The Washington herald., 1918-03-13

VIII some kindly official or member
OF Congress take 1t upon himself to
make it perfectly clear to the people
Of the United States just what the
shipping situation Is?
The person who will do this will earn
the everlasting gratitude of the peo-
ple-and his name will probably live
longer in history than some Of those
who are now engaged in the great
game of keeping the people from
knowing any too much about the situ-
alton.
We are reminded Of this government
tai dereliction by several things new
in the news.
First, we read with unrestralned
pleasure, in the Official Bulletin. that
Chairman Hurley, OF the shipping
board. has said something worth while.
And as We go over 1t we find 1t is
very much worth while. Here II is:
I'VE have 100 shipyards with 100
ways and half million men. We
should produce 1900 ships within the
year Our program is getting into
its stride"
Splendid. we say. And like a lot OF
other good Americans. who are anx-
iOus to see the Kaiser licked and who
want to see the job accomplished as
soon as possible, we say That's en-
couraging."
But just as we finish we run into
a more or less obscure item in which
Hamilton Holt. editor of the Inde-
pendent, is quoted as saying:
81 have not seen shipyard-in
a trip from New Orleans to Bristol
that will be able to turn out ship
within six months"
And We find, upon investigation, that
Mr.. Holt has been serving for some
time past as a member of the ship
ping committee of the U. S. Chamber
of Commerce, and that, in fact, his
trip of investigation was taken es-
pecially in order that he might find
out Just where your Uncle Samuel Is
in this shipping business.
Amazed, and startled We read on.
We pick up Philadelphia papers and
find Admiral Bowles, assistant man
ager of the emergency feet corpora
ton of the shipping board, quoted
freely therein-and we wish devoutly
that he had been able to say some
thing good in that free quotation.
Listen-he says:
"All shipboards along the Atlantic
seaboard. including those in Phil
adelphia, are not producing results
which personnel and equipment
warrant.
"Ail the shipyards, except those
with naval contracts, are bad. and
it is hard to tell which is the worst
Il can tell what has happened
E. :. E. but OF the future l had bet
ter keep quiet"
And the latter sentence. We take
1t from the reports. drolled OF too
ominously to duplicate elsewhere
than in house of mourning.
What is wrong?
Are the shipping leaders afraid to
tell the truth? Why do they go on
endeavoring to deceive America? Will
there not be an awakening. some
day, which will make American wrath
stupendous. when it is known that
the truth has been kept from the
public?
We are told things by some off,
cers-and told other things by other
officers. There is no agreement be-
tween them. Some of them-those,
apparently, who are anxious to make
US believe all is well-tell us glow
ing tales about our shipping perform
ances. Others-and these. apparent
y, anxious to tell US the truth-say
things which chagrin us and make
US look for deep holes in which none
but discouraged men can crawl.
Is there any valid reason why
America should be kept in the dark?
Is there any result. from this pro-
cess of falsification and deception,
which counts against the Kaiser and
which brings the end of the war
nearer to us? Are we really win
ming the war by THINKING we are
winning It? Or had we not bettes
find the truth and then depend upon
the eternal principle that the truth
shall make US free"-when as a re-
suit OF finding out the truth we shall
proceed to remedy the present des-
picable situation?
The matter is serious. It should
have Congressional sttention. It
should have the attention OF all
America II should bring about n