Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-29
FOrty-Second Congressional Session
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. %.
SENATE. ......"..


ton to investigate the alleged sales Of arms to
| French agents.
M. Sumner addressed the senate. He said
| Besides the unaccustomed interest this Iebate
has excited, cannot fail 10 note that it has
wandered far from any original purpose OF mine
and into fields which have no desire to enter.
shall try to bring it back to the real ISSUE which
] hope to present without passion or prejudice;
and here, sir, declare, what is only the rule of
my life, that, in what | say to-day, there shall
not be a single word which is not prompted bv
love of truth and desire for Justice. But ven.
ture 10 ask you TO remember that there is some.
thing on this planet besides senate or any SEN
ators; something besides any high officials:
something higher than any party; | mean the
good name of the American people and the
purity of the government, which must be saved
from scandal,
III this spirit, and with this assertion, speak
today. Look first at the circumstances which
surround us. An aroused community In tile
commercial metropolis of the country has sue
ceedcd in overthrowing a corrupt ring. Tam
many has been, at last, overthrOwn; and here,
good democrats wed with republicans, The
country thrilled with the victory demanded
that it should he extended. Then came move
mcns against abuses in the civil service, and
especially In that other Tammanv,-he New
York custom house, After a debate, protrac cd
for days, an investigation was ordered. and the
newspapers have been since loaded with the
Odious details. Everywhere there is now cry
for reform. That is the universal voice Of the
country from New York to New Orleans.
In conformity with this, the civil service re-
form movemcnt,-looking to purity of govern
mcnt, and independence of Office holders was
inauguratcd, At this time reports were beard
of abuses In the ordnance office, by which the
neutral position of orr country was seriously
compromised at a time when we were bound to
take special care. 1t seemed, from the evidence,
as if our neutral duties were put in the hands OF
mere money seekers or official iohberS.
! II seemed ms if thp Injunction Of iarn to mt
money in the purse had been followed, rather
than the rules of international law. These
things became known through judiciary pro-
cecdngs in France, and a legislative inquiry
also, so that they were universal scandal. 1t
was time something should he done to arrest the
suspicion thrown on officials, and it must be
done so thoroughly that, neither at home nor
abroad, should there be any suspicion Of white
wash.
1t was in this spirit | brought forward this
resolution. My object was to call attention to
the sales of arms to France during the late war:
that was my objective point. Now has that
resolution been encountered by various Obiec-
tions, mostly of form; it was charged that | was
introducing politics, and straghtway illusions
were made 10 the presidential election, which
with some senators, is always a universal
prompter. When l pledged for reform, the SEN
ator from Indiana, Mr.. Morton, seized the party
bu9le, and sounded to arms. (Laughter). | have
no intention of following that senator. ! shall
make no allusion to any presidential election,
nor any alusion to the president
AT this point, Mr.. Logan asked unanimous
consent that the ladies who could not find seats
in the galleries should be admitted TO the cloak
rooms, as on two former occasions during this
debate, but Mr.. Hamlin objected, saying that
two field days in one session were enough. "a
murmur eff disapprobation.)
Mr.. Sumner-"lhe senator from Indiana, Mr.
Morton, shall neither tempt nor drive me into
that discussion. l am here for reform. l am
in earnest, and am not 10 be diverted by any
political issue. am for real reform, and the
renovation OF the civil service OF the country
and know no better way IN which to promote
the benihcent result than by insisting, at all
times, upon purity in the administration of the
government have always voted for every in
quiry having that object and shall always vote
for every such inquiry. Call yOu this politics !?
Certainly it is not politics in the sense in which
the word is employed by the senator from lndi-
ana.
1t is only honesty, and Just regard for the
r public good 1t has been charged too, that |
am acting as Il French agent, and also as a
Prussian agent Sir, am neither; am moth
ing but senator OF the United States, anxious
! for the good name of my country, and seeking,
in every possible way, TO make my country
) right. The senator from Indiana SAYS he heaI d
of this matter some months before the meeting
Of congress. | did not hear of it until weeks
after the meeting OF congress.
first heard of it from distinguished citizen
who has not been named IN this debate" Mr.
