The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-13
Scoffed at Hotchkiss.

This Is not by any means the first
 valuable military invention to be brought
 out by American genius only to be lost
 to the American government Congress
 and it's politics are mainly responsible for
 the fact that so many valuable inventions
 of Americans go to aid foreign govern
 ments."
 Such was the sorrowful explanation of
 ans official high in the military service of
 the country. He cited several instances
 fin support of his contention. His name
 cannot be used.
 Tn the first place. he said. i've scoffed at the Hotchkiss gun. II was an excellant
 piece of artillery and the plan was the
 best in existence. But we procrastinated
 until the inventor was forced to go abroad
 for appreciation. His idea was appreciated Immediately on the other side as being of the greatest value, and he won almost instant recognition. As a result this gov
 ernment was forced to get in line and
 equip itself with the sef-same guns after other governments had already been
 armed If we had seized the opportunity
 to get the exclusive right to manufacture
 and use the weapon we would have had
 an artillery force that would have been superior to any in the world.
 The Case of Maxim. Another case was that of Hiram
 Maxim. He Is now Sir Hiram, as a result of his being driven from this country to England, where he was recognized as an l inventive genius and treated accordingly When Maxim offered to the United States
 his rapld-frlng gun he was scoffed at and l ignored. No one would take up his idea 1 seriously, although the Maine Yankee i was known to be an inventor of remarka- ble ability. Finally he became discour- | aged.
 "Then he went to England, where he | l aged to do his best Everything that was
 refused him here was placed at his dis posal there. He perfected his raptd-fire 1 guns, and the result was that this coun- : try not only lost the exclusive right to
 manufacture the cannon. but it has had l to pay heavy royalties on all the guns Il i does acquire"
 l The officer blamed the entire matter I on the existence of politics and the fact
 that the average American 'is," as he l phrased if. from Missouri, and has tc | be shown"
 Congress will not appropriate money for real experiments" he said. bitterly Tt will, however furnish funds for ex- hibitions. It does not lie with me or any other officer to criticise Congress for this :, attitude The American people are op.
 posed to experimentation. What they l, seem to seek is the development of stand ! ards. Congress naturally, reflects the 1 will of the people who elect its members Holland Forced Abroad. The officer then referred to the strug' i gles for recognition of John P. Holland : the inventor of the submarine boat Holland, while he was born in Ireland ! was an ardent American, and was anx 1 ious to give the American navy tho benefit of his discovery. His efforts 1T ] this direction met with constant checks until in desperation he went abroad ant offered his invention to England. AS ] result the British navy ordered sever i of the new type of war craft before the 1 United States realized its mistake 1 Then it ordered five. Today the Hol l land type of boat is in service in prac' 1 tically all of the great navfes of the
 world, and this government could have l had the rights to the invention at on' 1 time for mere song.
 "The chief trouble with the military 1 establishment of the United States, | this officer continued. seems to lie 1T l the fact that 1t has not enough leeway | as to expenditures. It has to go tt | Congress for every penny 1t expends l and naturally 1t has to furnish details ! of how this money is to be spent. Thi I manfestly Is impossible In cases of in l ventions which must be kept secret and the establishment is forced to le ] matters drift"