Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-09-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our Regular Correspondent


Washington, Sept. ia statement
was recently made at the War Depart
ment to the representative of the press,
to the effect that the Navy Depart
ment desired the army transports,
Grant, Hancock, Relief and Lawton;
having been purchased from an emer-
gencY fund appropriated by Congress
for the use of either the Navy or the
War Departments. would be turned
over, apd that Congress would be ask
ed, practically as matter of formal
ty, to enact measure authorizing the
transfer of the other three vessels. 1t
was given out that the War Depart
ment had no further use for these
transports but that the Secretary of
the Navy could use them as receiving
ships, etc., to advantage. On the face
of it, there was nothing surprising in
the statement and several editors,
without looking into the subject, have
stated that it was the duty of Con-
gress to pass the desired bill. A little
Investigation, however, would have
revealed in this simple plan an effort
to hide from the public new evidence
of the fearful extravaganza, to express
it mildly, which characterized the &C
tions of War Department in connec
ton with the purchase of army trans
ports in the early days of the Spanish
American war. Investigation reveals
the fact that. the War Department pur-
chased the vessels named at most ex-
travagant figures. The Grant cost the
government $3.50, 900, the Relief $780,
600, the Hancock $500, 900 and the Law
ton 100000. After their purchase. an
amount closely approximat1ng 81 ,O0O,-
900, was expended for fitting them out
as transports. A comparatively short
time ago, the War Department adver-
tised extensively for bids on the no
longer needed transports and finally
received q number. 1t was then stated
that the bids were so low that none
would be accepted but their actual
amount was withheld on the ground
that to publish it would be to depre
ciate the value of government prop
erty. 1t now transpires that the total
amount offered for the four vessels,
which had cost the government So, no.
600 was less than 5000, 900. AS these
figures would have called attention
anew to the extravaganza of the De-
partment officials, 1t was determined
to suppress the bids and the Secretary
of the Navy was persuaded to say that
be would take the vessels, provided
Congress would authorize the transfer.
The incident recalls the case of the
Merrimac, which Admiral Sampson SO
accOmmodatingly sank in the entrance
to Santiago harbor. The venerable
collier had cost the government $500,
900 at the beginning of the war and
was hardly sea- worthy when sunk.
She was not worth the cost Of the re-
pairs necessary to make her useful in
any capacity and when the news came
that she had been sunk IN Santiago
harbOr it lifted a considerable weight
from the minds of the officials in WASH
ington, who dreaded the publication of
the facts. If Congress complies with
the wishes of Secretary Root it will ap-
propriate the sum of So ,210, 900 for the
purchase of the transports above nam
ed, by the Navy Department, from the
War Department. and thus the archives
of the War Department will show that
the ships were sold for what they had
cost.
Figures don't lie-neither does Car
nent democratic politician recently,
dpTOpOp VI uuO OAuOtuCly O1pIOuoGlC 1O-
port which Col Wright made on the
Pennsylvania coal strike situation. |
The statement with all that it implies |
is expressive of the popular opinion of |
Col. Wright among the members of
both parties. Colonel Wright does not |
misstate facts, but be has convenient
way of arranging them so that they are
sure, by their juxtap0sIti0n, it may be,
to represent the views of whatever
President may be in the White House.
In this connection little item Of an
Gent history ID interesting. Colonel |
Wright, some years ago, prepared a
statement of the wages paid to the
cotton operatives IN Germany, Eng
land and the United States. The ad-
was republican, stood for
high protection, ETC., and, of course,
the figures showed that German opera
lives received the lowest wages, Eng.
land next and American operatives the
highest. The tablets published gave
the wages received per week. All
would have been well but for the fact
that an inquisitive newspaper man
one of Col. Wright's SUBJ
ordinates to show him the original
statistics from which the table was
compiled and which gave the amount