New-York tribune., 1872-02-15

A SLEEPY CONVENIENT WAltbs
[BY TBLsGRAPH TO THE TaIDUNBl
WASHINGTON, Wednesday, Feb H. le'2
Tae Administration attorneys in the Senate are to De
congratulated for thing; they have learned "Isuom
from their experience OF last December and Whch lr
Sumner asked them to take up his resolution relating 10
the sale of to France, to-day, with one or t"o
exceptions they all gave him their hearty support One
OF two WHO feared shat consideration would lead to
a political debate, which TO be bete NOR to them
aud Mr. Cole, who always presses an appropriation Dill
in and out OF season, desired 1t to 90 over MI
Summers speech on the resolution was long and rather
diuse lacking that point and convincing direetness
which characterized the preamble and resolution
Though he had known lof tho leading facts for many
months tho continuous study which he has given to his
Civil Rights bill had evidently prevented him from
arran ging facts their strongest light, and fory
ing his positions in such way as TO be able TO reply
promptly TO questions which were put to him.
The documents which he produced seem 20 establish
several important facts, which may not readily
appear the regular report OF his speech One of these
IL that our Government sold to persons whom IL
knew ought 10 have suspected TO be the agents or
France, that nation being at with Prussia, with
which then az peace The circumstances were
these Remington sons purchasers Of great guam
titles OF OF the United States up to October loO
when Secretary Belknap informed that by their own
testimony they the agents of Franco Sales to
them then suspended and their bids refused but
Richardson, lawyer Of Hon. N Y, renewed the bids
made others in their places, and the arms and
car ridges sold to him. Now, the Government does
sell arms by the million dollars worth to man who
has no financial standing and the War Department must
have made some inquiries AZ to who this Richardson
The most careless Inquiry must have revealed the
| fact that he was only man of straw standing
FOR the Remington3-a who was not in
| the business Of purchasing arms, and who II
| he ever appeared In Washington at all, did
not probably conduct the business Indeed, Mr. Rem
ngtOn himself in his letter 10 his French employers,
speaks OF the transactions with our Government, which
were made the Of Richardson, as his own trans
actions He mentions the amount OF deposits which he
had made refers the difficulty with which he had ef-
feced certain arrangements, and docs not mention the
naue OF Richardson. any other agent at all The War
Department he's given Mr. Remington the highest posi-
ble indOrement gentleman OF honor and integrity
and Senator Conkling who said to-day that Remington
his neghbor, whom he had known all his llfe an
nounced himself ready to vouch for him. But Rem
ingtOn wrote to the French Government in December
1870 three months after the War Department had
refused to entertain his bids, that he purchasing
arms stores &c. making deposits, and secur-
ing the manufacture OF cartridges In the Government
work shops; and the French accounts show that
the Government at Tours dealt with him. and
not with Richardson or any one else.
II the War Department sold the guns to Richardson,
knowing that tn purchases really made by Rem
ington the known agent OF France there no question
as % the violation OF the Neutr0ty laws II 1t did not
know that Richardson another name for Remington,
but it is shown that inquiries made TO Rich
arIson's commercial status, such always insti
tuted before transactions OF such great gnitude
perfected and which, II made must have revealed Rem
ipgons part in the affair. then it question
whether not allowed violation OF the spirit II
not the letter. second and third rules which at
solicitation were put the Treaty of Washington, viz
'NO TO permit suffer either 6elligerent to make
OF its ports the purpose OF the renewal augmcnta
ton of military supplies arms" and "to exercise due
diligence to all persons within its jurisdiction TO pre-
vent any violation OF the fore going Obligations and
duties"
Tie same line OF reasoning may be applied 10 the
ufsctlre Of cartridge in the Government workshops
In the rst place, IL is said that the Government work
snops were before in the history Of the country
| to work To ont ammunition, anything else. for
private sale They established for the purpose Of
| doing the Government work, and when the Govern
| Inent has nothing for them 10 do they should
! be closed But the irregularty did not
end here The War Department knew, from
Che da Is papcr and from thousand other that
the guns selling were going 10 France, and, there
FORE rhe cartridges which were TO accompany the guns
m r. for the French Governmen Mt also About the manu-
factuIe of cartridges there cannot be doubt.
gtOn in his letter already quoted says that the
! arranCement for their manufacture was made after
great difficulty and the Secretary Of War, in his
| letter, admits that they were made Remng-
ton in hi, letter. speaks OF conducting the business
| himself The Freuch Government paid Remington fer
theu but our Government claims TO have sold them 70
Richardson The questions in regard to the cart
ridges therefore, which the Committee VIII lie called
upon to investigate will be- first to the prOprety OF
manufacturing the cartridges at all for anybody, and,
secondly the question of the violation Of the Neutrality
| laws, which Will assume practically the same
! aspect as that releting 20 the guns Sew
| eral attempts have been made TO explain the dis
erepancy between the of moneys received at the
War Department and that turned over 10 the
| Treasury one or two Administration newspapers as
serted to-day the period OF time covered by the War
Departnnt report and that covered by Treasurer Spin
ner report are not Identical Mr. showed that
they were identical both reports covering the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1871. Senator Wilson attempted to
explain deficiency by saying that when the DOCKS at
the Treasury Department were closed at the END Oh the
fiscal year. all of the items had not been carried to the
accounts This might be so. but 1t also appears frOm
| an examination that a similar discrepancy Of about
a 900 900 appears accounts for the ending June
80 1870 Now If this apparent deficit is to be explained
in the same way it surely ought appear somewhere In
the receipts at the Treasury for the next year. but IL
not does there appear 20 be any such sum at
any time the hands OF the Ordnance Bureau. AS has
before said IL believed that these discrepancies
will be explained by satisfactory fures but 1t must be
admitted that attempts explain them have far
failed.
The last important point the difference between the
amount Of money paid the by the French Gov
ernment and the amount received for them at the War
Department Senator Conklng and the Secretary OF
War vOuch Tor Remington honorable man, and the
former Indignantly resents any imputstion upon his
character. But he The agent OF France in all OF
these purchases To him France paid the money II he
is honest as Conkng and the Secretary War say he
H. the n he received only his aud shaf five per
cent commit ssiOn about 100000 aud the other 5000
Co., 10000 have gone into the hands OF
one else. But Remington, after the War Department