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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1918)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRA8KA. NEWS OFJEBRASKA Items of Interest Gathered From Many Points Home guards of Bancroft prevented meeting of tin.- Non-partisan league, scheduled to titku place In tho city. S. It. McKelvle of Lincoln, promt nent nowspuper iniin, haH filed for the republican noinlnatlon for governor. Antelope county bus nskod tbo Btnte auditor for permission to Invest coun ty funds In Liberty bonds. Wbeat Is. looking woll In Richard son county and seems to buvo passed tbo winter In fine condition. A loud of bogs donuted to tliu Red Cross by farmers In tbo vicinity of Anselmo sold on tho ' South Omnbu mnrkot for $1,037.17. Tbc sum of $15,000 bns been In vested In tblrd Llborty lonn bonds by officials and employes of tho stntf lioiiHo ut Lincoln. Trunk Kng of St. Edwnrd sold n cnrloud of cattle nt tbo Soutb Omuhii murkot ut 10 cents a pound, tbo highest price paid this your. Bonds to the nniount of $1,000,000 were voted by Omaha citizens for tbo construction of u now Commercial High school building. County Clerk Scott has the data te bow Unit Pawnee county bus 27,820 acres of wheat In fine Browing condi tion. Edgar will havo n flap raising April 5, with the 335th regimental band from Camp Funston, which Is, touring tho state. Rev. Oeorge Allenbnch, one of the five pastors under lire nt Lincoln be cuuso of their refusul to attend n pa triotic rally, tendered his resignation at a meeting of his congregation. For tho third time Wlsner has gon'o over the top for tho sale of Liberty bonds. April 0, the day set for tho big drive, carried Wlsner over tho top by $30,000. Fifteen thousand persons, forming ft line throe miles long, marched In a Liberty day parado nt Lincoln. It was tho greatest demonstration over witnessed In tho capital city. Following n patriotic meeting nt Decatur u, telegram was sent to Pres ident Wilson, Informing him that tho citizens of Decatur iwero with him In his great task to tho end. Mrs. Murgnrct Sorby, a Llthunlnn woman employe at tho South Omaha packing plant was severely beaten by another woman employe for alleged insult to tho American flag and dis loyal utterances. Many national guardsmen nro com nbilntncr because they nro not being sent abroad to tnko pnrt In tho great l'lcardy battle nnd Nebrnskans at Camp Cody nro umong tho complain ants. , ,' Stuto Food Administrator Wattles made tho assertion ut Omnhn upon his return from Washington that tho gov. eminent will take stops Immediately to requisition all wheat bolng held In Nebraska. Colfax county loads In Nebraska In tho snlo of war savings certificates, according to a report received by Stato Director . AVnrd M. Burgess, from tho Kansas City Federul Un serve bunk. Colfax's quota was $238,000. Cash sales up to April 1 were $334,145 limiting n per capita sale of $28.08. Thayor county stands second In tho list with a per cnpltu of $20.21, Furnns with $25.41, Adams $28.18, l'liitto $23.05, Johnson $22.04, Grant $22.27 nnd Polk $21.81, stand next In tho list In tho order named. Major John M. Blrkncr of Lincoln, n German born officer of the Nebras ka National Guard and u member of tho 127th Held nrttllory wns arrested at Cnmp Cody, N. M churged with violating tho csplpnugo uct. Affidavits of four officers who accused Rlrkncr, nllego that his pro-German sympa thies we're expressed at frequent In tervals, that ho displayed "elation whon tho German urmy mndo success ful drives and wns depressed when tho allies won." Ho was discharged from tho service April 4 ami recom mended for Internment by the Wnr department. The dismissed officer was naturalized In Clay county, Nebraska, In 1888, and during tho sume year en tcred tho service of tho Nebraska National Guard, Ho Is well known throughout Nebraska and tho middle west and Is said to havo had a largo circle of friends, According to available llgures the Nebraska farmers' war council now has a membership of over 50,000. Service curds which wore sent runn ers arc being received by tho state headquarters at Omaha at tho aver uge of 5,000 a day. An Indictment charging George H. Smldt, n wealthy Adams county farm, or, with having snld ho was Instru mental In forming an organization among fnrmera to prevent crops from bolng raised, was returned by u fed. bral grand Jury at Lincoln. 