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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1917)
1. Mr. Balfour paying tribute to George Washington during the visit of the allied war commissions to Mount Vern6n. 2. German military headquarters nt Laon, one of the Important towns on the Illndenburg Hue. ft. M. Rod elnnko, president of the Russian duma and one of the strongest men In the new government. 4. Capt. Charles Sveney of the French Foreign Legion, who hus come to America to give our olllcers pointers on trench warfare and the use of "tanks." NEWS REVIEW OF THE PAST WEEK America in War to the Finish, and Allies Rely on Her for the Victory. U-BOAT MENACE IS GROWING Conflict Will Be Long and Not Easily Won British and French Commls slons Urge Early Dispatch of United States Troops to Europe. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. America Is In tho war against Ger many to the llnlsh, nccording to the verbal pledge given tho British nnd French commissioners by President Wilson and according to the spirit of determination shown by the govern ment and the people. And it Is high time, for the entente allies virtually admit their hopes of victory are now founded on the assistance to be given by the United States. This dependence upon America has cumsinncos me increasing success oi "Germany's U-boat campaign and the disorganized state of affairs In Rus sia. Cabinet members and others In high place were at especial pains during last week to Impress upon the Amer ican people the fact that the war Is not to bo won easily or soon. "We might as well wake up to the fact that the situation Is serious," said Secretary Lansing. "If we don't fight the war on tho other side," said Secretary Lane, "wo shall have to fight It on this side of the Atlantic." Secretary Daniels declared the administration Is concentrating Its energies on the prob lem of defeating the German subma rine campaign," the gravest menace of this conflict. "It Is good to learn, al so from Secretary Daniels, thnt Thom as A. Edison Is nt work with 75 as sistants on electrical nnd mechanical devices to aid In the capture nnd de struction of undersea craft. Most of the German U-boats, it ap pears, are built at Kiel and sent out from that port through Swedish waters. Great Britain Is now trying to per suade Sweden to permit her to use these waters for the purpose of blocking the exit of tho submarines. Two, three, even five yenrs more of warfare Is freely predicted by govern ment officials, nnd they are going nhend with their preparations on that basis. It may. well be thnt the Unit ed States will have to draft, truln and put In the Held a greater army than any that hns been raised by any other country. Every resource of the nn tlon must be brought Into action nnd every Individual will be called on to help so fnr as In him lies. At the present writing tho outlook Is ruther gloomy, but It Is Inconceiv able that, once aroused to tho great task beforo It, America can fall to win tho ultimate victory. Buey In War Councils. The British nnd French wnr com missioners hnvo been exceedingly busy In Washington helping to plnn tho part America Is to linvo In tlw wnr. It eeems to bo agreed thnt Undo Sam shall have virtual control of the food supplies for the allied countries. Jn addition to this we are expected to furnish much of the neces sary shipping, and n start in that lino was made during the week when tho penato passed a resolution empower ing the president to seize nt onco tho interned German and Austrian bonts. Several of theso big vessels were promptly turned over to the allies. As hod been predicted, the British nnd French commissioners, especially the latter, made as plnln as possible, without actually advising It, their be lief that an American army should be sent to Europe without delay, both for tho moral effect nnd because more men really are needed on tho fighting line. It is ndmltted that Intensive training can be best obtained back of tho lines, and It Is wholly probablu that the flrst troops will go over very soon and will be followed at frequent Intervals by other detachments. Tho Stars and Stripes Is likely to bo llylni? before long In both Franco nnd Rus sia. Toward the end of the week tho French commission took time for a visit to Chicago and other cities. Mar hlirtl Joffro and his colleagues were welcomed everywhere with an acclaim that testified eloquently to the lovo and admiration tho American peoplo have for tho French. In the course of their trip tho visitors went to Springfield, 111., and placed wreaths on tho omb of Lincoln, as they already had done on the tomb of Washington at Mt. Vernon. England Is Alarmed. Finally awakened to the dendly menace in tho activities of the Ger man submarines, the peoplo of Great Britain are clamoring, In tlie press and In parliament, for a change in tho admiralty personnel of methods that shall give some promise of relieving tho situation. The terror of hunger and of possible defeat In tho war Is on them, nnd they are calling bitterly for more action by their great uavy. "Where are our own submarines and why do they not do something?" Is tho demnnd. Tho policy of the ad miralty In concealing the full truth nbout the success