The Washington times., 1926-02-15

4
essentially from the war vessels at
eea, they have continually sought
TO have them operated from shore
bases, 80 ais to get large apprOpri.
atoms, keep their hold upon the air.
craft Industry al q political asset
and prevent the creation OF a.
single department Of aeronautics
Wherever the Army and Navy
nave had to carry out joint prob
ferns, the first thing they have done
has been ito fight over which one
should control aviation
The result has been complete
lack Of coordination In the training
81 flyers the method 0f using avias
ton and the manufacture Of the
proper kinds OF aircraft. Caught
between these two nillstones. com
merciaI aviation has been held back,
hampered and well nigh destroyed.
1f New Fork were attacked
through the air today, under the
present system. the Army and Navy
would not know what to DO. They
would get out orders and counter
orders to the air forces, issued by
non-flying officers who know worse
than nothing about aviation.
Al worse nauddIe would ensue n
our air defense than has been the
case In the regular Army ana Navy
ct the beginning Of former wars.
why do these things exist
The reason A because there &C.
tuaiIy Is no superior over the Army
and Navy, nobody to check them
up and see that they are PERFORM,
ing their duties properly. When
any public utility organization III
left to its own devices without q
frequent and general overhaul by
the people, II soon becomes inefn-
Client and dangerous.
Need Single Department
Both the Army and Navy hest
tate to criticize each other. but
both feel they are perfectly free
to criticize air power. They hold
themselves as above all censure II
to even suggest such . thing they
consider q sacrilege.
The outcome of all this Ii thar
every attempt made to better our
national defense, coordinate its
activities and give to air power 3
place commensurate with its value
to the nation has resulted In an
absolute stalemate.
The Army and Navy continually
put up the same arguments to Com
gress that they did even before
the war. They disseminate these
IDEAS around the country through
their propaganda agencies and In.
fluence our Congress through their
lobby.
No possible hope can be enter
tanned by the American people that
the United States Army and Navy
by themselves will In any way inn
prove our National defense. BY
maintaining the present system.
our defense will grow worse each
year fnh comparison with other ma
lions, because the others are using
modern methods and economical
military agencies understood by
their people and meeting their ma.
tional problems.
What is necessary is for our
people to understand the conditions
that exist and to see that their
representatives in Congress carry
out their wishes.
congressman Won Over
Many men in the Congress come
to Washington imbued with the
ideas of their constituents but hav-
ing arrived in the National capt.
tai. are seized upon, importuned,
feted and influenced by the Army
and Navy bureaucracies, so as to
win over their better Judgment and
prevent them from carrying out
what the actual will OF the people
is.
We need leadership in the Con-
gress to overcome this defect and
bring about single Department Of
National Defense, which will CO.
ordinate all elements OF our Ma
-tional Defense and have under II
an Air Force, an Army ana \
Navy.
Copyright. 1925, by The Bell syndi-
cate, Incl