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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1917)
D THE 8EMI.WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA. M CAPITAL ON GUARD STATE, WAR AND NAVY BUILD INQ8 CLOSED TO TH08E WHO HAVE NO PASSES. WHITE HOUSE IS PROTECTED Offers .of 8ervlce In Any Capacity Come From All Over the Country Political Pressure for Commissions Is Pleasantly Absent. By GEORGE CLINTON. Wellington. Senator P. M. Sim mons, cliiilrmnn of tlic finance commit tee of the United Stntes senate; Scnn (or Benjamin P. Tillman, cliiilrninn of the committee on tuivnl uffulrs, and Gen. William Crozler, chief of ord nnnco of tho United States nrmy, woro forhlddcn admission to the state, war and navy building ly tlio sentries on gunrd hecntiso they did not have with them the pusses necessary for admis sion. This goes to show how In these days of national crises Washington Is guarding its treasury boxes of Infor mation. So far ns Washington is con cerned, It Is still a case of watchful waiting, but Waiting has Work as a companion, and n vigorous go-ahead person the companion Is. Washington is on guard and Is guarded. No one sees a trace of ex citement here, but the unseen exists. It Is a serious capltnl today. ron tho few ordinarily flippant ones In congress seem to have felt the touch of tho subduing hand. Today one needs what Is equivalent (o a military pass to secure entrance to tho state, war and navy building. I'asses to the White IIouso offices also liavo been issued to persons who have a right to receive tliein. There Is more than n suggestion of war days In tho vicinity of every government building. Inside the armed service buildings one is in the presence of war. Only one gnto to the Whlto House grounds remains open. At every closed entrance nnd along tho Iron rail fences which separate the grounds from tlio street, policemen are sta tioned. Tlio doors ta nil tho public buildings are guarded; It Is a repro duced picture of tho days Just prior and during the Spanish war. Conscription Might Be Necessary. A chapter of patriotism Is being written Into tho history of the war and navy departments today. Prom all over tho country are coming offers of service in any capacity, helpful to n country In need. Retired army and navy oflicers in their old age aro re questing that they may be allowed to get buck Into active scrvico If war shall come. All kinds of Industrial organizations arc offering assistance. Individuals, men and women, are ask ing what they can do to help. It might nppenr from the Immense number of offers of servlco which are being received that It would not bo n difficulty thing for tho United States In caso of war to raise quickly an army of 500,000 men by tho volunteer plan, but even with nil the surfaco In dications that such an nrmy at once could be willed to tho Instruction enmps, tho officials fear that it will bo hard to got such a number of phys ically fit men without resorting to con scription. Ono of tho striking things about tlio offers of scrvico which luivo been re ceived ut headquarters In Washington Is that there Is nothing like the po litical pressure being exerted that there was In Civil wur and Spanish war days to secure a commission ns a ranking otllcer for this man or that man without regard to his lack of mil itary training. Tho European war seems to hnvo taught each aspiring gentleman that lullueuco in his ward without an hour's training does not entirely lit htm to command men on tho Held of battle. If tho preaching of preparation has had Its checking effect on the poli ticians and political heelers who other wise would have sought high army commands, It may not have been en tirely In vain. Planning for Censorship. Newspaper correspondents In the city of Washington have taken sharp noto of tho possible censorship conditions which aro to prevail If wo shall have war with Germany or for that matter with any other for eign power. Tho authorities already have been upproached by tlio standing conunlttoo of press correspondents which has charge of press gallery mat ters, and n plan will be adopted which tho newspaper men hopo will meet their desires while In every way safe- guarding tho government. There are In existence In the war department plans formulated over two years ago and which wero Intended to govern correspondence sent from thti Hold or