New-York tribune., 1896-10-08
THE SAVAGE GUN ATTACKED
LIVELY HEARING BEFORE THE COVER
NOR AS TO IT'S MERITS.
GENERAL TRACY CHARGES THAT 1T IS INFERIOR
TO THE WINCHESTER RIFLE AND s'"uESi'
THAT THERE WAS COLLISION IN ITS
REING RECOMMENDED.

troll lad a
hearing before Governor Morton to-day i"S gun
uos selec,ed nv a special commission appointed py
tho Governor 10 adopt new rifle win whic" u ,o
arm the National Guard OF the state ne c'',i'
sion reported two months ago III IaNo' " ~
Savage gun The Winchester Arms Compan'' "
\cv-tt,ven Conn and other competitors III t"e
tests which led TO the selection OF the "aNas
,skea Covernor Morton for hearing before ne
should act n the commissions report l"es ar
that collision and favoritism were eXerc'Seu ~
10 the choice Of the Savage gun. GoVernoi "o, 'o'
gave tn, hearing asked for to-day ana hs'en'' -
the arguments on both sides at length he tnen ,e
served his decision. 1t Is intimated that ne VIII "e
cvre .o annrove the report. His approval l. Recess
sorv 70 the adoption OF a new gun for the Natioh"'
Guard for which the Legislature has authorized al
expenditure Of s3CO.OOC , -,
General Benjamin f. Tracy and DaV'd "''o". u
New-York CITY appeared for the winchester Cum
panv and President Bennett and Colonel Addis, 'he
companv's general agent were also present oe'''-
TOR Joseph Nuin. OF WatertoWn. and the coHiHS-
s,on's secretary. Henry T. Abel of Brooklyn were
nresent 70 answer any inquiries In behalf OF the
commissions work Edwin II. Rlsley OF 'uca'
treasurer represented the Savage Arms 'oihp"'is
Mr. Risley said in opening that II any alterations
wcra made against the integrity OF the savage
COMPANY the company desired an opportunity 10
file answering afii1avits.
General Tracy said no had no objection to this
He then proceeded to speak against the Governor
N
that no law ought to be allowed 10 so ih''
efec, which limited the selection of the new arm to
any gun OF American invention 1t was the huty "a
the State to ,eiect the best arm manufactured III
the World and the Governor could not ahord 20 "p-
prove tho selection Of the Savage gun without KNOW
inp whether the re was better Further. the savage
gun was an untred experiment no nation nau eve,
adop,ed f. no ordnance officer ever selected H. ana
the members OF the commission "hich choSe IL III
this instance were certainly not experts III 'he ihd'
ter Of small arms General Tracy asserted tha'' 30
far az n. md the world knew. Mr.. Bliss Mr. Sha"
president OF the commission. ana froiesSor lh"iS-
ron OF Cornell members OF the commission, never
had anv exoerience emitting them to be considered
Judges OF guns.
CONDEMNED BY THE ARMY
In 1893 the Savage gun had heen condemned, the
speaker said. unfit for use In the Army II
broke down during the tests made by an Arihy co"-
mission at the head Of which was Ienerai o'is'
The system upon which 1t was designed had been
declared unfit for the manufacture Of an effective
gun for the Army but bad 1t was. that was
no, the wors, Of the matter The facts as 10 the
tests made by the New-York Commission had
proved I'm no single particular that tho Savage gun
was superior TO the Winchester gun. Wherever
facts and figures were at stake II was INFERIOR IN
one particular alternate trick-fring, It had been
declared 10 be superior. but the winchester ha1
tied IT, as the records would show. In the other
ests the records OF the trials would show the SUI
periority OF the Winchester gun. This was true al
every range from 100 to 1000 yards. As to ac-
curacy and rapidity the Winchester made a greater
number Of hits and fred ll9 per cent faster than
tho Savage gun This was the ultimate test OF an
arm for purposes Of war General Tracy averred
that In tho test by the State Commission the Savage
gun broke down a magazine gun. the same as 1t
had other occasions
Turning from the subject OF the merits OF guns.
General Tracy said he would discuss the report to
r.o "a y tt.fiN
Bliss whom he knew personally. was incapable Of
f. but Mr. Bliss a great friend OF Savage. and
on that account and for some imaginary reason he
had come believe that the Savage gun was the
the Governors judgment should be similarly
warped
the Commission ana told OF an incident at m
trials Of the guns Mr. shaw after seeing the
grabbed 1t, and. turning to the audience. ana par
ticularly the members OF the press said that ne
g,n was liable 10 be damned General Tracy said
there was nothing to indicate the truth of this;
th"v had not become jammed On the other hand
there was evidence that the Savage gun, while be
conclusion General Tracy explained more in detail
why the mechanism of the Savage gun made 1t un-
Bethel Burton. of Brooklyn followed General
Tracy and referred to the fact that while the law
Office records showed that In 1859 and l%2 when
Savage applied FOR patents; he was recorded as a
disabling Of the Savage gun on the tests
John ii. Blake. OF New York. for the Blake gun.
idorscd all that General Tracy had said. He also
filed brief
ARGUMENT FOR THE SAVAGE GUN.
The next speaker Mr.. Rsley. treasurer OF the
Savage Arms Company. He referred TO the di-
vcrsy of opinion existing as to which was the best
modern gun and showed how the krag- -Jorgensen
gun. before it's adoption by the United States. had
never been adopted by any other army or nation.
h. Sl ha been adopted
any nation need not. therefore, be held against it.
TWO governments. France and England. had repu-
dated the clip system for loading, upon which II
based the rapid work of the Winchester gun. AS
to SaVagc's citizenship, the speaker read atii-
davit from Mr.. savage that he invented the gun
that ii OF American invention and manufacture.
Mr.. Rislcy presented other aiiidavits in proof OF
But" interrupted General Tracy. that ani-
davit does not tell whether Savage was an Amer
lean citizen. nor does 1t state how long he has been
He was citizen, though" retorted Mr. Risley.
NJ. RIsley continued by denying the statement
made by General Tracy that the Savage gun had
broken down at the test. This was not so. 1t had
become slightly disarranged. but not broken Cen
sra Tracy Mr klssy said had made state,
using the Savage gun to ascertain In the dark
whether or not it was loaded This, he asserted,
edge that the Winchester gun had won on the test
on accuracy of shooting. but this was due to the
fact that while the Winchester was operated by
the best marksman on the continent. the Savage
gun was operated all the while by Savage himself.
who was afflicted with defective eyesght.
A JOB HINTED AT
General Tracy then took up the argument again
and denounced the contention of Mr.. Risley lie
had not Intended he said try prove any collu-
sion TO bring a scandal into this case. but the
argument presented by Mr.. Risley compelled him to
make "A statement There Il remarkable SINH
larity between the requirements OF the gun to be
selected and the catalogue OF the Savage Arms
Company The General then read extracts as 70
the eleven salient features TO be required OF the
gun TO be adopted, and In the catalogue of he SAY
age Arms Company, even as to grains of powder
and construction OF cartri,iges. he read similar
What" asked the General. does such SINH
-. IL.