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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1917)
THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. BRITISH PARTY IS WARMLY RECEIVED SIMPLE HEARTFELT WELCOME EXTENDED ENGLISHMEN. WILL MAKE GO-OPERATION EASY Foreign Secretary Balfour Says U, S. Will Astonish World In War. De clares Germany Lacked Fore sight. Had Uneventful Trip. Washington. Unscathed by U-bout ond other marine peril, Uritlsh For eign Secretary Ualfour and party ar rived liuru safe and Bound lust Sun day. Tho American caiiltal extended u slmplo but heartfelt welcome to Air. Balfour and tin; otliur members of the Urltlsli commission. Tho Urltlsh foreign secretary, while unxxillliig to speculate on what form American participation In the war might take, said lio bad no doubt America's efforts would a.stonlHh thu world particularly Germany. IJo Indicated that It waH IiIh opin ion that If Germany bad foreseen bow fully the United States would en ter the strugglo she would not have precipitated war between the two countries. More and moro It has become evi dent that the commission, aside from any technical aid it may reader to tills country lias come over for a gen eral and broad understanding of the wholo American point of view, Tho Object of Commission. Tho object of tho commlHslon, Mr. Unlfour said, vuh "to make co-operation easy and effective between those who are striving with all their- power to bring about a lasting peace by tho only means that can secure It, name ly, a successful war." "Your president, In a most apt and vivid phrase," Mr. Ualfour added "proclaimed that tho world must he mado safe for democracy; that self governing communities aro not to be treated as negligible simply because they aro small ; that tho ruthless dom (nation of one unscrupulous power Im perils tho futuro of civilization and the liberties of mankind aro truths of political cthlca which tho bitter ex perience of war Is burning Into the souls of all freedom-loving peoples." Received Wl.th High Honors. England's leading statesmen having Bafcly evaded tho Gorman submarines and mines which sent Lord Kltchenei to his death, were received with the highest honors ns guests of tho Ameri can people, when they arrived at Vnnceboro, Just this sldo of tbb Canadian line. A delegation of officials welcomed tho commission In tho namo of tho government and Ret out with them to tho capital for what Is admittedly the most vital conference In American history. Tho commission was received ,wlth tho utmost simplicity and cordiality and with every recognition df tho fact that Great Britain bad given of Its best. It Is Raid, Indeed, that no for eign mlnlRter has left England for tho length of time that Mr. Ualfour will ho away since tho congress of Vienna, a century ago. Shortly after the Ualfour party ar rived In Washington, the state depart meat made known the details of the commissioners' long trip, which was surrounded with secrecy nnd precau tions nover boforo equalled In this country. ino urmsii commissioners stolo secretly nwny from England. April 11. on n fast cruiser protected In every posslhlo way from German spies who might bnvo got out word to lurking suiimarlnps. Tho voyage was entirely uneventful, however, and the party nrrlved at Halifax April 20. Crossing to St. John, n special train took them to the llttlo Canadian town of Mo Adams, Jubt across the International bridge, which Werner Horn, a former German oflleer, nttomptod to blow up. On April 21 the party arrived nt the frontier town of Vnnceboro, where the Amerlcnn reception committer welcomed tbetn to American soil. Unlfonr mnde It clear, shortly after inrrlvlng In this country, that the war t-I1I he long, that It will tax our re sources of men; It will require all we have of financial strfMnth: It will command our commercial ami Indus trial energy; It will Involve the Indi vidual effort of ovorv true American. "Wo have come." he said, "to help America turn the first vigo In a nxv chapter In the history of mankind." "Tho United States does not yet vnllzo all It will be cnlled upon to do and what we know It will do. And It German Ships Neatly Ready. Washington Vigorous steps aro be ing taken by the government to repair the seized German ships and It Is be lieved nlno of thoin will ho ready for sea In the next thirty days. A bill to empower tho shipping board to take over foreign built craft and pay for them probably will bo Introduced In congress soon. Nearly 1,200,000 tons now Is building for foreign Interests. Tho scarcity of olllcers for tho great licet the shipping bo.nrd plans mny re quire legislation to relax somo of the restrictions of the present law, Is much. Time will bring the war home to you, as It has done to us." The various members of the com mission, Including Mr. Ualfour him self, brought with them much of the atmosphere of the quiet sufferings and pain that has Indicted England during the last two nnd a half years. "Ever since we have been In the United States." Mr. Balfour mild, "we have been struck with the atmos phere of calm and peacerulness which naturally prevails. We feel ourselxvs far removed here from the stress