from battleships, or from the city of Washington, In caso war was declared wiin .Mexico, it is under stood that tlio war department had laid down rules so drastic iih virtutillv to destroy tho usefulness of the work of a correspondent In the Held or In tho capital. It will bo the endeavor of tho corps or wasiiiugton correspondents to si euro an amelioration of tho conditions laid down In the existing plan, and co operation will bo promised, so far as tho standing committee of correspond ents has authority, in tho name or ev ery correspondent who today Is admit ted to tho press galleries of tho two houses of congress. Don't Like Brltloh Methods. . Thus far no attempt has been iniido by the authorities to censor dispatches from tlio city of Washington. Conn" donee has been placed In the members of tlio correspondents' corps to use their own discretion ns to what shall bo printed and what shall not be print ed. There are newspaper men In Washington who know n great deal about the present condition of the army and of tlie navy and something of the plans which have been formulated to put both to effective service In case war shall come. These correspondents have, so far as Is known, refrained from saying anything which might be of service to n posslblu enemy. Talks with army nnd navy olllcers who, however, will have no hand In the laying down of censorship rules, for that duty Is Imposed on a special board, prove that In the mnln the men of the two services are convinced that the llrltish methods of censorship have been not only too drastic hut also un intelligent. In Knglaud when the war was about eight months old it was possible to send through the malls to America anything which one chose to write, and the chance wns only one to ten that the letter would bo opened and rend for approval or disapproval. The re sult was that n mnss of stuff was sent to America which eventually found Its way back to Germany. Then tho system of censorship In England changed and all letters were opened. Tho unlutelllgcncc of the ofli cers In charge of tho work was shown by the fact that they frequently cut out stories of things concerning which the Urltlsh government had already made public announcement, and on tho other hand, they allowed things to go through which were pronouncedly Im proper for publication in n time of war. What the Correspondents Want. What the newspaper men here will probably ask of the war department Is that a sot of rules plainly expressed bo Issued ns a guide to writing, and more than this, that tho censors shall bo men who have had experience In Journalism. There are many such men In tho nrmy whoso scrvico can bo se cured. More thnn anything else the corre spondents will ask that their dis patches and their letters bo passed up on as quickly ns possible. Tho ordi nary government ofllcliil tins no mora conception of tho value of quick dis patch of a news article than ho has of tho comparative qualities of beets as sugar producers, and there nro few army olllcers who have had experi ence as farmers. In Prance tho censorship works well. Tho Prench do things quickly and moreover the army censors snvo work by explaining Individually to the cor respondents the nature of the things which must not bo touched upon In their writings. To Buy Famous Battlefield. Representative Charles O. Carlln of Virginia, acting as spokesman for vetornns of both armies of tho war between the stntes, bos Introduced a hill Into congress for the purchase of the battlefield of Dull Run, where the first pitched light of the war of the sixties took place. On the llftleth anniversary of tho Untile of Hull Hun tho boys in blue nnd gray shook hands In friendship. It seems hardly possible that tho bill which Mr. Carlln has prepared can pass at this session, but generally where the veteran soldiers of a nation have been whole-heartedly sentimental congress pays heed to their wishes. Tho 1)111, ns drafted, provides for the carrying out of the recommendations made by the special board of army olllcers appointed In 11)1.1 that the sec retary of war be authorized to pur chase for the United States the battle fields of the llrst and tho second Hull Ilun, at a cost not to exceed .