The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-19

 BY REPUBLICANS
 GAINED LITTLE
Select Committees Probe Uncovered Nothing New
 in Wars Conduct.
AIR PROGRAM AIDED
 ALLIES TO WIN FIGHT
Journey To Northwest Criti- cized As Useless Waste
 of Money.

The Republican Houses select | committee of 15 inquiring into how | America won the war has now been l at work more than month, and has | failed to convince the American pub l lie that Germany did not surrender. |
 One phase of the conduct of the | war, aviation, is now being inquired into for the fourteenth time, accord ing to the statement of a witness ap- bearing before one of the sub-com- mittees, and thus far the inquiry has failed to bring to public attention anything that wasn't already a mat ter of general information.
 However, the inquiry has served to remind the public of the following facts. among others:
 That if it had not been for the supplies, material and assistance fur nished by America, the Allies would have had little or no air service dur ing the last several months of the war, and Germany would have had complete mastery of the air.
 That the development of the Lib erty motor solved the airplane engine problem for all the associated coun- tries at war. The Liberty was the only motor to attain quantity produc- ton and saved a very serious situa- ton at a very critical period of the war.
 That at the signing of the armIstice there was a larger number of Amer ican air pilots in the military ser vice than in the service of any of the Allies.
 That although military aviation was a wholly new science in America, at the signing of the armistice the T twelve thousand airplanes and more than thirty thousand motors. In ad- dition, 5,O71 planes, practically all of them fighting or pursuit and bomb ing planes, and 6,754 engines were purchased from the Allies, in return for which raw material was furnish ed the Allies which alone made it pos sible for them to equip their own armies with airplanes.
 That the air service wing of the army was built up from practically nothing at the beginning of the war until, at the signing of the armistice, it's personnel numbered more than 100, ,O0O officers and men.
 That quantity production of both airplanes and engines had reached such development at the armistica l that it would have been possible to equip the eighty fighting divisions General Pershing planned to have on 1 the front by July, 1919, with the 35S ] air squadrons of twenty planes each regarded as needed to maintain ab- solute supremacy in the air.
 That, in the opinion of high officers | in the army, aviation as well as com 1 manders of battle divisions, Americas | achievements in the aviation during l the war, when the obstacles that had ! to be overcome are considered, were l nothing short of marvellous.
 | The aviation sub, - committee, of which Representative Frear, of Wis i consin, Republican, is chairman, has 1 I,adjourned its Washington hearings and has gone to the Pacific nerth- west where hearings will be held to | inquire into spruce production. One the eve of the subcommittee | departure, a statement attributed to | Representative F'rear was issued from | the publicity office of the Repub- 1 lican National Committee attempt 1 ing to justify the expedition to the | northwest, which involved the travel | of several persons several thousand miles, with consequent heavy cost to | the taxpayers.
 During the Washington sfttings l l Chairman. Homer s. Cummings, of 1 the Democratic National Committee | before the committee to take him to 1 task because the Demo cratic publicity 1 bureau had referred to his committee | as q "smeIling'' committee and had | characterized it's trip to the northwest as a "junket" MT. Cummings very | frankly told the committee that he | regarded the trip as unnecessary and 1 a needless waste of time and money; | in fact that the whole program, based | on the partisan plan of conducting in vestigations was wrong, although as | chairman of the Democratic National l Committee he welcomed this and ali
 other investigations the Republicans | might make into the conduct of the l war.
 In the statement issued by the Re 1 publican National Committee at | tempting to justify the journey to the Pacific coast, MT. Frear was quoted 1 as using such incorporate language l as dishonest" treason, and also 1 great" in referring to charges he
 said had been made to the com | lnittee against Democrats. Although
 copies of the purported interview
 with MT. F'rear was mailed out from
 the Washington publicity office of the l Republican National Committee, MT Frear caused it to be withdrawn and issued a second statement. in far
 milder language. attempting chiefly
 to reply to Chairman Cummings
 statement that the trip was an un-
 necessary expenditure of time and
 public money. and at a time when
 members of Congress should be ir
 Washington devoting their attention
 to the high cost of living and other
 necessary legislation
 | Discussing the work of the avia- ton subcommittee prior to leaving for the northwest. Representative
 Lea, of California. Democratic mem
 Der, said he felt that it would be inappropriate for him to express ar opinion at this time as to the merit
 of charges presented to the commit tee. Nevertheless. in reply to a ques-
 ton about the old charge that . large part of the s640.0OO,0O0 se'
 aside by Congress in its first large appropriation for aviation had beer
 wasted. Mir Lea said that examination
 of undisputed facts show this charge