Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-09


Carney; Littleton, John Logan; North Sears.
mont. John P. Thompson.
Senator Miller Dead.
Senator John T. Miller OF California. died
at Las, Monday.
Presidential Nominations.
The President sent the following nomina.
tions to the Senate today
Samuel E. Wheatly of the District of
Columbia, to be commissioner of the District
of Columbia.
" .. King of Texas, secretary of legation
and consul general of the United States al
Bogota.
An Important Decision.
Acting on the decision by the solicitor OF
the treasury that corporation is not and
cannot be citizen of the United States in
the political sense of citizenship, the seere-
tary of the treasury holds that the Clark
Bros. Lumber Co., an institution incorpora-
ted under the laws of the State of New York.
and OF which one of the members is alien is
not entitled to the privileges conferred by
section 250S of the revised statutes which
provides that the produce of the forests OF
the State of Maine upon the ST. John river
and Its tributaries, owned by American cit
liens and sawed or hewed by American cit
lzens, may be admitted to ports of the United
States free of duty.
Reply to Congressman BO1telle's Res.
Olution.
The secretary of the navy in reply to the
resolution presented BY Congressman Bou.
telie and adopted Jan. %, was today trans
mltted to the House with letter from Com
mander Truxton, commandant of the Norfolk
navy yard, in which the latter say
I'm answer to the first statement respect.
fully say that there never were any honor Iable
inscriptions on any common captured by the
United States and placed in this yard oblit.
Grated by my order, In fact no such oblit.
Grafton has at any time taken place Expos.
ure from weather and time had somewh ha,
obliterated the inscriptions placed thereon
but they were reAewed by my order last June
and are now plainly visabe.
Then follows a list of guns and inscriptions
on them.
Second-The dry dock was never DESTROYED.
Ii was partially damaged by United States
forces when they evacuated the yard in 1861
and also by the Confederates when they
evacuated the yard in 1862, but in neither
case did the damage exceed the destruction
OF the caission and adjacent masonry. The
original structure remained in fact as it ap-
pears today in the yard and therefore the
dry dock never was rebuilt. The only in
scription ever authorized to be placed on the
dry dock, or ever was on the dry dock is still
there. Therefore the tablet referred to by
the resolution never having been on the dry
dock was not removed.
On a pumping engine, located in brick
building $50 feet from dry dock, a plate con-
tanning the inscription, Built by Messrs.
Woodruff Beach, machlnsts and engineers,
Hartford, Ct.," was removed and in its place
another substituted, inscribed thereon, "De-
stroyed by the rebels in 1862; rebuilt by the
United States government in 1853; j. W.
Livingstone, commandant; W. Ii. Lyons,
superintendent of machinery" | searched
the records in this office in vain for the au-
thority for the removal of the original plate
and the substitution of the other, and could
not find that the change was made by any
authority, whatever. | therefore had it re-
moved. Since the removal of the plate re-
ferred to, Lyons has applied for it, stating
that as he had erected it on his own respon-
sibility, and bought and paid for il at his own
expense, therefore 1t was his private prop
erty.
Third-Lyons was not superintendent of
the machinery at the time of the removal of
the plate, he having been removed by me for
cause on the 25th day of April 1885. The
plate was removed some time after in May
hence he was not removed by me for pro-
testing against the removal of the plate re-
ferred to.
The letter then proceeds to explain the
causes for Lyons removal, one of which was
that he was disloy al to his government in its
time of need. One of the evidences of his
disloyalty was contained in the following
card which Lyon caused to be published in
June, 1861 to the citizens of Norfolk
"To the publc-I, VIM. II. Lyons, having
been charged with disloyalty to the Southern
Confederacy proclaim myself as good a
Southerner and am doing as much to destroy
the invaders as any man in the field and if
any will come to the Atlantic Iron Works
will show them my works which are more
than words, and will do all in my power to
promote the independence of the Southern
States.
WN. II. Lyons,
Foreman Atlantic Iron Works
The letter says: The sentiment contained
in the foregoing letter does not show as much
faithfulness to the United States government
as the resolutions allege. Commodore Trux
ton then mentions that the board of officers
was selected by Secretary Whitney to super
wise and conduct the examination of candi.
dates for the position made vacant by the re-
moval of Lyons, that full notice of the ex
animation was given and six mechanics at
tended and were examined. The board re-
ported that Thos. B. Carr of Baltimore, was
the best man for the place and he was ap-
pointed to the position of master machinis
by the secretary of the navy. The comman
der declares that the efficiency and superior
work now turned out of the shop justifies the
change made and denies that this navy yard
is political asylum for decayed politicians
The applicants, he says, are appointed or
their merits alone.
The officers in charge of this yard having
all been engaged on the side of the Union in
the war have in no way disc rminated against
soldiers or sailors. All their sympathies are
with them and all rights and benefits belong.
ing to them by law and from their service to
their country have been carefully guarded
aud freely given them. | think there are
more Union soldiers and sailors employed IN
this yard today than there were on the day
the present administration came into power
In conclusion the commodore vigorously de-
tends his administration of the yard and as.
serts to the best Of his judgment he always
prevented politics from being the controlling
element in the yard.
Congressman BOutelle Interviewed.
Congressman Boutelle in reply to an in.
quire as to his opinion of Commodore Trux'
toms letter said no one had heard of it At the
House of Representatives and it was evil
IDENTIFY the intention to get it before the pub
H~ll kan snl II