The sun., 1908-04-23

article from the Scientific American, un
accompanied by any legend, credit linz
or indication limiting its significance ol
describing It's purely unofficial and par
tisan source. As II stands on the record
Of Congress the paper might be misun'
derstood by the ordinary reader TO be ar
actual report Of conclusions from the
official hearings before Mr.. HALR's com.
mittee. II might be q paper prepared
and presented by the chairman Of that
committee himself It might be under.
stood as embodying Mr.. HALE's own
views about the alleged structural de-
fects in United States battleships or al
summarizing the -xieMs- of Mr.. -HALE.s
colleagues. As for anything shown to
the contrary in the text OF the paper
itself or In the manner Of it's presentation,
az reprinted in the Record, II might even
be mistaken for a slightly informal Presl-
dental message on the subject. There
is nothing whatever in the presentation
Of this paper In the Record TO define lie
real status, namely, that OF an outside
and comparatively unimportant express
sion Of opinion by an unofficial periodical,
caught up by a member Of Congress TO
reinforce his own position, and trans
lated into Government type and spread
upon the record according TO a practice
which has become common at both ends
Of the Capitol.
The incident is somewhat eItraordi-
nary. Are We to conclude, however,
that in order to impose upon the public
the Hon EUGENE HALE, at his age OF
mature experience and confirmed repu-
tation for scrupulously honorable proc
esses, has attempted a contemplate
trick which, when discovered, ought TO
cover his name with infamy? Not at all.
THE Sun is happy 10 point out to Mr.,
REUTERDAHL and all other gentlemen
who may be earnestly interested in this
controversy circumstance which GER
tainly ought to modify their ideas Of Mr.,
HALE's culpability.
1t will be observed that Senator HALB's
motion, as reported above, called for two
methods Of publication: first, in the
Record, and secondly, as a separate docu-
ment. The two forms Of publication were
nearly simultaneous but distinct. fMr.
HALE's intention had been in any respect
devoid Of candor, il he had desired TO
palm of this Scientific American editorial
as a document Of official or semi-off1cial
Importance, 1t is not comprehensive that
he should have deliberately suppressed
the label in one case while deliberately
uttering II in the other.
We have before us not only the Record
containing the apparently deceptive
publication TO which Mr.. REUTERDAHL
and others have referred but also Sem
ate Document No 427, constituting the
second form Of publication ordered by
the Senate on April on Mr.. HALE's
motion. Here the article from the Scien-
dfc American, entitled The Senate Hear
ing on the Alleged Defects in Our Navy
10 dtVSlldCN Wy luO ouDJOluCu luu anu
satisfactory explanation Of its genesis
and provenance:
81 M HALE presented the following:
Article from the Scientific AmerRdn april 4.
i0OS on the hearings on alleged structural defects
IN United States battleships'"
The lines describing the origin of the
article, We may add, are printed in cap
itals big enough and black enough TO be
read half way across the Senate Cham
ber 1t is evident that the omission Of
the similar legend in the publication in
the Record is a mere accident, due either
to pure carelessness on Mr. HALRs part
or to blunder in the editing or makeup
of the Record In the Government Print
ing Office. No other explanation can for
an instant be entertained.
We hope that however severely the |
Hon. EUGENE HALE may be castigated for
his real sins OF omission and commission,
nothing more will be said imputing TO him
for the perpetration Of a fraud
so petty and 80 futile