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Show The Aviation .Calamity r ,v i m - The Senate Committee's report on the aircraft situation situa-tion merely confirms our worst fears as set forth in these columns from time to time during the last six months. Compared to the miserable mess made of this vital section sec-tion of our military programme' all the scandals of the Spanish war fade into insignificance. The uninitiated are likely to look upon this failure as a thing apart from the general military programme. They err. It affects every phase and section of the programme. God only knows how many lives, American, French, British and Italian, have been sacrificed and how much treasure has been wiped out because of this failure. Terrible as are the. revelations already before us, the story is only half toldT Charles Evans Hughes is yet to be heard from. It would be improper at this time to forecast fore-cast in detail the contents of the Hughes report. Despite the fact that powerful influences have been at work to lead Mr. Hughes off the trail, we know that he has spurned the temnters. The Senate Committee renort shocked the country. The Hughes report will horrify it. ( Mr. Hughes will show the grand jury pot only that fools were entrusted with the programme, but crooks as well, i If his recommendations are followed a score of men who ' fattened, to the extent of millions, on the wreckage of the programme, will be indicted. , Comment on the Senate Committee's revelations appears ap-pears to be superflous. But a few questions must present pre-sent themselves to every thinking man. When Mr. Gutzon Borglum tried to uncover the truth last winter why did the War Department connive at an attempt to blackmail him into silence? Why has Newton D. Baker deliberately and persistently deceived the country coun-try for almost a year on the programme? Those who have followed the dirty trail of the scandal scan-dal will remember that Mr. Borglum in December was empowered by the President to investigate the .program. He labored assiduously and it became known that he had discovered shocking conditions. Suddenly something happened. We do not know what, but we do know that the president was deceived. Then Borglum went to the press and made charges which were so terrible that they appeared unbelievable. He ref usejUo be silenced. A final fin-al effort was made to shut'hinfup. The files of the War Department were searched and an unsubstantial series of allegations charging Mr. Borglum with attempting to sell his influence with the president were handed to one of the administration's tried and trusted press agents. They were printed far and wide. The evidence appeared to be damning. But Mr. Borglum scorned it all and insisted on telling thetruth. Time has vindicated his character and proved his charges. Who were the men powerful enough to use the War Department in an attempt to Blackmail Mr. Borglum into silence? Does Mr. Baker know? Possibly Mr. Hughes will tell us. We are not particularly interested in , Mr. Borglum, "but we are concerned to learn .if the gentlemen who had access to the 'secret files of the Intelligence Bureau Bur-eau of the army, still surround the president and deceive him on ther matters as they deceived him on the condition condi-tion of the aviation programme. Every man the Senate Committee found responsible for the failure was appointed appoint-ed by Mr. Baker. There was General Squier notoriously notorious-ly unfit for the job. Mr. Baker was warned that he would make a fizzle. He refused to remove him until the whole world realized his incapacities. Mr. Howard Coffin was the laughing stock of Washington months before ho was demoted. Everyone but Mr. Baker seemed to know that he was a hopeless visionary. Colonel Deeds is in a class by himself. The" Senate Committee found that if not actually ac-tually involved in questionable transactions he winked at them. This was "common talk in Washington all winter and spring. Everyone knew it but Mr. Baker. Had Mr. Baker months ago taken a strong hold on the situation and applied the proper remedies, he would have our full sympathy, but what are we to think of him when, not only fajling to grasp the situation, he actually deceived 'the public month in and month out by issuing the most preposterous statements, and countenanced an attempt to destroy Mr. Borglum, the only man who dared tell it? I But the truth is out at last and we look with confidence confi-dence to Mr. Ryan, acting under the personal direction of the President, to clear away the wreckage and carry on, carry on. N. A. Review's War Weekly. Washington, D. C, Monday. President Wilson late today to-day walked to the State, War and Navy building from the White House and conferred with Secretary Baker for more than half an hour. Thet President seemed in the best of spirits and was whistling as he returned to tho White House. N. Y. Herald. To keep his courage up, of course; one counts ten to keep from cussing. N. A. Review's War Weekly. |
