o
Omaha Daily B
VOL. XLVII. NO. 190.
OMAHVFRIDAY MORNING, JANUARY 25, 1918. TWELVE PAGES.
On Trtta. at Hot.li. CTMr?T t? rnt)V TWO PPXTTQ
Km Hi..dL lie., it. jiiiim JUi 1 1"U v;miw
MJ
TiW DOWN,
EMAM
PEACEs WELL R
UME..WA
1HE
THE WEATHER
Colder
-. "i
)
FA? OFFCE BLAMED
FOR MANY LIVES LOST
Jhamberlain Answers Wilson's Denunciation of Attack
on Military Establishment; Declares President Does
Not Know Truth Regarding Conditions; Epi-
: y demies Could Have Been Prevented.
Washington, Jan. 24. Standing firmly by his charge that
America's military establishment is enmeshed in inefficiency,
1 Senator Chamberlain of Oregon, chairman of the military com
mittee, replied in the senate today to President Wilson's de
nunciation of his recent New York speech by repeating the
statement which drew the president's fire and declaring that
the president himself does not know the truth.
.DEPARTMENT TO BLAME. O-
Senator Chamberlain declared he
would show that the deaths of the
hundreds and thousands of men at
.cantonments and camps Were due to
the War department and "that all
epidemics could have been prevented
if the War department had been ef
fective." iMtRACITY WAS QUESTIONED.
"Now that my truthfulness has
been questioned," Senator Chamber
lain continued, "I feel it my duty to
tell the country something I might
not have told it under ordinary cir
cumstances. "I lo it as a man who loves his
country best of all and who would
willingly give his life for it. I do it
fearlessly as an American citizen who
desires to help and not to hinder."
He repeated he had not distorted
the truth in his speech made in New
York, but that owing to the gtfeat
rush of business due to the war the
president lias probably not been able
to ascertain the truth and does not
know that truth.
Cannot Learn Truth.
"From the lips of those closest to
the president, the chief executive can
not learn the truth, not because his
advisers desire to mislead him, but
because they are situated in the same
position as he is.
"The secretary of war, in a general
L statement to4nMHntry,- which was
carefully and" ably prepared, tells us
that $3,200,000,000 have been appro
priated for the ordnance' department
and that contracts for $l,bfr ,000,000
have been. awarded," he continued.
"This, is true. But the secretary
failed to tell the country that Amer
ica failed to stand prepared."
"France, bled white," he continued,
"is furnishing America today and the
troops going abroad with heavy ord
nance, machine guns and airplanes.
France Furnishes Artillery.
"If we relied on the ordnance de
partmenWn this emergency, (and this
is a war of artillery) the war would
be completed before we ever got
enough to go. to the front. France
agreed to deliver this artilleiy to win
America? Did it furnish it in order
4-) invite America?"
T It was improper, he said, to give
, details of American purchases of ord
nance from the allies but referred
senators to the confidential testimony
before the committee by Major Gen
eral Crozier, chief of ordnance.
"If the administration had wanted
to be fair to the American people,"
he shouted, "why didn't the secretary
of war let the people know,, so that
the people would assist m getting
ready for this terrible calamity."
Senator Chamberlain charged that
the ordnance bureau failed in 1916 to
(Continued on Par Two, Column Two.)
p Situation on West Front
Critical, Says War Expert
London, Jan. 24. The situation on
the western front is critical, in the
oponion of Colonel C. A. Repington,
one of the foremost English military
critics, who recently resigned from
the Times and became military corre
spondent of the Aborning Post
In his first contribution to the Post,
in today's issue, he criticizes Premier
Lloyd George and the war cabinet se
verely because, he asserts, they. have
failed to maintain the strength of the
British armies in the west, thereby
creating the present conditions.
The Weather
For Nebraska Fair; colder; cold
wave, with temperature to zero or
below by Saturday morning, with ex
ceptionally strong northerly winds..
Temperature at Omaha Yesterday.
Hour. D.-ir.
h a. m. . .
t a. in...
7 a. ni . . .
ft a. ni...
S a. m...
TV a. m .....34
It a. m 30
II in ....40
l p. m 41
p. m..J. 47
p. m.., 49
4 p. m 51
p. m 49
1 P. m 49
p. m 42
Comparative Locnl Record. .
, t - ' "IS- 1917. 1U. 1915.