and horror that Germany has thrust on Europe, much as many of our pcopb felt distant from Franco In the early days of the war. The United States, fortunately, probably will never expe rience the human losses that Franco for so long and ourselves during the past months, have experienced. "Nevertheless," Mr. Ualfour added. "I doubt If you can forsee what fun damental chaiiKos the war will bring Into your ordinary life. We In Hug laud look back with amazement at the vital changes during our last thir ty months of mobilization, and Imag ine that many of tho changes we have gone through, so salutary oven for themselves alone, will be repeated here." Two German Warships Sunk. London. Two German destroyers were sunk, when tho enemy attempt ed a raid on Dover, the admiralty an nounced. The raid was attempted with five Gernuin vessels participating. Follow ing the raid on Dover, German tor pedo boat destroyers fired one hun dred shells In the region of Calais. Just across the Eiigllsh shnnnol, Some civilians were killed. Twelve persons were slightly wounded. Tt has been suggested that the ob ject of the Teuton naval raid was to Interrupt the return of Premier Lloyd George from a conference with the French and Italian prime ministers. Crowd Hoots German Survivors. New York Reynolds' Weekly news paper says that at Dover twenty eight German and twenty-two Urltlsh (lend He In the market hall. The crowds hooted tho German survivors from the Riinken destroyers when they Innded, on account of the Rlnklng of hospital ships by German submarines. Berlin Admits Destroyers Lost. Uerlln. "After a naval engagement to the east of Dover." says an olllclal statement, "two German torpedo boat destroyers, the 0-85 and G-12, arc re ported to have been lost." Two Hospital Ships Sunk. London. Two Urltlsh hospital ships, the Donegal and Lafranc, have been sunk without warning by Ger man submarines. Seventy-llvo per sons, Including wounded men and nien of the crews of the two vessels, are believed to have perished. Of the wounded all were .not Urlt lsh fifteen were Gorman ofllcers aiul soldiers, who wero on bonrd the Lan frnnc. All together thero were 107 GormnnR-on this vessel. Tho placing of Gormnns on hospltnl ships which do not carry the charac teristic sign is ono of the methods of reprlRnl decided upon by the Urltlsh government bocnuso of tho unwarned sinking of theRo boats of mercy. One of tho lntest victims of submarines wns not so marked. The Lanfranc wns a vessel of 0.2S7 tons gross, -118 feet In length. The Donegal was registered 1,007 tons gross and was Slttl feet long. Turkey Breaks With U. S. London. The Turkish government on April 20 ofilclally Informed the American embassy that diplomatic re lations with the United States had been broken off, according to a Uerlln dispatch forwarded by Uetuer's corre spondent at Amsterdam. American Ambassador Klkus, who Is suffering from typhus fever, the report adds, will have to remain some time In Constantinople. The anions, sndor's condition has shown somo Im provoment. Soldiers Fire On Strikers. London. Ten thousand strikers, mostly munition workers, tried to bum tho town hall at Magdeburg on April 20, according to dispatches reaching here from Oldenzaal, Hoi land. Magdeburg Is the capital of tho Prussian province of Saxony nnd ono of tho strongest fortresses In the tier mnn empire. It Is seventy-six miles from Uerlln nnd Is the sent of Immense steel works and mnchlno shops, forming part of the great Krupp works. The city had a population In 1000 of 2211. 0(Vt. Dlpntches from Amsterdam quoted the Dusseldorfer General Amseiger as saying that a mass meeting of Uerlln strikers adopted resolutions demand- Ins pence without annexation, aboil tlnn of compulsory service, liberation of political prisoners, complete polltl enl freedom nnd general, secret, equal and direct franchise throughout tho empire. Papers Hopo for Speedy Victory Anistordam. German newspapers oxprotis the opinion that the recoid figure of the sixth German war loan will prove to the entente that the at tempt to exhaust Germany's financial st roiicth Is a failure and that this coupled with tho American crop short age and tho German submarine ox plaits, must bring 11 speedy victory Tho Vosslscbe y.eltung attributes th success of the loan to the "fires that llamed up In German breasts at Prosl dent Wilson's repulsive treatment I of us." l--Nov portrait of Mario G. Menocal, the Stnrs and Stripes over the Virgin '"reach, wounded nnd dazed by gun tire. ping hoard which Is planning the construction of 1,000 wooden ships. NEWS REVIEW OF THE PAST WEEK War Councils With Leaders of the Allies Are Opened in Wash ington. IGHT OVER CONSCRIPTION Dent's Committee Rejects President's Plan Enemy Submarine Report ed Near New Ycrk Nlvelle Smashes German Lines Between Reims nd Solssons. