Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-04-01
MIR. SUMMERS TESTIMONY.

MIR. SUMMERS TESTIMONY.
The Boston Advertiser of Friday re-
views in the following editorial the prom
inent points in the French arms sale and
the course of Mr.. Sumner before the Com
mittee of Investigation. The article is
noticeable for candor and moderation, as
well as for the clearness of its statement
of facts. From local considerations and
former friendly relations with Mr.. Sum-
ner, the Advertiser would be more in
clined to excuse than to judge harshly the
Massachusetts Senator:
The sensations of the week in Washington
have been Mr.. Summers protests and the ap-
pearance of the Marquis de Chambrun before
the French arms Committee. The Marquis
appears to have been at the bottom of the
whole business. He was interested in the
trial of his friend, the French consul at New
York, and no doubt believed that, if he could
have access to the records of the War and
Treasury departments, he could trace to some
| American officials the money which M. Place
had not accounted for. He applied to several
Senators who, he thought could help him, and
made free use of the names of persons whom
he suspected of getting part Of the money.
The names were common property in News
paper row, land travelled up and down Penn
sylvania avenue thousand times before the
Senate tosk hold of the matter. The Marquis
is scholar and q gentleman, and his impress
sions misled great many people, Mr.. Sum-
ner among them.
| On this information, and on other incden-
| tai testimony, Mr.. Sumner presented charges
OF the most serious character as the basis of
investigation. He supported his charges in
| speeches of great eloquence and earnestness.
Manifestly, upon the evidence presented, the
Senate was not convinced that the charges
were true, but was willing that the investga-
ton should be made, and it was ordered,
nobody opposing it, The purpose of the
committee is to get at the truth substantially;
the appointment of committee and the SOL
emn formality of an investigation would be
frivolous to the las tdegree, if a witness were
allowed to shield himself behind TECHNICAL
ties, and in that way prevent the committee
from finding out the essential facts. This is
the position in which Mr.. Sumner appears to
have placed himself. The investigation was
ordered upon his motion and mainly through
his urgency. Through his large acquaintance
and his familiarity with the affairs of all ma
tons, he has come into possession of many
facts not known to his associates. If it is
uesiI6Oic W nave All lHveStlkatlOH dI Ill, lie
before all the world is the one to testify.
Whatever presidents there may have been to
the contrary, common sense should be allow
ed some weight in case like this. Instead,
however, of looking for reasons which would
have allowed him to tell what he knew, Mr.. !
Sumner appears to have hunted among his
books for reasons for not telling, and to have
been particularly jealous in marshalling au-
thorities to show that the committee has no
power to investigate at all.
This is the burden of the two protests
namely, that the committee was made up con-
trary to the manuals, and that it was not
friendly to the inquiry, that it was composed of
Senators who had spoken against ''the body
of the BILL" or in the words of the old opin-
ions, were opposed to ''the thing" The rigid
application of Mr.. Summers rule would have
made it impossible to have an investigating
committee at all, the number of Senators who
were in sympathy with the movement was SO
small. The democratic senators were silent
during the long debate; and of the republican
Senators not more than five believed there was
fact to be discovered which could possibly
injure the administration in the eyes of the
world. But both democrats and republicans
were entirely willing that investig alton should
be made, and they so voted at the last Was
it necessary, then, to select for the commit
tee those who had q bias against the admins
tration. and to exclude every senator who
had an opinion favorable to its integrity
And may witnesses become dumb, and in
vestigation be stopped, because the chairman
of the committee and part of his associates
happen to have some faith left in the patriot
ism of the government and in its respect for
the laws? This would be the most effectual
way to conceal the truth, when the object is
to expose it to the full blaze Of day.
Mr.. Sumner himself has, of course nothing
to conceal. Whatever course he pursues, no.
body would suspect that he chose it from any
motive but the highest. But he has allowed
the technical and subordinate considerations
to quite overshadow the only thing which it
is important to know in this case,-that is,
whether the administration, or any officers |
under it, are guilty of the crimes with which |
they are charged. On this point the testi-
mony of Mr.. Sumner and the MARQUIS de
Chambrun was looked for with some interest.
MIR. Summers fell short of the prize of his
high calling. M. de Chambrun's is yet to
come.