Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-05-11
EVERY STATE TO
GET WAR TROPHY
THOUSANDS OF FIELD PIECES
ARE TO BE DISTRIBUTED
AS MEMENToS.
FOR WORKMEN'S PROTECTION
Government Commissioner Contends
There Must Be Cooperation Be-
tween Management and Employees
-Filipinos Renew Demands.
BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.

This is the decision of the war depart
ment and congress is in favor of the
plan. Practically every member of the
congress has introduced a bill asking
that some of these war souvenirs be
distributed TO the municipalities and
communities in his home district. A
vast store of these arms is now in this
country. ready to he packed and
shipped to all parts of the country as
soon as congress passes the required
legislation, according to report
which has just been prepared by the
war department for the house military
affairs committee
There are now in this country 3.242
cannon and big guns. including French
mortars, from the 77-millimeter guns
up to $40 and 245 millimeter hOwitzers.
OF these the service will retain all but
about 1900. There are from 10000 TO
$1,000 machine guns and $1,000 rifles
according to the report of the ord
nance department. Congress is adj
vised that it will cost about q million
dollars 10 box and ship these trophies
and that it will take about three
months to carry out this task after
congress has passed the authorization.
All plans have been worked out along
the lines defined in the WadsWorth bill.
As there are not enough of the big
guns for all the communities that have
asked for them, the distribution is TO
be made i'm accordance with the pro
portion Of men furnished by ach state
in the world war.
Standing of States.
The percentage Standin.; of the
states is as follows: New York. 9.T9 !;
Pennsylvania, 1893; Illinois, 6.68; Ohio
5.53; Texas 4.29; Michigan, 3.61; Mas
sachusetts, 3.53; Missouri. 3.42; Cali
fornia. 293; Indiana, 2.S3; New Jer-
Sey, $50; Minnesota, 2.64; Iowa, 2.63 !;
Wisconsin. 2.61; Georgia, 2.28; Okla
homa, 2.13; Tennessee, 2.02; Ken
lucky. 900: Alabama. 1.99 Virginia
1.94; North Carolina. 1.94; Louisiana,
1.76; Kansas. 1.69 Arkansas, 1852 !;
West Virginia, 1.4S; Mississippi, ] "A !;
South Carolina, ! AZ ; Connecticut, 1873 );
Nebraska. 1.27: Maryland, 1.25; Wash
ingtOn. 100; Montana. 81; Colorado,
%: Florida, 80, etc. The District of
Columbia percentage, from the one
city as against entire states. is 40.
This quantity of enemy arms is now in
storage at Port Newark, \. J.. and rep
reSentS the most complete collection
of enemy arms in the entire world, in
Guiding cannon, mortarS, small arms
and other implements of destruction
of every type used by Germans, Turks
Austrians and Bulgars in the war
Mai A. r. Fletcher of the ordnance
department is in general charge of this
collection and is working out plans
with congress for the distribution.
CAPT. Fred l. Gilbert is in actual
charge at Port Newark, and also was
i'm charge of the depot at Mehun-sIIr-
Yevre, France, where the guns We're
sent 10 be prepared for transportation
to this country. The specialist on small
arms is ]. l.. Aney, formerly : captain
i'm the ordnance department with the
American eNpeditionary forces. When
The United States entered the world
vCar he was in the Springfield (Mass.)
srmcry experimenting the nanufac-
sure of different types for the British
French. Belgian and Russian armies.
lie was chosen for the specially tech
rical task of making the collection of
small arms.
American Legion Interested.
Congress plans to order the arrange
r1ent of exhibits of these small arms
to be sent to national museums. ord
nance depOtS and military schools rec
ognized by the war department,
The American Legion is very much
interested in the distribution of these
trophies. and the probability is that it
will to a large extent, control their
distribution in the various states. In
good many of the states the legion
is manning to establish permanent
headquarters in memorial buildings.
and 1t has been proposed that these
frophies. to some extent at least, be
used for the adornment of these legion
buildings. 1t is already practically
settled that When the permanent nome
Of the legiOn-the national headQuar-
terS' home-is erected in indianapolis
TINT building will become the re-
rentacIe for some Of the more desira-
HE of trophies that We're brought
home by our army.
The members Of the house of repre-
sentativeS will he very glad to have
,hr problem of distributing these me-
mentus solved. There is probably not
member of the house who has not
received request from every city.
town and village in his district for a
German cannon. II : obvious. of
NcnrrSe. that no such demand can he
met hut the Representatives say that
il is uot easy Ia make their conSutu-
pn,S understand the impoSSibiity of
gerfin- some of these trophies for
Them. Under the scheme of diStribu-
zion that has neen proposed and will
probably go through the congressman
feel thar they will he relieved to a
large extent of personal responsibility.