Nebraska Newspapers

    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