New-York tribune., 1921-02-10
Getting at the Truth
Better Methods, Perhaps. Than
Through Congressional Committees

Better Methods, Perhaps. Thar
Through Congressional Committees
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In an editorial In this morn.
ing's Tribune you suggest that popular
indignation against the recent blum.
ders Of Congressional investigating
committees should be tempered by the
| reflection that the work OF these COM
mittees represents the only method by
which the truth about the war" can
be made available for futurs guidance.
One might we'll take issue with a
number Of specific statements in the
editorial, but 1t Is Of greater inpor-
tance to examine the major PROPOSE
tion-that the committee investigation
represents the best instrument which
the American people now have at their
command for discovering the outstand-
ing truths of Americas participation in
the war.
In common practice we may dis
tinguish threo general methods by
which the search FOR tr9th Is carried
forward In complex situations Of So
cial and industrial life. There Is the
legal method, by which the complete
ness Of the evidence presented to the
impartial judge or jury Is guaranteed
by the presence of attorneys repre-
sentlng both sides or the case. There
Is the special inquiry by an impartial
competent investigator in the integrity
OF whose findings all have confidence.
The Hughes investigation Of che air
craft situation is an example, And in
the third place there is the research
bureau carrying forward its work con-
tinuously. In many industrial con-
Germs bureau Of planning and research
has taken che place of sporadic special
Inquiries. The value Of the method has
also been demonstrated by the work of
the foundations In the fields Of medi-
cine and education.
The procedure Of the Congressional
Investigating committee follows no one
OF shese methods. 1t is the legal method
without an impartial judge and without
any attorney for the defense. In fact,
the attorney for the prosecution is also
she judge and may dismiss the defense
from the court st any time. The COM
mittee does not have time to secure
adequate knowledge concerning the
subject under investigation. The COM
mlttee Is not interested primarily in
the discovery of large truths but in
securing material for political props-
ganda and for speeches which NAV be
ranked to constituents. There are ex~
ceptions to this generalization, but 1t
is nevertheless true that the politician
cannot live by truth alone. For months
Congressional committees havo been
seeking TO "get something" on the
War Department or on the Shippiup
Board. Many acrimonious hours and
days have been spent discussing wheth-
er some under officer in the quarter
master corps sold a few sets of har-
ness at too low figure, whether We
did or did not have too many branding
"ASS1OL tIic QlG or
did not pay some of Mr.. Schwab's en-
penses. These things are inconseouen-
tlal in determining Americas future
military policy. From the nature Of
the case the committees work becomes
a search not for truth but for rnilt
le Ia this fundamental difficulty which
has been sensed by the public and
which Mr.. Dawes has SO vigorously ex-
pounded.
There are times when it is highly
desirable TO search for graft and per-
sonal self-seeking and root them out.
AT many times Congressional commit
tees have performed the service we'll.
euf the time for this search is over
Months Of inquiry have failed TO dis
cover corruption. The people are now
convinced thas we fought an honest
war; The present task is one Of broader