Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-06-11
THE ADMINISTRATION DEFENDED

tensions OF one man.
THE ADMINISTRATION DEFENDED
Senator Carpenters Speech In the U. s Sen
atein Defence of President Grant
A Crushing Reply to Summers
Malignant Attacks.
In the United States Senate on
Monday, June Sd, Senator Carpenter
made long legal argument in reply
to MIR. Schurz's argument on Friday,
and in the defense of the report OF
the Arms Committee. He maintain
ed, as before, that there was no vio-
lation of the law, and no wrong of
any kind, in the sale of arms; and
against Schurz's opinion, that they
were in violation of international
law, he put the reported opinion Of
Bismark. that they were not.
Mr.. Carpenter said:
Mr.. President, this debate, which
was commenced by the Senator from
Massachusetts on Friday, night, was
not introduced here for the purpose
of discussing the question of the sales
Of arms. The subject was first in tro-
duced into the Senate for mere clap
trap and party purposes. 1t was not
to investigate facts. | say the whole
history 0, the transaction fairly juso
titles that statement. 1t was to
prejudice the administration, dissem-
mate calumny and falsehood through
out the country to injufe the nomi-
nation of Gen. Grant, which it was
feared, by few of his personal enc
mics, was certain to come; and de-
bate has followed here from the Sem
ator from Massachusetts in precisely
the same spirit. The Senator from
Massachusetts has been a long time
in public life. lie has been for many
years associated with those measures
which have finally triumphed and
ripened into success in the enfran-
chisement Of four millions of colored
people in this country. He has been
respected for many years by all
right-minded Union citizens. But it
has happened with him, as it has
happened with many men, that the
constant fumes of praise, from all
sources, both public and private, dali
ly and hourly, burning of Incense un-
der his nostrils, has turned his head
andhe no longer seems to be capable
Of investigating any question apart
from himself.
The speech of the Senator from
Massachusetts delivered on Friday
surpasses the effort of Burke in the
impeachment of Warren Hastings
in meaness and malignity as far as it
falls short of it in grandeur and elo-
quence. There is not Of record, there
is not in the English language such
an instance of exaggeration-exag-
geration mounting up to the full
measure of misrepresentation and
calumny-as that speech of the Sen.
ator from Massachusetts.
The Senator from Massachusetts,
asserts that the White House has
been turned into military head>
quarters. This single charge furnish
es an opportunity to show the mon.
strous exaggeration of that Sena-
tors speech. What are the facts p
The President has today in the White
House, in various employments, three
army officers, Gen. Babcock, a ma
ior of the Engineer Corps, assigned
under an act of Congress to discharge
the duties of public buildings and
grounds, has his room at the White
House, and occasionally assists the
President. Generals Dent and Port
er are aides de camp on the staff OF
Gen. Sherman. They were friends
and members Of the military family
of Gen Grant during the war
They admire him; they love him as
men who served with him; and the
General of the army, not needing
their services in this piping time of
peace" having help enough without
them, has simply left them to the
President. They 60 to the Presi-
den's house and assist him as his
Secretaries, without one cent of ad-
ditional pay;and if they were not do
ing that, they would be in the War
Department doing nothing That is
all there is of the military employees
around the White House. Andrew
Johnson had tour army officers de.
tailed for his assistance at the White
House. The War Department and
White House,as we'll as the residence
of Secretary Seward, were patrolled
by sentinels day and night. But
when Grant succeeded Johnson, he
issued an order Diminishing all these
sentinels from services at tie White
House and all at the War Depart
ment and all other public places
lmmeditely upon getting possession
of the Government, he ordered away
all the troops that were stationed
about Washington, and not compa.
nv of soldiers is on duty now. He
was near the Capitol. Here let me
say that this speech of the Senator
from Massachusetts, is not to be esti-
mated as you would estimate 9
speech thrown off in the heat of an
extemporaneous DEBATE His wrath
was carefully distilled. His speech
was composed at an immense ex'
peDse of midnight oil. 1t was writ
ten; it was printed in pamphlet form
long before il came into the Senate
1t was read by the Senator from
printed slips at his desk, 1t was {
deliberate arraignment, and what il
here, is either deliberate truth or de
liberate falsehood-one or the other
When be alleges,as he does here, tina
to the dishonor of the civil servic'