of officers, appointed for the purpose, who
planned her and Inspected her, and seemingly
decides that the builders are responsible for
her failure to meet the requirements of the
law, Notwithstanding she may have been built
directed by the government agents. If this
is sound law, ii is hard law, certainly; and we
doubt somewhat its soundness, despite its high
authority. But whatever the law may be on
this point, it is clear enough that the builders
OF the Dolphin, if innocent of her faults, win
not be made to suffer by Congress for the de-
linquencies of the navy departments officers.
The Intelligencer says further
Mr.. Roach thinks that after long life devot-
ed TO the developing of the ship building indus
try of the government he is hardly used to
meet at its close abuse and loss of fortune. Mr..
Roach has been the chiefest promoter of ship
building industry. He has been an ardent adj
vocate against the doctrine Of free ships. In
this position he is strongly sustained by the
fundamental justification of Just protective
policy, that it gives to the nation the ability to
create within herself the things that she must
have for an Independent prosperity. Ships
are essential to US, and it is greatly to our ad-
vantage that we should be able to build them
ourselves.
The lnteligencer Of course knows-for the
fact is manifest-that it is because Mr.. Roach
has been ''chiefest promoter of shpbuiIding in
dustry' in this country that the power of the
Administration has been eXerted TO crush him
as he stands in The way of free ships for which
Democrats and Mugwumps are clamoring. The
Intelligencer is Democratic journal, however,
and states the ease mildly when it says: "Ships
are essential to us, and it is greatly to our adj
vantage that we should be able to build them
ourselves"
One j. S. Moore, who used to write for the
New York World over the signature of the
now regularly salaried advocate of free trade,
in letter to the New York British organ, the
Times, has the manness to 10 justice to John
Roach in the following language:
Aside from his strenuous opposition to free
ships and strong protection proclivties, which
a. gre producer of iron and steel he saw in
his own peculiar light, and which think was
not only mistake but misfortune, Mr.. Roach
was III his great enterprise one of the most
markable and useful men how alive in this
country. He Is not onhg tie ktqhevt representative
IF He erofkuq cLtseS. J,n he Jecaate u prince of
artisans. otd still 1lentted h,mSelf 10 tie terg last
rsM the rorhug1aea. And his financial
fall is to bring forth the wall of that great
class of the population whose sole capital Is
the strong sinew that lives by daily labor. The
most melancholy phase in this misfortune is
that MIR. Roach is now on the verge of 20
years. and by all accounts Frustrated in health
Il
time get a setback. and, to quote from every
daily paper Of this morning the immense
amount of successful iron ships that during the
past twelve years Mr.. Roach built, we may
well hesitate to believe that such builder, I'M
hampered, should not be able to build u salts
factory vessel. The man who was able to build
the t1eetest yacht-the Vking-could surely
have built satisfactory dispatch boat, if he
had not had placed over him too many cooks in
the shape of advisory boards and all other
minor authorities.
The statements that Mr.. Roach was solely
dependent upon Government patronage and
was compelled to succumb by the incoming of
an Administration from which he had nothing
to expect, have no foundation in fact. He has
never built an entire ship for our navy and
whatever work he has done has been under
contract as the lowest bidder and under speci-
location. He took the contracts for the cruisers
now in his yards under contracts for which
proposals We're advertised. and was the lowest
bidder because his facilities are better than any
other iron shipbuilder in this country. He
handles the iron from the ore, and has all the
latest and most improved machinery. He did
not expect 10 make much money out of these
contracts, but in the absence of other work,
the Democratic free ship agitation having
affected his business, wanted to keep employed
his TWO thousand or more wor kmen. Now Il
pay roll of some $4,000 per week. all paid to
American workingmen, is cut of by Secretary
Whitney ana Attorney General Garland. More
than this, blow is struck At all Government
contractors. Men having large contracts with
the government are obliged to Use large sums
Of money, but have had no difficulty in getting
loans. Now capitalists will hesitate to loan
money on government contracts which Mr.
Garland may any day declare invalid. In put
ting down Mr. Roach the Administration has
done more harm than it is perhaps aware Of
But it will not be long in hearing from the
people and especially from those who labor for
their daily bread. Those will not be slow in
recognizing the fact that the hand of the Ad-
ministraton is against them.
In our notes of trip to Cape Breton we
spoke of the young man who examined the