The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-01-23
Chief Signal Officer, General
James Allen, Thinks America
Should Take First Place <fin
the Air."
STATESMEN ARE NOR
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC
SoIons Will Now Have Oppor-
tunity to Tell Constituents
What Great Lovers of Peace
They Always Have Been.
BY Guy w. Finney.

BY Guy w. Finney.
Washington, Jan. 23.-Gen. James
Allen, chief signal officer, U. S. A,
who has achieved fame as patron of
heronautics, is sitting on the anxious
seat. He has set out to conquer the
air for Uncle Sam, and to accomplish
this feat has asked congress to sub
scribe 100000; but there's the rub.
This half million which Gen. Allen
asks is to increase the country's mill
tary strength; in short, it's war meas
ure. and Just now congress has a little
conflict on with the president which is
giving that body as much of a taste of
warfare as any peace loving lot Of
American citizens might desire. Be-
sides, objections to Gen. Aliens air.
conquering plans is likely to come be-
fore members who represent districts
where benefits to agriculture are of
first consideration. Their attitude to-
ward aviation, especially if it requires
spending half million, is likely to
take a crimp in the chief signal offic-
er's scheme for putting America first
In air navigation. Consequently. Gen.
Allen occupies the anxious seat out
side the Legislative hall, with prospects
of moving to the mourner's bench af-
ter the matter has been thrashed out
In congress.
viii Have Knife Ready.
Even if the house appropriations
committee agrees to this item of $780,
600 for balloons. aerop1anes. etc,
which is what Gen. Allen fondly hopes
It is moral certainty that certain
members will unsheath their pairing
knives when the proposition is pre-
scented to the house for debate. Let
any question inviting war talk Dob up
in the house and there is a rush to get
in the record, particularly on the part
of the up-country members as opposing
militarism. imperialism. and as deplor-
ing as many other "isms' as there are
opportunities to pose as simon pure,
out-and-out lovers Of peace. In other
words the air fills with oratorical
chaff about the extravaganza of the
military arm. and the danger of pre-
cipitating the nation into disastrous
war, all of which talk is intended for
home consumption. This legislative
hyperbole often reads the death war
rant of measure, but it sounds good
to the home folks. and consideration of
them figures largely in the law makers
existence while in the capital.
VIII Gaines Take to Rino?
Now John Wesley Gaines, that long
haired, silver tongued orator from
Tennessee, is most likely to jump into
the forum with an assortment of jolts,
jabs and counters that will, as our
strenuous president once remarked.
lick this aeronautical proposition ito
q FRAGILE" Mr.. Gaines is unfagging in
his attention to matters of public ex-
penditure. True. he is the friend Of
the army and navy. for that matter,
but first of all he is the friend of the
farmer. the honest tiller of the soil
whose interest must be guarded above
all else.
What, spend 100000 for balloons.
when the farmers Of this country need
seeds" the statesman will roar when
Gen. Aliens little proposed expendi-
ture comes up. mo STREE, not while
the spirit Of my peace loving, soil
tilling grandsires bids me voice this
protest"
You can imagine just how we'll this
aeronautic proposition will fare when
the Gaines bellows start working. Ana,
mind you, there are other statesmen
who will toe the firing line with John
Wesley. For instance there is Mr..
Sulzer. the New Yorker who bears a
resemblance to Henry Clay, and Morris
Sheppard, the young Texan with fine
oratorical powers and excellent lungs
to uphold the cause of the farmer This
trio will emit war whoop that Will
be heard from coast to coast when
Gen. Aliens pet project comes up.
Would Take Compromise.
Now Cen Allen has figured on fac.
sing just such a situation as this. and
perhaps, rather than not get anything
for his balloon corps, he will COM
promise on say, $4,000 or 100000.
He will come back at congress later on
though for he counts more on balloons
than on battleships to settle future
honors in war. This year the chief
signal officer went up before the ap-
propriations committe armed with a
fund of data about the usefulness OF
air ships, aetroplanes and dirigibles
in warfare that would convince any
etateman less skeptical than the trio
already mentioned. He described
theoretically to Chairman Tawney and
his coworkers on the committee how
the wars of the future will be fought
In the air. that bombs dropped from
soaring aeroplanes on the heads OF
opposing armies and to lay waste to
cities and Notifications will be far
more effective than projectiles hurled
from battleships. and gave them 9
lot Of miscellaneous information tend
ing to show that II this country failed
to equip its signal corps with $5o0OOf
worth Of aerial equipment 1t likely
would drop back among the inferior
u. - = 49,