Highest yestsrday 61 ? 0 S3
Lowest yesterday 30 H 24 1
Mean temperature 40 ;a 37
Precipitation .09 .00 ..00 .00
Temperature and precipitation departures
from the normal:
j Normal temperature
Excess fer the day i.iiii! 28
TotaL deficiency since March 1 6J3
Normal precipitation 02 inch
JJeftcltncy for the day .02 inch
Total precipitation since Mar. J. 22.11 inches
Deficiency aince March 1 7.65 inches
Deficiency for cor. period 116.12.4 inches
Deficiency for cor. period 1915. 1.7s inches
Report 11 from stations at 7 P. M.
Station and State Temp. High' Raln
of Weather. T p. rn. est. fail.
Oijyenne, cloudy 38 44 00
Davenport, snow 28 28 ' t
Denver, cloudy 52 Eg .00
"T" indicates trace of precipitation.
- indicates below sero.
1 A. WELSH, Jieleoroluilst. 1
PACKERS FIX
SHOE PRICES;
HOARD HIDES
Federal Trade , Commission
Charges Leather Supply is
Controlled by Meat
Concerns.
Washington, Jan. 24. Hoarding of
hides -by meat packers while shoe
prices have been climbing upward, and
excessive profits to the packers, who
virtually control the hide market, are
charged in a report by the federal
trade commission submitted today to
congress.
The commission points out that
slaughtering of cattle and calves in the
United States has increased during the
last five years by 5,100,000 head, or
virtually 30 per cent.
High Prices Abnormal. .
. "Such a record of food animals ought
not at the same time to mean that the
country should be forced to pay ab
normally high prices for leather prod
ucts made from the correspondingly
increased take-off of hides," the re
port declares. ' '
Estimates of the International In
stitute of Agriculture up to 1916 do
not indicate any shortage in the world
total of ttttle, the report said.
The commission reported that the
quantity of hides stored by the "big
five" Chicago packers Armour,
Swift. Morris. Cudahy and Wilson
increased 45 per cent during 1916 and
the first half of 1917.
Big Increase On Hand.
These five concerns were declared
to be the "chief factors" in the hide
market. While they had on hand Jan
uary 31, 1916, a total of 88.033,193
pounds of hides, the amount had in
creased to 127,694,169 pounds July 31,
1917.
Stocks held by the smaller packers
showed an even more striking in
crease, amounting to 83 per cent in
the same period, although the total
was only 20,086,102 pounds July 31,
1917.
The grand total held by 275 inter
state packers, including the "big five"
increased from 98,980,726 pounds to
147,780,271 pounds, or. practically one
half. Imports of hides also were found
by the commission to have increased
in 1917 70 per cent more than in 1912.
"These great increases in impoits
have been principally from Argentine,
Brazil and Uruguay," he report adds,
"where the large Chicago packers are
very prominent factors in the hide
business."
Finally, the commission found that
"country hides," being the take-off
of farmeis and local butchers, are
very plentiful.
The commission reported that the
values whidi the packers have placed
on their hides aie much greater than
the increase in the price they have
paid for cattle., While the farmers re
ceived only 17 per cent more for their
cattle from Swift's five principal plants
in 1916-17, the value Swift & Co. put
on their hides from the same cattle,
according to the report, increased 35
per cent
"Phenomenal increase" in the
leather profits of Armour and Swift
were reported by the commission. Net
profits of the larger tanning compa
nies in 1916 were said to be from two
to five times as large as in 1915.
International News Service
; Walks Into Trap Set by Rival
New York, Jan. 24. The United
Press association today -announced
that The International News Ser
vice, against which The Associat
ed Press recently obtained an in
junction to preent the pirating
of news, has walked straight in
to a 'rap set by the United Press
to show that the International News
was pirating the news of that organi
zation. The International News incidental
ly brought1 into newspaper fame a
hitherto unknown official, Under
Foreign Secretary Nelotsky, whose
name spelled backwards, reads "stol
en" with the "ky" throuw in for Rus
sian camouflage.
"The United Press early today in
serted 'Nelotbki" iu a dispatch from
T.R.H IIS STONE'S
ATTACK AS MOVE
TO AIDGERMANY
Declares in Speech Before Na
tional Press Club Missouri
Senator's Address "Insid
ious Effort" to Aid Enemy.
' (By Associated Pre.)
Washington, D. C, Jan. 24. Col-
i onel Roosevelt answered Senator
j Stone's attack upon him in the sen
ate Monday in a speech late today
i before . the National Press club,
j characterizing the" Missouri senator's
; address !as an insidious effort on be
I half of. Germany, and as the first in
jection oi varllsal,M1IP 111 uiscussiuu
of the government's conduct of the
war.
Next to assailing an efficient public
servant, Colonel Roosevelt said, the
worst offense is to defend an ineffi
cient servant, and for that reason
he was supporting Senator Chamber
lain and his associates on the military
committee who were investigating
the "mal-administration" of the War
department.