$50,000. The measure would authorizo the sec retary of war to protect tho two orig inal monuments erected by the United States troops In 1805 and to assume the cure of the other monuments and markers on the historic battlefields, which were erected without oxpense to the government. It would also glv.i , the otllclnl power to Improve the lands to be purchased, to provide convenient approaches from the public ronds for visitors and to mark the lines of bat tle and the location of troops during the military operations froti 1801 to ISO.'.. Kept Up by Henry and His Heirs. Those who are working for the pass age of the bill by congress point out that Henry hill Is location of the first monument erected on any battlefield of the Civil war. The site was se lected by the veterans themselves from all possible slt". They point out also that .Mr. Henry up to 1808, and his heirs since his death, have performed the duties which fairly and legitimately devolved upon the gov ernment. With regard to the memorial stones on the battlefields, the attor ney for the Henry heirs said: "There Is no law. state or national, which would have prevented tho own ers of the farm from removing tho memorial Mone The government which had placed them In position had boon to all appearances utterly Indif ferent to their euro and preservation. Whntever credit is due for handing down this monument to tho present or future generations Is due to the owners of ihe property. When the fence with which the United States army Inclosed It fell Into decny. they built another one, which they have re newed at their own expense from time to time. They have kept the grass cut, ihe weeds cut out. (he trees planted by the soldiers trimmed, and under their shade they have permitted the veterans to gather hi reunions from time to lime, even though they were obliged temporarily to surrender the privacy of (heir homo. And American citizens and foreign tourists alike have boon allowed to visit the Interesting anil historic localities that abound on the farm." Y TO WASHINGTON ASKS NEWS OF AMERICAN CONSULS IN GERMANY. EIGHTY-SIX ARE MISSING Demand for Freedom of Yarrowdale Sailors Withheld Pending Offlcla Advices as to Their Release No Break With Vienna Government. Washington. Peb. 11). Tlio situation of American citizens In the countries of the Teutonic allies became the prime consideration of the United States in the German crisis. An Inquiry was dispatched to Ger many on Friday asking where and why American consular oflicers had been delayed In their departure. The demand for tho release of tho Yarrowdale prisoners was withheld from delivery to Germany pending of ficial advices as to the release of those 72 American sailors. The German gov ernment announced they had been given their liberty. The state department showed con cern over the delay In tho departure of the American consular olllcers. Klghty-slx American consuls, with (heir families, and many private Amer ican citizens desiring lo leave Germany wero reported ready to start for Swit zerland on n special train early this week. Ambassador Gerard, from Heme, notified the tate department that tho train should leave "some time this week." Since then nothing has been heard from the tralnlond of Ameri cans. On the other hand, a telegram con taining assurances by the German government that American consular officials and their families would not bo obstructed in leaving Germany, wiih sent to the department by the Spanish embassy. While the tension In the Interna tional situation was considerably les sened by the unofficial reports of the releaso of tho Yarrowdale prisoners and the reports of concessions grnnted to Minister Brand Whltlock nnd Ameri can relief workers In Belgium, tho state department continued its efforts to nssuro safety of Americnns in Ger many, Austria, Hulgariu und Turkey. The state department took occasion to deny formally that nil American citizens had been ordered out of Aus trla. Unofllclnl dispatches from Paris to that effect wero branded ns fnlse. It was pointed out In ofllclal circles, however, that the time for advising them to depart wns passed and that Americans now wero seeking not ad vice, but the means of getting out of the Teutonic countries. All of those mntters wero discussed by President Wilson nnd his cabinet. No announcement wns forthcoming after the meeting, however, and mem bers of tho cabinet declared tho situa tion was "unchanged." 