Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-13
Exorbitant Prices Paid for Munitions of War
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7 advantage OF Rock Island. He stated
he had already assigned men to col
lect the data required, and that he
would have IL to me within a week for
use in support OF my bill.
Two months passed and the infor-
nation did not come. In the mean
time / had been writing Col. Burr. i'm
portuning him TO hurry the data along.
as | had urgent need of it Then !
received a letter to the effect that he
had been able to obtain only part OF
the data desired and that he had deem
ed II advisable TO first submit it to
General Crozier.
The data has never come, but in its
stead a letter from General Crozier to
the effect ! would find the information
| desired in the hearings of the ap-
preparation committee. An examina-
ton of the hearings showed that IL did
not contain the special data l desired
and did not contain the data | asked
for.
What actually happened was that
Colonel Burr felt il incumbent upon
him TO obtain the consent of General
Crozier before giving me any informa-
ton. and General Crozier did not per-
init it TO reach me.
What General Crozier's motive was
in Withholding this and other informa-
ton, | can not say because l do not
know. ! can, however. state the fact
that General Croker is an enthusiastic
advocate of the policy of giving as
much work as possible TO outside
manufacturers at prices ranging from
IN than he
is manufacturing
the same articles for in the govern
ment arsenals.
Ii is obvious that il / am successful
in attaining the end for which / de-
sire the information above alluded to
that is. in having the two large
buildings at Rock Island equipped with
machinery-the ammunition ring will
lose some contracts for government
work that have been exceedingly fat.
When Representative Henry T.
Rainey, of Illinois, one OF the best
known and most respected men in pub
lie life. and one of the leaders on the
democratic side of this house. investi-
gated the domination of the war and
navy departments by the armor and |
rings, he took occasion
to mention General Crozier in a speech |
delivered in the house of representa- !
tives on Tuesday, February y, 1911, as |
follows:
Millions of dollars were expended |
by the government on the Burlington /
Crozier disappearing gun carriage /
while Burlington was chief of ordnance
and while Crozier was member of the
board of ordnance. These officers. as
a result OF experimenting with govern
ment money, were finally enabled to
take out a patent on the disappearing
gun carriage now in use in this coun-
try. The patent was taken out at the
suggestion OF the Bethlehem Iron Co,
as Mr.. CroZier admitted. These two
officers sold all the rights to the Beth
lehem Iron Co, as Mr.. CroZier also
admitted. for $4,000. and the Bethle-
hem Iron Co. agreed to pay to General
and TO General Crozier, in
addition to that amount, royalties on
each carriage built for governments
other than the United States until on
his account there had been paid to
these officers in royalties the sum of
$50. 900.
These officers, therefore. charged
with protecting the contracts made
by this government with the steel
charged also with placing
orders for armor plate and for cast
ings for guns with steel companies.
into this partnership with the
Steel company. "A man
can not serve two masters" and the
inferior character of work done for
he government by these companies,
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