Evening star., 1898-07-08
SM0KELESS POWDER
What is Said in Congress About Its
Need.
IT'S EMPLOYMENT is FAVORED
A Matter That the Department
Should Deal With.
so Nj E STRONG VIE VS.
som E STRONG VIE w S

lHc NUN lue ItSdsShtHlS Dy
land or sea in which our forces have fought
of the great advantage the Spanish have
bad in being provided with sInokeless pow
der and of the trouble our men have had
on account of being enveloped in smoke and
having their position thus disclosed Is a
reminder to Congress of the short-sighted-
| ness shown in providing for the nations
defense in time of peace. The fact is devel-
opad that the matter of providing this
smokeless powder having been deferred il
| was impossible to have it made in this
country in time, and 1t could not be got in
sufficient quantity abroad, because Spain
had been ahead of US and bought it up.
Chairman HuIrs Views.
Representative Hull. chairman of the
House military committee, said to Star re-
porter today:
The trouble is that could not get the
| snlokeless powder. Though it was an
American invention, there are in this coun-
| try no facilities to produce it in sufficient
amount
Congress long ago should have provided
for the manufacture of such powder in this
country. Contracts should have been made
SO as to warrant manufacturers to pro-
dUce it. But 1T costs a little more than
other powder and, too, many of our peo-
pie in Congress thought We never would
have a war and therefore would not pre-
pare for the possibility. When the war
came We did not have CROUCH smokeleSs
powder in this country and were not pre-
pared TO produce it fast enough. We tried
to buy it abroad, but Spain had bought It
all there l think the fault lies with our
congr ressional system. Congress is at
fault
What Is going to be done about it?"
was asked.
There is nothing in contemplation in
Congress. l wish the department would
take the matter in hand and make con-
tracts.
What MIR. LoudenslaGer Says.
Representative Loudenslager of New Jer-
sey, a member Of the committee on naval
affairs, said
Il think every one will admit the desir-
ability of providing sufficient quantities of
smokeless powder for the army and navy.
As long ago the time when the Dingley
tariff bill was considered, l urged a pro-
tective tariff upon smokeless powder, to
stimulate the manufacture of that article
in this country. Several manufactures are
being conducted a small scale in the
United States, but the competition of cheap
European labor keeps them down. The
House adopted my suggestion as to the
tarin on smokeless powder, but the Senate
modified the rate.
There is smokeless powder factory in
my district but l was not only looking at
the protection of the American industry l
was looking ahead to the time when the
government neeQ powder In greater
quantities and in quicker time than the
limited capacities of our present factories
could produce it. 1t would have been very
fortunate if we could have obtained as
much smokeless powder as we wanted for
| this war, and If our own people were en-
gagged in its manufacture
The House committee on naval affairs
continued Mr.. LoudenSlager, did all il was
asked to do in connection with furnishing
powder. The first appropriation contem-
plated was for 81 100000 for smokeless
powder. This was subsequently reduced to
| $25o,OO0, because the department could
draw upon the $50, 900 600 emergency ap-
preparation for this purpose. We also gave
S9o,ooo to increase the government plant at
Newport for the manupfacture of this ex-
plosive.
Il believe the government ought to make
smokeless powder and keep large stocks of
IT on hand for emergencies"
Mr.. Meyers Opinion.
Representative Meyer of Louisiana, a
| member of the committee on naval affairs,
Eaid:
There is no question to the desirabil-
ity cf supplying ourselves with smokeIess
powder. The only question is. how to Sc
cure it in sufficient quantities. We tried
to obtain it before the war, but the output
of the material is so limited that difficulty
was found in obtaining the powder. / fa-
vor the general use of smokeless powder
and think the experiences of this war show
that we Will have to get it in the future"
No Division of Sentiment.
Representative Butler of PENNSYLVANIA.
| member of the committee on naval affairs,
said:
There is no division of sentiment, 1 i'm
agine, about the necessity or the desira-
bility of obtaining smokeless powder for
the army and the navy. The committee on
| naval affairs favorably considered the COM
munications of the department in this re-
spect, but it was impossible at the break
ing out of the war to lay in a stock of
the powder sufficient for all purposes, as
the output was tco limited, and there was
too heavy demand for it from other coun-
tries
The Department Should Act.
Senator Hale. chairman of the commit
tee on naval affairs, said:
THE question of providing smokeless
powder for the navy is one to be dealt
with within the department We have
| given the department every dollar they
have asked for. 1 have no doubt they are
| doing the best they in that respect.
If smokeless powder is the best powder, 1
have no doubt the department is getting it
as fast as they can"
Senator Hanna Favors 1t.
Senator Hanna, member of the commit
| tee on naval affairs, said:
Il am decidedly in favor of smokeless
| powder. 1 think the question of the kind
Of powder to be used in the navy is a
| matter to be acted upon by the ordnance
department. They have the funds to fur
| nish the munitions of war
Senator Proctor of the committee mill
itary affairs said the question of the kind
of powder to be used In the army would
not come before his committee. 1t was a
matter to- be dealt with in the War De-
partment.
We Were Not Prepared.
Senator Sewell of the Senate military
committee said that we did not have the
smokeless powder when the war broke out
1t would have been better IL we could have
had it. Other nations had adopted 1t some
time ago. but we were not prepared with
1T when this war broke out. The reason for
this was that smokeless powder was a
modern thing, and that this government
did not hive in expectation Of war and did
not have to be always guard, as are
European governments He did not think
that our failure to have smokeless powder
was due to parsimony or neglect. Our
ordnance department, he said. was fully