the swift fighting scouts, the Bleriots,
Nieuports, Moranes or perhaps some new American machine to-day
unknown. Let the wing of a Boche but show above the smoke and
they would be upon him in hordes, beating him to the ground,
enveloping him in flames, annihilating him before he had a chance
to observe, much less to report.

What think you would be the result on that sector of the battle
line? Why the foe would be cut to pieces, demolished,
obliterated. Blinded, he would be unrelentingly punished by an
adversary all eyes. Writhing under the concentrated fire of a
thousand guns he could make no response, for his own guns could
not find the attacking batteries. Did he think to flee? His
retreating columns would be marked down by the relentless scouts
in the air, and the deadly curtain of fire from well-coached
batteries miles away would sweep every road with death. If in
desperation he sought to attack he would do so ignorant whether
he were not hurling his regiments against the strongest part of
the Allied line, and with full knowledge of the fact that though
he was blinded they had complete information of his strength and
dispositions.

The argument impressed itself strongly upon the mind of the country.
There appeared indeed no public sentiment hostile to it nor any
organized opposition to the proposition for an enormous
appropriation for purposes of aviation. The customary inertia of
Congress delayed the actual appropriation for some months. But the
President espoused its cause and the Secretaries both of War and the
Navy warmly recommended it, although they united in opposing the
proposition to establish a distinct department of aeronautics with a
seat in the Cabinet. Being human neither one desired to let his
share of this great new gift of power slip out of his hands. Leading
in the fight for this legislation was Rear-Admiral Robert E. Peary,
U. S. N., retired, the discoverer of the North Pole. Admiral Peary
from the very outbreak of the war consecrated his time and his
abilities to pushing the development of aeronautics in the United
States. He was continually before Congressional committees urging
the fullest appropriations for this purpose. In his first statement
before the Senate Committee he declared that "in the immediate
future the air service will be more important than the army and navy
combined," and supporte