Voted Against War.
"This is the same Senator Stone,"
he cried, "who voted against the dec
laration of war last year; who en
gaged in filibustering operations
against our taking action to defend
ourselves, operations of a kind which
drew public rebuke to those engaged
in them from the president of the
United States." t
The colonel said the navy was in
bad shape the first six months of the
war and would have met disaster if
there had been a test with the enemy,
but that it was "fine" now. He ap
proved the war council and munitions
director legislation. . '
FIRE DESTROYS "
PLANTS MAKING
WAR MATERIALS
Camden. N. J., Jan. 24. Two man
ufacturing establishments engaged in
the manufacture of war materials
w$re destroyed in a fire which swept
a two-story building covering a half
block today. .
One of the tenants estimated his
loss at $300,000 and the entire loss
will reach 5500,000, it is believed.
One tenant in the building was
manufacturing patterns for subma
rine chasers and another made gas
kets for United States airplanes. The
fire spread with such rapidity through
these plants that incendiarism is sus
pected. Will Drive "Moonshiners"
Out of Business
Washington, Jan. 24. Discovery
that manufacture of moonshine whisky
is increasing rapidly in bone-dry states
and that quantities have been sold
illicitly to soldiers in southern camps
caused Internal Revenue Commis
sioner Roper to announce today a na
tionwide campagn aganst illegal dis
tillation in co-operation with state
governors.
Enforced Reduction In
Sale of White Flour
Washington, Jan. 24. To create a
large export surplus of flour for the
allies, the food administration is con
sidering a plan of forced reduction in
flour sales all the way from the miller
to the consumer.
Millers, wholesalers, retailers and
bakers probably will be required to
hold their sales of flour down to 75
per cent of the amount now handled.
Mormon Apostle Dead.
Salt Lake City, Jan. 24. Hyrum M.
Smith, apostle of the Mormon church
and son of Joseph F. Smith, presi
dent of the church, is dead. lie was
45 years old.
In 1904 he testified at Washington
in the -case of Senator Reed Smoot.
also an apostle, whose right to a seat
in the United States senate had been
questioned by alleged foes of the
church.
Petrograd, but soon afterward, "kit
ed" this name to all its papers.
Within a short time, however, the
United Press says that papers receiv
ing the International News Service
appeared with "M. Nelotsky" figuring
prominently in an alleged dispatch
from London recounting in a general
way the same facts set forth in the
United Press cable from Petrograd.
"The United Press says it made sure
the Netlotsky story was sent over the
wires of the International News. The
story was printed in papers receiving
the International Nev. s service in
Boston, New York. Pittsburgh, De
troit, Chicago, Kansas City, San Fran
cisco and elsewhere.
Note: In Omaha the International
News has been serving its wire news
to the World-Herald.
TEUTONS TO ENTER SLA V CITY
OF REVAL WITHIN WEEK'S TIME
"Taking Food Out of Hungary
FOOD SITUATION
BECOMES ACUTE
IN MANIA
Peasant Women Almost Starv
ing or Existing on Maize;
Newly Born Deformed
From Malnutrition.
(By Associated Bress.)
Petrograd, Jan. 24. British offi
cers who have made a thorough in
vestigation of conditions in Rou
mania returned to Petrograd today
and gave an account of the food sit
uation there. They said Roumanian
peasant women have been almost
starving for months or existing
slely on maize. The effect is shown
particularly among newly born chil
dren, many of whom are deformed.
The effect of starvation on future
generations is causing more concern
to the officials than the present state
of affairs. The Roumanians-have suf
ficient maize to feed the peasant pop
ulation until May, but this diet by it
self will not give proper sustenance.
Discipline Maintained.
Notwithstanding this and other
privations, the Roumanian arrtiys is
maintaining discipline. Information
from authoritative sources emphatic
ally contradicts rumors of any pro
nounced movement against King
Ferdinafid. It is declared that orfly
the smallest minority seeks to over
throw the government.
Roumanian troops are aiding the
Russian commander in the gradual
demobilization of the Russian army
on the Roumanian front. The Rou
manians are on guard against maraud
ing bands of Russian soldiers, insist
ing that all give up their arms before
being released from their units. A
battle occurred four miles from Jassy
between Ukrainian and Bolshevik
forces. It lasted for eight days. The
Bolsheviki seixed the important rail
way junction of Harknv.
Transportation Difficult.
Owing Co happenings such as these
it is very difficult to send food to
Roumania, or to the Ukrainian cities
and the western and northern Russian
fronts. Some food is now moving
from Ukraine to north Russia by spe
cial agreement, but transportation
ifficulties are growing.
