New-York tribune., 1918-03-15
Representative Tilson Ex-
plains Progress of Ord
nance Department
Says Nation Is Awake
Speaker Predicts United States
Never Again Will Be
Unprepared

Down in Washington John @. Tllson,
been giving what he calls "kindergar-
ten lectures" on the things our sol
ders are fighting with--the rife, ma
chine guns and the torpedo. Last night
he came to New York and delivered
one of his addresses to the members
Of the Union League Club:
Mr.. Tilson had arranged with the
Ordnance Department to furnish him
with exhibits of the Springfield, En-
field and several other less known
types of rifles, and in addition had
Browning and Lewis machine guns to
illustrate his talk.
A life-sze Whitehead torpedo was to
have completed the martial display
around the platform, but when the men
from the department tried to reach
the second floor of the club with the
torpedo they found it too large and
consequently left it downstairs.
The Representative gave the history
of each of the weapons; told how
much they weighed and how far they
would shoot Then he left the audi
torium Of the club, and with dlstin-
guishcd Americans gathered about hlm,
he went downstairs to whore The tor
pcdo had been left and arclMlly eN-
planned how it could travel seven miles
through the water and hit the mark.
Bankers Inspect Torpedo
AS Mr.. Tilson pointed out the
merits Of one after another Of the
contrivanccs on the torpedo. million
are bankers distinguished iurists,
men international! prominent in bust
ness and noted lawmakers peeked un-
der and over the deadly thing with all
the enthusiasm Of schoolboys. Their
interest Representative Tllson de-
clared was what was going to win the
war for America and her allies.
Although the condition of this coun-
try at the beginning of the war. so
far as being in a position to carry it
on. was fcarfullv bad. Mr.. Tison said,
things are rapidly growing better. In
Tact, he was genuinely jubialt over
some features of our preparations.
"ihc country has pretty we'll awak-
ened now." he said. "to just the shape
we we're IN when the war came to us
There is disposition on the part Of
some to find out where the blame lies
No need. There's enough blame to sc
all the way around.
Rife Situation Fortunate
"Despite our wocful unprepared-
ness" he added, eve were really very
lucky so far as the question Of rifles
was concerned. For two years before
we got into the war we had beer
manufacturing the Enfield rife fol
England. The only difference between
it and our Snringfclds was necessi
tated because OF the difference in am
munitoa. When the war started, by
making Slight changes We were en-
abed after a slight delay to go right
on making the rifles for ourselves
Now we can turn them out at the rate
Of several thousand day and were
getting better every day"
SO far as machine guns arc con
cerned, the speaker said, the situation
was not so good. I'VE have bought
several thousand Of the Lewis guns ant
are going to buy more. Eventually
however, | think we will place oul
main dependence on the Browning
gun
The speaker turned aside Ions
enough from his talk on ordnance tt
express the hope that the day hat
passed forever when the United State
had to depend on the navy Of . friend
ly nation to protect it from invasion
every one knows" he declared
"that had Germany been able to vii
and win quickly, so as to have silence'
the navy of Great Britain, nothing oil
the face Of the earth could hav
stopped her from landing an army OF
our shores and marching it straigh
through the country to Chicago, if sh
saw fit"