National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-01
DEPARTMENT GLEANINGS.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CSTTEF OF
ORDNANCE OF THE ARMY.

PRODUCTION OF NEW RIFLES AND CAR
BINEs-NECEsS1TY FOR MANUFACTURE
ING IMPROVED ARMS = AIMING THE |
MU.ITIA-THE vIRGINIUs AFFAIR-vIsIT
Or THE UNION LEAGUE TO THE PRESI-
DENT.
The annual report of General Bsnet, chief of |
Of ordnance, has been presented to the Adiutant |
General and been printed. It shows that the |
amount of expenditures during the last fiscal |
year, including Sl02,O0 paid to the Amoskeag |
Manufacturing Company, adjudged by the Court |
Of Claims to be due on account Of breach Of con-
tract during the war, was e. S54, 59223. General
Benet after remaIklng thst tne service o. ms
arsenals have been as complete and as effective |
as could be expected with the limited appropri. |
atiOns under control, continues as follows:
A DEMAND FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMS.
The adoption Of the Springfield breech-lOading
system by board Of distinguished officers, con-
yened under Congressional enactment, and its
subsequent establishment by law as the only sys-
tenn to be used in the manufacture Of arms by the
ordnance department, enable us TO continue the
manufacture upon secure basis and provide an
arm with no superior, that will hardly be super
seded by any more perfect invention for many
years to come. The production Of rifles and car;
| forward at the national armory with energy and
| success, and the new arms issued to the troops
| has been greatly retarded by the lack of ammu-
milton, the small appropriation not supplying the
| number Of cartridges per man deemed indis-
! pensable by the commanding generals Of depart
ments.
| The appropriation Of 100000 made by Congress
atits last session for the manufacture OF arms has
| had to be supplemented from the permanent ap-
| preparation for EARNING and equipplng the
militia, " in order to work economically, keep the
| cost of the arms within proper limits, and enable
| the department. to supply tie wants Of the army
and militia. Not less than $500, 900 should be
nually expended at the national armOry, not
| only as a measure of economy in producing the
best arm for the least money, but in the interest
mutation of the best weapons as a reserve in case
of war. In again urging this important matter
| solely by q sense OF public duty and an earnest
desire to have the nation brought to a keen reali-
cation Of the necessities Of the case and the grav
ity Of the subject and do not hesitate 70 express
| my decided conviction that liberal, even an eX-
| travagant expenditure at present will prove to
| be the greatest economy In the future. Every
nation that aspres to the dignity of a hrst-class
| power has cast aside its obsolete muZZle-lOadinE
| arms, and at immense cost has been, and is, pro-
| YidiDg the newest and most approved models by
the hundreds Of thousands. The sudden event.
ualities that end in war, and the startling rapid
demand complete preparation in time of peace.
| With us the want Of q large standing army can
! only be compensated by keeping on hand, ready
| for any emergency, complete supply Of every
| description of war material Arms and ammuni-
tion are Of the first Importance when an army is
to be improvised and the country should place its
| dependence at such q juncture mainly on the re-
serve supplies stored in its arsenals. Certainly
| Manufactured as rapidly as the monetary cOndi-
ton of the country will permit. Every years de-
lay is fraught with danger, and the experience Of
preparation for the future
AIMING AND EQUIPPING THE MILITIA.
An increase in the annual appropriation for
| arming and equipping the whole body Of the mill
tia Is again brought to the attention Of Congress-
| with the hope Of some legislation thereon. Not
| only should the appropriation be largely in
| creased to meet the Increased wants Of our con-
! notwithstanding population but some legisla-
tive action should be taken to relieve many OF the
States and Territories from charges Of arms is
| sued to them during the rebellion, and which
| should not in fairness have been so charged. This
subject has been often referred to in previous
reports and so largely dWelt upon, that a more
extended reference to 1t at this time is deemed
! unnecessary.
Congress at its last session made an appropria-
tion OF $4,000 for the purpose OF testing Lees
| breech-lOadng arm. A small number are now
being made at the national armory, under the
supervision OF the inventor, and when completed
will be sent into the field for trial
EXPERIMENTAL CANNoN-eATLINe GUNS
Some Of the cannon for experimental purposes
authorized by the act of June 9, 1872, are now
nearly ready for trial. They include the SUIT
clitfe breech-loadiDg cannon, four 10" ROdman
guns converted into Z" and Q" rifles, and possibly
Mann's breech-leading cannon. In the belief
valuable information will be reached from their
trial, any further reference to the subject Of
armament Of Qualifications" is deferred for the
present, and will be made the burden of a special
The act Of March S, 1873, appropriated d, 900
"fOr experiments and tests of two GatliDg guns
of large caliber for flank defence of fOrtihca-
tiOns," and upon the recommendation Of this bu-
I
more, of engineers. was president, was convened
to make the experiments and tests. Suisse
Guently another board was appointed to deter
mine on the number of Calling guns required in
our Notifications on the LIST Of July last. The
whole subject was brought to the attention Of Con
gressb by the Secretary OF War, submitting report
from this Ofhee Of March 10, 1874, asking for an
appropriation OF 500, 800 to provide the guns re-
commended by the board. As no action was
taken by Congress thereon, the subject IL again
recommended for favorable consideration.
