Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-05-14
THE WAGES OF SECRECY

q
program and the numerous efforts
which are being made to unravel 1t
probably will claim the attention OF
congress, the department of justice,
officials of the war department and a
considerable portion Of the public for
long time. The disclosures which
were made yesterday by the war de.
partment, indicating that Gutzon Borg.
lum, the presidents special agent, be-
trayed Mr.. Wilson's trust and sought
personal profit, complicate the situa.
ton and cheaper the charges which
he has made against the aircraft board
and the airplane producers with which
that board had dealings.
The Courier does not attempt to
Judge Mr.. Borglum. II he accepted the
trust of the president and betrayed 1t
by proposing an arrangement which
would make him a silent partner IN
an airplane building company, and II
he offered to use his influence as an
appointee and confidante Of the prest-
dent to obtain special advantages Tor
his concern, Mr. Borglum should be
among the first to receive the atten-
ton Of the department Of justice OFF,
Gals in their criminal investigation.
If Mr.. Borglum made unjust and un.
true accusations against members OF
the aircraft board or against manu-.
facturers, it is to be. hoped that the
Investigations now in progress will dis
prove those charges and set the &C.
cused men right before their fellows.
If pert photographers are to be given
leave to refer to aircraft matters as
"airgraft." the country should not be
left in any degree Of ignorance as to
the identity of the persons responsible
for the change In photography.
But it is of vital Importance that
the questions which Mr.. Borglum and
his accusers have raised shall not
cloud the main point at issue and the
only one in which the nation as g
whole is deeply interested. The col
lapse of the aircraft program cannot
be denied. The task Of repairing the
damage and producing airplanes must
be performed by the reorganized board
and the war department. This Is nee
essary il Americas army Is to have
aircraft protection and the ability tc
wage an offensive war.
The production of airplanes mus,
go on without regard to the investiga
lion of the collapse Of the former pro
gram. One Is part of the war; the
other, however important 1t may be
is domestic question and nothing
else.
The disclosure Of Mr.. Borglum's al
legged double dealing was made yester
day by the war department, presum
ably with President Wilson's consent
It was announced that some OF the
men with whom Mr. Borglum proposed
to associate himself in the production
of airplanes became suspicious and no
titled Howard E. Coffin, then head o
the aircraft board. Apparently thu
facts which were revealed yesterda!
| have been in the possession OF the wa
department since that time, last De
cember or January.
Naturally, the unprecedented observ
or wonders why the evidence agains
! Mr. Borglum was hidden away by thu
/ war department so long. In the senate
there has been some criticism of Pres
ident Wilson for Withholding the Borg
lum report, on the ground that 1t re
vealed the failure Of the aircraf
boards program long before the senat
military committee learned about tina
! failure and revealed the facts to tn
! country.
The appointment of John D. Ryan an
the displacing of Mr. Coffin followe'
the publication of the senate commit
tees report, which was the first motto
! to the American public that Mr.. Coftll
/; had failed to make good his extrava
CANT promises. There is some reaso
to believe that the correction OF tn
fault could have been accomplishe
earlier IL President Wilson had pub
lished the Borglum report when n
received it, either with or without tn
charges against Borelum which wer
revealed yesterday.
! This is not intended as criticism G
the president. however. He Is in pos
session of detailed knowledge OF tn
conditions and his reasons for will
holding the report doubtless are goo
ones. The fact which defies explain;
4 ton is that the aircraft boards grount