Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-02-02
SEN. CHAMBERLA|NS
ANSWER TO PRESIDENT
Continued from Sixth Page.

December that We had nine guns at
that timc-ninc Browning guns-n4nc
guns to 80 up against the millions OF
Germany. 1t may BE- that having
nine shows that there is now an OPP
portunty for Quantitat.vc production,
because the guagcs may be ready;
but we have been III the war ten
months, and nothing has been accom-
plishcd.
eve were furn: shing Lec-Eniield
rifles to tlle British Government in
large number. The factories were
prepared for them. 1t is true tina,
Great Britain was trying to make an
Improvement upon the rifles, put
when the war came on Great Britain
sad, We will not waste any time
improving our rifles, but Will get
them out just as quick as we cam
and they have been Manufacturing
them ever since. What did America
do? With 100000 rifles in America
and in our colonial possessions,
motley group of different kinds OF
guns, America was seeking, through
the Ordnance Department, to take the
rifle that Great Britain was manutac-
turing here and which we could have
put out without any trouble i'll the
factories.
1--WE went to work through the Ord
nance Department. to improve the En-
field rifle / am frank to say it IS a
great Improvement. l believe 1t Is q
better gun than the Englis., gun, but
here while the House was burning
America was determining through its
Ordnance Department what instru-
mentalitlcs ought to DC adopted TO put
out the fire, so tnat it took weeks
and months before they finally got
the Lee Enfield rifle into Il condition
where the Ordnance department.
thought it was all right. Here were
the engineers OF these great arms
companies, who got together and
finally agreed upon program for tn
manufacture of these guns, and final
ly concluded that they would manu-
iacture them with seven interchange
able parts, and they started TO manu-
facture the gauges, the jigs and dies,
and everything ready for the manu-
facturc OF guns with seven inter-
,changcablc parts.
after the Ordnance Department
had practically accepted the sugges-
ton, the Ordnance Department evil
IDENTIFY concluding mat everything was
not going all right, went to work
Ordnance. Department and changed
that first from to 40 different inter
changcablc parts and finally ia scd it
up to over 80 interchangeable parts.
with the result that everything had
to he stopped for awhile.
NO MORTARS AT CAMP BOWIE.
The casual reader Of the Secretary $
statement would conclude that we
had everything in the way of ord
nance, and yet, take the testimony OF
men on the ground Ike General Greble
OF Camp Bowie, Texas. They have
not a single trench mortar. They
nave not machine guns to any appre.
ciable number, not enough to train
machinc-gun men. The testimony of
all is that the machine-gun man is
not worth anything unless he has had
some practice with n machine gun.
They have not any TIowitzcrs; they
have not any of the larger calibcr
gun. My friends, that is true OF
Camp. Bowie, and it is true of
every cantonment and OF every
regular divis'on in the United States.
ar not saying it by way of complaint
ing, Mr.. President. but I am trying to
show and l want the American peo-
PIE 10 realize that as to military
pol'cy America has none and that her
military establishment has fallen
down. If it had not been for the civil
liam people OF this country. if it had
not been for the men who have come
mere and given their time and their
services We would not have been any
where
Senator Chamberlain then turned
to the Quartcrmaster's Department
Il realize the great difficult cs that
nave confronted the Quartermastcr
General he said. 81 am not COM
planning Of that. He has done the
pest he could under a faulty system.
ana the President is not respons BILE
LOT the situation. lie inherited the sys
TEN. lie has done the best he could.
but we are without the clothing just
the same
Now, l am going to show by Mr..
bakers testimony that he did not
Know it, and that is the reason why
l am saying that our distinguished
ir!ena the ircsident-the premier OF
all the great statesmen of the world.
IL you please, ceogmZcd as the leader
OF thought In this great International
cataclySm and | say Amen to it-did
NV" Iiic liutH and ulu. lie
must nave gotten his facts from h IS
distinguished Secretary of War and
ne, in turn got them from somebody
else, and if those who furnished the
evidence knew the facts, they lied.
Ii the Secretary represented conditions
to the President on their statement.
ne must have not given the Pres dent
the whole truth or he did not know
it,"
lie then passed around some photo
graphs OF Wooden guns in use in the
camps.
Il do this" he said, "because I
feel 1t duty that l owe first to my
country, and second to my conscience
ana no man and no set of men on
Gods green foostool can keep me
from telling the truth and carrying
out the dictates Of my own conscience.
/ have no fear of God man or How'll