Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-02-20
Speech Of Senator cOnkIing-A eO0d
Tlms cOmIHE-Ths IOhs Of
the Administration to
be Expqssd.
introduction in this HeHss Of An
siher Whitsy- Black Civil Rights
RIll-if Went Pass.
WASHINGTON, February 1s.
SENATE.

| uGClCUts du4 llulhudpOlAn1 anu lOl
the purchase of a site for public build
ings at Cincinnati.
Senator Scott, from the joint select
committee on alleged Outrages in the
Southern States, reported a bill con-
tinuing in force the provisions of the
fourth section of the enforcement act
of April 20, 1871, until the end Of the
next regular session of congress.
Senator Harlan, from the commit
tee on Indian affairs, reported with
amendments P0meroy's bill for the
relief of settlers on the Usage Indian
lands in Kansas.
Senator Pomeroy, from the COM
mittee on public lands, reported, with
amendments, the bill relating to
the section of lands granted to
Minnesota by an act, in 1868, to aid
in the improvement OF the Mississip ppi
river.
Bills were introduced as follows:
By Senator Carpenter: Authorizing
the West Wisconsin Railroad cOmpa.
ny to construct bridge across Lake
st. CroiX, at Hudson.
! By Senator Pratt: Authorizing the
construction of a railroad bridge
across the Ohio at Mount Vernon,
Indiana.
By Senator Wright: To provide a
public building at KeOkuk. Iowa.
Senator Scott presented the ninOri-
/ ty report of the ku-kluX committee,
and accompanied the testimony by 8
bill to extend the operation of the law
of May, 1870, and to authorize the
| suspension of the habeas corpus act
until the end of the next session of
| congress. The report also recon-
mends the passage OF the general, but
j not the universal amnesty bill.
The senate resumed the consider.
alton of the resolution to inquire into
| the alleged sales of arms to agents of
France during the Franco Prussian
war.
Senator COnkling said five months
of this congress had already passed,
and the business Of the country wait
ed while debate for political effect
went on. Appropriation bills were
made to wait; a revision of the tariff,
which would strike forty millions
from the shoulders of industry, and
reduce the internal revenue depart
ment to a skeleton, was made to wait,
while the senate was forced to waste
its time in political debate which
could be avoided. The rule was that
a senator could not be questioned else
where for words uttered in the senate,
and so a senator might, by preamble
and speech, SANDER his government
and his country, and place them in a
false position before the nations of the
earth; and he might do it either in
plain words or by insinuation-the
la oil a
senator from Massachusetts Sumner
was responsible for this waste of time. |
He would not have investigation; he
would have debate. He had himself
asked, when he introduced this resO-
luton, that it should lie over, but this |
fact had not prevented the senator |
from slandering his country.
Senator C0nkling sent up and had |
read at the desk statement in the |
New York Tribune that partisans of |
the president in the senate had tried |
to delay the pending resolution |
which he said showed violenc done |
to the truth in the abuse and ruthless |
crusade for political effect. The sena-
tor (SUmner) had stated that his resO-
luton and speech on the subject were |
not intended for effect. What then /
was their Object7 Was 1t to preju- /
dice the case or to engender suspicion
and arouse resentment against the ex-
ecutive officer Of our government or
was it to convince the Germans of /
America that high republican off,
cials had clutched French blood.
money In war in which
the heart of the whole Repub-
lican party beat for Germany, or to
convict US before the whole world as
false TO national morals, to befOul us
in the eyes of ChristendOm, and say
to England and Germany at this time,
when Germany's emperor is about to
sit as umpire on our rights, that the
Republic of America was more guilty
and perfidious than England ever was,
AT this point Senator COnkling read
an editorial from the New York !
World and one from the Sun, to show
that the impression made on the pub
lie by the resolution and by the
speeches OF Senators Sumner and
SchuTZ was that there had been q de-
lberate violation Of her neutral
obligations by the United States.
The senator from Massachusetts
Mr.. Sumner] had said that he
had known of this affair as
early as December last, but that he
had not informed anybody that he
was going to act in reference to it un-
til he did act. In reference to this
statement he [COnklingl thought it
very strange that newspapers in BOs.
ton, Cincinnati and Chicago should
have announced before hand what ac-
ton tins senator was to take. Fur
ther, it was unaccountable that Sena-
tor Sumner, having known OF this
matter since December, should have
omitted to take steps to ascertain the
truth of the statements which he had
put into his preamble. The preamble
contained statement that the report
of the secretary OF the treasury for
1870 and 1871 acknowledged the re-
ceipt Of s., ,2S6, 900 from the sale OF ord
nance stores. The statement was
false and the senator might have
easily ascertained the fact by con-
sulting the secretary Of the treasury,
his constituent or even a clerk in
the department. But he C0nkling
was authorized to state that no such
inquiry had been made by the sena-
tor. Senator Sumner had also cited
the associated press dispatch as author
ity for cOntradicting the report OF
the secretary OF war. On this subject
what would the senate and country
think when they wers told that the
referred to did not contradict
the report at all, and that 1t did not,
rs represented by Senator Sumner,
state that sales were made OF arms
not included in the secretary's sub J
1equent reports, but merely stated
that the bids were opened. It was
asserted, too, that the French official '
report referred to spoke of the arms
bought from the United States.
Now a translation Of this part
was published in the New York s
Sun, July IL, 1871, which might be 1
to be correct, because what
ever might be said of the other faults
Of the editor of the Sun, he was known
to be an accomplished linguist, and in
that trcnslation no mention was made
Of arms bought Of the United States
Il spoke only Of arms bought in the !
United Ststes. Senator Conkling then
said he wished 10 say word to the {
senator from Missouri [Schurz1. The {
honorable senator has divuIged to the {
members of this body that {
there is an impression abroad that ]
In this country there exists
a military ring which exerts an un-