'Tho question of arming American merchant ships for pnssage of the war zono remained In abeyance. It wns understood, however, thnt tho navy department had submitted plans for nrmlng ships with fi00 reserve guns already allotted for that purpose. DANGEROUS IN NORTH SEA Great Britain Warns Shipping In Cer tain Zone To Operate Against U-Boats. Washington, Pel). 10. Notice of a dnngerous area In the North sea be cause of operations ngalnst Germany has been given by the Hrlttsh admir alty. A copy of the notice, dated Feb ruary 18, was received at tho state de partment. It warns shipping that after February 7 a prescribed area Including all waters off Germany and parts of Holland and Denmark will be danger ous nnd should bo avoided. "In view of tho unrestricted warfare carried on by Germany at sea by means of mines and submarines," says tho no tice, "not only ngalnst the allied pow ers but also against neutral shipping, and the fact that merchant ships arc constantly sunk without regard to tho ultimate safety of their crews, his ma jesty's government gives notice that on and after February 17 the mentioned urea In tho North sen will be rendered dangerous to nil shipping by operations against the enemy and It should there fore bo avoided." GERMANS GAIN IN WEST Capture Ground on Mlle-and-Half Front In Champagne 858 Prisoners Taken. Herlln, Feb. 10. Tho permans began an attack In tlio Champagne. The war office announces that they captured ground half a mile deep over a front of ono and one-half miles nnd took 858 prisoners. Heavy lighting occurred on Hill 1ST). Food Riot at The Hague. The Hague, Peb. 10. Serious rioting, In which Ihe crowds wero only dis persed after repeated charges by police ami hussars, occurred hero Friday aft ernoon. The rioters protested ngalnst the high cost of food. Sweden to Seize All Grain. Indon. Feb. 10. A Stockholm dls patch to Iteuter's says that tho Swed ish government has decided to take possession of nil stockR throughout the country of barley, onts and cereal products. liUlfj BERLIN . WAITING TO El.. I T .rT' l(M wertPADMAMtL-rl f. LANSING WARNS CUBAlPASS BIG NAVAL BILL NOTIFIED REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Official News Received at Washing ton Shows That Revolt Has As sumed Large Proportions. Washington, Feb. 10. Reports tell ing of the spread of the liberal revolt In Cuba aroused such apprehension here that Secretary Lansing on Wed nesday cabled a second warning to tho people of the republic that the United States would not regard as legal any government set up by violence. The messnge wont to Minister Gon zales at Hnvnna and to every Anierl enn consul, to be circulated nil over the Island. It says that "the govern ment of tho United States has given Its conlldence nnd support only to gov ernments eslnbllslied through legnt and constitutional methods." Mr. Lansing pointed out tho respon sibility of the United Stntes in con nection with Cuba and intimated very clearly that revolution was not to bo tolerated. Secretary Raker anouriced that with the approval of the president n deal had been closed for the sale of 10,000 army rifles and 2,000,000 rounds of ammunition to the Cuban government. Negotiations for tho purchnso hnd been In progress for several months. Ofllclal news from Cuba convinced the administration thnt the rebellion already had assumed greater propor tions than had been anticipated. President Menocnl has declured that the uprising will be confined to a small area, nnd thnt It can Inst only a few days. NO GERMAN SEAMEN HELD Only Those Who Have Violated Some Law Are Being De tained. Washington, Feb. 10. No German seamen on ships In American harbors aro being held except those who nro believed to have violated some law. This was indicated by reports taken to the cabinet meeting on Friday by Attorney General Gregory and Secre tary Wilson. The purpose is to show Germany that the United Stntes is liv ing up to its treaty obligations in the treatment of seamen on German ships In American harbors. BALLOT FOR OHIO WOMEN State Senate, 20 to 16, Passes Bill for Presidential Suffrage Governor to Sign Measure. Columbus, 0., Feb. 10. The Ohio senate passed the Reynolds bill giving Ohio women the privilege of voting ?or president. Tho vote wits 20 to 10. The bill nl ready has' passed the house and Governor Cox has Intimated ho will sign It. FLASHES OFF THE WIRE )OOOOOOOC 4 Herlln, Feb. 10. Small retirements on l' e Somnio front were admitted by the Gorman war