The Washington times., 1902-01-23
OPPOSITION TO
@OzIER KEPT UP
Joseph L. Stickney Asks for
sr a Hearing.
MAY PRESENT His Case TODAY.
Views of an Authority Regarding
the bureau announcement of
Civilian Inventors.

Inc HBnl against the confirmation OF
the nomination of Capt. William Crozier
as Chief of Ordnance of the Army is still
kept up. Joseph L. Stickney. represent
ing the trustees of the Brown segmental
wire tube gun. yesterday filed with Sen
ator Hawley. chairman of the Senate
Committee on Military Affairs, request
for leave to appear before the committee
at its session today.
Mr.. Stickney made a similar request
when Captain Crozier's nomination was
first sent to the Senate. The charges
against Captain Crozier are that he is
unfit for the position of Chief Of Ordnance
of the Army because he was the inventor
Of wire tube gun of pattern somewhat
similar to the Brown segmental wire tube
gun itself. and that he would therefore
be prejudiced in favor of his own inven-
tion, even though he does make over his
pecuniary rights in it to the Government.
Answers the Charges.
Captain Crozier made answer to these
charges. To another charge that the De-
partment of Ordnance had for years pur-
sued policy OF determined and effectual
opposition to every practical invention
presented to the Ordnance Department by
4 civilian citizen of the United States.' he
made answer by stating that:
THE inaccuracy OF this statement will
be apparent from glance at the follow
ing impromptu list of articles adopted for
use in the service of the United States
upon the recommendation of the Ordnance
Department, but not produced by its off,
GERS which statement he follows by
naming list of sixteen articles bearing
the names of Hotchkiss, Gatling. Rafferty,.
briggs Schroeder, Parrot, Maxim. krag-
Jorgensen. Mills, Gardner. Colt, Scott,
Quinlan. Lewis, and Smith & Wesson.
1Ir. Stickney's Complaint.
Mr.. Stickney, in his plea for hearing.
takes exception to the letters which Cap
tain Crozier has written in defence OF
himselG Mr.. Stickney concludes his re-
quest to the Committee on Military Al
fairs as follows:
General Crozier's letter is at once a
confession and an indictment. He sees
no impropriety in being a member of
board that tests his own invention and
also a rivals similar invention: he as
sumes the right to interpret an act of
Congress so as to nullify its plain intent,
and he makes statement intended to
convey the idea that the Ordnance De-
partment has given encouragement to
American civilian inyentorS-a statement
in which the chief quality recognizable is
audacity.'
That t3st of civilian inventors who
have been encouraged by the Ordnance
Department" said a well-known attorney
on ordnance affairs yesterday. may
have been intended sarcastically.
'Mr. Hotchkiss was so much 'encour-
aged by his experiment with the army
Ordnance Department that he finally left
Washington and took his inventions to
France. The magnificent works he estab
lished just beyond the walls of Paris are
among the most interesting gun shops o.
the world
Calling Not Encouraged.
1T is pity that Mr.. Calling is not ir
Washington just now to tell the story
the way in which he. too, was 'encour-
aged by the Ordnance Department
Hiram Maxim met similar fate.
"As for Mr.. Colt, he was almost i
want considerable part OF the time
when he was begging the Ordnance De-
partment to use his revolver. and al
though he eventually achieved success
with it, he owed nothing TO that depart
ment.
"Parrott was an officer in the navy. and
his gun-the forerunncr of the buiIt-up
pieces now going out OF use-was develop
ed by navy officers long before the arm,
ever thought about it. 1t will be news to
most navy officers that PARROT, briggs
C4f,
tions to the army for any assistance in
developing their guns.
Young Army Officers.
Rafferty, and Lewis are young army Of
ficers. and / suppose that their esprit de
corps will require them to keep still
about the treatment they received at the
hands OF the Ordnance Department Mills
is also an army officer but he is an older
man and is rich and independent, and
while he may not have any grievance tc
air, it is solely because OF his not need
ing encouragement
"Krag, Jorgensen, and Scott are officers
in foreign armies Besides. the less that
the Krag -JorgensOn invention and its
adoption are ventilated, the better
Taking the army and navy mep and
the foreigners out of the list of inventors
there remain eight civilians. OF these,
four were not only unable to obtain en-
couragement from the Ordnance Depart
ment, but were SO badly treated that
three of them we're obliged TO take their
inventions abroad, where they were cor
daily received.
smith & Wesson and Gardner secured
Government orders for their inventions,
but not until after they had made their
own successes. There remains only Qun-
Ian Who is Quinlan? I can't find anyone
who ever heard of ouinlan or his inven-
ton; hence he may have received a
large amount OF encouragement. but he
has kept it dark.