Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-02-23

States Government, through its agents,
committed worse than the wrong whlch
they charge upon England, for the purpose
of filing the pockets of the Presidents
nersonal military attaches OIL me Vino
House. Babcock, Porter and ingalls,. no"
much has passed from their pockets INTO
= still more august and fathomleSs pocket
only, est innate in the light Of former
transactions.
Are these allegations nothing but vague
rrllnors? They are based on no less au-
tboriiy than that Of the French Assembly
itself, which has adopted resolution ask
ING the United States government 10 Iur-
nisb the result of inquiry into the coilouc'
of American officials, suspected OF par'lel-
| Mating in the purchase OF arms Tor the
French government during the war with
| Germany.
And WHY does the French Assembly
| address such an enquiry to the Cmted
States government? Because the French
consul at New York, Victor Place, having
been tried in France for populations and
been found guilty, such damaging reveal
tons were made upon his trial that the
French government felt compelled to en-
ql.ire further into the matter.
That government paid about twelve
millions of dollars for the arms and ammu-
milton purchased, and the vouchers pro
| duced cover only about eight millions.
| What has become Of the other four? This
is what that government desires to find
! out.
Mr.. Summer, WHO loves President Grant
| rs much as the devil is said to love "holy
water" has presented in the Senate reso-
luton Of enquiry based upon the foregoing
facts. lie has, Of course, been bitterly ol'-
posed by the friends Of the administration,
who wish to smother all investigation. a
portion of the preamble casts much light
| upon the subject:
Whereas it appears from recent cable
! telegram that the committee OF the French
National Assembly on war contracts has
adonted a resolution asking the United
States Government to furnish the result OF
inquiry into the conduct of American OIL
Gals suspected Of participating III the puT-
chase Of arms for the French Government
during the war with Germany
And whereas one Squire, agent otNleSSrS.
Remington Il Sons, 1t New ork, III a
disDatch dated at New York, October :,
1919. addressed to Samuel Remington, at
Tours, in France, near the GoVernnent OF
National Defense, uses the following Ian
clage We have the strongest influences
working for us, which will use all their
efforts to succeed :"
Aud whereas, in a letter dated at New
York, December T., 1871, addressed 10y
Samuel Remington to Jules lie Ccsne, pre-
sident Of the armament committee at
Tours. in France. t!.3 following language
,, is employed:
; NEW Yol;N, December -, 1870.
SIR: / have the honor to inform you
( have received your telegram Of the lOtli
? and 18th. ordering the number of batteries
to be reduced in number to fifty and III
forming me OF instructions to the consul
regarding the last credit to him of 5000,
0GO francs.
Although ut the time ofthe receipt of tho
telegram | had bought the whole number
one hundred, and had paid the advance re-
CURED, 100000, the government very vii
, lingly reduced the number to fifty.
4
= Springfield rifles f,r better arms, Remins
), ton adds:
I This question Of an exchange, with In
very friendly feeling find existing 10 al
I France, / hope to he able to procure
- Cartridges for these forty thousand Will i
: a great measure require to be made, as III
= government have but about three million
q in land But the government has cor
n scented to allow tlc requisite number, lou
:, hundred for each gun, to bc made. and til
Il cartr.idoc-works have had orders given yes
terdav to increase production to the in
T. capacitv Of works. This question OF mai
w ing the cartridges at the Government wori
r was a difficult one to get over; but 1t
u done. The price the government W
CHARGE for the guns and cartridges viii /
I'd -, or as near that rs possible.
Of JULES LIE CESNE, Esq,
:. President Commission Of Ii9Hm2"E, Il
T. The next whereas f" consists Of ii lett
u of the Secretary OF War, Belknap, to Il
Secretary cf State, admitting that the cal
or ridges were manufactured at the Fran
fort Arsenal, under &pecidt order fro
r the Government. He denies that arms
- ammunition wee sold by the DEPARTING
on to the Remingtons otter it became know
" that thew We're agents for the French Go
Oh ernmcnt but he acknowledges that sal
were subsequently, made to ono Thorn
Richardson, who was, as Ar. Sunni
states, the known attorney of the Remin
tons Through this firm and one or tN
others, the French Government receive
- by their own statement, three hundred 81
tai sixty-eicht thousand small arms, besides
IN :, :; = .,4o+ =
lis known to all the world that it IS with the
he arms that the Army Of the Loire was arnt
~ and by this means the war was prolong
OF six months
Id The defence presented by the Admin
ire tration is that Tie Department id !
knOlv that the RomingtOns were buyi
TX, for the French Government dill not klt
ms, that Thomas Richardson was attorney
the Remingtons; did not hn05c that Scht
III Ter, Hartley & Graham, and Austin, Ba
IN win q Co., were purchasing for France
PaOr, innocent, ingenious, ursophsti
he ted Secretary Of War. lie did not ey
10 know. we troW, that u great war v
nv raging in Europe and that France neeC
i've arms. No doubt he believed that :
Richardson, a private individual not kno
to be a millionaire, was purchasing the
sands of rifles and millions of ball ca
ing ridges to shoot squirrels ana prairle CHI
res ems for his own amusement and when