The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-03-07
oTTUMwA wAPELLo COUNTY, IOWA THURSDAY MARCH 1879


THE FRENCH ARMS CASE
Tho Washington correspondent oi
tho Springfield (Mass.) Repablicaa,
an anti-Grant, Liberal Republican
paper, writes Of tho great debate a.
as follows.
ut doesn't sccm to me that the
Last movement Of tho snt,-Grant Re
puhlicsns in the Senate has been q
success. One or two effective specch.
es were made on that side, but Mr..
Snmner's opening epeech was Ger
iafDly failure, and, unless | am
greatly mistaken, the invectigation
will prove q failure. Tho weak spot
in the iHdictment is, that It deals 30
largely in mere suspicion. = =
Already some Of the material allcga.
tiOns OF the Sumnei resolutions have
been explained away; the charge OF
Discrepancy in the accounts, for 10.
stance, and the iatimation that tue
administration was inclined secretly
20 favor Franco, or 10 sslI guns at the
risk of violation of the neutrality
laws. does not lind favor among the
Republicans here, whether they like
or dislike General Grant. Almost ali
thcre is left of the resolution IL the
hint that somebody connected with
the government was in tho arms
speculation. This Is aimed st Cen
sral Ingalls,, it is said; yet he tells bis
friends here that he had nothing
whatever to do with tho sale OF arms,
and no doubt he will swear to il be-.
fore the committee, and thus IL will
fall to the ground. It must DO re-
mem bored that there are some things
10 this world which cannot be PROV cd,
aud it is hardly worth the while of y
Ean like Mr.. Sumner to be hunting
down all the Washington rumors
which affect Porter, Babcock, lngells
aud company. = At any
rate, I predict that thisinvestigation
will prove failnre, and If it does. il
will strengthen General GraLt. -
= The Senate Chamber has not been
so crowded for years as il was this
afternoon TO listen to Mr.. Schurx's
speech, aud the effort was exceed
ingiy ingenious and able, yet 1t was
not entirely successful. The people
do not believe that Secretary Belk-
nap esrelessly aud neglige9stYsyi yiola-
ted the nsAtrAlitY, lAwa9 10 fUaapt
that kind ofa man q truth heh
practically tho most conscientious
member Of the Cabinet, and he u surl
prised and panied at the great debate
over his acts. He knows, however,
that the attack ID not rcally aimed
ut him, but at the President, who is
responsible for the acts OF his subor-
dinates. Mr.. Schurx was then, both
successful and unsuccessful. He
made splendid speech and replied
effectively TO Conkling and A,rton,
and yet to night not . hundred per-
sons who listened to him really be-
lieve that the Administration is
guilty OF = violation Of the neutrality
laws in the sales Of arms.
6Sil1aYs 7ss5i1s1y.
The HOuse committee ON expendi-
lures Of the War Department yee-
terday received testimony from SEQ
rotary Bclknap showing that the
sale of arms to the French was
stopped BY orders in Octcber, 1870,
ut which time he first discovered
Remington was agent for the French
government.
General Bclknap repeated over
and over again TO General Dyer that
no sales should bo mado to any agent
Of tho French or Prussian Govern
ments. No arms were sold to any
agent of the French Government to
his know ledge. lie has already
stated that the amount realized from
the sale Of arms was So. 7l9 942, and
of this sum s., 4s2 1868 had been do.
posted IA per certificates on 6Ie.-
Sl2o, 600 was reported in the hands
Of the depositors on the 30:h of June,
1871, and the balatce was expended
for preparing them for sale, fitting
them up, &c.
In reply to tho question of the
chairman as to the discrepancies be-
tween the accounts of the War and
Treasury Departments, Secretary
Belknap'said that he was aware OF
none, and at the cloee of the fiscal
year OF tho War Department, it was
the eame as that of the Treasury De-
partmont, namely, on the 30Lh OF
June.
The interogatory was put, do you
know Of your own knowledge that
any government officers are interest.
cd in the sale Of arms, directly or
otherwise =?
Answer-I do not. A very strong
statement or intimstion in connec-
tion with this matter was made to
me by the Marquis de Chambrun on
the goth of last January. l asked
him to name the person and when
we wero together in a.privste room
asked him to name such person OF
to make . statement over his sigma
,ure or any statement by which ]
could convict Of fraud any one ol
these officers or other persons con
nccted with the government, but hs
did not do 60. 1 kept memoran
dunn Of tue statement that he die
make but that contains nothing from
which / can obtain information re
lative to any ofticor of the govern
ment.
] begged him to give me speci6
inf nation but be had none. Gu
conversation went further but l 90
nothing bearing upo, the point.
The chairman said be had invite
Mr.. Sumner to appear and to Civ
) any facts that he might have to 0
fer but he had not come forward.