The Republican journal., 1871-02-09

to secession and union as we'll as anybody in the
whole country, cheerfuly set about the business Of
carrying out the order, though it was not in writ
ing, and testified that he had no suspicion Of any
improper object or motive in it. In fact and in
truth, Floyd was not, in sentiment or in actiop,
secessionist until after he saw that the breach he
tween himself and the President, which originated
in other matters, was irreparable. Up to the time
when he got notice that he must resign, he Wa
steadily opposed to the Southern movement, ami
the bitterest enemies he had were the leading men
of that section. Colonel Maynadier says that ''he
was regarded throughout the country as strOng
advocate Of the Union and opponent OF secession,
and he adds confirmation of this that she hat!
recently published over his own signature IN
Richmond paper letter en- this subject, which
gained him high credit in the North for his hft-
ness in rebuking the pernicious views OF many in
his own State" Arcr he found the whole Admin
istration against him. he was driven ny stress "t
necessity into the ranks OF the party which he had
previously opposed
| The great aud important fact to which the reso-
luton of the House directed and confined the at
tention of the committee, and which is made PER
fecty clear by the evidence, You do not refer 10 a.
all, but keep it carefully out of sight from begin
ming to end Of your statement. The question was
and is, whether the Secretary of War under the
| Buchanan Administration did at any time snbSc-
quent TO the first of January. 1860 treacheronsy
dispose of guns and munitions for the purpose rt
giving to the South an advantage in tue war Whi.u
the leaders in that section intended to make again.
the Federal Government This was the ''rUmor
! speculation, and misapprehenson'' to which Ia"
chairman of the committee alluded; this j. sub
stantially what the partisan newspapers and stump
orators have asserted and reasserted over and over
again, until thousands of persons in every part o
| the country have been made to believe it: this j.
what you meant by your first article. and whs!
YOU persist in and reaffirm by your last. Now eX
| anime the facts. There was law almost eoefa
with the government. for the distribution OF arm-
among the different States, according to their rep
resentaon in Congress, for the use OF their mil'
| tia. Under this law the Ordinance Bureau, win
| out any special order from the head Of the depart
ment, gave TO each State that applied for ii her
| l,,A - ff,.h
tern and make provided for the regular army.
During the year 1860 the number OF musketS
dstrl uted was exactly s,423. of which the South.
ern States received 2O9l, while the Northern States
got nearly three times that number, TO wit, 6,;'3..
Some long-range rides of the army calhre were
distributed. The aggregate number amounted 10
1,12S, and they all went to Northern States eNcepG
1jS about half enough for enc regiment, which
were divided between Virginia. Kentucky. Ten
nessee. North Carolina Mississippi, and loai,i-
ana, the other States OF the South receiving noHe
Why did YOU conceal these facts Iou knew them,
and you could not he but see their strict reevan
cy and great Importance. Perhaps YOU did NOT
know that the suppresso veri is as bad As the ss-
gesto tasl, and thought it fair to make out erim-
inal charge agast dead rebel by keeping back A'
much Of the truth a. did not suit your purpose.
The fact that the Southern States neglected 10
take their proper and lust quotas, which they
might have got for the asking, satisfied the COM
mittee, and no doubt fully convinced you, that there
could have been no fraudulent combination in 1860
between them aud the War Department to rob the
Government of its arms for their benefit. Thai
concluded the whole case, since it was impossible
for sane man to believe that such plot could
have been formed and acted upon at a previons
time and yet had no existence in the year mmpdi-
ately preceding the war. Nevertheless, the com
mittee went back, and it was proved that in 1917.
