Evening journal., 1914-06-22
ONLY 100000
FOR POWDER PLANT
Government ReduceSAppro-
priation For Indian Head
SmOkeless Factory
BUCKNER
REPLIES TO MARITIME

committee OF the Senate and House,
reducing to 100000 the amount In
the naval appropriation bill for the
enlargement Of the government smoke
less powder plant at Indian Head. Md.
This Is Of interest in Wilmington be-
cause OF the agitation against the pro-
posed step on the part OF the govern
ment, which would be decided hard
ship on the dupont Powder Company.
As result Of Senator James 70.
MARITIME OF New Jersey, In debate re-
Gently, quoting magazine article
hostile to tho powder company and
having It inserted in the Congress
sionnl Record as part Of the days
proceedings IN tho Senate, Colonel 10.
g. Buckner, vice-president Of tho pow
der company, has sent this letter 20
Senator MARITIME:
E |. DUPONT do Nemours Powder
Company Wilmington, Delaware,
Room 994 dupont Building, Office OF
70. q. Buckner, vice-president, June
10, 1914.
Hon. James 10. MARITIME, United
States Senate, Washington, d. c.--My
Dear Senator [ can assure you that
] am pleased to receive your favor OF
the 18th instant, in which you state
your Willingness 10 read the article
which will appear in Harper's Weekly
next week, meeting and refuting the
charges made against our company IN
this publication several weeks ago
When read your remarks in the Con
gressional Record / deeply regretted
that | had not had an opportunity to
explain to you how wickedly false and
unfair the article which you quoted
from was.
| am sure that had you known that
the contract which was made with
tho German company was made at
tho request of our own government,
and, indeed, that the government was
q party to 1t, in that it assumed the
burden Of paying the royalties speci-
fed, you would not have been SO Sc
we're In your criticism.
In your remarks you stated that
the German government Is every
hour Of the day and every day Of the
year In possession Of the quality Of
powder and the number Of pounds
of powder which we have In every
magazine"
AS applying to the present, this
statement is an error The contract
we made with the Germans came to
an end in 1898, during the Spanish
American War Under II no smoke
less powder was manufactured. There
was no way TO keep the Germans
from knowing the amount OF powder
we manufactured under that con
tract for the royalty we paid them,
or rather the royalty the government
paid them, was on a pound basis
Every time we made a payment on
the royalty we had to, OF course, give
them the number Of pounds Of pow
der manufactured.
Since 1898 we have been selling the
government smokeless powder and
there is no way for foreign nations
to get information as to the amount
OF powder the government has on
hand save through the Congressional
hearings, or the debates in Congress.
However, if foreign governments take
the trouble to provide themselves
with Congressional hearings and
Congressional debates, they can
easily keep themselves informed on
all such points.
! want to say to you. too, that the
DUPONT Powder Company has never
sold a pound of powder 70 any foreign
government without consulting with the
officers Of our own government Indeed
when our army went to Mexico recently
and orders came to us which we felt
were for shipments TO Mexicans, / went
at once 90 Secretary Daniels aud told
him the situation and asked him
what should do. | had reason to
believe that some of these shipments
were 10 90 to the Federalists lie said
he did not know how to advise me.
took the matter into my own hands
and promptly turned down every order
not being willing TO take chances on the
ammunition being used against our own
soldiers.
While the DUPONT Company is large
concern vet ! want 10 assure YOU that
IN all IFS dealings with the government
have never heard anyone acquainted
with the facts intimate that il pursued
q policy that was either Unfair, extor-
ionate Or unpatriotic.
After you read the article, which
will b. published in Harper's Weekly
under my signature, Ii there is any
feature Of our dealings with the gov
erument which You feel you ought 70
have additional information on, / will
gladly answer any inquiry YOU may
make OF respond 20 your call to come
70 Washington and talk with YOU or
with the naval affairs committee. There
Is nothing we desire TO conceal.
feel, IN view OF the fact that Har-
per's Weekly's assault on this COM
pany played such conspicuous part
in the recent discussion, It would be
no more than fair that my refutation
of all the charges contained therein
should also be printed in the Record.
Do you think this unreasonableg
Thanking you for your kind letter.
remain, Yours very truly,
(Signed) Il. q. Buckner.
Senator MARITIME. according TO
Washington dispatch. has replied to
Col Buckner. assuring him of his de-
sire to be perfectly fair in this as in
all other matters and that Just as
soon as the promised refutation ap-
pears he Will not only study it thor
oughly, but viii see that the DUPONT
Powder Company receives even-hand-
ed justice.
EAprv cETERpATrON cocrc 40