0. Byrne, chairman of thu Stato Liberty Loan committee, nt Omaha, has offored $100 In cash prises to Nd brnska school children writing tho best 50-wonl essays explaining why Third Liberty Bonds should bo pur chased, Tho prizes are $50, $25, $13 und $10. Tho contest closes May 1. Men 'actually engaged In raising foodstuffs, whether farmer or hired hand, has no chanco to get into tho army under Instructions sent to local draft boards In Nebraska by Captain Walter L. Anderson of the governor's office. A movement Is under way In Rich nrdson county for the purpose of or ganizing a county 1. M. C. A. Nebraska has given $85,512,403 to tbo various war campaigns, has 443, 231 lied Cross members and has sent a total of 10,012 men to the service. (Buffalo county people nro elated over the honor of being tbo first coun ty in Nebraska to win an honor flog In the third Liberty loan drive. A number of county food adminis trators In Nebraska havo pledged clt' Izeu of their counties to use no more wheat flour until the now wheat crop Is harvested. John Kllcur, pioneer settler of tho North Item! vicinity, was found dend In his yard following a fire In his home. It is boliovcd the shock caused his death. A "Good Roads" fair held at Al liance netted about $2,000, all ol which will be used to better tho con dition of main roads In Vox llutte county. Hecords In the office of the stnto food administrator at Omnhn show that only hnlf as much wheat flour Is being used In Nebraska as was used a year ago. Chase and Thurston counties re ported on April 11 that Liberty loan bond sales had exceeded the allotment for both counties. Application for honor flags has been made, The Stato bonk of Seneca, capital $20,000, and tho Farmers Stato bank of Ilalsoy, capital $10,000, Wero grunted charters by tho state banking board. Condition of winter wheat In Ne braska on April 1 was 75 per cent of a normal crop, according to a re port Issued by the department of ag riculture at Washington. Tho sum of $10,000 was raised for tho Red Cross at an auction, sale at Humboldt. An American flag was sold several times nnd brought $3,500. H. T. mil, rural mall carrier of Odell, sold $3,848.23 worth of thrift stamps during tho first month of this year, leading all other rural carriers In the stnto for thnt month. Lincoln has oversubscribed Its Lib erty loan quota and tho committee has raised voluntarily, Lancaster county's nllotmcnt from $1,5-15,000 to $2,000,000, the Capital City agreeing to raise $1,400,000. 'A' proposition Is to be put beforo members of tho Frembnt Methodist church to soy whether a new $40,000 church shall be erected this year. Tho sum of $81,000 hns already been pledged for tho new edifice. C. II. Potcr, a Lincoln street cat motorman, alleged' to havo made dis loyal remarks,- was taken from his homo by fellow employes and forced to give fifty snlutes to the American flag and then kiss It. Estimates place the number of marchers In the Llborty day parado at Omaha at approximately 75,000, and fully that many inoro people wero lined along the principal streets of tho city viewing the procession. Tho Mndlson county council of de- fenso has posted placards all over the county announcing Uiat It Is opposed to (ho uso of tho German language In business transaction or social mcotlngs. Nebrnskans will suffer a serious shortngo of coal next winder unless they begin to All their bins nt once nnd continue accumulating their win ter supply during the "uminer, Wash lngton authorities say. Tho first permit granted by the state council of defense under tho new sedition law of Nebraska for on alien to preach and teach was Issued to John 11. Rectus, bend, of the parochial Hchool at Plekrell. Manderson Lehr of Albion, son of Mr. und Mrs. II. F. Lehr, who has been doing great service with the French aviation squadron In France, has been ho.nored by promotion from corporal to sergeant. One thousand citizens of Scotts bluff, nt a liberty loan meeting, passed a resolution petitioning Presi dent Wilson and congress to take Inn mediate action to prohibit the maiiu facturo and sale of It.toxleatlng liquor. More than 100 boys' and girls' garden clubs will be organized In Ne braska this year for the purposo of helping win the war, according to 0. W. Watson, leader of the Junior sec: ttnn of the agricultural extension service of tho Stato University. A voluntnry agreement to pay, through the federal food administra tion of Nebraska, the sum of $000 to bo given the Red Cross and the Red Star by the Freanont Milling company was the pennlty assessed for viola tions of the rules and regulations gov erning sales of wheat mill feeds. Upon a request of Director Gen eral McAdoo, tho Nebraska railway commission has asked city authorities of Omaha not to compel the Missouri Paciile to build a viaduct over Leav enworth