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Show oo WHAT THE POLITICIANS " WOULD DO. . Ever since our, entrance Into the war, a concerted effort has been made by politicians to discredit Secretary Baker. Word was passed along tho line to attack both Secretary Baker and Secretary Daniels and, if possible, force a now cabinet organization in order that the politicians might say they compelled the placing of new men in the war cabinet and thus saved tho country. At the very beginning, Secretary Daniel - floored his enemies by being better prepared than his critics dreamed was possible. Then the trouble-makers turned on Baker, until the secretary of -vvar clearly proved he had a program so vastly-greater than 1 his shallow opponents had pronosed that his tormentors were driven into ' seclusion. Lately, however, another form of attack has been directed against tho secretary of war. Now it is proposed to create a new cabinet office to have charge of aeronautics. To this sneaking sneak-ing attack, Acting Secretary of Wnr Crowell replies: "The organization of a department of aeronautics, separate and distinct from the war department, with its mil- i itary activities not under the control j of the secretary of war, is believed to be essentially wrong in principle." An eastern -writer, commenting on this proposal, says: It would be "essentially wrong in principle." It would be as wrong in ! principle and prove as bad In practice j as to separate the ordnance bureau from the war department or the quar tcrmastcr general's bureau from that I department and make their chiefs cab-1 inot officers co-ordinate in power with ' the secretary of war. When the American people arc reading read-ing of the essential part played by American scouting and bombing airplanes air-planes in Pershing's great vlctorv in smashing the St. Mihiel salient, it is an especially poor time to propose a befuddlement in thnt service or a reorganization re-organization which would put it out from under the immediate armv command. com-mand. Its unification in the war department de-partment has already been achieved, with John D. Ryan as assistant secretary secre-tary of war in full control. No more can be done along this lino by the senate sen-ate committee's proposal, while no end of mischief might be dono otherwise. other-wise. The president as commander in chief is against this scheme. The war department is against it. The navv department is against it. The whole army command is against iL It finds favor only among meddlesome politicians politi-cians in congress. oo |