before any war apprehended-before the elfr-
ton of Lincoln was dreamed of--before the divi>
len of the Democracy, which made his election
possible with million majority against hlln-~
Floyd ordered transfer OF l5,ooo mllsketS from
/ Northern to southern arsenas. This You parade
i with great flourish evidence of most wicked
robbery. But here we lind yon again at the di~n-
/ genuous business Qs not that q soft phrase:l oI
| keeping back truth which would have spoiled ;h5
force of Your story. These arms were all worth
less and unservceable We had 5o0,0An of them:
they numbered the Northern arSenals. and onnId
not be used; 4 law had been passed to autho1iI-
the sale Of them; they were offered for year at
two dollars and fifty cents apiece, about one-teng'i
the price Of good gun. and they could not be 90
OF. Twice 4 considerable number were sold, t'ut
the purchasers upon further examination rei'iN'I
to take them. OF these 100000 condemned uG,
kes. the Secretary of War in 1852 ordered HOOD
to be sent to the South, doubtless for the mere
venience of storage. To '.weapou the rebellion
with arms like these would have insured its t--
struction the instant its forces came into the pre-
ence of troops having the improved modern gun III
} their hands. Floyd could not have done greater
injury 10 the southern cause than this wonld have
been. Nor is il possible 10 believe that southern
leaders would have cnnSpired with him 10 purluin
these useless arms in 1859, and then, in lStA de
clined to take the share that legally belonged -
them of the best milShets aud rifles ever invented
All these laPlS appear III Inc evidence reported ~
the committee, from which yon pretend 10 t'n mdh-
ing fair aud candid citations, aud YOU say not
word about them
If You were "a mere lawyer" or Auy lawyer at
ALL and would go before judicial tribunal mutt
aing the truth after this fashion, You would fn.
mediatey be expelled from the prote sion. and ~
lndge would ever permit YOU to open yonr lnanllt
in q court of justice again f yon would appear
AZ witness, and in that character testify 10 thu
contents OF written document i'll the WAY you
have set out This report 10 YOUR readers it might
l,a l flA
which | will not shock sour polite eAr> by msn-
tioning
Mr. Cobb while Secretary of the Treasury per-
formed his lnties with singular purity. upright
ness and ability. No enemy has ever ventirei -
point out single public act tone in that depart
men by him of which the wisdom, The tawfulnes>,
or the honesty could be even doubted. The dis
joned and loose accusation Of your first paper ina
piled that by some official delinquency he had par
posey disorganized the fiscal machinery OF IN
Government, or otherwise perpptraled some NAH
couS mischief on The public credit. Now. ho"e'-
er, you reduced to the old and neveraillnS ir'
sort Of unreasonable utterances; something th1i
he said in private conversation had The eier' 81 IL
ljuring the credit Of the nitea States. What va.
lit: 1t is well known that the prices OF all secHrl.
ties, public and private, began 10 go down immeti-
ately upon the Presidential election OF lSt7 aud
continued going down for years afterwards. l.
this attributable to the reasonable utteranEes 81
Thomas, and Dix. and Chase: But what is The u,t
of pursuing such subject: Mr.. Cobb wsS deaf
and you felt sort OF necessity tor doing some i2
spite upon his grave. This feeble abSilrtity wa
all you could do.
| considered myself bound to defend Mr. STAN
ton against the praise which described his chara,-
ter az infamous Down to the time Of his aposta1y
we were close and intimate friends, and though
knew him as well Is man could be known t.
ano' her. | do not claim that he owed me any
thing: for 1 made no sacrifices of myself or
body else to serve him. | advanced him in hi,
profession and thereby improved his fortune, hnI
he got nothing in that way for which he did moi
render equivalent services. ! strove long amt ut
last successfully, to remove the preudiceS OF Mr..
Buchanan and others against him, because |
thought them unjust, and because it was inconven-
lent for me that the President should not trust
man in whom had unlimited confidence. rr
commended him pressiuoly for PostmaSter-Geue1
al upon the death Of Mr.. Brown solely for the rra-
son that the exigencies of the public service in that
department required Il man OF his great ability and
Industry. | caused him to he appointed Attorney
General, because knew Tor thought knew that
he and were in perfect accord on all que-tion-.
whether of law or policy, which he might have Ia
dcrl with, and because was sure that he wonil
handle them not only with fidelity but with con-
summatc skill. But though he was not in my debt,
the apparent warmth of his nature mpellcd him
to express his gratitude in most exaggerated lau-
guage. After he took office uutcr the l.ncou Adj.
lministraton our paths liyerged so widely that
did not often see him. When did, he sometimes
overwhelmed me, ss before. with hipcibol'cSi de-
monstrations OF thankunesS and friendship. II
his feelings ever changed, he "dipd and made u'
sign that was visible to me.
Here let me record my solemn declaration, thaI
| never saw a.ivthing di>honorahle in his conduct
while | was associated with him. lie never dis
appointed me while he was employed under Iut.
xyhila collpartIpS in office and he