of the U-bont cam paign Is nttacked on all sides. It Is admitted that the Germnns arc sink ing vessels faster than the allies can build them, nnd though tho United Stntes Is counted on to supply n great number of bottoms, thnt aid, It Is feared, may come too late. To guess at what took place In Ger many nnd Austrln during Mny Day week would be futile, for thopwlss and Dutch frontiers were closed nnd tho censorship of tho news was abso lute. It wns stated officially that the May Day celebrations were peaceful In both the empires. The Germnn relchstng resumed Its session Wednesday nnd Dr. Johannes Kncmpf, president of the chamber, made a bitter attack on President Wil son, accusing him of seeking to divide the Germnn people. Doctor von Beth-mnnn-llollweg, the Imperial chancellor, hnd Intended to make a speech on In ternational relations and was expected to announce Germany's poncu terms, but postponed the address "to n more fitting occasion." Spokesmen for the entente nllles already had declared no suggestions of peace terms from Ger many would bo considered nt this time. Austria Is In sad state and tho news thnt has filtered out from that country during the week Indicates that the en tire nntlon. from the emperor down, demnnds nn early end of the wnr, on nny terms obtainable. But Charles may not bo nblo to wrlgglo out from the Iron grasp of the kaiser. What About Russia? Still a big black Interrogation point must bo placed after Russia. Tho rest of the world really knows little of what Is going on there, but It Is evi dent thnt If the kaiser were not kept so busy on tho western front, ho might break through the Russian lines below RIgn with comparative ease. New rules for the Russian army have been promulgated, and how under them any effectiveness and cohesion In the nrmy can be maintained It Is Impossible to conceive. Tho olllcers seem to hnvo boon deprived of nil powers of discip line nnd nearly everything Is put In the control of committees of the soldiers. The "common people" are nt tho helm over thcro, nnd It will be only by God's mercy If they do not drive their new republic onto the rocks of disas ter because of their Inexperience nnd their exorbitant demands. The peaco party In Russia still denies vehemently that It has nny Idea of advocating a separate peace, nnd there Is encour agement In the fact, that tho soldiers who deserted nnd went homo are fast returning to tho ranks. On May 1 tho Russian provisional government sent to Its representatives in (ho allied countries n note giving as surniieo that tho change In government could glvo no protoxt for nny slacken tng on tho part of Russia In tho coin lixm struggle of all tho cntento allies, and thnt on tho contrary, the nation was even more determined to bring the war to n decisive victory. One of the first things America will do to help Russia Is to semi n commis sion of four oxports to reorganlzo tho transportation facilities of the new re THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. public. One member of this body will be John F. Stevens, who wns chief engineer of the Panama canal com mission beforo General Goethals. There was no great change In tho fighting line In France during the week. The French nnd British both made some gains and consolidated the posi tions they had already won, and tho fierce artillery duels continued, day and night. But tho Germans brought up more nnd more of their reserves nnd contested every Inch of ground. It seems probnblo that they will continue to glvo way slowly In order to savo their men, and St. Quentln may bo evacuated before long. Tho bloodiest fighting of the week took place nt Ar leux nnd Oppy, east of Arras, where the British were attacking. The British began nuothcr drive on Thursdny, attacking on n 12-mllo front, both .north nnd south of the Scnrpe river. Despite desperato resistance by the Germans they took n number of Importnnt strategic positions, Including tho town of Fresnoy. Tho Germnns are constructing a new emergency line of trenches from Queant, north to Drocourt, and trying to hold the Brit ish back until It Is completed. In Mesopotnmln the Turks were de feated by General Maude's troops on both banks of the Shntt-cl-Adhnm and driven buck Into tho Jebel llamrln hills. From Constantinople rnme the surprising news thnt tho city of Mush, In Turkish Armenia, had been evneu- atcd by the Russians nnd occupied by the Turks, Petrogrnd has not con firmed this announcement. Recruiting Speeds Up. Recruiting for the regular army wns satisfactory last week, and tho navy de partment announced on Tuesday that the enlisted personnel was 87,082, or 82 more than the maximum strength of the navy under existing law. The pas sage of the army bill with the selec tive draft feature, the prospect that American troops would soon bo sent to France nnd Colonel Roosevelt's rous ing nddress In Chlcngo nil contributed to .help the recruiting campaign. A grcnt strike of union bakers In Chlcngo nlnrmed tho big city by the lnke and Incidentally attracted the at tention of the federal authorities be cause most of the strikers are of Ger man birth or parcntngo, nnd might bo taken Into custody as alien enemies. There were lntlmntlons also that the government might take over the opera tlon of some of the lnrgo bnkcrlcs be cause the nnval training station nt Great Lakes Is dependent on the city for Its bread supply. Fortunately for all concerned, the strike was ended Friday through tho efforts of United Stntes District Attorney Clyno. In New York two Germnns were ar rested with n picric acid bomb In their possession nnd confessed to a plot to blow up a "big Wall street Institution" and commit other outrages to affect the stock market for speculative pur poses. Capt. Franz von Rlntelcn wns put on trial In New York as the agent through whom Germnny Is nlleged to have expended more thnn .