Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-09

of Zion, N Y, was largely engaged in the
manufacture of military and sporting arms,
and so the name Of Remington was prefxed
to that Of Lee in order to give the rife
prestige. The Remington Arms Company
then possessed the right to manufacture the
rife, should any orders be received for it
Ninety-five company commanders report
ed as follows: For the Lee, 55; Hotchkss,
20; Chafree- Reece, 4. Regarded as maya
zine guns, the reports Of the majority of one
hundred and fifty company commanders
were largely in favor of the Lee system.
Comparing these three repetition guns with
each other and with the Springfield service
rife (the single loader that the Illinois Ma
tional Guard IS armed with the opinion Of
our army officers was thar neither of the
magazine guns should be adopted and sub
stituted for the Springfield as the arm for
our service. It was conceded that a simple
and effective magazine gun had become a
necessity in The United States army, but
that the Springfield would continue to ad.
mrably serve our purposes until we firnlly
determined on magazine gun that would
do credit 10 the inventive genius Of our PEG
pie. There was nothing TO be gained by
haste.
In Europe. on the other hand, blocdless
battle Of rifles was being fought. The de-
sire for, or the dread OF. conquest impelled
every military nation to the most extraor-
binary efforts TO secure the best type of
small arms ordnance. The inventor in his
closet and the workman at his anvil bent
their respective energies TO the solution of
the problem Of snail arms development
All nations talked peace, but acted war, and
the best guarantee Of peace appeared to be
an increase Of armament.
In 1866 England adopted a breech-loader,
the invention of Mr.. Snider. of PhiadeI-
phis, Pa, for her army. In 1869 H. o. Pea
body, Of Boston, Mass, had the satisfaction
Of seeing his b-eech-lOadirg system adopt
ed by the English Small Arms Commission
under the title Of the Martini-Heury rife
1t seemed little too much to expect that
the United Kingdom would for the third
consecutive time adopt an Invention Of q
Yankee as regarded the magazine rifles of
her soldery, particularly one that had been
declined with thanks as not beng quite
I'D to the standard of excellence demanded
bv the United States army; but hr. james
P Lee went 10 England, something over
three wears ago, and he took with him the
rife and detachable magazine bearing his
name he had opposed 10 him the nvea-
tons of hundred Of different patterns of
breech-loaders representing many different
systems from all parts Of the world.
The tests made on En- glish soil extended
over period OF tnree years. The improved
Lee distanced al other competitors. The
English Small Arms Committee and the
British Secretary of State fer War declare
that in the improved Lee the British solder
will have the best rife IN the world.
America invents arms, Europe adopts
them. We lead, they follow The manu-
facture of the Lee is now gong forward at
the Government shops, and Hartley & Ora
ham are IN negotiation with the Govern
ment for the award OF adoption. & few
thousand auxiliary Martini rifles, converted
by Captain Greville Harston. of the Grena-
diers, will be made, but such experts as Sir
Henry Halford, Colonel Slade, Major Fos-
berry, Captain ". James and Major c. B.
Eayue have declared In favor of the Lee