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. For America at war the outstand ing event of the past week was the opening of the great allied war coun cils In Washington. Headed by such mlneut men ns Urltlsh Foreign Min ister Ualfour and Rene Vlvlanl, former premier of Franco, tho commissions from Englnnd and France arrived In the national capital, were Installed In fine residences and at once began the series of conferences with the heads of the American government and of its armed forces. In order to Insure the safety of tho commissioners, tho government quite properly suppressed all uews of their movements; and It Is In no hurry to tell what transpires at the conferences. It Is safe to say, however, that tho re sults of the meetings will be moment ous. Congress provided enough sinews of war for the present by passing trie bill for the Issuance of .$7,000,000,000, of which 53,000,000,000 Is to bo lent to the ullles. Thero was not a single op posing vote In either house or senate. Congress also appropriated $100,000,- 000 as an emergency war fund to be put at the disposal of the president. Conscription Still In Doubt. President Wilson continued through out the week his strenuous fight for selective conscription, hut arguments and threats wero alike vain so far as tho house military committee was con cerned. Tho committee rejected, ltt to 8, the administration provision, and then adopted an amendment offered by Chairman Dent providing that the president should call for 000,000 volun teers under the existing volunteer act, and should apply conscription only when bo "decides that such additional forces cannot be effectually raised and maintained under the call for volun teers." The bouse agreed to take up the army bill on Monday. In the senate committee the presi dent fared better, for the administra tion bill with the selective conscrip tion feature was accepted by a vote of 30 to 7. It Is the hopo of the admin istration that the senate will pass this bill before the house acts. Impressed by the strength of tho op position to his conscription plan, es pecially In the ranks of the Democrat ic party, the president on Thursday issued an appeal to the public to sup port his proposition. Administration leaders protest that the advocates of the volunteer system have spread the Idea that under the conscription plan there Is no room for the volunteer system, whereas tho president's plan leaves the way open for BOO.OOO volunteers to serve for the duration of the war only. At the beginning of the week Pres ident Wilson Issued a remarkable proc lamation to the nation, calling on all tho people to give to It, in their re spective capacities, their united, full servlco for the successful prosecution of the war. Such a call was doubtless needed to arouse Individuals, but re cent events show that the Industries of the country already aro completely organized and proceeding to carry out the plans outlined by the council of national defense. Tho work done and being done by that body of patriotic men Is revealed as most comprehen sive and complete, and when It Is known In Its entirety will astonish the people of America. U-Boats in American Waters? Aro there any German U-boats In American waters? Uerlln says "not president of Cuba, who Is co-operating Islands at Frederlcksport, St. Croix, 1 Theodore Urent of New Orleans, yet." but the ofllcers of the Amerlcnn destroyer Smith aver that 11 torpedo was fired at their vessel early Tues day morning 100 miles south of New York. They are sure the missile came from a submarine, because they saw the periscope. Having been advised by Urltlsh and French naval men that the well-armed merchant vessel Is the best weapon for use against the submarine, the American government Is pushing with redoubled vigor Its plans for the building of big fleets of wooden ships. It Is even considering delaying the construction of five buttleshlps for this purpose. In the United States union labor In general Is heartily supporting the gov ernment In Its war mensures. The ex ceptions are certain scattered groups of manifestly Germanic tendencies. The members of these, as well as cer tain other Americans with perverted Ideas of their duty to mankind, may profitably study President Wilson's proclamation, Issued Monday, warning against the commission of treasonable acts. Giving aid and comfort to the enemy Is treason, nnd the punishment for treason may be death. It Is a pity that such a proclamation should be necessary. Recruiting Is Better. Recruiting for the regular army and navy during the past week was much more satisfactory than , heretofore. From the navy training schools thou sands of young men, mude fit by in tensive training, were sent to the At lantic and Pacific seaboards to man tho vessels of the lleets. The University of Illinois' plan for the enlisting of a great army of agri cultural laborers, men and boys out side the years of military service or otherwise exempt, having been recom mended by the council of national de fense and approved by the administra tion, seems likely to solve the problem of farm labor. This, and the concert ed movement to urgo tho growing of limit crops have aroused the farmers and gardeners so that the dangers of a food shortage are decreasing. Ev ery Jielp possible Is promised the agri culturists in the way of obtaining seed and labor. Prices of foodstuffs still are abnor mally high, and there are more than hints that the government will curb tho avarice of the speculators. Cana dian wheat was put on tho free