Evening star., 1914-11-24
President illustrates Two At
tempts to Buy Discarded
Army Rifles.
maintenance OF STRICT
NEUTRALITY REASON GIVEN
Administrations Attitude in This
Instance Deprives Government
of $2,275,0o0.

Just how carefully President Wilson
is maintaining the administration at
tftude of strict neutrality with respect
to the nations at war on the other
side of the world was disclosed today
in accounts of two unsuccessful at
tempts by Americans to purchase from
the War Department discarded Krag
Jorgensen rifles belonging to the
United States Army for shipment to
belligerents in Europe.
In one case the prospective purchas-
ers declared that the rifles they tried
to buy were for the purpose of refit-
ting the army of a Central American
country. In the other the prospective
purchasers stated that the guns they
endeavored to obtain were for the
Chinese government.
In both cases President Wilson put
his foot down" and declined to allow
the guns to be sold. In the case Of the
Central American country, group OF
Washingtonians formed syndicate.
which expected to reap profit which
is said to have been in the neighbor-
hood of s250.0o0. In the case of the
wanted for the Chinese government
large New York business interests were
reported to be behind the proposed
deal"
Local Business Men Involved.
According to information furnished
to a reporter for The Star today, the
group of Washingtonians who sought
the rifles, ostensibly for a Central
American government, included sew
eral Washington business men. and, in
addition, an attache of Central Amer
ican government now on duty in Wash
ington.
Notwithstanding the most careful ef-
forts to obtain the guns after a series
of delicate negotiations which might have
resulted successfully for the negotiators
in other than the present war times,
the United States government refused to
allow the rifles to be purchased under
any pretext whatever. or for any person
or government whatever. President VIII
son is reported to have been personally
consulted as to the possible sales. and to
have said that under no circumstances
| shalt the United States sell even one gun
while the war continues on the other side
of the world. in view of the possibility
| that sale or sales might lay the gov
i ernment Of this country open to the sus-
picion Of having lent itself even unwit-
tingly to charge Of violation of strict
neutrality.
The rifles sought are Krag-Jorgen-
sens. now discarded. which were the
former standard rifle of the United
States Army. There are between 30O.-
600 and 100000 OF these guns stored
in the various arsenalS of the United
States. They were manufactured from
1892 on, for ten years, and some OF
those now on hand are brand-new and
some have been used. They have been
superseded in the equipment of Unit
ed States troops by the Model 1908.
United States Army Rifle which 10
now the standard gun. E.
Present Value Of Guns, $2,275, 900.
The Krag-Jorgensens cost the gov
ernment about SIS each to manufac-
ture. Their present sale value. in the
open market, is between IS and So
each. At an average value of $3.50
each, with an estimated quantity in
the arsenals of the country of 5000
rifles, their value in the markets of
the world at the present time is a
total of $2,275,000.
Rife experts in Washington today
are authority for the. statement that
every small arms factory in the United
States which manufactures rifles, with
one exception, is working full time,
and absolutely unable to turn out more
rifles or take orders for immediate or
early delivery of more rifles In these
circumstances, it is said, the United
States government could find a ready
market for it's S2,275.000 worth Of
Krag-Jorgensens, and that the strict
maintenance of neutrality by the
United States in this one respect alone
has cost the United States government
that sum.