The sun., 1896-10-23
THESAVAGEGU REJECTED
GOV. NORTON DOESN'T APPROVE
THE COMMISSIONS REPORT.

NE Is Advised That the Springfield Riae
IL Better for the Use OF the Militia In
Time OF Peace, and That the Govern
meat May Furuish Them Free OF Cost.
ALBANY, Oct 22.--The Savage gun is not to
be selected as tho weapon with which to rearm
the National Guard. commission was ap-
pointed last year by the Governor TO test guns
of American invention and manufacture and
select one to be adopted for tho National Guard.
This commission comprised A. d. Shaw OF
WATERFOWL, Z. w. Bliss of Brooklyn, and
Robert H. Thurston of Ithaca. They unani-
mously recommended the selection OF tho
Savage military magazine rife and 80 ro-
ported to Gov. Morton. David Welch, as
attorney for the Winchester Arms COM
pany OF New Haven, Conn. and other COM
petitors in the tost asked the Governor not to
approve the report. They alleged collusion in
favor of the Savage gun and held that Arthur
w. Savage. the inventor, was subject OF Great
Britain at the time the gun was patented In this
country and that ho had only become q citizen
OF the United States about year ago. The Saw
age gun Is controlled by Utica corporation. IL
the Governor had approved the Commissions
report tho Adjutant- g enerol would have had
authority to expend $500, 900 in buying Savage
rifles.
The Governor has declined to approve the re-
port Of the Commission in favor of the Savage
gun. and in a lengthy memorandum says:
ut is intimated that the examiners were pre-
disposed In favor of the Savage gun. and gave
its representatives unusual and unfair opportu-
mites to successfully compete with other guns
really possessing superior merit; but the evil
dence submitted to me does not, think. war
rant thN suggestion. So far as appears. tho ex-
amineIs undertook to afford the representatives
of all gunN submitted to the test an opportunity
10 snow the merits. value. and capacities OF tho
weapons, and did not unfairly discriminate
against any of them. The Savage gun was In
vented by an actual inhabtant Of the United
States, who has since become n citizen. 1t WAS
manufactured hero wholly Of American mate
rial. and think IL is a gun OF American in
vention and manufacture within the fair
meaning OF the statute.
THE act providing for the investigation of
this su bject limited the selection Of gun to an
American invention. thus excluding tho foreign
gun which had recently been adopted for use In
the regular army. That gun could not be ad-
mitted to the test anu could not. therefore. be
selected and recommended by tho examiners.
During the interval since the passage of this
law I have given the subject attention and
have been favored with the opinions of many
persons of high authority in military affairs.
and AN advised that even the Remington rifle
now in use by our National Guard. and particu;
larly the Springfield rifle in use by the National
Guard of other States, are much better for the
use OF the Guard when called into active service
In the State in maintaining peace or suppresslng
disorders than maGazine gun such as is
perhaps contemplated by the statute and the
report OF the examiners 1t is further suggested
that a high grade magazine gun Is not desirable
for tho National Guard in time of peace, and
that II the militia were called into service by
probably be at once supplied. and that only
week two of exercise with them would he
able hem to use the new arms with entiro salts
faction. The suggestion Is also made that even
IL a magazine arm should be placed In the hands
OF the militia, they should stil retain the arms
they now have for use when called out IN sup
port OF the civil authorit les.
Il am also advised that the United States
Government has on hand about 100000 Spring
field rifles; that they are available for use by
the militia, and that a movement has been
initiated to furnish them to the several states
desired. In December last bill was intro
duced in the Senate authorizing the Secretary of
Guard of the different States in exchange for
other rifles now in use. This bill pissed the Sem
ate on the 18th OF March last. apparently with
out opposition and on the goth was referred to
the Committee on Militia in tho House of
Representatives.. The bill is now pending In
that body and will probably receive early con-
sideration at tho next session. The bill was
prepared and recommended by the Ordnance
Department of the United States for the pur-
pose of securing uniformity in the arms used by
the National Guard. IL this action by Congress
had been taken before the passage of our law;
consideration of the subject until II became
known whether our militia would be supplied
with rifles by the national Government without
cost to tho state: ] do not think that the
bill now pending In Congress can properly be
ignored in the consideration or this report. In
WOW OF the probability OF the dstri button of
arms by the national Government. and especia al
ly at a time of great business depression and a
continued unsettled condition of financial AZ
Fairs II " ou,d be unwise. ! think, to approve a
report which would require q contract for the
purchase Of arms at a possible expense to the
"For these reasons l have concluded not to
approve the report"