New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-25
THE SALE OF ARMS
MR.. SCHURZ IN THE SENATE
A SENATORIAL CABAL

In the Senate, last Wednesday, debate
| sale Of aims to the French.
Mr.. Schurz said the weakness of a cause
is apt to disclose itself by the nature of the
arguments used IN its support. When we
| hear a case advocated BY insinuations and
inuendoes with regard to the motives Of
those who have taken the other side, we ara
| very apt to suppose that there must be
| something wrong Nobody who has listened
| to the speeches of the Senators from Indi-
ana and New York Morton and Conkling)
would deny that the general rule applies to
the present matter. The Senator from In
diana (MortOn) tried to convince the Senate
! that there could be no suspicion connected
| with the sale OF arms by this government
to certain persons, because every road out
! of the Republican party led into the Demo-
! cratic, [laughter] and because the plat
| form of the Missouri Liberals does not
accord with his views, and must therefore
be unrepublican and radically wrong and
because he is in favor of the reelection of
General Grant, and is sure to have it,
[Laughter.i
The Senator from New York (Mr, Conk-
ling) whom l very sincerely regret not to
see in his seat after his gallant exploit of
yesterday, followed in the footsteps of the
Senator from Indiana. He tried to con
vince us that the sales of arms must neces-
sarily be free from blame, because there is
no impression abroad that there is mill
tary ring in this country: and because there
is an impression of the existence of Sepa-
tOrial cabal bent ON destroying this admin
istration; and because the Democrats are
circulating in New Hampshire the speeches
of certain Republican Senators in order to
defeat the administration party there. Now,
sir, l will not deny that these things were
very eloquently expressed, and might have
beer very proper elsewhere, but certainly
they did not throw much light On the ques
ton now under discussion, aud | should be
glad to pass them over did I not desire
to devote very few Of my remarks
to enc thing said BY that Senator
With an air of triumph he held up
pamphlet purpOrting to contain one of
nv speeches, saying that it was circulated
by the Democratic party in New Hamp-
shire, and was producing greater effect
than any other document. l have since in
qured into that matter, and what do You
think that pamphlet cOntains2 1t contains
the speeches of Senators from Illinois,
Massachusetts and Nebraska, and myself,
and they are speeches denOuncing the cor
ruption prevailing in the Customhouse in
New York. If such things work against
the success of the administration party,
then the fault does not lie with those who
ucnOunce the corruption.
1t is those sycophants who, by covering
up every abuse, ever So glarlng, and de-
Tending every violation Of the law, ever SO
scandalOus. who have brought the COM
to the pass where we now
find it.
Yes, there is a senatorial cabal upon this |
floor. 1t is that cabal which defeated the |
San Domingo scheme; it is that cabal which |
forced the investigation of corruption in the !
New York Customhouse: it is that cabal !
which exposed those abuses, and rendered |
necessary their reformation. And let me |
tell the Senate that those speeches of ours |
would not have produced the least effect on |
the Republican voters of New Hampshire, !
if it could have been said at the same time |
that those abuses, which were laid open in |
all their deformity whole year ago, had |
been abolished, and if it could have been
denied that Leet and Stocking were at that |
still plundering the merchants of |
New York.
Mr.. Schurz then said that the subject be-
fore the Senate, stripped of all personal
matters, raised three questions. The first !
was, what was done in accordance with the
-ule of conduct laid down by the govern
nent for it's own actionf The. rule that no
,rms should be sold TO any known agent of |
either belligerent. The second was, what
was done in accordance with the laws of
he countrys The third, is there, in the
acts as they stand before us, any ground