list Monday, and the depressing effect on the price of May wheat was Immedi ate but not lasting. The grain specu lators aro being Investigated by the federal authorities. Great Victory for the French. The greatest battle of the war to date, and consequently the grentest In all history, lu that being fought In northern France. While the Urltlsh were making their tremendous thrust toward Lens and St. Quentln, the French wero concentrating their artil lery fire on the German lines In the ltelms-Solssons sector. When storms and German re-enforcements tempo rarily checked the rush of Ilalg's men, Nlvelle's troops took their turn. On Monday they smashed against the Teu tonic front, crushing the enemy de fenses for 25 miles, capturing the sec ond and even the third line in places. Such was the Impetus of tho attack that lu ono instance, at Urlmout, they broke clear through. This Is the sec tor where the crown prince commnnds, and he hurriedly brought up brigade after brigade of reserves which mado desperate attempts to win back tho lost ground. Hut tho wonderful French field artillery had followed close behind the Infantry and checked tho German counter-attacks with aw ful loss of life. On Tuesday the French resumed their drive and pushed tho Germans still farther back 011 tho line from Helms to the Champagne front. All Tuesday night the fighting was fierce, but tho French held their gains. In those two days 1-1,000 Ger mans were taken captive and about 10,000 others wero killed or wounded. The prisoners were In a state of col lapse from hunger and the effects of the gun-fire. Meanwhile the Urltlsh pushed their way farther to tho north of St. Quen tln and consolidated the positions they had won. What Berlin Says of It. Gorman olllclal reports on tho French offensive are naive. They ad mit the success of the attack, but as- I sert tho object of the Germans was, actively with the allies. 2 Haisiug tt German soldiers, captured by the youngest member of the federal ship "even If war material wero lost, to spare the lives of our forces and In flict heavy sanguinary losses upon tho enemy, and thus decisively weaken hlni. This was achieved." Again, on Wednesday, General Nl velle hit the German line hard along a twenty-mile stretch from Helms to Au berlve, and then beat oil' the crown prince's furious counter-attacks. The Urltlsh made more advances near Loos and St. Quentln. So It went day after day until, before the week ended the French estimated the number of un wounded prisoners taken by them alone at more than 20,000. They also captured many guns and Immense quantities of supplies. Retirement of the Germans In Rou mania Is foreshadowed by the report from Jnssy that they have burned the towns of Hrulla and Fokshanl. The Turks, too, are retiring, xxilly nllly, before the steady advance of General Maude's army northwest from Hagdad and the Russian forces in Asiu Minor. Russia Will Stand Firm. In what may be called the field of diplomatic endeavor, attention must be called again to German efforts to se duce the new Russiu from her allegi ances and make a separate peace. These efforts, started by Socialist lead ers, have now taken on a semi-official character, for the German censorship and prohibition of egress from tho country have been relaxed and tho government treats tho Socialists with a sudden favor that Is decidedly suspi cious. The negotiations are being car ried on In Sweden, whither some Rus slan radicals have betaken themselves. Encouraging reports from Petrograd say that the dumn Is split, the major lty favoring sustaining the provi sional government In Its determination to prosecute tho war to a victorious end Is very lurge. Germany's pacific promises to Russia, and those of Aus tria, are too showy to deceive any but the most simple-minded," and even were they more substantial, the course of the Imperial government has not been such as to inspire the least con fidence In Its pledges. Wllhelm may mean to fulfill bis promises of electoral reform In Prussia, but they give llttlo assurance of measurably promoting the cause of democracy, for which the world Is fighting. Indeed, the prom Ised reform would leave the autocrat ic system In tho heart of Germany. The leaders of democratic Russia must see, as do the leuders of the oth er allied nations, that though the world might nfford to make pence with tho German people, It cannot nfford to make peace with tho German kaiser. On Wednesday still better news came from Petrograd In the form of assur ances to the American government that It was no longer conceivable that under any conditions tho provisional government of Russia would yield to the overtures of the German and Aus trinn Socialist agents to negotiate a separate peace. The Austrian cabinet became dls rupted during the week. Two of Its members withdrew. It was reported that Premier Tlsza of Hungary had resigned. Food restrictions and labor condi tions in Germnny gave rise to a big strike of Uerlln munition workers that started on Monday. Tho government was forced to make concessions to them. Poles forced by tho Germans to work In munition plants of War saw also went on strike. Norway and Spain Aroused. Norway