Gunnison news-champion., 1914-03-20
BY EDW ARD KEATING
Congressman at large from Cosusua

Congressman at large from Cssuauds.
Washington. ID. C.-Are Uncl< Saa's
arms and navy officers wasting uiltaus
OF the peopss money by paying snsr-
b.tant prices e,r munitions Of war7 h
there an inner CIRCLE m the Wsr -
Navy Department which dlstr5huous
JUICY CONTRACTS 10 firms which ''ssssa
IN and lncidently boo-ss ITS ns0Asss
into the most desirable berths = ~
Army and Navy
Congressman Clvde NJ Tavepnsr of
Illinois answers the first question wish
an emphatic ives. and. as to the go
ond. d.-well he gives yoa some sugGes-
tive facts and permits yoa to drsw yosr
own conclusions.
Tavenner II a little fellow, STANDING
about fve feet and two inches and asly
weighs about l2D pounds. but he casrSss
ss much nerve and intellect to sAe
square inch as any man in CoaGssss.
He Is a living testimonial to TIE fact
that am mighty poor Judge Of genius
in the rough. A few years ago wAsa l
was a csrefree newspaper man With
nothing to do bat take shot Ut ''fhe
Besst" in the Jungle of Colorsdo, rsv-
enner wandered into my Office end go
ed for job. | looked him over saa -
cided he would not do. SO he west -
way and became q famous WsshinGtoa
correspondent Now he is in C0NGpsss
and million readers refuse to pertake
Of their morning bacon and eggs uatil
they have read ''Tavenner's letter" u
their fsvorite paper.
FIGHTING THE RING
Rock Island is the principal city N
Tavenner' district and the War DE-
psrtment has big arsenal there. Tsv-
enner discovered that the governmsst
was manufacturing ammunition in tAis
arsenal from 70 to 80 per cent less thsR
it was paying contractors.
We introduced bill providing for tAe
enlargement of the plant through -
installation of the necessary machinssy
in two large unoccupied buildings which
had been erected by Uncle Sam for g.
other purpose but never used.
We thought his suggestion would be
received with loud plaudits by the gen
tlemen who conducts the Ordnance
Bureau of the War Department. He
had visions of himself being greeted as
the white haired boy who had made it
possible for these faithful servitors to
show what they could do in the way of
keeping dollars in Uncle Sans pocket
But he had not counted on the pull of
the ammunition ring.
/ He told the story simply but convinc-
ingly to the House while we were dis
cussing the army appropriation bill, and
it will be found in the Congressional
Record of March 4th, 1918.
After he introduced his bill, he wrote
Col Burr. the Commander of the Rock
Island arsenal for data showing the
cost of government work and received
an enthusiastic reply assuring him that
the information was being prepared and
that il would more than sustain every
claim that he had made. Then there
was a long period of silence. At the
end of two months Burr wrote that he
was compelled to submit the data 10
General Crozier, Chief of Ordnance.
When Crozier was approached he said
he had given the information TO the Ap-
preparation Committee of the House.
but the files of the Committee failed to
reveal it. Up TO date the Ordnance
Bureau has failed to supply the infor-
nation desired
GETS FIRST BLOOD
Tavenner pounded away until he in
duced the Military Affairs Committee
to adopt an amendment turning practi-
eally all Of the work over to the Gov
ernment Arsenal He won far-reach-
ing victory bat he was by no means
satisfied and his speech in the House is
merely the opening gun in campaign
for bigger game.
That speech was.a ''humdinger' as
Doc Bird" Finch would say. Space
will permit me to give only the bare
outlines of it
I'm less than II wears, - said Taven-