Sumner again denounced the charge that Mar
quis Chambrun was French spy, as an insult
TO that gentleman and also to the government
of France. 1t had been charged, too thar the
introduction of this resolution, by publishing
the suspicious against our officers, might preju-
dice the German emperor against US in his ac-
ton as umpire on the San Juan question; but
the whole matter was well known at Berlin long
before the introduction of the resolution, as
shown by a dispatch from Mr.. Bancroft, dated
Berlin, January, 1871, quoting from the London
Times statement that enormous quantities of
arms and ammunition were sold to France, not
only by American traders but by the war de-
} partment at Washington.
AS TO the charge hat this inquiry would en-
} danger the Alabama claims he would say that
although he has been, from the beginning, in
favor of holding England to a Just account for
her violations of International duty Net if our
, claims against her could not be prosecuted eX-
J cept at the expense of the purity of the govern
ment in our own country, they were not worth
the terrible price de was not one of those
whose motto was: "0ur Country RI"ht or
Wroug;' he was always for his country with
the aspiration that it might be always RIGHT, but
he would never be for anything wrong. Mr.
Sumner then turned to the pending resolution
and said it presented the general Question
whether there is not a sufficient reason for in
qury into the sale of arms during the French
and German war.
TINS naturally divided itself into two ques
tions: The first relating to international duty
anu INC sccOuu IEldIlDg 10 naleaSancc on the
part OF own officials, and involving what might
be called the money question. Upon the first of
these lie read authorities and argued to show
that good faith was the supreme rule in interna-
uonal obligations. There was a marked dis
tinctiou between what state conld do in a ease
like this, and what a private citizen could do
The citizen might play merchant, and take the
risk of capture but the state could not do So
either directly or indirectly, without a breach OF
good faith.
Upon the second question, be said their were
six distinct pieces of evidence: First, the resoIu-
ton passed by the French assembly, on the 9th
of February, 1872, asking the United States to
furnish the result of an inquiry into the conduct
of American officials suspected of particpa-
ton in the purchase of arms for the French gov
eminent during the war; second, the cable
dispatch from Mr.. SqureS' son-in.law and
agent of Remington, in which he said !:
I'VE have the strongest influences working
for u.s." third, the letter of Remington
stating, repeatedly, that he was dealing with the
| government Of the United States: lourlb the
statement OF Lecesne, president of the commits
sion of armament at Tours, made in court uu-
der oath, that the French had made an engage
ment with the American federal government
which had undertaken to deliver free on board
all the arms on account of France; fifth the
positive declaration of the London LINES, made
IN the face of Europe, and reported to our gov
eminent by our minister at Berlin, that enor-
nous quantities of arms and ammunition had
| UGH sOlu 10 Tue FTencn Oy the war department
at Washington; and SIXTH the testimony of
Romngton's clerk, authenticated by the French
consul general at New York. that Remington
had had his books altered three times, and the
statement that, in the affairs of Remington
Richardson, his agent appeared in what might
be called a criminal character.
| The resolution of the French assembly show
ing that suspicious against American officials
had arisen abroad, and asking, in a friendly
spirit, that the result of inquiries which it was
assumed would be made, --should be commune
Gated to the French government, would alone he
enough TO justify the senate in ordering an in
vcsgation; but with this cumulative and CON
curing testimony, from six different sources,
an investigation could not be refused without
setting at defiance the rules Of decency and
common sense.
Mr.. Sumner, in conclusion, discussed the
charge that these sales of arms impaired the de-
fensve capacity of the country, and, also, what
he called the money ques ion.
The question was then put, on Mr. Trum-
bulls motion to reconsider the vote by which
Mr.. Conkling's amendment directing the com
mittee to inquire whether any American senator
| Iii Hall ..1.I