Evening star., 1919-12-07

| "OrtnleSS De1Ore, Is now also wrecked,
that the Post Office Department can
not properly run it's own air mail: that
commercial aviation is in a chaotic
state because of lack of government
control. and, finally. that the only
hope of setting matters right is a new
and great department of the air which
! will run the air fleets of the future
| troll of a Pershing or a Sims. Such
! propaganda they characterize as bunk. :"
! Somebody greatly desires this new air
| department, they point out, and inquire
as to who is benefited by 1t. Well, these
| are the people whom naval officers in
! dict. First, all the Army aviators who
] are to lose their present temporary high
| rank-"boy colonels" who see good
| chance still higher and spreading their
| plumage as hoy generals"
/ DislOyalty to Superiors.
These men. claiming to be misunder-
| stood and hindered by the general staff.
| head of the department of military
aeronautics. ETC., are nothing more nor
less than disloyal to their superiors and
| are trying to maneuver themselves into
positions wherein they will be response
BILE to no one but themselves. Naval
| flyers and naval aircraft men are par
ticularly intolerant Of any such attitude
and are unanimous in placing the eff
| cheney of their arm of service before any
possible individual advancement. were
they Incorporated into the third service
To sum up. they don't like the way
these Army men are working. and they
have no great admiration for the men
themselves.
Next come, they say. the Manufac-
turers' Aircraft Association and the
flock Of trade papers supported by that
association. All this group see in
third service, with a great program,
gilttering prospects Of renewing ana
even extending wartime profits. Their
keen interest in the matter is evidenced
by the fact that they maintain repre-
sentatives at the National Capital work.
ing tooth and nail for the new depart
ment."
For Political Aggrandixement.
Lastly come a few men Influenced by
political aggrandizement Heading this
contingent is Senator Harry New of In
diana. He sees, sailors claim, chance
TO have his name associated with piece
of successful legislation of the first or
|der-something he has never been able
to accomplish. Naval officers generally
grant his sincerity in the matter. He
thinks the bill good one His own de-
sires and beliefs. they claim, have been
played upon by others who are not sim
cere. but who speak with an apparent
authority due to military uniforms and
combat experience. Owing to the In
diana statesman's brains. political
acumen and energy, naval men highly
regret Senator News advocacy of the
plan.
Naval officers find comfort in the
fact that those who have aligned
themselves against the new scheme
include Secretaries Baker and Daniels.
Gen. Pershing, the general staff of
the Army. the general board Of the
Navy. the director of military aero
nautics. the director of naval aviation.
practically all of the Army except the
aviators and all the Navy. including
the aviators. Yet the weight of these
opinions. they fear, may not be able
to offset the potent political. COM
mercial and personal influences lined
up on the other side.
Gen. Pershing's Position.
Gen. Pershing was first credited
with having announced himself as in
favor of the third service. This came
about through Interruptions at his
testimony delivered before the Senate
and House military affairs commit
tees, whereby his afirmatives and
negatives were misapplied.. When his
written statement was published It
Pershing had added the weight of his
adverse opinion to Secretary Bakers.
Naval officers say the whole scheme
is rooted in an Army fuss. Trouble
started between officers of the Army
air service and the general staff when
the former attempted to secure greater
recognition of service and authority to
expand at the expense OF other Army
branches The air service men lost out,
but were not discouraged. for with Eng
lands example before them they saw
way still open to gain their ends.
Under the leadership Of Brig. Gen.
William Mitchell. they are working for
the establishment of a separate de-
partment which would give them every
thing they desired. and more-high
rank, high pay, prominence. authority
and independence. For their own sake.
admit the naval men. one might be in
clined to wish them success, but for one
thing, and that is that to accomplish
their scheme at all they will have to
drag the Navy along.
Gen. Mitchelps Views.
! At hearing before the House COM
! mittee on military affairs Gen. Mitch
| ell, when asked as to his knowledge
| of how the Navy aviation forces felt
concerning the proposed legislation.
said:
| II think the flying personnel of ma
| val aviation are really in favor of it.
| They hesitate to express their opin-
! ions because they are all junior off,
| GERS and because the seniors. them
| selves not flying officers, are against
| it. largely. believe. from lack Of IA
! miliarity with the subject"
Naval officers contend that Gen.
Mitchell is entirely wrong, twice in
one short paragraph. The flying per-
sonnel of the Navy are not in favor;
they are dead against. And the senior
officers are not opposed because OF
any lack of familiarity, but the very
iopposite They consider the scheme