The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-03-16
AMERICAN WEAPONS.



A few days ago ! was talking wit
nn old gun merchant In New York. II
e, mmenced as an ironmaker not IL
from the seat of war. and when III
eonimotion broke out he had on Il
hands certain tools and furnaces anu
ore-bads.
Our old ironmaker now turned into
nm arms manufactures. and he had .
large market as long ms the Americans
were killing each other on the hair.
splitting points OF the forefathrrs. w
acquired during the war much OF oui
superiority as inventors aud makers OF
arms, aud have since supplied the
world with weapons.
l am told that Ames In Massachu-
setis makes better sabers and swords
than ey do mt Sollgen. Germany. where
they have been making them for cen
turtles. The Turkish army IL suppl ell
with Winchester rifles, the Russian
army with Berdan rifles. the Spanish
army and the South American Repub-
lies with Remington rifles. and the
Italians with the Gardiner machine
guns. and Stanley's expedition to
Africa. with the Maxim machine-guns.
etc But our old friend thus discoursed
concerning the American Government,
This Is the most bureaucratic GoS-
ernment In the world. You can not get
any Invention adopted by II because of
the backwar,lness of its ordnance OIL
Gers There was Hotchkiss. who went
to Washington with his inventions. and
he was put of and disappointed unit
he started for France with hardly
more than the clothes 10 his back. H.
France he has made millions OF none,
and left behind him a great corpora
ton. II was the same way with Spen.
Ger when he invented the magazin.
rifle, which carried its cartridges In tn
stock. He was rejected everywhere.
and was leaving the War Department
one day broken hearted. when a mes
sengcr said to him: i can take you I.
man who will look at your gun. a
these army fellows will not SO b.
took him 10 Abraham Lincoln. WHOM
the messenger knew from having bee
with him almost daily. Lincoln ha,
oa a queer old Office suit. which h
apologized for as he took Spencer
hand and went out somewhere near by
and. taking mp the gun. fired at =
shingle. and made several excellent
shots. and put all the balls on In,
shingle. for he had been rifieman II
his youth. The inventor then took his
own gun and put all the balls within :,
circle on a shingle. This shingle l.
preserved In the Illinois Historic Socie-
". which has never acknowledged the
gift by any letter. though they an
nounce II among their trophies
IL 'ncoln told Spencer 10 go on and
make all the guns he could. as that arm
was needed. and hence magazine rifies
for the first time came into use. Now
the Government ordnance officers are
using the Springfield rifle. which is
very inferior weapon. They are doing
il on the plea Of economy. since they
possess certain arms to be altered aud
certain machinery TO be run. Look
here at this Springfield rifle When
YOU put the cartridge in and bring
down the piece which holds 1t forward
YOU risk premature discharge every
time and an explosion. because this
lock part does not admit moisture any
where and gives no chance for the ex-
Pansion of the gases when the powder
is blown of. But they have used this
defect in the gun to destroy almos
every other gun presented at Washing
ton. They have invented the rust test
Their gun can not rust Fl ON this dam
gerous matter spoken Of Better guns,
when thev are dipped in powerful
chemicals and put out in sea water all
night will show little of the mois-
ture. Hence the rust test has driven
all American arms abroad. to be put
in the hands of foreigners "-GGth. ia
Cfncjnndtt Enquirer.