The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-15
THE ARMS OF THE roLUNrEERa
Congress to Blame II the Weapons Supplied
Were Anticipated In Type.

| Were Anticipated In Type.
George Tucker Bispham Of Philadelphia has
issued pamphlet. not 20 much In defence as
| IN explanation OF the War Departments action
| in eauippin9 the volunteers In the Spanish
| War with arms and ammunition which critics
| OF the Administration have called antiquated
| The pam phlet il entitled Smoky Powder and
Springfield Rifles: Why They We're Furnished
| Our Volunteers" 1t 10 a defence Of the depart
| msnt heads only In that 1t demonstrates that
| their course was necessitated by conditions
brought about by the failure Of Congress to
| act Mr.. BIspham describes the conditions
hat led to the development OF the modern
| sm all arms and tho ammunition used in them.
| and the futile efforts OF the Ordnance Bureau
TO induce Congress to supply the modern
equipm emit needed. To emphasize the disre-
gard OF the teachings OF experience shown By
Congress. Mr.. Blspham refers to the similar
state OF public feeling during the Civil War
and tho general determination exhibited by
everybody in the summer OF 1895. that never
again would be caught with In adequate supplies
OF arms and Inadequate means for raising. mo-
bilizing. equipping and supplying large armies:
never again would we ignore the advice OF
military men on military subjects; no more
should Executive action be hampered or
rendered mpossible by legislative inaction
and no longer would the shortcomings OF the
people them selves be laden upon the back OF
some unhappy scapegoat OF q military bureau
or army department. No; all would be changed.
We would reform. In the summer OF 1868 1t
was resolved by every right-minded citizen
that thereafter. II the game OF war had ever to
be played again. the players on our side should
be we'll selected and should be equipped with
everything that professional skill decided they
ought to have Alas for our good intentions.
They served but as 80 many paving
stones on the downward path OF humili-
alton and dissatisfaction. Another war
broke out. 1t was far less momen-
tous. far less prolonged. far less bloody. and
far less destructive to us than the tremendous
contest Of 1861 and yet the outbreak OF war
with weak Power found us unprepared with
proper system for increasing our army. I'M
provided with an adequate supply OF modern
arms and. above all and worst OF all. unpre-
pared to assume the blame OF these deficiencies
and ready only. to fasten. blindly and igno-
rantly. upon some man or set OF men. the
censure which we ourselves should have
borne"
Mr.. Biepham says the thoughts presented
were suggested by an article on Small Arms
and Ammunition" in the Military Serpice
Institution Journal by IN ordnance officer.
the technical character OF which he had sought
illusions from 1t. He says:
The capacity OF q small arm to slaughter or
disable tho troops OF tho enemy must be as
great as possible: and to this end fiatness OF
trajectory accompnn MED as 1t Is by extended
range. Is OF course. most important element
In estimates OF efficiency Of rifle bullets.
bullet whose flight for. say. 500 yards is In
nearly q straight line. 10 much more far-reach-
ing In effects than one whose flight over the
same distance Is on an arc Of great curvature:
S on horse ass eps any RSns
fEp pse,o sn' Of nOf Ike abeet Ths Second
bpe; would fly the head OF II. s5s
guns. has to be fired at, an elevation which
This problem which presented itsslk." he
goes on. was to find such powder charge as
Proportions. as nearly as possible on q hort
zontal line and for the greatest possible dis
hI h. d ssnTS to
which useless eienen,s were eliminated and
small bulk was obtained But another result.
not aimed at. was produced. 1t was found that
not wholly, to gas, and as, a consequence
s sp4 n wa. not d.ps sf b, the f4ss
Of the War Department, as far back as 1892.
sufflcient-and no more-.for period Of several
years gradually to equip our small regular
w snd Of
gress was called again and again to tho noces.
sty for further Ths people Of
representatives in Congress. disregarded the
professional warning and took chances as to
an In su fficient supply oinrms as best they might
when an emergency should arise, The emsr-
but the Executive and the Army were ere severely
criticised Sr hSypG Pat " IN s s1S9 IA FsdiSa
alone 10 resDonsible; for it was owing solely to
the failure OF Congress to make the requisite
By the ordnancs Department, tha. the soantI.
ness In the supply Of the new rifle occurred.
rather their representatives. or legislative
agentsInot their executive agents ~,
hs HSSe on tho S.ds M
the Springfield As rifle. tho fact is known That
a1ently exceeding 1000 pounds per Square
infh in our iar%sy rife while the As
81 no. more than 246oo pounds pse
pa%.. cSarse An Sssi y about 0 tex
grains wi exceed, the safety limit in the the
Springfield; although the pressures due to the
and uniform. 1t is well, .esta bills shed fact that
pressures due to the use OF smokeless powder
In small-arm rifles under certain and not very
abnormal circumstances are quite variable; In
fact. We may say that at times they are treach-
erously inconsistent and demand an exceed
Ing sta BILE and posi- lively resisting breechblook
This may be news for the users OF the arm and
the Ordnance Department"
Mr., Bispham says that for some time after
the Invention OF SIN ok less powder there was q
division OF opinion among experts as to lis
desirabity In warfare, and for that reason in
part It's use was not Immediately rscom-
m nfsraS ,o ne reetes among the arguments
troops to the enemy, especially enabling sharp
who might: II, the obsoaTity Of the Old.
enemies observation, and he refers 70 the fact
that the efficiency OF troops. for instance a
seriously, impaired BY an ofiesr,s loss. An
other OF tho arRume nts was that the use Of the
sEmoksiess powder would expose to all the men
enemy. and that this might have DEM raliz-
ing effect on them. as one Of the difficulties In
the way OF inducing men to stand under fire to
which they were not allowed to reply was the
sight OF the slaughter going on around them.
Mr. Bispham says further that the artilerlsts