The weekly standard. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-23

4 haps he did not understand its signif.
cation, 8 II this word has any meaning
as applicable to the subject, it is that
Mr.; Floyd had issued the order to Cap
tain Maynadier after his Office hadex-
pired. Beithis as it may, the object is
palpable Tt was to show that Mr.
Buchanan had suffered his administers
ton to terminate leaving the sposthu-
nous" erderof Governor Floyd infull
force until after Mr.. Lineolf's acces.
sion. and that it would even then have
been carried into execution but for the
generals lucky interposition. SIS /.
GENERAL scoTTs UNFoUNDED CLAIM TO THE
CREDIT OF PREVENTING THEIR SHIPMENT
SOUTH. ..5J
The general, In his letter to the Ma
tional hatelligencer of I'd of December,
1852, attempts to excuse this deplora-
BILE want of memory to the prejudice Of
Mr.. Buchanan. Whilst acknowledge
II ing ng his error in having said that the
eountermand of Mr.. Floyd's order was
in March, instead Of early in the pre-
vious january, he insists that this was
an immaterial mistake, and still actual
~ claims the credit of having preven-
ted the shipment of the cannon can
imma'terial mat mistaken Why, time was
Of the very essence Of the charge
against Mr.. Buchanan. Itwas the al
legged delay from January until March
in countermanding the order, which
afforded any pretext for an assault ON
his administration. After his glaring
mistake had been exposed, simple JUS
tice, not to speak Of magnaniimiittyg it
would have required that ne should re-
tract d h his error in avery different spirit
and manner from that which he has
employed. ,sairgI 70 a9Il 81 adG
tt issdue to Col Msynadier t. civ give
his hi own explanation, for having obeyed
the order order Of Secretary Floyd. d In his
letter to the Potter Committe in the
House of Representatives, dated 3rd
February, 1852, he says: I'm truth it
never entered my mind at this time
Goth December 186OD that there could
be any improper motive or object in
the order, for on the question Of I'M
ion and secession Mr.. Floyd was then
regarded throughout the country as a.
strong advocate of the Union and OPP
ponent to'secessions He had recently
published, over his own signiture, in IN a
Richmond paper, q letter on the. sub
iect, which gained him high crediS at
the North for his boldness in rebuking
thepernicious views ofmany in his own
State" l.5ss
REMOVAL OF OLD MUsKETs. sef bs8
The committee, then,a in the third
place, extended back their inquiry into
the circumstances under. which Secre-
tary Floyd had a year before, in De-
cember, 1859, ordered the removal Of
one-ffth of the. old percussion and
lint-lock muskets from the Spring
field armory, where they had accumu-
lated in inconvenient numbers, to FIVE
Southern arsenals. The committee,
after examining Col Craig, Capt. May
nader, and other witnesses, merely re-
ported to the House the testimony
they had taken, without in the slight
est degree duplicating the conduct of
Secretary Floyd. Indeed, this testi-
mony is wholly inconsistent with the
existence of any improper motive on
his part He issued the order to Col:
Craig December 20, 1857, almost a
year before Mr., Lincoln's election,
several months before his nomination
at,Chicago, and before the Democratic
party had destroyed its prospects Of
success BY breaking up the Charleston
Convention. Besides, Secretary Floyd
was at the time, as he had always been,
antopen and davowed opponentiof secesl
sion. Indeed, long afterward, when
the question had assume more seri-
Gus aspect, we are informed, as al
ready stated BY Capt, Maynadier, that
he had in Q Richmond paper boldly re-
buked the advocates Of this pernicious
doctrine. The order and all the pro
ceedings under it we've duly recorded.
The arms were not to be removed in
haste, but ssfroln time to time as may
be most suitable for economy and
trans spertation, and they, were to be
distributed among the arsenals. sin
proportion to their respective means
and proper storage. All was OPEN
II transacted, and the order was car
RED into execution BIZ the Ordnance
Bureau according to the usual course
of the administration, without any
reference to the President e
THEIR vAYrTr