The Washington times., 1921-07-23
Today
For President Harding.
Work Vital to the Nation.
esEtlsshlps Obsolete.
Make the New Weapons.
by ARTHUR BRISBANE

II-By Arthur BRIsBANE-l
Copyright 1874.
The President ordered the re-
cent experimental attacks. by n.y.
ing machines on battleships. He
has given time, thought and work
to the important fact that war In
the future is to be settled in the
air. Hit orders have caused the
making Of huge six-thousand-
pound aerial bombs, and other.
experiments in air fighting. That
- the only fighting, except sub
sNariue fighting, that win play
any important part in future
\Wars.
This country created the flying
machine and this country can be
made invulnerable, safe from all
ettacks, by the flying machine.
The President will see to it, for
his mind accepts new ideas.
In nifty years there has been
no news as. important to this
eountry Is that describing the
eestruction on Thursday Of the
German fully armored dread
naught Ostfriesland. The great
battleship was sent to the bot
tom In twenty-five minutes by
two bombs. They did not touch
her; simply fell in the water
near her and destroyed her by the
Impact Of the water itself forced
against the steel armor with suf-
hcient force to open the seams
and sink the boat.
! i The New York Times, reporting
ttte destruction by two inexpen-
teve bombs Of a ship that cost
millions, quotes General Williams: !:
1.-THE bombs that sank her will be
heard around the world"
The Times asks, "Is the battle
ship obsolete I" ii,
It is indeed obsolete. as has
been said in this column many
times during the last two years.
To build forty -million-dollar bat
tleships Is stupid waste of money,
done only to please ship builders
that want money. The entire
engineering and mechanical intel
ligence Of this country should be
devoted to flying machine con-
struction.
The President is to be espe-
cially congratulated upon the
fact that the army and navy,
under his control, are manufac-
turing bombs three times as great
as the 2,000-pound bombs that
sank the German dreadna ught.
These. bombs carry each 1000
pounds Of TINT.
This country should have al
quickly as possible 5000 first
class flying machines to carry the
mails in time of peace and drop
bombs upon the enemy in case
Of wer. Five thousand flying
machines would make any attack
byra foreign heet--prep1gterous.
THE 5000 machines HONESTLY
built, without aid from grating
S1-a-ysAr patriots, would cost
less than ONE $4,000, 600 bat
tleship and could destroy
thousand such ships, were it pos
sible to build so many.
The battleship is gone by,
joke. The President KNOWS it.
Under his direction the Postmas-
ter General, Mr.. Hays, can and
will usefully produce and use
flying ships that will take care
of natural protection, with a
good fleet Of submarines to back
them up.
Officers Of the navy hate to
see the battleship 60, struggle
to retain it, and only under com
pulsion will give up the interest
ing strutting on the deck and
the big black guns.
Drivers of hanson cabs dis
liked also to climb down from
their high perch when the taxi
cab came in. Nevertheless the
hansoms- went to the barn, never
TO come out again. Battleships
are bound for the junk pile.
4hAo Hfcouc HSW COHulClOnS 1Or
|othe nations of the world. II
means that a small nation with
. powerful feet of flying ships,
secretly constructed, could raid,
terrorize, And almost destroy an
other nation, as a corsair in the
old days with a fast pirate ship
could terrorize great merchant
fleets. -.
The new condition is not one
that can be left to the ravy or
those interested in the navy. as
President Harding well knows.
When the locomotive was in.
vented, stage coach men were not
telected as railroad managers.
They were not fit for the lob. for
they all agreed that the railroad
would never amount to anything.
The people of the country reiy
on President Harding. His un-
prejudiced mind understands the
situation and without loss of time
will attend to it.
~ Fortunately his three assistant.
most closely interested, Mr..
eDenby, Mr.. Weeks and Mr. Havs
are also men open to new ideas
and will Cooperate with h;r,