Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-24
him. but because they are situated In
the same position as he Is.
Refers to Bakers Report.

him. but because they are situated In
the same position as he Is.
Refers to Bakers Report.
The secretary OF war in a general
statement to The country, which was
carefully and ably prepared. tells US
that $4,000, O00,0 have been appro-
priated for, the ordnance department
and that contracts for $l.677.O0o,ooo
have been awarded he continued
This is true. But the secretary failed
to tell the country that America falied
to stand prepared"
France bled white" he continued,
lis furnishing America today ana the
troops going abroad with heavy ord
nance, machine guns and a1rplanes.
If we relied on the ordnance depart
ment in this emergency land this is
war of artillery, the war would De
completed before we ever got enough
to go to the front. France agreed to
deliver this artillery. To win Amer
lea? Did she furnish it in order to
| invite American"
| Uses Croxier to Support Him.
| 1t was improper, he said. to give de-
tails of American purchases OF ord
nance fro mthe allies, but referred to
the confidential testimony before the
committee by Major General Crozier,
chief of ordnance.
| "If the administration had wanted
| to be fair to the American people,, ne
shouted, why didn't the secretary OF
war let the people know. so that the
people could assist in getting ready
| for this terrible calamity that con-
| fronts not only America, but the whole
world?'
Senator Chamberlain charged that
the ordnance bureau failed in 1916 to
prepare for war when it seemed GER
tain.
There were omens in the sky" he
continued, that America couldn't keep
out. What was the ordnance depart
ment doing? Nothing. 1t was lying
supinely on it's back, not making
gauging for manufacturing ordnance,
nor discovering the possibilities of
manufacturing - but doing nothing,
absolutely nothing"
Not Blaming Anybody.
Appropriations for jigs and dies to
make ordnance, he said, had not been
used.
I'm not blaming anybody in par
| ticular," the senator continued. Il
have high regard for General Crozier.
But we haven't been able to do what
England, France and all other allies
F., have done, and that is to retire these
gentlemen who have not proven them
selves up to the mark. We ought not
to dismiss them in disgrace, but in
other countries they have gone into
innocuous desuetude.
This is not a question of person
alities This is not question be-
tween the president and myself. It's
a question of America, and every man
ought to make it his whole purpose to
see that America is saved"
Take Up Gun Controversy.
Take the machine gum" the sena-
tor said. Its an old controversy and
much may be said on both sides. The
Lewis gun has been manufactured
here for the British army and there
are 10000 of them ON the battle fronts.
Every British officer l have seen has
| expressed approval Of that gun. Amer
lea was prepared to produce them,
but with the country standing on a
seething volcano, the ordnance de-
partment was trying to decide on a
gun. The war department didn't even
adopt a gun until May, and finally
adopted it, in June, 1917, | believe,
; and then only on paper and it still is
a gun on paper. 1t never has had a
| field test Maybe the Browning gun
is a good weapon, but the Lewis gun
is doing good work. Why not manu-
!facture the Lewis gum
! The secretary of war testified before
the committee, he said, that in Sep
TENDER the United States had nine
Browning guns with which to go
Iagainst the millions of Germany"
Germany Informed!
He denounced the cry that investi-
J cation gives information to the en-
envy. Germany knows more about
America today than the men connected
berlain declared. IF the government
would be frank with the people then
we could rally to the support of the
president and the prosecution of the
war"
Great Britain, he said, did not waste
time manufacturing guns. The United
States could have adopted the same
kind of rifle as used by England, as
plants in this country were equipped
for manufacturing them, he contended.
Is Better He Admits.
But while the house burns" he
shouted, America determines through
the ordnance bureau what instrument
talities are to be adopted" He con-
coded that the rife as finally adopted
was an improvement over the British
gun but declared it took days and
months to perfect"
After the engineers of various gun
making plants had been consulted a
gun finally was agreed upon for the
American army, but 1.-The ordnance
bureau through a very distinguished
officer" ordered that the number OF
parts be increased, which added to the
delay.
why shouldn't America know these
things?" the senator demanded. Some
people in the west, he said, believe
,, America has all it needs. IF they
only knew the actual conditions" he
continued, they would give their
, lives, their all, to protect America
Casual reading of the secretary OF
wars statement gives the impression
that we had everything. But when We
get the testimony of the men on the
ground, different information is OBJ
tanned"
Cite Testimony Of officer.