New-York tribune., 1918-03-27
Storm Breaks
In Senate Over
Our "EaiLure'.
Continued from page

our boys in the trenches to-day is that
without let or hindrance German
! planes are flying over them and Aging
SO low that our boys are shooting at
! them with revolvers. I want to know
whether that is the testimony before
the Military Committee ?"
at is" said Mr.. New.
Then" said Senator Johnson. dra-
>matically, "in answer to the aninad-
version of the Senator from North
! Carolina and others, | say that there is
! just one way to correct this sort Of
outrage upon American youth, and that
way is in the language of distin-
guished 'pitiless publicity"
At this point the applause in the
forth threat to clear the galleries by
| the chair.
4 Supports Thomas
Gas I understand it, the Senator from
North Carolina (Overman) is now in
providing that absolute power be vest
ed in the President and that he is going
to insist upon the passage of that bill
| am one Of those who have advocated,
or at least who have voted, for prac
tically every particle of legislation of
that character. | am not at all sure
shat | shall now support as strongly as
can the bill, the passage of which the
Senator will urge, but as an American
( | am exactly in the frame Of mind
wnicn was SO eloquent!y and 50 torcibly
expressed by the Senator from Colo
RADIO (Thomas( (-one who would sec his
party sink to the uttcrmost depths of
hell rather than that the people should d
suffer any further from failure to act
and want of knowledge; cne of those
whQ would rather vote absolutely QUITO
cratic powers in the President, but do
want to know what the President is do
ing with the powers which have already
been given.
CAS- one of those who recognizes
that failures have been made, l thin,
that the time has come-I do not
think the President himself can be
reached in any way except by the
knowledge that the people of the
United States are finally getting in
formation which apparently he has not
yet assimilated."
II agree with the Senator" said Mr.
Overman, "but l do not think the floor
of the Senate is the proper place to
do it at this time. l think it ought
to be done by the committee"
"The fate Of the war is trembling
in the balance" said Senator Lodge
"Our gallant allies are holding back
the German advance at enormous sac
ritices and with courage that goes
beyond the range Of eulogy. In this
dark hour it is a crime to keep from
the American people facts we'll known
to our enemies, but about which our
own citizens are misinformed.
eve know here, and we have known
for weeks, as the Germans have known
that we have no fighting planes in
France. The Secretary of War spoke a
short time ago of our beginning TO
send fighting planes to France. He said
the number was small, but we had
begun to send them. We returned at
tEat time the two French models we
had here. Since then, | believe, one
American plane has gone. 1t may be
on the water now; it may have been
landed. The heavy Liberty motor, ac-
cording to the best information | can
get, may be developed so as to furnish
adequate power for bombing planes
The light motor does not show a ca
pacity for fighting planes. We have
not fighting plane in France. The
I front where our men are is not defend
ed in the air. The French and the
English have use for every plane they
can bring up, and our men are not de-
tended at all.
$S40,O00,O 900 Spent
eve have spent S84O,00O,O00 for air
planes in the past year, and we have
not fighting plane in France. was
shown a statement from the Aero Club
OF America saying that what was need
ed was money three thousand million
dollars to build airplanes. We have
granted powers a:c we have given
money without stint; but appropriatinc
money and granting powers will lead
to nothing uniess the money is wisely
expended and the powers are efficiently
exercised. This idea which some peo-
pie seem to have that all that is neces-
Sary is TO appropriate money and ute.
praVe words IN order to end the war is
one OF the worst delusions which ever
tempted a people to destruction
ne 1acts | have recited in regard
10 alrplanes are known to Germany. 1t
Is time our people understood them.
1T is to the last degree painful to
say these things, but they are the
trutn. inc facts are there to be dealt
with. | have the deepest confidence in
shouid not be mlslcd with tales of what
we are about to do and not be told
what we have done and what we
nave failed to do. Let them know
the truth-whether it is bad or
good, let them have the truth. #
they have the truth and they see the
difficulties it will arouse the American
splrit--not merely the spirit of pen-
erous patriotism with which they have
come forward to give their sons and
their brothers, their money and their
time to the country, but the grim de.
termination, the nard setting of the
teeth which were shown on both sides
during the Civil War
Tell them the truth; tell then,
where we are to-day. The world looked
TO US year ago and said we had come
to the rescue of the situation. If the
situation is ultimately to be saved, il
can only be saved by the resources and
the man power of the United States
We have good draft law; it has been
we'll administered. We got the men:
we can get more men; but apart from
tnat what have we to show in accom-.
phshment? A wasted year.
Says Senators Know Facts
What | said is we'll known to Scna.
tors on both sides Of the chamber:
just as well known as it is to me:
better known, by far, to the members
OF the Committee on Military Affairs
which has done such great work dur
ing the last winter But |. for one