The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-10-20

poleon guns complete, 100 pistols, 200, 600
cartridges and numerous other equipments
of the money value in all OF S6l0,644. After
the state militia were thus equipped events
took place which precluded any necessity
for their use. The Canadian government
undertook the protection of our frontier
from invasion, and the only use made of
onr militia and equipments was a building
of a guard-house at every road crossing the
Canada line, and the establishing of bar
racks at st. Adams. The equipments issued
to this state by the government had been
received, however, and there was no au-
thority for the secretary of war to receive
them back. They had been issued under a
law giving to the state n certain annual
amount of equipment and under the neces-
stiles Of the moment Secretary Stanton had
issued to the state, not only the annual
quota then due to Vermont but so much
more than that, that her annual quota was
taken up FOR many years to come, possibly
for a hundred years. Thus the equipments
furnished this state at that time were not
lent by the government, nor purchased by
the state, but issued under an act which
was so framed that whatever a state re-
ceived under il belonged to that state as its
share of an entire amount allotted to all the
states. There was no other act by the au-
thority of which Vermont could have
received any arms at all, and receiving
them as she did, they were her own
property, and were to stand charged against
her, not AS for value received and due the
United Stntes, but as against her right to
have other equipments under the act of 1908
until the years should elapse for which her
annual quota had been taken up in advance.
This immense quantity of arms and equip
ments were stored by Quartermaster-Gen
eral Pitkin in the state-house at Montpelier
until the state arsenal was built, after which
they were kept in the latter place until the
autumn OF 1870. In the meantime the style
of muskets had changed so that the old
muzzle-loaders of 1864 were almost worth
less, but when in 1860, upon the opening of
the Franco-Prussian war, a demand for all
sorts of arms started up in the markets,
offers were received by the state for the pur-
chase OF these equipments. Upon the adj
vice of Governor Stewart and other state
officers and upon the recommendation of a
board of survey, General Pitkin sold in
market part of them for which, about S140-
600 was received and paid into the state
treasury. General Lynde, Mr.. Pitkin's sue
cessor, sold further quantity, for which
the state got from 81 900 TO $4,000, and the
larger part of what remained are still in
the possession of the state. The original
value of the equipments furnished the state
was S640, 644, and, deducting different items
OF credit which have occurred since 1864,
Auditor Williams makes the present sum,
which he says is due from the state to the
United States, to be S5437S0. Even if the
state had been holding these equipments as
property not her own, but of the United
States, nothing like this large sum could be
claimed as due on their account. They
were sold at the most advantageous time
possible and brought much more than they
had been worth before the sale or would
have been at any time since, and the most
that the government could claim, assuming
that they were not the property of the state,
would be the amount which the state
received for them which is less than $780,
ONO The general ODniOn of all those ap-
quainted with the facts seems to be that
Third Auditor Williams knows little of
what he is talking about when he alleges an
Indebtedness on the part of this state to the
United States. General PitlSin said to-day;
" There is no right to any such claim. Sec
rotary Stanton was more than ready to fur
nsh those equipments. They were not
purchased by the state nor lent by the
United States government, but issued under
the law of 1908 toward Vermont's annual
shares in the 5000 900 worth of equipments
allowed us by that act