The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-07-11
WILLIAM c. WHITNEY.
Tho Young Democratic Secretary OF the Ssvy,

WILLIAM c. WHIrNEY.
Tho Young Democratic Secretary or the Navy.
tBrooklyn Eaglc.l
OF the two New Workers who are members Of the
Cabinet, Daniel Manning haa been written about
American people, who hope for his restoration 10
health and 10 duty ms Secretary of the Treasury.
| The other New Yorker In the cabinet Ia william q.
whitney, the secretary OF the Navy. Concerning
him less ,s known. Of what is written about him
%ors man only sesm to
tlon relative to him. shall begin by stating some
facts not generally recognized In tho case OF Mr..
MIR. Whitney was the arst choice OF three men for
| Secretary OF tho Treasury when the Democratic
men, whose rst Choice Mr Whitney was FOR secrc.
,ary Of the Treasury, were Grover Cleveland, SAM
uel J.. Tllden, and Daniel Manning. one would
think that those three men could place man In the
Cabinet where they pleased, especially the President
But at tlmes circumstances are stronger than indi.
| Of the Democratic party which was averse to and
apprehensive OF the appointment OF MIR. William q.
Whitney y the secretsryship Of the Treasury. The
Democracy. II did not represent a large or strong
body Of men outside Of the party II comprised tho
rural counties OF the state. II comprised the Bour-
| hon or Mossback Democracy Of Ohio. Outside Of
contingent, which al the time Thought il had risht
to object 70 the way In which a Presldent whom It
had aided In electlng choose schlscontdental advisors
Messrs Tllden and Manning were unchanged by
whltneys capacity and character which led them to
mpresslons and confined 10 those who at the out.
set shsuld be overruled, and vigorously oyerrulei
The result OF the appointment would, they main
At a conference Mt Greystonc not long before tho
| Inauguration, Mr. Whitney resolved to relieve the
Presidenclcct by insisting that his name should be
left of OF the Cabinet slate altogether. Mr.. Ceve-
land refused to have 1t done. lie urged the Treas.
| ury on Mr.. Manning AMI hc requested AMI even
pleaded that MIR. whitney should become Secretary
OF the Navy. The nslstence OF Mr.. Tden was
70 gsr 'SfsS @ no 70 accent that ar
retary OF the Treasury. IIe had never been to
Washington In his life. He did not like what he had
| lie desired to remain In charge OF the Commercial
Bank In Albany, to retire from politics, be at liberty
INV very en0S ea. os % ovss to eGne
Mr. Cleyeland's proposition: "yon've pnt me there,
and help me OUT" All the time there pressure
from the democratic party at large, which was
harder yet TO resist. Mr.. Whitney. like Mr.. Man.
| OF the Navy, hut he had no suficlent reasons OF
personal kind TO Offset tho Presidential ones which
were brought to bear upon him.
Sunlcient time has elapsed to enable the country
to what kind Of Secretary Of the Navy Mr. Whit.
ney s. He Is one Of the best the United States have
feel the benign effect Of perfectly honest adminla-
traiOn OF long abused or weakly discharged trust
relation to the service Itself 1e other Is ia rea. se
| ton to the public. The relation of Secretary Whit
neys conduct OF the oe to the service such that
the members, line or sta, know that man OF abso-
lutte integrity, acute Intelligence, and marked nxty
| Of purpose Is at the head OF the Department The
Of justice cannot be exaggerated. .Tniuence," ex-
sept such as capacity, record. and character make,
Tafa IN as % ereo ne a
transfers or promotions can be secured for incom-
petent or unworthy persona. There are no rewards
and punlshmens ineted out In the form Of details to
duty. Indifference this policy wears from what
previously obtained need not he illustrated to those
who remember the days of Chandler. Thompson,
Secretary whitney has been in nothing more Wise
than in the selection of those upon whose especial
knowledge, rare fitness, and thorough dsIntereste-
ness he has relied In tho working out or determine
t!on Of details In his Department. Close to HIS conn.
Walker, CHIEF of the bureau of Navigation. A man
Of iron integrity, lucid judgment, great nrmness AMI
hc M ana % ~ e ans methods OF
has no motive other than the good OF the service,
the welfare Of the country, md the honor OF the
OF fidelity won confidence not exceeded by that OF
the trusted ana esteemed Admiral Howell ia the ike
position.