office. Herlln, Feb. 15. Hrltlsh aviators dropped bombs on a children's skating party near llrueggo last Suturduy, kill ing ten of them, according to thu semi ofllclal Overseas News Agency. Washington, Feb. 17. Tho senate finally killed nnd burled the proposal to raise second-class mall rates to two cents a pound and reduce drop-letter postage to ono cent. Ry a vote of 45 to 25 the senate again uphold a point of order by Senator Hitchcock against making the provision an amendment to the postal appropriation bill. Restrict Sayvllle Wireless. New Ygrk, Feb. 17. The Postal Telegraph Cable company announced that the station ut Sayvllle has ad vised only messages tho text of which refers to business matters, and press dispatches will bo accepted. Germans Advance 100 Yards. Herlln, Peb. 17. An ndvnnco of 100 yards Into tho Russian lines south of tho Zlocaov-Tnrnopol railway was an nounced by tho Germnn war office on Thursday afternoon. Several prison ers were taken. BE PAGED HOUSE VOTE ON PREPAREDNESS MEASURE WAS 353 TO 23. Provides for Second Installment of Great Three-Year Building Pro gram Adopted Last Year. Wnshlngton, Feb. 15. Two big steps toward navul preparedness wero taken here on Tuesday. Fstabllsliment of u submarine train ing base In Los Angeles harbor and of a submnrino war operating base at San Diego were recommended in a report of the special navy commission, headed by Rear Admiral Helm, mndo public by the navy department. The largest nnvnl appropriation bill In the country's history was passed by the house and sent to the senate, where a subcommittee Immediately was appointed to hasten Its consider ation. ' Tho bill cnrrles more than $308,000,- 000, provides for the second Install ment of the great three-year building program adopted last year, nnd In cludes administration emergency amendments authorizing tho govern ment to commandeer private shipyards and munition plants In time of na tional peril nnd to purchase the basic pntents of aircraft. Tho vote on the bill was 353 to 23, 18 Democrats, headed by Majority Leader Kltchln, 4 Republicans nnd 1 socialist voting nbnlnst it. Without discussion, Representative Mnnn got an amendment Into tho nnval bill declaring thnt the United States favored settlement of Internntionnl dis putes through mediation or arbitration. ROADS TO AID IN DEFENSE Committee to Co-Operate With the Government In the Event of War. Now York, Feb. 10. Tho railroads of the United States through a special committee on national defense organ ized here on Friday nt n meeting of the American Rnllwoy association's executive committee, will co-operute with the government In event of war. Telegrams are being sent to tho heads of nil American railroads by W. W. Atterbury, president of tho asso ciation, urging unqualified support of President Wilson's council of national defense. The country hns been divided Into four railroad zones east, centrnl, south and west corresponding with tho nrmy departments. For each sec tion n specal subcommittee of rail road olllcials wns nnmed. Fairfax Harrison, chairman of tho Southern rnllway, Is chairman of the now special committee on national de fense which succeeds the associ ation's special committee on co-opern-tlon with the inllltnry authorities or ganized last fall. SCORES BRYAN IN HOUSE Pacifists Appeal to "Cowardice That Lurks In Every Man's Breast," Lawmakers Told. Wnshlngton, Peb. 17. Pacifists gen erally and William Jennings Brynn particularly were attacked In the house on Thursday by representative Gardner of Massachusetts In making reply to previous declarations by Rep resentative Moore of Pennsylvania that Great Hrltaln seeks to draw tho United Stntes Into war. Gardner spoke In defense of the al lies and then turned on tho pacifists, who, ho said, were appealing to the "cowardice that lurks In every man's breast." Hryan's plan for submitting the question of war to n referendum, he declared, was only stirring up agita tion cnlculuted to dlvldo the country against Itself. Two Americans Hurt in War. Ottawa, Out., Feb. 10. Among Americans named in the casualty lists aro Private W. Heard of Prospect, O., wounded, but returned to duty, and P. Stewart, Detroit, Mich., reported wounded. Seamen's Law Upheld. Mobile, Aln., Feb. 10. The seamen's law was upheld ns valid by Federal District Judge Krvln on Friday In a decision which, as far as Is known, Is