The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-05-03
AIRCRAFT PROBE
STIH:S senators
Demand CT...lI1a! Prosecutions
For OeIay.
HITCHCOCK SCORES BOARD

DEciI:SS hSy ri@Nc seen EMS SodiAQ
the Ccrn,2:;-ttse ;.ai Piay;ag a CT
y &c CcH:i1v.-= Game on the
Puasic.
Washington, May BIN 81 CATION
of HE srIHy avi;:t;on Il; AT ON with
Il View To criminal prosecutions, was
urged in HE senate
Gross e,,Grlyaganre and misuse Of
appropriations fer the AVIATION pro
gram were suggested. II spirited !
speeches. several senators; declared
further inveStiga' ion should hC made
as to criminal liability of those re-
SponSihle.
Senator Brandegee Republican.
Connecticut, who recently referred to
suppression of the aviation report
made To President Wilson. by Gutsnn
Borgium, the sculptor brought up the
subject. He suggested the senate mill
tary committee continue its inquiry
to decide if criminal prosecution
should be brought.
Senator King. Democrat. urged a
criminal investigation by the commit
tee Senator Hitchcock. Democrat.
Nebraska, acting chairman of the
committee, said it was ready to act if
the senate should order IN inquiry. He
contended the department of justice
should make any criminal inquiry.
Presenting telegram from Mr.
Gorglum. denying statements in recent
4,
tirely IL DISTINGUISHED Witness" Sena-
tor Brandegee said the committee
should hear witnesses proposed by Mr..
BOrgium regarding possible criminal
aspects of the delay in production. Mr.
Borgium'S telegram denied he is tinan-
ciaily Interested in The manufacture
of planes.
The report of H. Snowden Mar
shall special aviation committee also
should be considered. Senator Brande-
gee said
Senator King said he considered il
the committees sacred duty" to make
further investigation and ''fas.en re
Sponsibiity for its failure of aviation
production He had heard it said, he
added, that somebody ought to be
shot in connection with the delays
There may be ground for criminal
charges" Senator Hitchcock replied,
but the president is the one who can
best act through the department of
justice"
Senator PoindeXter, Republican,
Washington, referring to the criminal
law against accessories to crimes and
toNstatements regarding aircraft pro
ductiOn made by Secretary of War
Baker, asked: is not the secretary of
war the man himself that ought to be
reached by the committee if 1T seeks
to hold some one responsible?
Il believe the secretary wasas COM
pletely deceived by officials in charge
as was the committee" Senator Hitch
cock replied. He added the secretary
had recognized the aviation person
mel, thus indicating his lack of con-
fidence in those displaced. "An inves-
tigation by the committee, believe"
he added, "would only impede the de-
partment Of justice.
Senator Knox, Republican, PennSyl-
vania, suggested civil as well as crimi-
nal responsibility in expenditure of
the aircraft appropriations should be
fixed
There are charges of conspiracy"
he said, that indicate misuse, or of
obtaining of hundreds of millions of
dollars of peoples money"
The aircraft board was charged by
Senator Hitchcock with "misleading
the committee for weeks" and with
playing Il gigantic confidence game
on the whole country" by giving the
impression the Liberty motor resulted
from Il conference of engineers in il
Washington hotel.
In fact, the motor, he SAID, is one
which has taken the Packard COM
pany three years to develop, and ''now
we are going to pay that company be-
tween 100000 and S1,000,0O0 for three
years experimentation. That rs be-
ing adjusted.