The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1918-01-29
she furnish it in order to invite Am
Guns Bought From Allies.

erica?"
Guns Bought From Allies.
1t was improper, he said, to give de-
tails of American purchases Of ord
; nance from the allies, but referred
senators to the confidential testimony
before the committee by Major Gen
eral Crczie-, chief of ordnance.
"If the administrators had wanted
to be fair to the American people,
he shouted, "why didn't the d;stin-
guished secretary of war, and l have
the highest regard for him, let the
people know 50 that the people could
assist in getting ready for this terrible
calamity that confronts 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 its back, not making
| gauges for manufacturing ordnance
nor discovering the possibilities OF
manufacturing doing nothing, ab-
solutely nothing"
Appropriations for jigs and dies to
make ordnance, he said, had not been
used. "I'm not blaming anybody IL
particular:' the senator continued. "I
have high regard for General icrozier.
: But we haven't been sble to do what
England, Fracce, and all our other al
; lies haye done and that is to retire
these gentlemen who have not proven
themselves up to the mark. We ougat
not to dismiss them in disgrace, but in
other countries they have gone into
innocuous desuetude
This isn't a question of PERSONAL
ties. This is not question between
the president of the United States and
myself It's question of America,
and every man ought to make it his
whole purpose to see that America is
saved
"Take the machine gun" said Sen
ator Chamberlain. cts an old contro-
versy and much may be said on both
sides. The Lewis gun has been manu-
factured here for the British army and
there are 10000 of them On the battle
fronts. Every British officer I have
seen has expressed approval of that
gun. America was prepared to pro-
duce them, but with the country stand
ing on seething volcano the ord
nance department was trying to de-
eide on a gun. The war department
didn't even adopt gun until May,
and finally adopted it in June, 1917, I
believe, and then only on paper and It
is still a gun oa paper. In has never
had a field test. Maybe She Brown
ing gun is a good weapon, but the
Lewis gun is doing good work Why
not manufacture Lewis guns?'
Has Nine Browning Guns.
The secretary of war testified before
the committee, he recalled, that in Sep.
tember the United States had nine
Browning guns with which to go out
against the millions of Germany" He
decounced the cry that investigation
gives information to the enemy.
Germany knows more about Amer
lea today than the men conencted with
| the departments" Senator Chamber
lain declared. If the government
would be frank with the people, then
we could rely upon the people to rally
to the support of the president and
the prosecution of the war;" he added.
| Great Britain, he said, did not waste
! time manufacturing guns Inc UhNed
States could have adopted the same
kind of rife as used by England, as
plants in this country were equipped
for manufacturing them, he contilued
But, while the house burns" he
shouted, America determines through
the ordnance bureau what instrument
talities are to be adopted" He con
ceded that the rifle 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 was finally agreed upon for the
American army, but "the ordnance bu-
reau through a very distinguished Of
fcer," ordered that the number OF
parts be increased, which added to the
delay.