tho llrst construing tho constitutional ity of the act. 13 AMERICANS KILLED COWBOYS FOUND MURDERED IN MEXICO BY GEN. PERSHING'S SCOUTS. BORDER TOWNS FEAR RAID Salazar Threatens to Attack Village or City and to Surpass Massacre at Columbus Rancher Pays $5,000 Ransom to Bandits. Hachltii, N. M Peb. 17. Three bod ies, later identified as those of An drew P. Peterson, Hugh Acord and Hurton Jensen, American cowboys, were found on the Mexican side of tho border three miles south of Monument No. 53 and near Corner Ranch. They wero discovered by Lem Splllsbury, the Pershing scout. The bodies of the three Americans were about 50 feet npart, according to Splllsbury. Fuch victim hud been shot ninny times In the head with rifles and pistols. Acord's head wns mutilated with n hatchet, according to Splllsbury. All of tho bodies wero stripped of cloth ing, hats and shoes, Splllsbury said. The clue to the bodies wns given by Andrew Peterson's shepherd dog, which crawled Into camp furnished und foot-sore, ns If lie had come u great distance during the night. American cowboys of tho rescue posse, who wero camped nt the time here, took tills to mean Peterson und ills companions were dead, nnd started on this suc cessful hunt for the bodies. A government agent arrived hero nnd made an Investigation of tho rnld, n report of which was sent to Washington. According to this report, tlio Mexlcnns under Prudenclo Miran da wore eating dinner nt a randihouso on the American side when Peterson, Jensen and Acord rode up unarmed. The Americans were surrounded and mndo prisoners. Tlio Warren rnncli Interests are un derstood to have agreed to pay $5,000 ransom for "Buck" Spencer and his wife. U. S. TO FIX PAPER PRICE Federal Trade Board Will Probably Fix Maximum Price of Print Paper Makers O. K. Plan. Washington, Feb. 19. For the first time In the history of American big business, an Industry has voluntarily offered to submit to price-fixing by a government agency. As n result It is expected that the federal trade com mission will fix a maximum price for newsprint pnper by March 1 next. Tho principal newsprint paper manufac turers of the United States and Can ada have submitted to the commission y n proposition providing thnt they will agree to be bound by any price for paper which the commission declares upon arbitration to be fair nnd reason able. The commission has taken the pro posal under consideration and It Is strongly Intimated that tho plan will bo accepted and cnrrled out speedily. Scores of small newspaper publishers have informed the commission thnt un less relief is forthcoming shortly they must suspend. Prices for pnper have Increased over u range of from 100 to 800 per cent In the last 18 months. ALLEGED GERMAN SPY HELD Fred Kaiser Arrested at Nogales, Ariz., on a Charge of Viciaxirrg National Defense Act. Nogales, Ariz., Feb, 19. Fred Knlser, said to be n Germnn pobject, was arrested here on Friday on u charge of violating tire national de fense law. He was specifically charged with entering n warehouse Illegally and was alleged to have been obtain ing inllltnry Information. Knlser has resided In Nogales for some time. ICnlser's ball was fixed nt $2,000 nnd ho was taken to the county Jail. He was employed as foremnn of u ware house of n local building supply com pany. Kaiser declined to discuss (he charge. 160 VOTElNDICTED BY U. S. Federal Grand Jury at Indianapolis Hits Both Democratic and Re publican Politicians. Indianapolis, Feb. 10. Tho federal grand Jury returned Indictments on Wednesdny ngalnst about 100 persons charged with violation of the election laws. The Indictments follow n lengthy investigation conducted by Frank C. Dalley, speclnl -assistant at torney geuernl. Tho names of those accused will not bo mado public until arrests are mnde, but It Is reported that high Democratic city officials In Indianap olis and both Democrats and Repub licans In Kvansvllle, Frankfort nnd Gary are hit. Four Hurt Fighting Fire. Winnipeg. Man., Feb. 10. Four fire men were Injured through the collapse of a floor while fighting n blnzo which destroyed the Scott-Bathgate whole sale block here. The loss was $200, 000. Must Become U. S. Citizens. Duluth, Minn.. Feb. 19. Orders wero Issued by the Mlnnesotn Steel compnny ordering all employees to take out citizenship papers If they had not alrendy done so on pain of dismissal. "-rwuarti
