The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-02-24

MOhNlNUs fEbJ
precautIon, according to Its duties as q neutral
10 prevent The sale of arms to France during
The late war? Second, was the action of the
| government with respect to the sale OF arms
at that period In accordance with the known
laws of this country? Third, was the action
cion of corrupt practices on the. part
| of the government officials !. It is IN.
| possible TO sketch within the limits OF
this dispatch more than g. few OF the
Overwhelming answers which the senator
| gave to these three propositions. From the
letter OF General Dyer, chief of ordnance, to
Remington d Sone, indorsed by the official
signature of the Secretary of War, and from
| other official documents and authorities, he
showed how easily the Remingtons centrived
| through their go-betweens, even after thy had
| disclosed themselves as French agents, to pnr-
chase one hundred aud forty Thousand Spring.
| field muskets, which passed into The posses.
sion ofthe French consul at New York within
| forty.efght houra after the sale. He showed
| how In this and similar transactions the gov
ernment bliudiy shut Its eyes to the fact which
any member of the ordinance department
| might have ascertained, and which that de-
partment was PROBABLY well convinced of. that
those arms. were really destined to reinforce
France against Prussia But the most CRUSH
against the government In this connection
was that of Jules Leseant president of the
commission of armament at Louis, In France,
who sWore at the recent investigation In
France. that the French Government had, PRE-
vlOUS TO ITS PURCHASE FROM THE REMTNGToNs.
dealt directly aoiM the United States, aoh,ch
deliveTed the arms directly on board the yeS-
sci, probably al New York.
In answer 10 the second proposition, as to
the violation oi law, Senator ScnurZ assaulted
the ordnance department with artillery ST.
:peror 10 It's own. He read the statute OF July
iS, 1868, authorizing the sale of The "5ld cam
non, arms, and other ordnance stores new In
damaged or other,oise unsuitable for the
United States military Servtce, or. for the
militia OF the United States, ,"and then went
on to prove that the Springfield breech-l leaders
sold to the Franco Remington agents had
been declared by the Secretary OF War himself
N for use by the militia, and even BY United
States regulars. In this part of the senator's
speech Mr.. Morton interrupted him. but got
himself completely overthrown. He showed
the white feather ny declining to answer q
question frankly pat to him three several
times by Senator .Schnrz and his cowardlce
added to the effect OF that senator's elGquence.
when ne asked:
If,theplain meaning of this statute can be
quibbled away, If senators are content to
slight Or to ignore the laws they. themselves
enact, how can we expect Officers of the gov.
ernment 10 obey them How can we expect
thu people 10 re specJ the laws when they see
that on an occasion when the of1clalB Of q
special administration are Implicated In their
violation the friends of that administration In
this Chamber are ready and willing to pervert
their intent and coldone the action of such
The third propostiotfelating to the proba-
billty of corrupt practices In these sales Of
arms was debated by the senator with the
fearlessness that characterized the rest Of bis
speech. Basing his argumenton the evident
lack Of circumspection and the fagrans viola
tions Of the law eh he had pre.shown, he
darted javelins Of Nglc and sarcasm at 8 de-
partment of the government which had allow
ed itself to abet such course of action. He
ended by Victorious exhibit OF the need OF
the investigation proposed. The senator had
now advanced to q stage of his speech where
everybody who listened was enthralled, and
wRere more was expected Of him than any or.
ator less powerful and adept would have been,
capable of furnishing for the edifcatlon OF
such an audience and 10 Justification OF his
abilities and motives. From this pointhe took
up and assalled and demolished with splendid
success the several .imputations which had
been cast by, ADMINISTRATION senators upon
himself and bis friends engaged in the present
war against the promoters Of our national dis
- NJ
uendo of Morton against himself and Sumner
a. those who had lent themselves to the
French Government and with seorn the In
uendo OF both CouklIng and Morton, TO The eft.
feet that the desired investigation would be
likely to influence The decision OF the arbltra.
tor appointed by the Emperor OF Germany,
under the Treaty of Washington. In the
served tribute to the Marquis de
Chambrun, the legal advisor Of the French
legation at Washington, with whom 1t had
been charged Senators Sumner and Schnrz
were implicated In suggesting the investiga-
tlon into the sale of arms, and the Senator had
not only completely released his friend, the
Marquis, from the charge OF being In any sense
an adYenturer, but showed that neither he
(Senator Schurz) nor Senator Sumner had
received the information which led to Sum-
ner's resolution from the Marquis at all.
Moreover Senator Schurz made it cruelty
plain to the comprehension OF C0nkiIng and
everybody In the Chamber that Cunking's
aspei SON upon the probable parliality OF the
Emperor of Germany was more direct and
man Emperor than all the sales Of arms that
had ever been made by this government TO
France. The Senator, who had now for his
text the Conkling amendment introduced yes-
terday, which proposed TO subject both the
Senator from Missouri (Schurz) and the Sena-
tor from massachusetts tSumner) 10 Tue pep-
allies of penal statute for consplriDg with the
agent OF q foreign government against the
Government of the United States, dealt at the
author of that amendment the very thunders
and lghtnings of a patriots defiance and de-
iision. "Has 1t then come TO this" Said the
speaker, 'sLhat when a senator OF the United
States dares, according 10 his duty, to ask for
an investigation of moi orlous abuses under the
government, penal statute Is 1onrIshed over
his head? can tell the senator from New
York that have been led In my career into
antagonism with men far more dreadfHl than
he, and that before thousand such accusers
would not finch. Sir, will vote for his
amendment; vote for 1t with all The scorn
which IL deserves" :.
The sensation on the floor of the Senate,
where several scores of ladies had been seat
ed, and where, besides the senator's, half the
members of the House of Representatives had
by this time assembled, fairly verged on az.
plause at the close OF each paragraph-of
which the above ia but specimen from MEM
mpmory-of this admirable speech. Ihe gal
leres frequently broke out into plaudlls,
which had 10 be suppressed by the Vlce-Presi-
dents gavel, and one or two ladies actually go
n. In opthDcioono IN uupa