Year: 1876

what the President She uld Do with


The Generalization Of the times and the
government is forcibly illustrated in the case
of Mr.. Robeson, Secretary of the Navy. The
House of Representatives only failed to i'm
peach him for want of time for, in view of
the approaching elections and the hot
Congress together long enough to complete
the proceedings against him. or. indeed, for
any other purpose whatever. The searching,
vigorous and truthful report of the majority
of the Naval Committee exhibited scores of
breaches of the law and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
sufficient to sustain an impeachment twenty
times over. For various reasons, however,
this report was turned over to the Judiciary
Committee to report upon at the next session.
Robson considered the delay u triumph,
and it was boldly proclaimed far and near
through the press that the commit
tee had failed to find anything against
the Secretary. The House of Representa-
tives, however, on report from another COM
mittee, that on Expenditures of the Navy
Department, passed resolution Of censure
on the Secretary, and demand on the Pres
ident to dismiss Naval Constructor Hanscom.
This was solemn act of one of the houses
of Congress, certified with the evidence in
the case, under the seal of the Speaker of
the House of Representatives to the Pres
ident of the United States. We have heard
of no action in the premises by the Pres
ident, although we remember the avidity
with which another resolution of the House
was seized upon and immediate action taken
as a pretext for sending troops to the South.


A few years ago it would have been impos-
sible for Cabinet Minister to remain in
Office under the ban of resolution Of GEN.
sure of the House of Representatives., and
impossible for one to exercise his functions
with such damning report hanging over
his head as that now hanging over
the head of Mr.. Robeson. 1t seems,
however, in these days, that the actual con-
viction of crimes, formally and technically,
is requisite to render a Cabinet officer unfit
to occupy his place. 1t does not seem that
total disregard of law, misuse of appropria-
tions, contract brokerage or that cunning
contrivance called Cattellism," sufficiently
taints Mr. Robson to make it impossible for
him to preside over q branch of the public
service the members of which are distin-
guished for their probity and honor. With
all these blots upon his good name he is still
permitted to wreak his vengeance and deal
damnation upon the heads of the tried and
foi vafaropc Of fba navy Ho hoe ,,pJar
false pretences. cut down their pay and
ostracized all those who refused to conceal
the actual abuses in the navy and its true
condition. A large portion of the appro-
priation intended to pay the officers and
men of the navy for the present
fiscal year has been sed to satisfy the
demands Of previous years, and to conceal
this, and for purposes of revenge, he has
resorted to the furlough orders. On the
assembling of Congress this will no doubt
be investigated, and the law, under cover
of which, although by forced construction,
he has done this wrong, must be repealed.
The rights, the subsistence of our officers
and their families, must not be left to the
mercy of a Robson.


We advise the President to suspend Mr..
Robson until the House of Representatives
has decided whether to impeach him or not.
With Belknap as a precedent it would be
hazardous to accept his resignation, even if
offered, which is not probable, as his moral
perceptions seem to be too obtuse to under
stand his own situation. 1t would be we'll
also to remove those chiefs of bureaus who
have had money transactions with contrac-
tors or who have received gifts or benefits
from them.