The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-02
Praises Liberty Motor.

Later figures than that were given
by this correspondent tuesday OF this
week when tho statement was made
based upon official records up to the
middle ca the present month. that only
$4j6, 0O0,0 0o had been spent thus far out
of that much talked-of $40, 000, coo and
only 100000. 600 out Of another appTo-
priHtion, and to show for this expendi-
ture, the American people have a Lib
ertr m.lor that Is the sensation Of sue
cess q! the western front; about ii 900
Of them have been built and about 49,
600 motors ~ other types and more
than II, 900 airplancs, of which several
thousand are battle planes. Judge
Hughes praises the Liberty motor. In
fact. his findings relate not to the per-
formance Of the engines or planes Of the
military side Of the question. but to
the methods Of doing business, the t-
re~gularltics In giving contracts and the
alleged waste.
and Attorncy-Generai Gregory differ as
TO the extent Of Col. Deeds wrong
doing. Both concur that the colonel
reaped no personal profit and violated
no criminal statute, but Judge Hughes
recommends court-martial because Col.
Deeds gay out some misleading state
ments to the press. Acknowledgement
Gregory simply leaves 1t to the deter
mlnatlon Of the secretary Of war,
whether the offense merits court
martial.
In any event. Col. Deeds himself,
having asked for Il military investiga-
ton Of his conduct, the secretary OF
war will not have TO pass upon the
merits Of the charges until after the
military tribunal has investigated. Col.
Deeds Is accused, NOR, over, OF discuss
ing confidential matters with his former
business associates who had contracts
with the government. The friends Of
Col. Deeds maintain that this, as we'll
az the misleading statements to the
press, which he himself thought at the
time were true. were due to inexpe-
rience Of feeling about the success OF
the program which he had mapped out
Peace Win Show Truth.
Some day. when the ban on milf
tary information has been lifted, after
the chief Of our expedi-
~tionary forces has written his report
Of what the Liberty motor and the
De Haviland battle plane did on the
thrown open and the part that Col,
Deeds played in shaping the whole nro-
gram Is revealed, then the public Can
weigh %iudiCially whether his indisere-
tons we're trivial compared to the
achievement IN aircraft which lie so
largely developed.
1t is only fair that as the fragmen-
NhA1 llNHs ftIullH hhNo kpIib pHl W
the country repeating the censure which
the Hughes reports administered that
tome attention be given to the posi-
tive side Of Col, Deeds work. II was
an appreciation Of this phase of the
controversy that undoubtedly led John
D. Ryan, the present director Of air
craft. whose reorganization work incl
dcntally is lauded by Mr., Hughes, to
make the following statement:
Il am Rratifled, of course, to know
that the investigation made by Judge
Hughes has resulted in finding that
no such condition Of affairs existed
last spring IN the work Of aircraft pro-
ductlon M was indicated by the charges
at that time. | have long been salts
fled that the men who preceded me
IN the direction OF aircraft production
did "A very great patriotic service and
did not use their positions or connec-
ton with the government to make any
personal profit, The fact that planes
and engines are now In more satisfac-
to the earnest, Intelligent and patriotic
efforts Of my predecessors, and the
foundations they left upon which we
were able to build were substantial"
In Position to Judge.
Tho above statement nv Mr.. RYAN
represents the judgment of a man who
had opportunity to Judge all phases
OF the aircraft program after he was
appointed to reorganIze the whole bust
ness last May, Mr., Ryan has lone A
remarkable Job IN plotting the aircraft
program to success, and from him
alone can one get an impression of
how such men Ike Col. Deeds and
those who along with him pushed the
Liberty motor and De fIaviland battle
planes to success,
N,I IAnaIn 4,. A.
Wright Airplane company and his for
mer associates because he believed
they could deliver the goods. Many
n man inside the United States army
would be guilty OF the same censure
as has heen given to Col, Deeds, IL
Investigations were made. In other