The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-06-19
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
TO THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA.
No. XVII.

No. XVII
have stated in my last number, that the cal
culations OF this committee would disgrace even
school boy-this remark will be found correct
by any person who will make the calculation: IL
attempting to divide s 171,123 IS, between 10.
1875 muskets, they sts,e that it brings each ,nus
ket made, to the sum Of s 16 40 ,ceats :" Now,
4 school boy, acquainted with simple division
could have Informed the chairman of that COM
mitee, who erjoys the honor of fabrioating the
Mole report, that S III. 1923 SIS. divided between
1885 muskets, would M Ike each musket amount
TO S Is IS cents mills, no, g I6 AZ cents, a.
he has stated IL scbool boy could also have i'm
formed the chairman, that the difference between
the amour, of l0395 muskets at s. Is AZ cents
each, and lO3o5 muskets, at s 1075 cents each,
Is 3 5S,959 o5 cents not S 56.237 IS cents as
he has stated.
The report continues" es.i,,s 1ting each ern
with 6aysnef at 10 SIS FIR ruh,ch IL appears they
could be furnished BY contract" But did they show
tia good muskets with bayoaets, could be obtain.
ed at so little expeaces They did not because
they could not. The secretary at war, las we'll
as recoiiect,) advertised in the news, papers,
sometime IN the summer or autumn Of the wear
1905 that ne would receive proposals for the fur.
nishnS ct ra@skess for the service of the United
States, at 3 10 rs each. And during the time
of the sessions of this committee, it was often
mentioned as common rumor, that some contracts
had been made for muskets al that price Tais
circumstance was immediately seized upon by
the committee to give weight and plausibil,y to
their misrepresentation and thew heIefors: es
tmated our muskets at that price But if the
committee had known any thing of the subject
upon which they were reporting, they could not
nave been ignorant, that although muskets m. rht
be made by contractors, for the Federal Govern
ment, FOR S 10 IS. yet there are other expences
necessarily incurred, such as the expence of in
spection, of removal, of taking to pieces, of pow
der and ball, used In proving them, of cleansing
&c which would make them amount to upwards
of S IL each.
The report continues-ss TKis estimate doe, no,
include the interssf on the capital employed IN c.
,ecHng fhe buildings and furnishing tooLs and ab
paratHs 1ueich a7'ioasts to d6out S 170.OO0, and
the interest S,hieh sum- could amount since ,he
money tuas drawn, to upwards Of b 60 600" The
mention IN their report that they did not include
the interest, was intended to convey an idea that
they might with propriety have included it /; if
Tins were not the case, why did they mention the
interest at all But so far from their not incl,.
ding the interest on the capital employed for
:" furnishing tools and atpHatus," as they have
stated, 1t Is proven by the certificate of Mr. JacK
son, and by the documents upon which his CERT.
catc is founded, that the very capital itself with
which the tools, &c. were purchased, was taken
from the funds for making arms, and it has been
shewn that all the money expended from those
funds, have, by the committee, been laid upon the
cost OF the arms, so that in this instance the ca
pital itself has actually been included The com
mirtee have stated that the interest on dolls TO-
600, suOuiG amount, since the money was dra .p
10 upwards OF dolls 60,0OO'' This statement
must have been founded upon mere conjecture.
and the vouchers in the auditors Office will prove
1t to be false But # the report had been CORE CT
as TO the amount of interest; would IT be req
sonabie that the interest accrueng for a number
OF years on the capital expended IN the erection
OF An establishment IN which perhaps, millions of
arms may be manufactured, should be laid on the
cost OF the few small arms made at the COM
mencement of its operations, and even before the
establishment was completed more especially
TOO, when tits considered that considerable nor
ton OF the eSpence incurred III the erection of
ne buildings, &C. was applicable TO the manufac
lure OF cannon, with which the making of small
arms had no relation. But if it was correct. Tn
add The interest IN question TO the cost of the
| arms made at the time the committee were act
ing, IT would have been correct to have added IL
TO tie cost of the first nusket manufaclu ed
which would have made 1t amount to many In OIL
| sands OF dollars Would that give to the people
| correct idea OF the sum that would ANNUALLY be
required from them tor the making of each mus
ket,
| The report also states" As to the QUALITY of
the arms manufactured, your committee beg
leave to refer TO that part Of this report which
states the quality OF the iron EMPLOYED It is i'm
possible that the arms should be generally good.
though the workmanship may be Of the best kind.
when the materials OF which they are cornposed
are unfit"
We here find that the committee undertook tn
report on the quality Of the arms, not from any
experiment they had made to ascertain their ana
lity, but by the inference stated by them in reia
ton to the quality of the iron. If it had been
tie wish OF the committee to ascertain the exa act
cost CT the arms manufactured, would they moi
have examined the documents and vouchers
which would have proven their real cost instead
OF resortlng TO an arbitrary and shameful valiati
on OF them and it they had desired TO ascertain
the real quality of the arms, would they not have
put them TO the proof with powder and bali. In.
stead OF resortIng to the inference or rather the
subterfuge, which they have advanced in reIati
on to their quality But for fear of finding that
the arms had cost no more than had stated, they
did not choose TO resort to vouchers and for
fear that they should be found equal in quality 10
any arms whatever, they did not choose to prove
them Perfection was not to be expected in the
early operations Of the mandatory but the
arms made III the years 1907 and 1903, the two
last years OF my agency, were deemed at least c.
quail IN quality, To the arms manufactured in any
other country For the truth Of this remark,
refer you to report upon this SUBJECT, published
IN the Enquirer, OF tiIe Goth July, 1903, made by
several honorable and Intelligent gent.smen v Z.
were officers in our revolutionary war, and than
whom perhaps, better judges or men Of more
genuine integrity could not be found in the com.
monweatb.
The committee finally conclude their report
with The following observations, to wit " The