Increased sentiment in favor of the
Bolsheviki is reported in Ukraine, al
though the Bolsheviki there are not
connected officially with those of
Petrograd.
An attempt to assassinate Lieu
tenant General Stcherbatcheff. com
mander of the Russian forces in Rou
mania was defeated on December 20.
Several persons were killed re
cently in a battle at Kiev, brought on
by an attempt on the part of sailors
to compel officers to give up their
epaulettes.
Forty Killed in Moscow
In Riots "Bloody Sunday"
Petrograd. Jan. 24. Forty Dersons
were killed and 200 wounded in riots
at -Moscow on Tuesday during a
demonstration at an anniversary cele-
nratutn ea "mruuiv zsunriav. ,
mm:mmr
GERMAN MASSES
IS SPREADING
Internal Situation Declared to
Be . Critical as Militarist
Party Suppresses Dis
content at War.
(Dy Associated Press.)
London, Jan. 24. The impressions
conveyed in today's news dispatches
from Switzerland and Holland re
garding the internal situation in Ger
many on the eve of Chancellor von
Hertling's expected address before
the Reichstag is one of discontent
among the masses suppressed by the
triumphant hand of the military party.
Efforts of the German censorship
to prevent public knowledge of the
Austria strikes and peace demands
succeeded for a time, but the news
leaked through gradually and Aus
trian events seem now to be widely
known by German workers.
German Sympathy Repressed.
The Austrian hope that the latter
would follow their lead has not, how
ever, materialized, while German
newspapers which ventured to hold
out a hand to the Austrian proletariat
have been sternly repressed.
Nevertheless, according to the
Post's Amsterdam dispatch, the re
bellious sentiments of German work
men, especially independent socialists,
are becoming stronger.
Omaha Actor and
Attracts
Colin Clements, an Omaha boy, is
attracting attention in Pittsburgh, Pa.,
for his work with the Carnegie Rep
ertoire theater. His first performance
in the cast was as Harry Spreadbrow
in Gilbert's olav. "Sweethearts." He
also did old "Crabtree" in "The School
for Scandal," and at present is play
ing in "Atlanta in Calydon.".
Mr. Clements is a writer as well
as an actor. Two of his plays, "Just
Women" and Sophocles and Soap,"
have been produced by the San Fran
cisco Litt'e theater and the Carnegie
Reoertoire theater. Other of his plays
have been published in Poet Lore and
the Stratford Journal. His "Some
where in America" and "Mixed Num
bers" are now in rehearsal and will
shortly te produced in government
training camps.
U.S. Aviators With
French Army Bring
Down Two Planes
Paris, Jan. 24. David Putnam of
Brookline, Mass., and Austin Te
hoie of Westfiifld, N. J., American
aviators in the French army, both
shot down German airplanes on
January 19.
Tehore had been rejected by the
American aviation officials on ac
cniml al a. ddative lac
i V . ; ' '
Russians Refuse to Accede to Kaiser's Demand That They
Give Up CoUrland and Baltic Provinces; Germans
Theater. Immediate Resumption of Hostilities; '
Last Of fer Is Made.
Petrograd, Jan. 24. The Russian delegates to the Brest
Litovsk peace conference unanimously decided to reject the
terms offered by the Germans, which included annexation of
the Baltic provinces and Courland by Germany.
The threat informed the Russ delegates that a refusal
meant that Germany would resume military operations and oc
cupy Reveal within a week.
The peace conference has adjourned until January 29
when the formal answer of the Russians is expected.
FOOD FAMINE IN
PETROGRAD HAS
BECOrfSERIOUS
Russian Capital Threatened
With Starvation; Impossible
to Obtain Foodstuffs
From Siberia. s
Petrograd, Wednesday, Jan. 23.
"Petrograd is on the verge of famine.
"Our purpose now is to make it
come gradually, not suddenly to have
an organized famine, so to apeak,"
said Madame Smith-Falkner, a mem
ber of the food control committee, in
an interview yesterday with the Asso
ciated Press in connection with the
reduction of the bread allowance.
She said that the chief causes of
scarcity of food are the war, civil
war and 'depreciation m the value'' of
the ruble. , . 1
Snows Delay Trains.
"As to Petrograd, , the differences
with the Ukraine have made it im
possible to obtain foodstuffs from the
southern provinces, which are the
main source of food supplylfor north
ern Russia," she said.
"Wc have been getting grain from
Siberia, but recent snowstorms have
delayed the arrival of trains, and con
sequently there is an acute shortage.