$500,000 In an effort to nbrogate foreign policies of this nntlon and to corrupt American Iubor. Another Germnn, Baron Alhnrd von dem Busche-Muencli, said to bo a cous in of Count von Bernstorff, was arrest ed in San Frnnclsco ns nn enemv alien. The United Stntes government on Thursdny took two Important steps in tho effort to reduce the high cost of foodstuffs. Tho first was the nn nouncement thnt tho United States and Canadn hnd agreed to co-operate In regulating the price of wheat In nil North America. This Is to bo dono In such n way that Increased nroduc tlon will ho stimulated nnd tho price to the consumer steadied by tlir guar anteelug of n minimum price to tho producer nnd the prevention of speca lntlon by middlemen. Tho second Htep was tho Introduce tlon of a hill in the house giving tho president the widest possible powers In dealing with foodstuffs, clothing, fuel and other necessities of life. Guatemala has Joined the enemies of Germany by severing diplomatic re latlons and the Chilean minister to Germany has demanded his passports. Brazil's early entry Into tho wnr Is forecast by tho resignation of Dr. Lnuro Mueller, the nruzlllan forclgr. minister, who has been attacked as being unduly friendly to Germany. 1. Naval recruits at the training station at Newport, R. 1., lined up for Inspection. 2. Periscope rille now being! used with great success by the French, ft. Mile. Jeanne Tardy, the new attache of the French undersecretary oCj finance, the first woman to be so employed In France. The British and French war commissioners, together with cabinet members and army mid navy olllcers, visited tho tomb of Washington nt Mt. Vernon nnd paid tribute to tlu memory of the llrst president. The Illustration shows tho tomb decorated und surrounded by the crowd, nnd, ut the left, Marshal JolTro within the gate saluting Wnshlngtou'a bier. AMERICAN VESSEL SUNK BY GERMAN SUBMARINE The American oil tank steamer Vacuum which was sunk by a German states. Part of the crew, u navnl lieutenant and four gunners wero lost. HERO OF AN AIR BATTLE- MuJ. L. W. B. Rees of the Royal Fly lng corps Ik the hero of tho British purty In Washington. Single-handed ho fought ten German planes, bringing down seven of them and driving th" rest uwny. Ills achievement wns wit nessed by his comrades, who reported tho occurrence. Ho received tho Vic torln cross two months ago, IIo still limps from a wound In tho kneo sus tained In the encounter. PAYING TRIBUTE TO WASHINGTON'S MEMORY FOR THE REJECTED VOLUNTEER MWTOM . IMVUTfTHIT Itl KAST MY tr.lCT HiutfiiHnrnn IIMMCOMtAVUWI TONHtKt IMKAMfTMff UNITED STATES NAVY RECRUITING STATION 34 tAST Udo STREET NEW YORK. N. Y. CilTWIlN 4f AH HAMMM A,tl) ttUPHONlCIUXEIlCY IU lioar Clr : I am sorry that the rigid physical require mento make It impossible for you to serve your oountry In the Navy In time of war. There Is good reason for such rigid re quirenents, no you should not worry about not passing. I feel that since you have been patrlotlo enough to volunteer, you rhould have something to show for It, so that no one will have the right to call you a "Slacker." Therefore, with this lettor Is a button for your coat. Wear it. It is an honor to have the right to. If, as a result of wearing this button, and showing this letter, you Influence some other man to corns forward, you may. In that way, help your country, possibly -as euoh as if you had actually "done your bit" In tho Nary. Mow, Just a word of caution. It would be highly dishonorable for you to permit any one else to wear this button. It would give hla a chance to pretend to do what you have actually dono.i If you do not care to wear It, and treasure It, put It In an envelope and cat. It to any Uavy Reorultlng Offlaer. But the right thing to lo to to wear It and be proud of It. And If any one ever questions your patriotism, show hln this lstter. It shows that you have honestly tried to do your duty by your UUbUlW. 0 nanrngrnwiiLii l mm I hi unit l' 1 1 in r llnikii tt'lin v. il 1 1 ii 1 1 not be subjected to tho charge of Is giving them letters and buttons Empty Vessels, Etc. Somo men make a lot of noise during nn altercation In tho belief that they aro putting up a sound urgumcut. submnrlno while on her way to the United ROOKLYM ItirUTtVMAfMW 111, tUWOUAVSMMI mm rim awl JAMAICA umraama? A Respsotfully, 'T a I T U.0. Navy, Reorultlng Officer. I'm' iiiiliKtnuiiit mill ii fit releeteit limv being "slackers," tho recruiting servjeo llko those Illustrated. The Difference. A man wU stand by tho hour ta watch tho passing throng; a woman will sit by the window. . f HAVl I, f0 Tttl fAYT I