The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-19
COMMENT ON DIR. COOK.
The Time Has Arrived When He
 should Demand an Inquiry.

The Time Has Arrtvea when he
 should Demand an Inquiry.
 New York Evening Post.
 affidavit of Barrill, the man who &C., companied pr. Cook on his alleged as- cent of Mount Mckinley, Is not con asxs doetors e,Ssn's story that % ae man who signs a sworn statement that he had been voluntary participant in the concoc- ton of an elaborate and swindiins impeachabie witness when he swears that he lied. However fully this may be granted, 1t Is nevertheless manifest that the publication of Barrills af- dence. radically alters the position in which Cook stands as regards his claim to the discovery Of the North Pole :. What that position Is should be set down in as plain language as possible, and this we shall endeavor to do:
 Six weeks and more have passed since his first story of his exploit was given to the woSsiISS ses etn,n 1net the meagre evidence furnished in his ac- count of the, actual performance of the tremendous task which he claims to have, accomplished with the assist sEt- the most arduous and long planned endeavors of all his predecessors ha
 failed These two Eskimos, the only companions of his journey, have given d circufnstantiai story of that journey, according to which 1t was not even an attempt to reach the pole. but a deilo. crate imposture--a mere dash snort way out over the land ice, followed 1y a long sojourn hundreds of miles south of the pole. And now comes his only companion on the other extraordinary adventure that he claims to have car ried to triumphant conclusion and swears that, too, was a deliberate fm- posture, Thus two tremendous feats of endurance. skill. and daring--two achievements each of which has been given up in despair by all who had gone before him--ars claimed to pr. Cook not only on the mere basis of his unsupported word. but in the race of positive and circumstantial state ments to the contrary made by every human being who was with him on either occasion.
 Such a situation would obviously provoke. on the part of any man who h,o fellows. demand for the promptest. most comprehensive. and most thor ough investigation possible. The Evening Post has not permitted itseaI d basis of mere balance of probabill- ties. however strongly 1t may have felt at times that that balance Inclined in one direction. But the time has come, or will come very soon. when mere failure to press the question to conclusion must be regarded as a a confession of guilt It Is not TOT tnis
 
 newspaper to suggest to pr. Cook the Dropriety of presenting his evidence and getting an. authoritative verdict {; 1t is for him to demand an lnquiry, 10 insist on its being complete. to place not only his memoranda, but himself. unre eservedly at the disposal of an im- partial committee of investigation' Failure to do this. and to do IL prompt ly, will, we warn him. very rapidly have the effect of causing those whose opinions are worth anything to set him down as a shameless impostor.
 This Is strong language; opt nt mas mas been carefully weighed. We have not been anxious to have Cooks claim dis proved; we have held out for falr play. But as time has passed. the spectacle presented by this enprovea cnrn ctSimanS an5 more offensive. He has been com piacently going about the country talk Ing in the peoples money ana en1oylng the peoples plaudits and leaving to the future the task of establishing his claim To criticisms based on intrin- sic improbabilities or defects In his story. he has offered indefn,te s or E,slI frag m companions. the only associates of his polar enterprise, are cited in evidence against him, he tells us that thelr Ia TX was, merely in pursuance or ms ms iHyuhe- nte Now comes the only witness or ms great mountain feat. the only man man whose testimony was ayahApae Io hlil | in confirmation of the Mount McklhieS M | claim, and declares under oath thal | the claim is an elaborate lie from De ginning to end. And this witness i' not in the frozen North; ne can donD |
 pr. Cook is an honest man. he will de mand that this be done. and that th' whole case. North Pole and Mount Mc
 Kiniey both. be cleared up at onc' l and comnletely. From now on h' ought @ to be spending all his days an' nights in the work of clearing hi honor, and every dollar that he take
 when he ought to be. removing tn
 cloud on 1t, will be dollar gained the expense of hls reputation for hon