The Republican journal., 1918-01-31
MACHINE GUNS.

MIR. Lewis is the inventor of machine
sun which has been in use for several
wears. He is a patriotic man and offered
mis- patents and his services to tie war
denartment without fee or hope of re-
ward. Mr.. Lewis believes his invention
10 be the best thing of the kind ever
made, and judging by his replies to ques-
lions asked by the senate investigating
committee he thinks quite as favorably
If Mr.. Lewis as of his gun. The Secre-
tarv of War did not accept the views OF
Mr. Lewis either as to himself or his
weapon, and decided to experiment a few
months in an effort to produce gun su-
nerior to any other of the kind ever
made. After some elaboration it was
decided that the first thing to do was to
select a name for the gun, and 1t was
christened the Browning gun. When Mr..
Baker was called upon to testify before
the committee he had much to say
against the efficiency and usefulness OF
the Lewis gun and nothing to say in its
favor. After being questioned quite
sharply Mr. Baker admitted that he had
not supplied the army with machine guns
of any kind, notwithstanding the fact
that large appropriation had, for months,
been available to enable him to do so.
Later on it was shown by reliable persons
that the Lewis gun was extensively used
bv the English, the French and in the
United States Navy and was satisfactory
When forced to admit that the manufac-
cure of the Browning gun had not yet
made much progress Mr. Baker said that
an ample supply would be available next
summer Leaving the controversy about
merits of the Lewis gun entirely out OF
consideration, the investigation did not
bring out anything to be set down to Mr..
Bakers credit The investigation was
suspended and there seems to be no rea-
son for its resumption. Congress did not
appoint Mr. Baker as Secretary of War,
and Congress cannot remove him. The
President is reported to have said that
the present Secretary of War is the best
ever known so it seems proba BILE that Mr..
Baker will remain in office, One good
result has come from the investigation.
We have been told what has not been
done and that is all that shows on the
surface Mr.. Wilson is loyal to his Of
fetal family. We commend him for that.
He has been an eminent professor in and
president of great university. Profess
sors and schoolmasters have vagarieS of
method somewhat peculiar to their voca-
ton. They deal with grown men as if
thew were children, A good schoolmas-
ter dlslikes to expel dull or an idle pupil.
He tries instead to show him to himself
AZ. others see him in the hope that the
vision will do him good We can readily
imagine that not long ago the President
NAV have called Mr.. Baker to the sanctum
. Of the White House and after he had
lighted his cigar, he reached down, took
Mr. Baker tenderly between his thumb
and fore finger and stood him in the ash
tray on the study table and said to him
something like the following: 'Now
Baker look here! as compared with full
size cabinet officer you are about half
knee high Even if you were as big as
Teddy Roosevelt considers himself to be,
I'VE could not just now make the people
believe you are anything but dwarf.
Now | want you to get up tomorrow
morning early if you please, and set your
entire department at work IN equipping
our army to lick the Germans, and if you
can in any way get hold of the same kind
of rum as that used by Gen, Grant during
the Civil War ! advise you to secure at
least a puncheon for your individual use.
] hope you understand, Newt, that we
seem to be in for quite a scrap, and it is
I'D to US to make good.