Is becoming more and more Indignant over the destruction of her merchant mnrlne by German auburn- lines, and In the last fox days the ship ping men and the press, heartened by America's entrnnce into the xvnr, havo been openly ndx'ocotlng the arming of their vessels. Spain, too, Is exasper ated by u-nont outrages, aim King Al fonso on Wednesday told somo troops at a review: "It Is necessary that wo shall keep In a constant state of prep aratlon." Serious nexvs caiue Thursday from Uuenos Aires to tho effect that the German Inhabitants of three states In Hrazll had rebelled. They aro said to he well armed and organized. Thero are about half a million Germans In Urazll. Germany lost ono of her "strong' men last xveek xvhen General von Bis sing, the German governor general of Uel&um died. The Belgians did not go Into mourning. ASKS TO F HOUSTON LAYS GOVERNMENT'S PROGRAM BEFORE CONGRESS. WANTS FUND TO OPERATE PLAN Agricultural Department Seeks Au thority to Take Over Concerns In Case of Emergency Omaha Dealers Vitally Interested. Washington. The government's pro gram of food control during the xvar xvas put before congress by Secretary Houston In a communication to the senate asking power for the Depart ment of Agriculture to take direct su pervision of food production and dis tribution in the United States and re questing a $2o,000,000 appropriation to put the plan Into operation. Authority was asked for the Coun cil of National Defense, In an emerg ency, to buy and sell foodstuffs and- to tlx maximum or minimum prices. Plans Food Supply Survey. As outlined to the senate, the gov ernment's plun is first to make a. complete survey of the country's food supply to determine Its ownership nnd distribution. Then If necessary to license nnd control tile operations of nil concerns engaged in the manu facture of food or feeds, agricultural Implements and all materials required for agricultural purposes. Authority Is sought for the agricul tural department to take over and operate the. concerns If necessary to the public Interest. Giving the government poxver to deal directly In foodstuffs probably would make Its application unneces sary, Secretary Houston declared, an Its very existence would tend to kecp condltlons normal. He proposed that the government should hnve full dis cretion, snying It might he xxise If nn emergency arose to fix prices on a. slngle commodity. Market Grades Necessary. Mnrket grades nnd classes for farm- products, Secretary Houston said, Is one of the chief needs of the coun try to Insure proper conditions in pro ducing nnd mnrkotlng farm products. Authority also xas asked for the- department to require of transporta tion companies preference for tho tnovement of fnrm maciilnery, seeds, fertilizers nnd materials that enter Into the processes of food produc tion. Offlclnls of all departments and di visions of the government renllze the facts of the situation existing must be learned before remedies can be planned. Noxv, no ono knoxvs hoxr much food thero Is In the country nnd hoxv It Is distributed. Suggestions that tho government Is contemplating measures for nntlonnl prohibition during the xvar as a means of Increasing the food supply are met xxith the statement by officials that no enrly action in that direction 1 likely ns It Is not considered neces sary nt this time. Mr. Houston xvnrned against agri cultural experiments in noxv area1 and tests of noxv crops. The Increase of food, he said, must come about largely through Increased farm effi ciency and on farms and ranges al ready In operation. The problem ho defined ns one of more concentration of effort, not that of putting moro lnnd under cultivation. "Some of the grentest preventable wastes are In the home," said the secretary. Can't Avoid Duty By Marrying. Washington. Men of military ago xxho have married since a state of war against Germany was declared will not escape their obligations of military service under n war depart ment policy formally announced. Tho department's statement follows: "The war department nnnounces that all men mnrrlcd since the out break of xvar xxill be treated upon the snmo basis as unmarried men in so far as their military obligations aro concerned. It Is desired that the ut most publicity bo given by the press to this announcement." The department xvas moved to taka this action In order Hint all men should understand exactly what Is contemplated In the organization of an army to fight Germnny. It was de sired that there should arise no ques tion of slackers upon the score of marriages contracted since the out break of xvar xxith tho possible con struction that tho marriage In any case xvas hastened In order that mili tary duty might bo evaded. Women Will Cultivate Lote, Armour. S. D. Tho women of Ar mour, In an effort to reduce tho high cost of living, hnve started a move ment to cultlvnto all the vacant lots In tho city. Offer Advertising Space Free. Washington. Publishers of agricul tural papers, representing 0.000.000 readers, In session here recently. idopted resolutions offering to tbe government free advertising spnee for the Rnle- of war bonds or to promote enllstmento In the army or navy.