UNION LEAGUE OF AMERICA.
A committee of the Union League of America,
Of the State Of Maryland, arrived in Washington
yesterday morning for the purpose Of presenting
to President Grant, Secretary BristOW and Post
master General jewell certain resolutions
adopted at a meeting held in Baltimore on the
the 18th ultimo. The committee visited the Uifi-
cials above named, with whom they had very
pleasant interviews, but failed to elicit any indI-
cation of what, If any, action would be taken on
the recommendations presented.
The following are the resolutions:
At meeting Of the executive committee OF the
Tnion League OF America, held in the city Of
Baltimore Oh the 18th day Of November, A. d..
1874, the following resolutions were unanimously
adopted;
Whereas, under the guidance Of the Union
League throughout our State, when Republican
! ism was distasteful and OneTOus, a Strong and
powerful Republican party was built up in Mary
| land whereby VIC were enabled to elect RepuO-
lIcan Governor, member Of Congress and State
officers; and when Baltimore city was threatened
|
hours notice, placed five thousand men in the
| barrcades surrounding the city; and whereas we
find that corrupt and designing men, said to be
Republicans, used all their influence to disOand
and disoTganize our leagues and ignore its men,
bers and all other true Republicans, and misrep-
resented to the Administration the true feeling
existing in our State, and thereby secured the
appointment OF distastefuI and obnoxious persons
to NIL the Federal Offices and stFenuOusly worked
10 dfshenrten and discourage all true and disin-
teTested Republicans, and to Willy and break
down all men In our ranks who had an opinion of
hnFE VIII mil mot no IN Init a tod nH
bought off, and have done their utmost to reduce
the Republican party to as small number as
possible, and by their persistent false representa-
lions TO the Administration secured the appoint
ment Of obnoxious and distasteful men to NIL the
Federal Offices in cur state and who ignored en-
trely the wishes of all true Republicans and
filled the subordinate positions under them with
men OF no political Significance whatever, and in
many cases those who are openly opposed to the
Administration and in open sympathy with the
opposition; therefore
EesoIred, That we believe the only hone Of re.
gaining our lost strength and redeeming our
State Is through the thorough reorganization OF
the leagues in our State.
: Resolred, That as the present officials in our
/ I midst have made themselves so obnoxious to our
people that we declare It impossible TO again
iDsti life and VigOr into the heTatS Oisthe Repub
lcans OF our State while the present Federal Off
Gals remain in power as any action Of theirs is a
stencil in the nostrils Of all true Republicans.
I Re8OlUCd, That we do earnestly request the
: | National Administration to at once remove the
collector Of customs at Baltimore. the naval Off.
Ger, Appraiser and postmaster. as the frs step
towards Iegainiug our lost strength, and again
numbering Maryland omonG her Republican
sisteThOOd.
ReSOIrea, That q committee be appointed to
present these resolutions with statistics Of facts
as existing in State, to the President, Secre
| tary Of the Treasury and Postmaster General.
THE VIRGINIUS AFFAIR.
When Congress meets the correspondence Of
! the Department OF State with the treaty-makIng
! | Powers of the Old World will be made public
Including many of the details Of the negotiations
with Spain regarding the Yirginius difficulty
| The doctrine Of reciprocal reclamatiOns, which
naturally leads to arbitration, has been the OBJ
ieeL sought for by Secretary Fish In his dealing;
! 1 with the latter Government, and the CORE
Epondence alluded TO will show that he has in nc
! respect ignored the arguments between himself
/ ard Admiral Polo in the document known as the
/ | FishPolO protocol.
The prevalent idea that settlement may BIZ
| reached between this Government and Spain q:
| regards this difficulty, on the same basis as the
I settlement between Spain and Great Britain, Ii
> ! at once disposed Of when 1t Is known that the
| English Cabinet made q distinction between Brit
! ish citizens who were mRssacred at Santiago d.
| Cuba and submitted to material difference II
: | the amount OF money demanded as reclamation
;: on anOoUnt of race or color.
/ | The official records show that In the settle
, I ment with Great Britain referred to, white Eng
: | lishmen were rated at about two hundred pounds
Y ! or two thousand dollars in our money more thai