New-York tribune., 1918-03-01

the first place, it is an American finan-
cial and engineering giant, thrown, bound and
gagged without recourse, guilty or guiltess
Every scandalmonger and German propa-
gandist in the country is free to vilify and
SANDER this great win-the-war instrumental-
ity and it cannot reply.
My letter from Chairman Hurley 10 Ad-
miral Bowles, assistant general manager OF
tic Emergency Fleet Corporation in direct
charge Of the fabrication yards, advised the
admiral to give me such information about
Hog Island as was Consistent with the public
interest," This is a conventional phrase, but
it here has unconscious humor.' Between the
Senate Commerce Committee. the Shipping
Board, volunteer busybodes, etc. all of the
information and miSinformation inconsistent
with the public interest has been already
published broadcast.
On condition that would submit my ar
Ciclcs TO HIM. presumably for correction,
which was very glad to agree to do, Admiral
Bowes gave me a letter TO President Robin
son Of the American International Shipbuld-
ing Corporation instructing the latter to as
sist me. | was admitted to tie Hog Island
works without restriction OF any kind and
have lived in them for three days, but !
found that President Robinson and all other
officials Of the American international, Stone
& Webster, their allied corporations and
everybody connected with them were forbid
Gen by Admiral Bowles to speak or write for
publication anything about the great work.
The Bowles Order
They arc the universal target of msrepre-
sentator, but they cannot reply. This Is the
effect OF Admiral Bowless order. For that
reason il is not possible to quote any of the
executives of this huge enterprise in their
Tto or In
tcrnatonal obey. They take it Is
this not illustration OF the capacity of
the American people TO submit to discipline
Tie American International officers do not
even ask by what authority Admiral Bowles
forbids them to talk write.
Of course, Admiral Bowles has
thorty in law to so so far, but he is the
government boss this job. and he is
some boss. He speaks with authority.
whether he has it or not, and he has u way
of imprcssing people with very deep and
abiding conviction that he is to be obeyed
without question. I say this without any
Intention TO criticisc the admiral admire
him; he is the only high executive con-
nected with the Shipping Board who knows
shipbuildng He is as intent building
ships as anybody in America. His shoulders
straining at tho collar shat draws the
big load, and if the fabrication yards don't
give Us ships, and fleets Of them, too, it
won't be his fault. However, whether for
good for i'll. there is only one boss when
the adm raj Is present, and al thasc big men
OF New York and Boston. of Wall Street and
State Stleet salulc when ,he admiral calls
and take their orders Ike soldiers
He is the BOSS il fact, whether in legal
title not, and the American international
cannot oven give newspaperman a pass to
enter the yards vi ncet the aGnlral's Q. +.
Tho admire. doesn't toD y in GREAT enei-
I 4l,o
mittec was a. the yards Monday he gave
its :Acmbcrs 10 understand inat they were
not TO talk and they didn't. while here, eH-
cept Senator Reed, who srcaked out with Z.
guilty look and gave the newspapermen some
Of his Impressions
The FOLLY Of Censorship
In ,his relation. perhaps. / may be per-
mttod to say that the history of the Shipping
Boards difficulties demonstrates the folly
as we'll the futility Of withholding from
responsible publications information that
has no military value, or, if it has. is
already fully known OF the enemy. About
three-fourths Of the stuff that the Ship
ping Board has disgorged to the Senate
committee in regard to Hog Island should
have been made known long ago to news
papermen in the ordinary course of their
inquiries If it had come out in the normal
way it would not have come out now as if
1t were suppressed Information IN cohnec-
toN with criminal action, the country
would have been Informed OF the nature of
the fabrication contracts and OF the tre-
mendous difficulties faced by Hog Island, as
we'll as the other fabrcating yards, and
might to-day be taking pride IN a great
achievement, instead OF feeling that a noble
national work has been drcnched in fraud, 4
graft and failure. Admiral Bowles believes
in publ city, but also in himself as his own
publicity agent.
All Of which explains Why in the ar
ticles that TO follow, there are no cx-
plantations by the men who have been pill
Iored on nigh stage in tull view of all the
world.
lTo BE ConIiiNedl