The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-02-16

lery, the presumption was that he aid mo-
want them tOiscare blackbirds, and XII
geese In u pond. Laughter Whel
Remington applied for 10000 m,lskets
and 100000 cartridges, ii was at leas
certain that u great change had taket
place in tho market for arms, and Il waI
the duty OF the government 10 be more
than ordinary circumspect In the disposa
10y Its ordnance stores. He would not say
that the Secretary Of War knew at frs
that Remington was an agent Of tht
French government, but he soon after
wards disclosed himself US such. The
reports to the French government showed
that all the lots farms sold here, went tc
France. Ir.T' -
Mr. CoNEbtHd denied this, and said
that Senator ScnURz knew very well that
France and Prussia did not constitute the
only, or even the chief market for arms In
chrlstcndom at thattime.
MIR. SCIURz said tho investigation would
show that al least an overwhelming ma
jortty Of the arms went to Franco.
MIR. CoNELING-There Is difference
between all and an overwhelming ma.
jority. m. .7 To
ME'ScHURz read from Mr.. Rcninrtor's
letter Of December 13, 1870. His state.
ment was that he had bought 80 batteries,
tSc., and said that this showed Remington
to have been negotiating with the govern.
ment after he had declared himself to be
French agent Because after the en-.
dorscment oi Remington rs a gentleman d
high character yesterday by the Senator
from New York, CoNKLING) It would not
do to explain away his statement IN this
letter by saying he was trying TO magnify
his Importance In thecycs Of the French
Mr.. CoNKnING said he had not vet en-.
dorsed Remington as gentleman OF high
character, but he could not deny that lie
might do 80 ifit should become necessary.
Mr. SoHURz thought that the circum.
stances to which he was calling attention
seemed to make ii necessary. .
T. MIR. CONKLING asked whether MIR.
ScnuRa meant to say or imply that Rem.
inglton's letter necessarily meant thGt he
had made purchases in persong The Ian.
guage OF the letter would be Just us true
and appropriate If he had done business
through the agents, and we had the word
ofthe Secretary Of War that no arms were
sold to Remington by the department al
ter about the the middle Of October, 1870.
MIR. SCIURz said he was willing TO let
the letter go before the country without
further comment he then discussed the
sales to Richardson, the alleged attorney,
by Remington & Sons. Richardson, he
said, was q lawyer Of Lion, New York,
and that he had ordered 80, 900 muskets.
What q bilicose lawyer? Laughter. |
What did little country lawyer want
with $4,000 musketsg Here surely was
exceedingly strong ground for suspicion
on the part Of the War Department.
Plainly there had been a blindness, com.
pared with which the blindness of mole
would be clairvoyance, Laughter,l or
else there had been transparent jugglery,
and in either case an investigation was
necessary. Remington had since gone to
France carrying with him a certificate
Of character from the Secretary of War,
endorsed, as he (SCHURz) was informed,
by the Senator from New York (Mr.
CoNKLING). ..| |..0..
Dir. CoNKLING denied that he had en-.
dorsed any letter written by anybody
else for Remington, and stated that he
had written letter himself, saying, so
far as he had ever known the character
OF Remington Brothers commercially and
personally, it was good, and their stand.
ing enviably high in the community in
which they had always lived. He had
written letters at the request OF MIR. Rem
ington, who had told him that his charac.
ter had been questioned abroad. Mr..
Remington had also stated that in
stead ol having special facilities
given him by theua Government Of
the United States, he had been
questioned, impeded and batfled in
in his transactions in arms In manner,
and to an extent beyond anything to
which he had ever known citizen ol
any other country TO be subjected, and
when his character was questioned abroad
he applied TO officials Of the War De.
partment for letter certifying to the
Iacts, which appeared on their records.
They declined to give it on the ground
that they did not want to be dragged into
matters Of that kind, and would only con.
sented TO certify that he had had large
transactions in arms with the Department
and had been found trustworthy. 10
Mr. ScnURz thought it very odd that an
agent who wanted certificate OF good
character 10 enable him to get into good
society abroad should apply Tor ii al the
War Department. Laughter.
MIR. CONKLING then asked the Senator
II he understood him to say that Mr.. Rem.
ington wanted certificate to introduce
him into good society abroad.
MIR. SCHURz-No sir. So far from sun.
posing that he wanted that certificate 10
get him into good society, l believe that
he wanted 1t to help him In settling his nc.
counts with the French government. Fur.
thcr It was an act of very questionable
propriety for the Chief OF Ordnance or the
Secretary Of War TO give u certificate OF
character TO aman who had been virtual.
ly turned out OF the department US n
French agent o short time before.
MIR. CoNKLING said the certificate was
given this wintcr-long after the end oI
the war. ..-... ..l'
Mr.. ScnURz-Ycs. it was given alter
the first trial Of NJ. Place had ended, and
after Remington had got into difficulty
with tic French government about lis
army credentials. Mr.. SCHURZ then
spoke of the difference between the
amount paid by the French for arms and
that received by the War Department,
and asked where the money had gone.
After the endorsement of Remington by
such high authorities, il would not do 10
suppose that he had stained his hands
with it. He (ScuURz) did not know
where it had gone, but the investigation
would probably show. It was no use 10
attempt.to ignore the suspicious excited
on this subject at home and abroad. The
honor Of the nation required that the mat.
| fer should be inyestiUatad A vaor n,o