The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-05-16
WILSON ORDERS
AIRCRAFT INQUIRY
Acts TO Clear Innocent or Find
Guilty.
GRAFT CHARGE TO BE AIRED
President Instructs Department of
Justice To Make investigation AZ
Result OF Demand BY Senate
And Mr.. Coffin.

Washington.-Talk Of graft and mis-
management In the national airplane
construction program, heard for
months in Senate debate and Capitol
lobby gossip, has eliminated IN
presidential order for an Investigation
by the Department Of Justice. Al
most simultaneously II became known
that Major General Squier, chief sig
nal officer and until recently in direct
charge OF army aviation, had demand
ed a military court of inquiry.
The White House in announcing
President Wilson's action made public
a telegram received from Howard
Coffin, former chairman OF the Air
craft Board, urging an official inquiry,
that regulations Of innocent men
may not be ruined" and a series OF
letters and kilograms exchanged be-
tween the President and Gutzon Bor'
glum, the sculptor, TO whom is at
tributed responsibility for statements
that corruption in the expenditure OF
funds and pro-German intrigue has
hindered airplane production.
There Also was letter written by
the President to Senator Thomas, of
Colorado, a member Of the Senate
Military Committee, assuring him that
every instrumentality Of the Depart.
ment of Justice will be used to pur.
sue charges Of dishonesty or malver.
sation Of any kind II Mr.. Borglum's
allegations are found worthy of seri.
Gus consideration. Senator Thomas
laid before the President last week
assertions made to members OF the
committee by the sculptor.
The exact status OF Mr.. Borglum as
an investigator, which, until now, has
been more or less OF a mystery to the
public, is cleared up by the CORE.
spondence. II develops that after the
sculptor had written to Secretary
Tumulty last November in regard TO
alleged defects in the aviation organ.
ization and the desirability of having
certain experts called in, the Presi.
dent asked him 10 present his ideas.
Later, on January 2, the President
wrote a letter to Mr. Borglum asking
him to come to Washington and lay
the matter before the Secretary OF
War, and with the aid Of member
of the Secretary's personal staff dis.
cover the facts by personal investiga.
tion.
Borglum did this, and on February
/ the President sent preliminary re.
port from him to Secretary Baker
with this note: Here Is Mr.. Borg
lum's preliminary report. Is there not
someone entirely disconnected from
aeronautics and from those who are
prominent in carrying out the air
plane program whom you can ask to
20 over this thing with an unbiased
mind and give us his naive impress
sions of It? There may be something
worthy of our consideration and sug.
gestions worthy to be adopted"
On March 20, after an exchange o,
kilograms with Borglum, the President
wrote that he had placed the material
the latter had furnished at the dis.
posal of gentlemen to whom he had
committed the task Of making a sys.
tematic inquiry into the whole avia.
ton situation. These gentlemen were
the special committee headed by II.
Snowden Marshall, of New York,
whose preliminary report preceded
the recent reorganization of the Army
Aviation Service and the appointment
OF John d. Ryan as director general.