The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-02-22


he had voted against the amendments
because he feared they would defeat the
bill. -,.s. ,..1
Mr.. MoRToN-"How did the Senator
know that 1t would defeat the bill; thai
two or three additional votes would have
saved the amnesty bill with all the amend.
ments on 1t, but that the amnesty bill was
not q party measure; and when tho Scnn.
tor from Missouri (Mr. SCIrURz) refers IA
that bill as the only measure on which he
has voted with the Republican party since
the first Monday in December, 1870, it Is
contessing that upon oil other questions
Tor the last fifteen, months, he has voted
solely with'the Democratic party.
Mr.. SCuURz: can tell the Senator an.
other political question on which | voted
with the Republican party: The resolu.
tion TO investigate the abuse Of the New
York Custom House. Laughter.
MIR. MORTON: The Senator did vote in
lavor of that, but / regret that he has i'm
paired tho force OF that instance very
much for think that lie himself has con.
tributed to make the country believe that
the majority here were opposed to that
investigation. l am glad, even at this late
day, to recti(y that huge calumny sent
abroad over the country. s7
Mr.. ScHURz said he would mention
another subject Of civil service reform.
Laughter. - 80
MIR. MOTION said that Mr.. ScHURz had
introduced civil service reform bill
which had not been considered with favor,
but he (MoRToN) would predict that when
there should come up a political measure
as civil service reform before the Senate,
sustaining the President, Senators SCHURz
and TRUMBuLL would be found voting
against it.
MIR. TRUMBULI-Does Senator MORTON
forget that the system inaugurated by the
President, was inaugurated on, and an
amendment offered by me to an appro.
priation bill in the last Congress, and that
when the President in his message an.
nounced what he proposed to do, + took
occasion to express my qualification at 1t.
Mr.. MORTON said the President had
acted on the amendment offered to an
appropriation bill, but the system adopted
by the President had not received the
appreciation OF the Senate.
MIR. TRuMBULI: Repeated that those
who meant to sustain the Republican
principles must stand by the party. The
Liberals seemed TO have an idea that the
Democrats would come over 10 them, but
they would soon discover their mistake.
The mountains would not go to Moham.
med. The Liberals would find them
selves dissolved in the Democratic party
like flies in vinegar. Laughter.
Mr.. MORTON then discussed the ques.
tion Of the sales of arms. The carcass OF
the resolution, he said, now lay exposed
to the public gaze, exhaling the most un.
wholesome odors arising from the I'M
truthful character Of It's preamble, and
from its hostile purpose. The movers OF
it had labored hard TO create suspicion,
which they acknowledged to be their
highest ambition; but the attempt was
IN inglorious failure. They had aban.
doncd one after another the positions
they had taken ut the beginning.
They had started out with a dis.
crcpancy Of $l,7O0,00O, but the dis.
crepanCy had disappeared. The Senators
from Missouri and Massachusetts (Messrs.
SCHURz and SUMNER) had admitted il all
the way. The Senator from Missouri
(Mr. ScIURz) had yesterday substantially
given up the charge of the illegal manu-.
iacture of cartridges at the United States
workshop. He saw that the Senator
shook his head, but II he had the Sena.
tors speech he would prove what he said.
The Senator had also omitted yester-
day all reference TO the job and mill.
tarY ring, the President being out
question the Senator (Mr. SCnURz)
had himself eXonerated the Secretary of
War, and nobody remained to bear the
blame Of any wrong that might have
been done but the Chief Of Ordnance.
But no wrong had been done, nor did any
ground exist for even suspecting wrong
doing. The arms were OF discarded
pattern and therefore might properly be
sold under the law. The Senator, (Mr.
SCHURz) had made a sensa6on statement
yesterday about the quickness with which
certain arms had passed from the De-
partment into the hands OF the French,
saying that within twenty.iOur hours
from the time OF the sale by the Depart
ment, twenth per cent had been paid on
them by the French Government at New
York. Now, the fact was that this pay
ment had to be made within twenty
hours by the rule Of the Department, but
1t was madeto the department by mer-
chants who purchased, and il the French
agent at New York repaid them the
amount 1t had nothing to do with our
Government.
Ia conclusion, Mr.. MORTON said that
the last miserable shred Of this pretended
case had been swept away. The movers
of the preamble and resolution, had at
tempted to cancel their design under the
cover ofzeal for the honor and purity Of
our government, but he had chosen to 90
behind the veil and express their real
object. .-
MIR. scHURz said the Senator from In.
diana, (MoRToN) had chosen to assert that
the case had all been swept away.
Mr.. CoNKLING's amendment was modi.
fed by substituting tho words "agent or
officer for "spy or emisary, .andit was
then adopted-yeas 40; nays 1.
Messrs. SPRAGuE and SUMNER proposed
to withdraw the preamble so that the
Senate could vote directly on the resolu.
tion, but Mr.. SHERMAN objected, and the
VICE. PRESIDENT decided that the pream-
BILE was part Of the resolution and could
not be withdrawn.
Mr.. HARLAN offered an amendment
directing the Committee TO investigate
the sales OF arms for the whole fiscal
year, and emitting the direction To in.
quire who werc the real parties in the
interest adopted. y
Mr.. TRUMBULL said that it was desirable
that the investigation should he conducted
by a committee, the members Of which
were in favor Of it; and as the adoption
OF Mr.. CoNKLINa's amendment. would
make it improper for the mover Of this
investigation to set upon the committee
he thought 1t would be better to pass the