New-York tribune., 1872-03-25
THE FRENCH ARMS SCANDAL.
WHAT HAS BEEN PROVED

CATIONS. ..oxrvvr OF THE TRipuXBl |
iFEoA inh n>, - March Ex-senator Hamniis
" ~ So now been two weeks engage" IN 'no ~
-, ,,on Of the French arms scano",, anu 80
,,n two exceptions, all the witnesses o"n'" ~ c.
ad at the suggestion Of the majority OF .no wv"
'..oa an defense OF the Administration euouh" "
~, noon tound out to Indicate In some degree t"o
80, ., tio ,noury The subjects which the Cohihi'.eo
,crc expeced to investigate were louii0'" ~
uarent discrepancies had been discover"
,he accounts OF the War ana 're"su'y
..,oo,s ~ the moneys received ior "o
-, ora,anee stores sold during the French war;
80 between the sums raid by France ana those rc
cc,yed by tue United States It had been asset'" '
,ho sales had not been legally condncted ano 'na' %
"a hoen sold which the Department had no authoElp
d,s,ose az md II Was limited that L. E. officers bHu
a.a no ,hese sales; II had been charged that the
a,y laws were violated. and tho rule laid down ny
the Administration for Its own guidance ia the i'0
hrotep and aually that senators or other Aher
can citizens had been in unlawful COMMUNICATION WIN
the AGENTS or cmlssaries of foreign Governments
Taking these topics OF inquiry in Their "r'er 'ro In
,,,,,oe bovo first examined the Secretary OF war; o
Chief of Ordnance. his assistant ana cni.i . IN Wv
Ncv.York ri gent Of the Ordnance Bureau uo -
q, the Treasury and the United States treasurer o"e'
hookkcep,r AZ TO the disposition made OF moneys io
caxed for arms and ordnance stores sofa curing 'Ho
r,encb war The testimony of these gentlemen mas ex
ined every apparent discrepancy, ana accounted "r
every dollar ever received by the War Department lof
material sold. Tho testimony OF COL SdH'V'
tne NeW-York agent of tie house OF j. h'h'
ington a. sons has fully accounted ior INC
dia,r romeo between the sums Paid by France 10
us agent Remington aud those receivodb by The Um'eo
snes for arms sold the Roningtons or their agents
Samuel remington sold TO France not Only an .ne "i'
md ammunition sold by sthe War Department. pu' ''o
many arms Of his manufacture, and some Pui-
asea of prlyate firms aud in the possession OF
t uuited States All questions of discrepancies may
therefore, be considered as forever put to rest
The SECOND subject OF investigation was In relation 10
tbo ,ciitv Of the sales made by the War Department
ding the year ending June 90 ISL This brahcn oi 'uo
inquiry embraces two important questions: were INC
,,e.eouduoed according to law aud Was there legal
authority Tor the sale OF all the material disposed vi
TIE law of lss provides that old cannon arms ana
ol ordnance stores. which arc damaged VI Other"se
unsuitable the United states military service OF LOT
tie militia Of United sates" may he disposed OF AZ
private sale after being offered at public sale on 50 days
notice One OF the accusations was that le" Vi t"e
arms and stores sold were ever advertised OF oneieo :"
public sale In reply to this the officers oi the ordnance
Bureau testified that Gen SchO1ed. when secretary oi
War; gave u verbal construction of the law, to the enec
that II was unnecessary that each particular lot OF go"os
soid by the Ordnance Bureau should be adV'i'ei ana
offered at public SALE but that whenever any p"io u
given kind had been so offered the requirements
the law had been fulfilled, aud the Department might
90 I'm forever after and sell all the material OF tha' de-
scrptioa without pubc notice oil any khd. Ills con-
.tu..uon Of the law is considered TO be somewhat
strained and the Committee mas sent d o''oA ~ Wv "
s.lofcld asking him about II.
In regard legal authority 10 dispose OF 'er'a''
kinds OF arms considerable testimony has been glveu by
the officers Of the Ordnance Bureau Among tho sae'
made In ID ceu0er 1sO was one OF about ooVo p'e'"
tadiur gied muskes of the model Of 1866 and 10
supply requisite number of cartridges ioi ese VIC
Fraukford Arsenal cartridge works were put III opera
ton 10 their fullest capacity II held by MI Sumner
ard SchuZ, ia the debate that these Dreech-o"he
IDaskets. being good arms in the hands OF the un'ed
States troops at the they sold, and Infinitely
better muzzleloaders that have been issued TO
TIE militia OF the States the Secretary OF War Ia no
rgt sell them especially In view OF the fact tha' less
tan six before this sale was Effected, the Cei OF
Ordnance his aDnual report spoke Of the very same
s Aes continuing 20 give satisfaction, ana In his
next annual report after the sale, complained that he
less than 1900 heech-Oading muskets in the
sseenals, though there ought TO be at least a
million. IL also denied that the Government
had any right to manufacture cartridges for sale,
since they could in bo considered wien
they nrst camc OF the factory. either danaged
or "uusutabio for use" The officers OF the war De
parmcnt have defended the manufacture OF cartridges
an The Ground that was necessary in order to sell the
guns or 10 dispose OF the material OF which the cartridges
were composed without determining whether this Is
satisfactory reason the investigation has turned TO the
sao Of guns themselves On this point the testimony OF
te ordnance officers has been that rs soon as they OBJ
famed Of improved pattern all others became
Hobsolete" and might he sold as unsuitable" under
lhc law Of 1853 Two important facts in this con
uectoD, that have only been touched upon In
tic examination thus far, that tho mill
ia are all armed win muzzlelOadiug guns,
aud that DO breechlOadng arm has yet been peIlna-
Lcty adopted iOr The Of the army The last Board
convened examine muskets did not, indeed recon-
tie Spin ened at ALL but reported in favor Of
tie Remington, and Gen Sherman approved it's recon-
ucuatioD. II would 10 De good policy, at least
y Keep the breecbOading already hand, espe
s.y as Dyer has been all the time insisting that
model has
permanently adopted and enough manufactured to re-
psce them. The examination this point has not prob
ABLY concluded.
L. was asserted the SCI debate that the neurai
~ ws violated, and that the United States, having
ld down rule Of action for itself on the breaking out
Of the war, did live up to that rule. On tls point
more testimony been taken than any other. All
che witnesses agree that up to nooD October 49, 1870 the
Government had reason to suspect tna it was selling
erms to the agent Of France though all that they
supposed that the material disposed OF ultimately found
it way into the hands Of tho begeTenrs On that
Day, Just s'tcr the completion OF the sale OF s25OOO
woI,h Of as1hs and ammunition to Remington Sons,
bu before a dollar had been paid or gun delivered,
Gel Dyer and the Secretary OF War dispatch
which convinced them that Remington French
sgeut. Orders immediately given that moro
should be made 10 Renin gtOn but the first deposit
those already sold received two days later and
delivered mon. n and more later STILL The ques
ten whetherths discovery taken in connection with the
proclamation of ghe President the breaking out Of the
var, made il the duty OF the Secretary Of War
Lis night 10 cancel sale az this stage Of IT, is which
vii have 70 be seted by the lawyers OF the Senate.
1he aUti- Administration men say that 1t just
az wrong to deliver arms after the purchaser
known to be French agent TO contract 10 sell
them in the fret place, and that in the light of the known
Kelley laid down by the Administration, the discovery
Of Rcrnipsto relations to the French bad Tie
ssne effect on bis bargain that does on tTansao-