"There is plenty of grain in Rus
sia now, but the peasants don't 'wish
to sell it, because paper money is
worthless.
"To remedy the situation we shall
all declare certain manufactured ar
ticles, such as clothing and metal
products, to be state monopolies and
exchange them for grain. The peas
ants will thus have the things thsy
need most and so shall we."
Big Car Shortage.
Madame Smith-Falkner said that
the 22 central provinces which always
import grain received 400 cars last
month instead of the required 6,000. .
The food control committee was ap
pointed by the Moscow food congress
held in December, It is not recog
nized by the Bolsheviki.
Expert to Have Charge
' Of Coal Distribution
Washington, Jan. 24. J. D. A. bor
row, general secretary of the Na
tional Coal association, formerly of
Pittsburgh, and a practical oal man,
was today placed by the fuel admin
istration in general charge of dis
tribution of coal, both anthracite and
bituminous.
Playwright
Attention in East
r1
COLIN C. CLEMENTS.
i ' '
A A
J.
V The decision of the detente was
anounced to the Associated Press to
night by M. Kameneff, a member of
the Russian delegation. The Ger
mans declared the terms laid down
by them were their last offer and that .
if the Russians did no accept themr
hostilities would be resumed and the
Germans would capture Reval in a
week. . . " '
Final decision as to peace or war.
M, Kameneff said further, rested with
the congress of soldiers1 and work
men's delegates, which was conven
ed here tonight. K
- LAST TERMS OFFERED.
M. Kamaneff, who returned from
Brest-Litovsk wih Foreign Minister
Trotsky, said the remainder of the
Russian delegation had stayed there
in order toavoid the appearance of an
immediate rupture.
"We.were told." he added, "that the
German terms were he last they
would offer. ' jv
"We were unanimous that they
should be rejected. Final decision,
however, must rest with the soldiers'
and workmen's delegates.
"The congress is expected to take
up tomorrow the qoesction of peace
or war." ' r . -
Reports of the session indicate that
the Germans took a definite stand and
most .frankly eutliacd icaufldiyiis
which they, are insistent. , .
The secretary of the Ukrainian dele
gation gkve out an account of 'the
meeting.
It says the Russians put a question
to .the delegates of the central pow
ers as to what were their final peace
terms. -
FINAL PEACE TERMS. J
General Hoffman, one of the Ger
man delegates, replied by opening a
map and pointing out the following "
line, which they, insisted should con
stitute the future frontier of Russia:
From the shores of the Gulf of Fin
land, to the east of the Moon Sound
islands to Valk, to the west of Minsk,
to Brest-Litovsk. ;
Baltic Provinces Eliminated.
This completely eliminates Cour
land and all the Baltic provinces. :
The Russians asked the terms of
the-. central powers in regard to the
territory south of Brest-Litovsk. Gen-
eral Hoffman replied that was a ques
tion which they would discuss only
with Ukraine.
t M. Kameneff, a member of the Rus
sian delegation, asked:
"Supposing we do not agree to such ,
conditions. What are you going to
do?"
General Hoffman's answer is re
ported to have been: "Within a week,
then, we would p;cupy Reval."
" Russ Ask for Recess.
Tfie Russians then asked for s re
cess, which was granted reluctantly.
The Germans declared Jt was the
last postponement to which they
would consent. The request was
made by Leon Trotzky, head of the
Russian delegation, who snd he de
sired an opportunity to k.y the Ger
man peace terms before the council '
of workmen's and soldiers' delegates.
The negotiations between the
Ukrainians and the central powers
are proceeding amicably.
"The Austrians, offered to cede
Cholmtchina to the Ukrainian repub
lic, but only on condition that the
Ukrainians send grain and other food
stuffs to the central powers immedi- .
ately on the conclusion of peace.
It is considered significant that this
ultimatum was laid down by General
Hoffman, who represents the Germau
army at the peace conference, indicat..
ing the predominance of the military
element. M
As a bait to the Ukrainians," the
Austrians are reported to be offering
to cede them the Cholmtchina district,
which appears to be a corner of Rus
sian Poland, jus. west of Volhynia.
This is to be given to the Ukraine in
case it consents to send foodstuffs to
the central powers immediately on
the conclusion of peace.
COMPETITION
Intense competition has made
it necessary for the man who .
has anything to sell to cultivate .
relatively unimportant markets '
that he would have disdained in -the
old days. . j j ...
Are you cultivating all' the
possible markets?
If you are NOT sing Bee
Want Ads there is a vast market
open for you.
'Begin cultivating it now. Call
Tyler 1000, place your want ad
and 'i ?r
Keep Your Eye On The Be
IMPROVING EVERY D