The relation OF the Secretary tn the public ia as
favorable AMI efficient as his relation to tho service
The work OF organization and reorganization. to
hand with the business Of providing for the nation the
nucleus Of navy which will pa % our o,ug,ry in q
non intervention and whose preference IL peace. In
the affairs OF tho world. The country recalls the
riod Of President Clcvelands administration, has
foreign complication of any seriousness or ma0ni
tnde been devoved. The alacrly and prudeiice.
the readiness and the discretion with which naiIonai
anu International interests were preserved aud re-
established on the Ishmus red0unded to the patriot
Ism ana the Wisdom OF the heal OF that Department
The act was thorough, effective, AMI American in
the right sense, as devoid Of sensation as was re-
plete with RuacGas,
Not slowly, but surely and carefully Is the con-
strnctlon oI tie two new crnsers and the two new
Ganoos auth9riIed @ py Congress At Ito last session
$2925O0O You may feel certain that that cost will
not be exceeded. The period OF creating indebted-
nnlllncstion of e4prass law Has come to an end in
the Navy Department. The plans were solicited by
They were referred TO board OF able AMI honest
men, incapable Of preferring poor defective work
The board was from those plans required to report
upon the characteristics In the proposed yesgels
whloh ought To be hachred In their '6Oiistructi0n
To tho Bureaus OF Construction and Engineering
tailed plans and specifications There will he no
history OF changes or alterations In the plans after
great delay and been tho pretext for extrayagance
or worse. The provision to be made for the ma
chlnery and armament OF the vessels will be marked
Tho action Gf Ssorealy WHITLEY In the case of
the Dolphin, lns1on, ths Atlanta; and the Chicago
Tho matter has nowhere been more tersely stated
than In the remarks OF Congressman McAdO0, OF
Nsw Jer:;ey r; ~ when recently speaking 70 me con.d
the Congressman, 'Mr. Roach hal been contracting
with the present ahe, honest, upright, AMI vigani
s fass t II 10 the he aa oes sA'fsea M Raso SS
yisory Board. il Mr. Roach was the shrew,. care.
~, able contractor, the great marine builder OF the
unlted States, as his friends claim hs was. he
would have made good contract. Why lid no not? |
because e thought the party Of the nrst part, the
Government Of the United States, was permanently n
with friendly agent, 40 that all his buniers and
lnstakes II nothing w0rsc, would be cOni0ned. II
sus iSs ss,a ss nG ss ss o e.
powe. a. that time" Referring further 70 me qes
speaker said: "tccause he Is an honest cautioas
man, having the expenditure OF other peoples
Department when he took charge OF it. lie Intends
at there shall 30 no more loosely colarqepd cGD-
s ana ,St eTS as O. g
which belongs u tho Department its,f." In these
measured AMI moderate words Is the whole case,
OF the Secretary. All That can be probably done
WIN the tarreied monitors viii be to nse them as
hArnor nsenses treating them as movable forts
sss sasissss ! S S:Sa iS sssssss
in1anghrate 1g a Naval estahllshment worthy Of the
United states. lie believes and says, and anch Ii
tho opinion OF all informed and Just men, that the
naval service should be considered quite apart from
% os s In the man an'' ssrs,ss
re MS own Words "of body O. aacaNIliAl ed Iuep,
tat the world" Continuing his own Language:
hss uuntuhhrly, chnhot 10 hitil Win equal lnA.
sce OF the Navy Department, and whatever dissatis-
faction tle country has eyer experienced with tho
sS1 NJ sf S qs as sa2Se5asnt I WI ns loqaa q nave
haval administration AMI even there dlssai isfaGti0n
knonld be limited 70 certain branches only OF the
business 0f tho Department." The plan OF huslness
Reorganization which he outlined In hls annual re-
port has business principles OF dreciness, economy
hnd practically on lis side. II has commanded lhe
kppro6aa,i,Sn q thogghtfal men everywhere. The
bare with an unsparng hand; but he was carefnl 10
Discriminate between the blame due To faulty
fnethoda and the consideration TO lie extended 10
honorable men who were al Tue mercy OF such meth
pls. Ihe large discretion OF power given him un-
ter the mw isto 10 pseq by tnt Secretary ln Iae III
eston o. nnsness like refonstutioa Of the De-
The course Of Mr.. Whitney In thus Identifying
mself with the reconstruction OF the American
avy WIN be watched with interest. Al the bar his
RliliIiss were recognized long ago to he eommald-
eadedness were never doubled. Chosen to a grcst
kast By me Demotrallc rresldeni With the assent
lnd at the requestof great leaders, he has made a
igh, broad, and honorable mark OH the Cabinet and
ihe coaniY. I've has IN several Iespeols the most
lfiicut and trying place among all the Presidcnt,s
ltoup OF councillors. lie Ia dlling 1t with an In
latry anu ori9inai,ty' . Wisdom and an oniclency