The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-02-21

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devote very, few remarks to one thing
said by that Senator. With an air ol
triumph he held up q pamphlet purport-
ing 10 contain one Of my speeches, saying
that II was circulated by the Democratic
party In New Hampshire, and was pro-
duclng a greater effect than any other
document. / have since inquired into
that matter, and what do YOU think
that pamphlet containsg ut contains
speeches Of the Senators from Illinois,
Massachusetts, and Nebraska, and myself,
and they are speeches denounclng the
corruption prevailing In the Custom
House in New York. II such things work
against the success Of the administration
party, then the fault does not lie with
those who denounced the corruption. It
is those who by covering up every abuse
ever so glaring, and defending every vio-
lation Of the law ever so scandGlous, who
brought the commonwealth to the pass
where we now, find It. Yes there Is n
Senatorial Cabal upon this floor. It Is
that Cabal which defeated the San Do.
mingo scheme. II is that Cabal which
forced On investigation Of the cor.
ruption in the New York Custom
House. II Is that Cabal which eX.
posed the abuses and rendered neces.
sary their reformation, and let me tell the
Senate that these speeches OF ours would
not have produced the least effect on the
Republican voters Of New Hampshire if
It could have been said at the same time
that those abuses which were laid open In
all their delormity whole year ago, had
been abolished, and if it could have been
denied that Leet s. Stocking were at that
moment still plundering the merchants Of
New York, Mr.. ScHuRz then said the
subject before the Senate, stripped Of all
personal matters, raised three questions:
The first was what was done in accordance
with the rule of conduct laid down by the
Government for its own action-the rule
that no arms should be sold to any known
agent Of either belligerent. The second
was that it was done in accordance
with the laws ol the country. Third,
Is there in the lacts as they stand before
us, any ground for suspicion that there
were corrupt practices connected with the
transaction in discussion? He said 1t
was absurd to assert that these sales were
made under the ordinary circumstances
surrounding previous sales. 1t was true
the Government had been selling along
since the rebellion and nobody found
any fault; but when the great war be-
tween France and Prussia had broken
out, and the President had issued his
proclamation Of neutrality, would anybody
say that no extraordinary precautions
were then necessary in the sale Of arms?
individuals might be pardoned for taking
refuge behind technical ignorance Of the
destination Of arms, but nation could
not do that, because lts honor and its
character among nations were at stake.
Mr.. SCnURz read letter written by
the Chief of Ordnance, describing, he
said, the operations Of the War Depart
ment in making sales Of arms ut that Pc
riod. The letter stated that bids had been
invited by sending Outlctters to the prin-
Cipal dealers in arms. 1t was remarka-
bic, however, that Messrs. Baker & Co.,
the only great arms merchants in New
New York, were not notified, and only
learned by accident that the sales were to
take place. Upon making the discovery,
MIR. Baker came to Washington and noti-
fed the Prussian Minister. The Minister
went to the War Department and asked
that the sales should be put of for few
days, and twas done.
The Senator from New York (AIr. CoNK-
LING) had said that Baker & Co. had
bought arms which afterwards got into the
h0nHd nf That mn E,,tnNal,a
He (SCHURz) had been in communication
with that house, and ascertained the fact,
which was that they had bid on guam
tity Of arms Tor the purpose of keeping
them from the French, expecting TO be
recompensed by the German government,
but that government declined TO have
anything 10 do with the arms, and they
passed into the hands Of Schuyler, Hart
ley & Graham, and afterwards into the
hands Of the French. There were new
calls for bids to be opened on tho Goth of
October or October 21st, at 4 p. NJ. Sales
of large amount Of arms to several firms
were completed, and, according to dis
patch of the French Consul, that these
arms had already been partly paid for by
the French government on the 29d Of
October, Just one day after the
sales from the department were CON-
pleted, certainly the businessIwas done
promptly [laughterl, and the question
was naturally suggested whether when
Squires was discovered as French agent
the sales were not postponed in order to
give him an opportunity to make arrange
ments with other parties. He did not
charge that this was fact, but he would
ask every iair minded man whether sus.
picion did not lie dreadtully near. Then
came sales to Richardson. When the
War Department was not offering to large
arms dealers, did 1t address one Of its let
tiers to Thos. Richardson, counselor at
law, Lion, N. W Laughter. The
Senator from New York had laid great
stress on what he assumed to be the fact
that Richardson need not have appeared
personally at the department in nego-
tiating his purchases, and that II
could have been done by merely
sending in his bids accompanied by 20per
cent Of the purchase money. The record
shows, however, that the business could
not be done in that way, because some
effort was necessary in order to satisfy
the conscience Of the War Department
about the propriety Of making cartridges;
and it showed also that that effort was
made not by Richardson in person, but
by another gentleman (Remington) The
same gentleman who, OH the 18th OF the
preceding month, had been discovered to
be an agent Of the French government, as
further evidence that there did exist Just
ground for suspicion apd therefore for in.
Vesligatiou. i'a.--.cy aufg Y.lt