The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-12-11

his accusations against the air serv-
ices, celebrating on the statements he
has made frequently in articles and
speeches. In the expansion of his
charge that the War departments adj
ministration Of the national defense
was almost reasonable" Colonel
Mitchell said:
"There are two definitions Of trea-
son-the one in the Constitution.
which defines It as levying war against
the country and giving aid and COM
fort to its enemies, and the other def
milton Of it as the giving up or be-
trayal of trust or confidence. be-
lieve the departments system is al
most reasonable, because it does not
give its proper place to air power in
the defense of this country. It's a
question Of the system, not Of indi-
viduals."
He repeated his charges that high
ranking officers Of the army and navy
have given false or misleading infor-
nation to investigating committees.
and insisted that the D 81 planes still
in use are flaming coffins." Major
Gullion. assistant judge advocate,
cross-examined the colonel and there
were frequent hot exchanges between
him and the witness and also with the
latter's counsel, Congressman Reid.
Next day Mitchell was led to admit
that many of his sensational charges
were based on hearsay and general
belief. Major Gullion undertook to
show that page after page in the colo
nel's book, Winged Defense" was
cribbed from other writer's, but the
court refused to go into charges of
plagiarism. Representative Perkins
of New Jersey, who examined the
witnesses before the Lampert aircraft
investigating committee last spring,
said that three navy lieutenants who
were before him for preliminary ex-
animation said that If called they
would not tell what they knew be-
cause tits long way to Guam" Then
the defense came to the subject of
propaganda" 1t submitted copy of
an official letter, dated March 81. 1925.
concerning the navy education film,
''rhe Eyes of the Fleet" on which
was this Endorsement:
1.-THE object of this film is to COM
bat the effect of General Mitchell's
testimony (meaning his testimony be-
fore the Lampert committee) and to
belittle the value Of the airplane in
war. 1t is to be spread by the navy
recruiting service probably this sum-
mer and fall, before congress meets"
One of the marginal notes was:
"Battleship bombing: Prints made of
pictures showing misses only are to
be used for this"
James T. Mitchell, Jr., editor of the
Boston American, testified that &C.
counts Of the Mitchell trial, prepared
by the War department and contain
ing editorial comment unfavorable to
Mitchell were available to the press"
TRANCE is undergoing another of
Il her frequent ministerial crises and
at this writing the outcome is in doubt.
Premier Painleve put his financial pro-
gram before the chamber Of deputies
and at critical moment enough Of
the Communists deserted him to cause
his defeat by margin of three votes
on single item-a plan for CONSOLE
dalton of treasury bonds amounting to
a nnnpofnrirIrn Tho rpar1ioy ond hie
ministers promptly resigned, and Pres
ident Doumergues was advised to ask
Aristide BRAND, seven times premier
to take the Office for the eighth time
He consented Professionally, but soon
found he could not be assured of
majority in the chamber and so aban-
doned the attempt to form ministry.
Paul Doumer and Former Premier
Herriot in turn tried, and gave up,
and at this writing BRAND is again
making the endeavor. The extremists.
of both the right and the left. are
talking openly of dictatorship.
~ ERMANY'S reichstag,> has voted
" its ratification of the Locarno
treaties by a goodly majority, despite
the die-hard opposition of the Nation
alists. Communists and so-called Ease
lists Chancellor Luther and Foreign
Minister Stresemann put the pacts up
to the reichstag strongly as the one
way of securing peace and safety.
Both denied that in ratifying the
treaties Germany was entering an al
lance against Russia. Stresemann
said: I'VE have so often declared our
peaceful intentions toward Russia that
time to close the question. On
Der hand, ii is high time that
declares its peaceful inten-