El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-07-21
CONGRESS SHOULDREMEDYPROMPTLY
OF WRECKING AIR SERVICE

NOTHING more regrettable has happened since the
armistce than the bunder Of congress in curtai
ing the war department appropriation to put the ali
service virtually out Of existence It is amazing action
coming the of the aircraft investigation and the
proof that has offered of the great value of aircraft
IN military operations of all kinds, including the border
patrol It would that far congress is con-
cerned all admonitiOns regarding aircraft went in one
ear and out the other.
David Lawrence his dispatch in The Herald Saturday,
outlined the situation in way to make it particularly
vivid border readers He showed that congress
cut down the army appropriations that all branches of the
military service suffer- but that the air service hardest
hit The department, compelled to pattern its gar
ment to fit the CLOTH unable to keep in service
officers and than the appropriation Will allow be
paid, has ordered all temporary officers discharged by
September 90 The air service suffers because nearly
all the flyers are temporary officers There be only
25o officers in the air service after It is reorganized
OF those $50 only about onefOurth have had flying
perlence II the whole force was put to flying there
would be only enough officers for three squadrons
It had been planned have squadrons in opera
ton the Mexican border several have been sta
toned here The value aircraft for reconnaissance
pose has been proved fully It is almost indispensable
adjunct to border patrong As pointed recently
when the plan to maintain permanent air station here
In connection with Fort Bliss announced the airmen
able to great distances short time to see
even 10 photograph practically everything underneath
them, are able to do what other of the service
do and they able to map the border region in
way that would have been very valuable to infantry
and cavalry when It crossed to suppress Villa And
everybody knows that if air squadrons had been here dur
ing the Juarez fighting, military district headquarters
would have had on each day the precise location of every
temptation to speculate what effective cooperation
few planes with machine gunners could have rendered to
the cavalry in that last chase.
The possibilities Of aerial patroling well UNDER
stood at Washington by department officials and
Brig. Gen William E. Mitchell, who commanded the Ameri-
air forces the western front in Europe, made
tp through Texas mapped program of defensive
operations long ago. Seven squadrons to have
been equipped and nine aerodromes to have been
built between Brownsville and Yuma. One hundred and
seventy planes to have furnished the border air
patrol and these to included 100 bombing planes
All that is knocked into cooked hat now, in
formed from Washington
There is temptation to scold, but that would be
Congress simply bungled and the Republicans being
IN the majority VIII have to take the blame The probab
tiles that few, any of the congressman who voted
the department appropriation, had the slightest idea
what the effect of their heavy pruning would be- They
out for smaller army and record Of money saving
and that far they looked.
All that be done is to pass emergency
for the maintenance of the air service Al
though the department has ordered all temporary
officers discharged by September 80 its officers would
be very glad supposes, to supersede that order with
another to hold requisite number Of air service
officers duty An appropriation of that kind ought to
be passed at the earliest possible moment IN the mean
time the excellent service performed by the air squadrons
ought maintained while pressure is being brought
bear congress to show speed before the muster
put of the trained aviators is accomplished !.