Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-06-04
FLAMES FOR ARMY
CONGRESS FINALLY CREATES AN
AVIATION SERVICE AS PART
OF SIGNAL CORPS.
ANNUAL COST TO BE s260,Oo
United States Slow to Recognize Its
Importance in Warfare, but Value
of AeroPlane Has Been DEM
onstrated at Vera Cruz.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
| Washing finally has
given recognition to the science OF
aviation as a feature of warfare. The
house of representative has passed
} unanimously bill creating military
aviation service as a part of the sig
nal corps OF the army.
One of the curious incidents in con-
| nection with this aviation measure
was that it had been on the calendar
/ of the house for five months, a privi-
| legged position which would have al
lowed it to be brought to a vote at
any time, and yet its advocates did
not dare call 1t up for consideration
| for fear it would be defeated. How
| groundless the fear was is shown by
the fact that there was not a dissent
| ing vote cast when the question was
! put.
! Ever since the army secured its
| first aeroplane attempts have been
made to get congress to appropriate
! sufficient money to keep the military
| service of America abreast in aero
nantics of the military services of the
/ other nations Of the world. Congress
appropriated a little money from time
to time, but not nearly enough to put
| the service on a proper pane as mill
tary men viewed the necessities in
! the case.
1t is going to cost 100000 a year
to put the new service into operation
and to keep it effective. Unquestion-
ably the Mexican situation was large
| ~ responsible for the unanimous vote
| in the house on the measure. On the
! day it was passed there seemed to be
no probability that the United States
would have to invade Mexico with a
huge force, but the future was uncer-
tain and as is always the case when
war rumors are af1oat kindly spirit
! toward the army was aroused in the
| members and they voted the money
! which the war department asked to
| enable them to increase the efficiency
Of it's air service.
The army has sacrificed several
lives ii the work of aviation expert
menting. Six years ago when con-
| gress appropriated money to buy one
machine provided it should prove ca
! pable of sustained flight, an army Off
| Ger, Lieutenant Selfridge, volunteered
| to make the ascent with one Of the
! Wright brothers. The machine col
lapsed and young Selfridge was killed
and Aviator Wright was badly in
| jured. This was the army's first sac
| rifice in the work of developing the
new science.
To show how far behind the United
States has been in military aeronau-
tics it might be said that in five years
only S435,000 was appropriated by con-
gress for the aviation service. Ger
many in the same length of time has
spent nearly $30,000,000; France, S22,-
| 100000; Russia, s12,00O,O0O; Italy S.
/ 100000; Austria, S5OO0,000; England,
$3,00O,O00; Belgium, 100000; Japan,
S1,500,000, and five small countries
| have spent many hundred thousands
! of dollars more than the United
States
Were Useful at Vera Cruz.
At Vera Cruz the aeroplanes were
of the greatest assistance to the
United States army and navy in ''spy-
ing out the land after the occupa-
! ton of the seaport. The navy has
! aeroplanes and with the feet were
two or three of these machines. Off
GERS made daily flights far inland and
located gradually the positions of Gen
| eral MASS troops and brought back
! reports Of the condition of the rail
! road, large parts Of which were re-
! ported to have been destroyed by the
Mexican federals.
While on three of these trips in the
air the aviators were fired at by Mex
| lean sharpshooters, but, with their
machines, they escaped injury The
service is a most perilous one to mill
| tary and naval life for there is not
only the danger Of battle, but the ever
| present danger Of accident to the ma
chinery or to a wing of the machine,
and then the usual fall to death
Wilson to Have His Way.
Judging by what he has accom-
| plished with his part in the past,
| there seems to be no solid reason to
| believe President Wilson will fail to
! get his antitrust legislation through
| the senate in the form in which he
| desires 1t to pass. Some oniookers
| in Washington view the situation
with respect to this legislation as
not being favorable at this moment
to the administration, but despite the
form which opposition has taken it
seems likely the administration will
| be victorious.
The antitrust policy, as outlined in
legislation which the senate is about
to receive from the hands Of the
| house, is opposed more or less ear
nestly by a good many Of the Pro-
! gressives Of all the parties in con-
| gress and also by certain great bust
ness interests, curious combination
| Of antagonists, for the opposing ele-
! ments stand upon entirely different
| grounds. The more progressive, or,
perhaps, as some would put it, the
/ more radical of the Democrats, think
| that the legislation as IL has been
/ framed is not in a high sense pro-
! gressive, and of course this accounts
| for their opposition and that OF the
/ Making Him Understand.
Many shy and crafty foreigner