Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-14
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
FOR AIRCRAFT

TN THESE days Of enormous credits,
when millions slip from the pockets Of
the taxpayer into the Federal treasury
and out again over night and the ma
chinery Of credit has functioned In such
a way as TO break down traditional bank
ing theory, enormous appropriations are
the occasion for little, IL any, public
attention. A credit, however, of $64O,-
100000 for aviation is epoch.makng, par
ticularly as the proposal goes before the
House with unanimous favorable vote.
There was held in Washington recently
q meeting OF the Automotive Engineers
of America. At their dinner, where no
wine was served a modest and somewhat
embarrassed Englishman, who had faced
death a dozen times in the aerial battle
line, told in simple language his view
of the part aviation would play in the
winning of the war Give us control Of
the air." he said, "and we can declare
a strip Of land 100 miles long, from
Switzerland to the North Sea, forbidden
territory, and across that strip no single
moving thing, animal or mechanical, can
pass. No supplies will reach the German
lines in France, no trains will bear their
wounded back. They will be shut of
from their home bases as completely as
If ten thousand leagues Of sea intervened.
There will be but one hope for them, and
that the ability to fight their way back to
the Rhine under protection Of their anti
aircraft guns" Since then a daring
French aviator has shown that Essen
can be bombed, and optimism Is not
trifing with human hope when II holds
out the vision Of aerial navies eXtirpating
from the face of the earth whole indus.
trial units or exterminating submarine
and naval bases.
To blind the enemy is the task of the
aviator in direct warfare. Cavalry and
other scouting in these days of trench
fighting is of little importance. Whoever
commands the air commands also the
eyes of the enemy. lie can conceal his
own movements and concentrate his
forces for overpowering attack at
specified point, being sure that The foe
can make no counter.move. All prepara-
ton on the one side heretofore for
movement Of magnitude has been known
20 the other side. Strength has been
marshaled TO meet strength. a maneuver
which saved the Allies repeatedly in the
early days of the war, but which now
works in favor of the Teutons.
Our men are important and our ships
are important. In this titanic struggle
every form of power must be exerted
toward the accomplishment Of our su.
preme endeavor. But the one big thing
the Allies want from us, the one big
thing they are asking OF American in.
dustrial efficiency, the one necessary OF
all necessaries, is an assemblage of air.
planes and aviators Of overwhelming
power That does not mean enough TO
assure aerial supremacy only; 1t means
a sufficient supply TO make certain abso.
lutte dominance of the air. The airplane
is the master of the submarine, the mas.
ter Of armies and the master OF nations.
On its wings rest the hopes OF civiliza.
ton, and there fly with It the lives of
thousands upon thousands OF men, for It
and 1t only can bring the conflict to a
quick termination.
1t is no secret that TO this great pur.
pose some OF the shrewdest organizers in
the nation have dedicated themselves,
Just as the Society OF Automotive En-.
gineers has contributed its keenest per.
sonnet Training on large scale has
already been begun and construction
which can best be described as American
in its magnitude is being planned. We
shall use our own motor, IL experiments
now going on in Washington prove it TO
be superior to any other. In the contrary
case, the best motor now in use abroad
will be selected. The proper authorities
are going into the matter with scientific
They are not making haste
too fast, but they are taking care that
what we do do shall be we'll done.
II the war continues until next sum.
mer, airplanes will be the deciding factor,
and they will be American airplanes.
That is how important Americas particl.
patton in the war will be.