THE AMERICAN NAVY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5364, 25 January 1879, Page 7

THE AMERICAN NAVY.

S'ew York, December 17. —A HwoUt editorial says : In eight years of peace 150,000,000 dollars were sp'*nfc on the United States Navy by that illustrious tar, Secretary Robesou. For a nation which lias no navy that is pretty stec-p. Over 22,000,000 dollars a-yoar of the people's oion*-y were handed over to keep up tlie department whose ships—if we accept them ■it the value put upon them by Secrttiry Robeson, the value he put upon th«-m when he had some for sale—would not have lloated the whole sum if it had been paid out in dollars of our daddies. Thirty-one ships of ilie navy supported at bhi-j expense; thirty-one ships, which had 2ost the Oovernmi'Ut nearly fourteen million of dollars, were sold for a trifle over iialf-a-million. In that connection the Committee of Congress, which has inquired into the subject, quotes the suggestive words of the statute as to " any person who steals or embezzles, or knowingly applies to his own use, or who unlawfully sells, convoys, or disposes of any ordnance, arms, ammunition, clothing, subsistence stores, money, or other property of tlio United Kfcntefl, furnished or to be used for the military or naval service, shall be, for such offences, dealt with under criminal laws." i'ut the present suggestion is that the ex-Secn*tary shall he given an opportunity to defend his expenditure in methods povided under proceedings for impeachment. It appears that the Republican minority of Lhe committee are opposed to the step which seems to us somewhat maladroit on their part. If the former Secretary of the Navy was guilty of misconduct in oflice, all good citizens, withnut respect to party, should be equally anxious to sec iiim di-graced by exposure; but if he was not guilty, men of his own party should >e particularly anxious to have that shewn, that evr-n a shadow of opprobrium might lot fall upon them through a man for tvhose official carcer they were responsible.