Diary of Gideon Welles: January 27, 1866

My letter to the Naval Committee in relation to the contract of Paul S. Forbes for the Idaho has disturbed certain parties. It interposes pretty decisive objections against lobby intrigues and deviations from the contract. Certain party men wish to be considered economists, and yet would be glad to pay Forbes a few hundred thousand dollars more than the contract price. They would be glad to censure the Department, but find they cannot do this and occupy an economical position. Forbes acts stupidly. His vessel is likely to prove a failure. He cannot build her and complete her on his own offer. He has proved himself less sagacious and less capable than he had the reputation of being, or than he himself supposed he was, but yet makes no admission of error and failure.

Forney¹ and the Union Representatives of Philadelphia have appealed to me to reinstate Hoover, the Naval Constructor, whom they pronounce an honest man, etc., backed by a formidable list of names. I wrote Forney that Hoover had been guilty of accepting bribes and that I could not give him my confidence, and requested him to so inform his associates. He answers in an apologetic letter and promises to be more careful in future. I saw him at one of McCulloch's receptions, and told him the correspondence ought to be published in order to set the Department right. He assented and said he would publish it with his last letter if I had no objection. I assented and sent him the correspondence and after a day or two he writes that he has consulted with the Union Representatives and concluded the disclosure was not best. In reply, I state that if I rightly understand them, they wish to have the Philadelphia public remain ignorant of the facts, and continue to believe the Department oppressive. Differing with them, I ask a return of the correspondence.

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¹ John W. Forney, Secretary of the Senate.

SOURCE: Gideon Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and Johnson, Vol. 2: April 1, 1864 — December 31, 1866, p. 418-9