The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-20
Secretary Whitney Evidently Trying to
Convert His Department Into Political
Machine for Use in 1883.
The Presidents Endeav0r to Pose as a
Thoroughbred and a Reformer.
Secretary Manning in Search of Information
on the Subject of Revision of
the Customs Duties.
1T CANNOT STAND.
Mr.. Garland's Opinion in the Dolphin Matter
Bad in All Respects.


Bad in All Respects.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, July 19-The Dolphin decision
will not hold good This is the universal YER
dict of naval officers when questioned as to their
ideas of Attorney general Garland's opinion in
the Dolphin matter. Your correspondent has
talked with at least fifty prominent officers of
the navy during the past two days, and they are
unanimous in their opinion that the decision was
an extremely bad one-not only from legal
point of view, but from every other. Said one
naval officer, who has given a
great deal of attention to the
subject of naval construction: ''The Advisory
Board appointed by Secretary Chandler con-
lives, in some instances, to the study of naval
architecture. The president of this advisory
board is lifelong Democrat, but he is no fool,
and he understands his business, with which he
never allows politics to interfere. The Whitney
board consisted of three officers, two of whom
are Democrats of the rankest stripe.
These men, l have no hesita.
ton in saying, allow their polit-
cal belief to warp their Judgment,
and think that in this instance they have been
blinded by their prejudices. It is unfortunate
that this controversy has arisen, but it is fact
that the Dolphin will have to be accepted and
that Roach will get the pay which is due him. y
Another officer said: 'Mr. Garland has based his
opinion upon the supposition that no contract
existed between the Navy Department and John
Roach He assumes that John Roach was
guided by the act of Congress providing for the
building of the cruisers and the Dolphin. He
forgets that the Navy Department, acting for
the government, entered into contract with
Roach, and that this contract alone is that which
binds the builder. If there is anything wrong
with the Dolphin the fault lies with the plans
which were furnished him with his contract. He
was not compelled to build vessel according to
any act of Congress, but according to the con-
tract which he made with the Navy Department.
If the department prepared plans for vessel to
make twenty-five knots an hour, and Roach
should build the vessel exactly according
to the specifications, and when the trial came it
should be found that the machinery was not
heavy enough for the required speed, and that
the utmost that could be got out of the boat was
ten knots then / think that the contractor would
have complied with his contract as far as he
could under the circumstances, and he would not
be liable under the law for any failure to COM
ply. 1t is exactly the case with the Dolphin.
Roach has built the vessel strictly according to
specifications 1t is useless to talk
about his failure to use proper
material. Every ounce of material that has
gone into the vessel has been inspected by
representatives of the government, and has
been reported upon. 1t is too late now to raise
such kick as this. Then, again, if Roach
really wanted to defraud the government he
could have very easily completed tho Dolphin so
as to have had her accepted by Secretary
Chandler, if, as is intimated by the critics of Mr.
Roach and Mr.. Chandler, there was a combina-
ton between those two gentlemen, which
is, of course, absurd. The whole matter
resolves itself into this: Mr.. Whitney
is anxious to make the navy-yards an immense
political machine for the campaign of 1883. He
has set himself against tho ship-builders Of the
United States and if the other new cruisers are
to be built, they will have to be built in the
navy yards. Of course, this will materially aid
the campaign of 1888, and it may be that Mr..
Whitney himself is aiming to succeed Mr.. Cleve-
land"