The true Democrat., 1855-03-07
Confessional Summary.
Wednesday,, January 24th.

and territories to sell to the best advantage the arms heretofore distributed, or which may here after be distributed under the act of April 28, 1908, and invest the funds arising out of such sales in other arms more suitable for the pur- poses contemplated by said act. MT. Jones advocated his amendment. | MT. JOHNSON. Iwish to ask the Senator from Tennessee whether his amendment con- tains any limitation, or direction, or guidance'to the Governors of the different States in purcha- sing these new arms. I believe that his amend ment leaves it entirely to the Governors to in- vest the proceeds, as each may think proper, in any description of arms. Ifthat should be done, there would be no uniformity; at least an entire uniformity would be very improbable One State may introduce one description of arms and another, a different one; and they may go into schemes which are afoat, and purchase various descriptions of arms, and none have the descrip- tion used in the United States service, which, if called upon by the country, they should be able to avail themselves of, in the ordinary tractics of the country.
 Now, suggest, whether they ought not to be made, in the purchase of these arms, to conform to the classes of arms used by the troops of the United States, instead of being left free to enter into any speculations or improvements, and thus 1 ultimately lose the whole fund.
 MT. Jones, of Tennessee. In answer to my friend from Arkansas will state, that the sug- gestion which he makes would fail to obviate the very difficulty under which we labor. He proposes to require the Governors otthe sever al States, in making the purchase, to con- form to the arms now used by the Government of the United States That is the very difficulty which 1 desire to remedy. In my State there are many thousand of the old fashioned Hall rifles which have been adopted by the Govern ment of the United States; and which are as useless as so many pop-guns. If you require the Governors of the States to purchase the same character of arms, they may just as well hold those they now have. What 1 desire to accomplish is, that the Governors of the States may be invested with power to sell such arms as are useless, and to appropriate the proceeds of the sales to the purchase of such arms as the public service may require. We can place no restriction on it that see. Wemust leave that to the discretion of the Governor. He is responsible to his State; the arms are under his control and discretion. Now, under this amendment, he has no other discretion than to sell them, and reinvest the proceeds in such arms, as, in his judgment, in the exercise of his legitimate authority, are best for the public service. If we are to go back and reinvest the money ill the same character of arms we have already got, there is no necessity for sale.- We want to get arms which are useful Whe- ther you restrict them to muskets or not, is a matter of indifference to me; but if we are to have the musket let us have a better one than we have now.
 do not care whether they purchase arms of one man or another. l have no interest in it. But am willing to leave that to the Govern ors of the different States. l am willing to trust the Governor of Arkansas to determine whether he will have Sharp's rifle, Halls rifle, or musket That Is mmaterlal to me. We have variety of arms in the public service.- We have Sharp's rifle, Halls rifle, the musket, and the common American rifle used in the military service of the United States, and l think it perfectly safe to leave it to the discre- tlon of Governors what arms they shall pur- chase. They will be bound to invest the mo- ney in good faith in arms for the public ser vice. Whether they take one gun or ano- ther 1 am willing to leave to them.
 Mir. Hunter I think there is much force in what was suggested by the Senator from Ar kansas, Mr. JOHNSON that 1t is desirable the militia should be armed uniformly. It is just as desirable as that they should be drilled uni formly and have the same system of tactcs- The Senator from Arkansas proposes to put some restriction on the Governors, so as to re- quire them to buy the same arm as is used by the United Stetes They might lay out mo- ney in some new invention, some arm not usu- ally used.
 Mr. Jones, of Tennessee. I will obviate that difficulty. l will accept that amendment because there is not an arm used in this coun- try which is not in the service of the United States. 1 make that restriction.
 MT. JOHNSON. Then I will propose to strike out the word Governors" and insert President of the United States;" so as to have the money pass into the treasury, and then dis. tribute arms to the value of that money to the States. l propose to insert the President o the United States, or the Secretary of War, SC as to carry out this object
 Mir. Jones, of Tennessee I cannot agree to take from the States the arms deposited with them They belong to the States. They were placed there by law, under the supervision o the Governor and Legislature. 1 am not will ling to divest them of that authority. I am not willing to transfer it to the Secretary o War 1 have no right to do so. am not in- structed or authorized by my State to give back or to the Secretary of War. If we are not able to manage our own arms, we shall not cal upon any body else to manage them for us- If the Governors and Legislatures of the States cannot sell the arms they have, if they are deemed useless, let them keep them as they are, and not send them back to the President of the United States or to the Secretary of War to determine what character of arms the peo- pie of Tennessee, or any other State may want l would rather the proposition should fail than send the arms back to the Secretary or Presi- dent.
 Mir. Pratt I should always feel disposed to follow the course indicated by standing con- mittee, and more especially in regard to a sub- ject on which am so entirely ignorant as mi. litary affairs but it strikes me that there is a practical difficulty in the object designed by the honorable Senator from Tennessee. It is to authorize the Governors to sell what? Why, sir, arms, which he describes as being altogeth- CT useless. Well, now if they be useless, how can they be sold? Who will buy them?- Would the people of Tennessee buy an arm which was altogether worthless. doubt it.
 Permit me also to suggest, that think the object of the honorable Senator would be met by adopting a course something similar to this. Suppose, instead of directing the arms to be .all Al. Ol- L IL !