The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-03-12

keen and clear.headed statesman. Ac-
cording to correspondent he was recent
ly accused of excluding the Roman
Catholic party from its proportionate
share in the Government, and the demand
was openly made for Catholic repre-
sentation in the ministry. To this he
replied, that he would exclude no one
from Office upon the ground Of his being
Catholic; but, in fidelity to constitu-
tional government, he must and would
resist the appointment of any one to
political Office as a concession to his re-
ligious 5elief-that would be 10 change
the State itself from constitutional to n
confessional government the adherents
of each religious confession must be care
fully numbered, and proportionally repre-
sented in the ministry and his Catholic
critics might some day find themselves
under Jew as prime minister--that
race having always evinced a marked
aptitude for statecraft This stroke Of
wit moved the whole House to hilarity.
Bismarck then put the case into this nut
shell: He would gladly welcome a
Catholic as colleague but the Catholics
insisted upon making themselves a pure
ly confessional party upon purely political
grounds party which found it impossi-
BILE to separate political concerns from the
standpoint of its own confession it up.
pealed to electors as Catholics, upon the
grounds of their faith, and for the inter-
ests Of that faith alone; and upon these
grounds it had arrayed itself against the
Government both in Prussia and in Ger.
many at large. But in constitutional
government the ministry, being formed
for political affairs and ends of public
welfare alone, must DC substantially .
unit in its politica! policy and such 6
government could not recognize an eccles
iastico-political party as having any
claims upon the State or any function il
State affairs.
The HOUSE SALE OF ARMS lNvEsTdA
rIoS.-The House Investigating Commit
tee on the Sale of Arms on Thursday ex
amined Major s. p. Benet of the Ordi
nance Department. He disclaimed al
knowledge of purchases of arms on behal
Of either France or Prussia, but admitted
that the war between those powers slim
ulated the demand for arms in this coun
try on speculation. He testified that tn,
minimum quantity Of arms to which tn,
stores of Government had been reduced
that year was about 100000 stand o
suitable arms and 450, 900 of unsuitable
He remembers that Baron Gerolt cam,
to the Office and spoke in regard to hav
ing q sale postponed two or three days il
order to allow some German houses t,
bid. That is all the connection with an,
foreign government that the witness knew
Of. He knew Of no protest of the Ger
man Government against the sale of arms
He should have known it had it bee
made. No cartridges were made 70
Remington & Co. if any were furnishe
g. them, they were from the many mil
lions left over from the war. He don
know Of any evidence prior to the dispatc
mentioned 10 the Senatorial debate, tina
Remington & Son we're agents of tn
French Government. There was no rea
son to suppose that any of the parties t
whom the sales we're made meant to re
sell either to Germany or France, excer
that it was apparent that they meant I
sell on speculation. The report of tn
Secretary named all the principal sales {
arms but there were several small sale
which we're not mentioned 10 detail. n
officer of the Ordnance or War Depar
m.nts Of the United States Governmer
was interested, directly or indirectly,
the way Of commissions Or otherwise,
the GALES of these arms. To his knowledg
nor bad he any reason for believing TIL
such was the case.