Htreet, In thnt city, until after the war. Resolutions demanding that tho con. J gregatlons of flvo German Lutheran churches of Lincoln and vicinity so euro as an ovtdenco of their loyulty tho resignations of their pastors, who refused to attend a patriotic meet ing wero pusscd by over 200 citizens nt a muss meeting In tho city. Nebrnskans who havo done and tiro doing their bit to help win the war should compnre their efforts with thoso of Davtd Thomas of York. Mr. Thomas has given flvo sons nnd a daughter Into tho service and another son Is going as soon as he Is of age. 1 Market sqnnre and town hall of Ant.s, which city the Germans tried Pershing Inspected a detachment of his stalwart troops in France. 3- Guy In City Hall square, New York, at the opening of the campaign. NEWS REVIEW OF THE PAST WEEK Germans Divert Their Attack to Flanders, Again Failing to . Break Through. BLOODY FIGHT AT GIVEN Kaiser Seek to Annihilate British Army Americana Now In Great Battle Premier Lloyd George Proposes Conscription for Ireland. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. "They shall not pass." Not glossing over the Increasing seriousness of the German offensive on tho west front, not making vain boasts, but with unfaltering courage and dogged determination, all the allies, French, British. Americans and Portuguese, In Franco and Belgium, have adopted the Verdun slogan and refuse to let tho Huns break through their line. Weary and battered, drenched with gns and explosive shell, pushed back here and there by power ful attacks of massed Infantry, greatly, outnumbered all along the line, thoy cling ns long as possible to every de fensive position and exact a terrible price for, every yard of terrain they give up. Falling to push his way through to Amiens, the kaiser last week turned his attention to Flanders, and after threo days of intensive bombardment attacked the British on a 2G mile front of which Armcntleres was the center. In tho three lays of fierce Infantry fighting thnt followed tho Huns shoved back tho British and Portuguese lino some Ave miles bctweon Armentlores und Glvcncliy, and three miles at the north of the former city. On Thursday the British retired from Armcntleres, which Is of Ilttlo Importance as a strat egic point and Is now but u heap of ruins. They also had abandoned sev eral villages but still dominated the battlefield from Messlnes ridge on the north und Glvenchy on the south. The latter place was the scene of the blood iest fighting, bolng taken and retaken several times. The British wero out numbered thero more than four to one, but defended It splendidly and retain ed possession of the town, which iHv situated on high ground. The losses of the Germans here ns well as elsewhere were very heavy, and n considerable number of them were captured. Though the Immedlnto object of the Germans in this sector apparently Is to take Bcthune, an Important center of British operations, and then by a wheeling movement push on to the Eng lish channel, their greater purpose, ac cording to prisoners nnd captured doc uments, Is nothing less than to annihi late the British urmy. It Is expected that the kaiser will direct his full strength to the accomplishment of this aim nnd thnt the battle In Flanders will be considerably extended to the north nnd continued with desperation. s On the southern front of the Ger man salient the French, at the begin ning of the week, withdrew to the west bank of the Alyotto river In the Coucy region, thereby rectifying their lines and leaving to the Germans the marsh es of the Olse. Slnco then the enemy have been greatly hnrrassed by the; French outposts nnd buvo been unable to carry on any operations In the swumpy ground. A little further to tho west Chnuny has been the center of furious struggles but up to the time of writing tho French had repulsed every attack, and were In possession of the town and tho nearby cemetery. For tho present, at least, Amiens seems to be safe for, though the artil lery activity In that sector hat been continuous and violent, Infantry oper ations almost ceased during the week. As has been said, the allies do not seek to minimize the menace In tho successes tho nuns liuve gained, but their commnnders aro ns confident ns over that the kaiser cannot accomplish his alms, and the men In the ranks have no btber thought than victory. The allies have ample supplies of guns and ammunition, but whnt they must have Is more men, and thnt quickly. England Is sending troops across the channel with speed not heretofore equalled, and America's lighters nre being hurried over as fast as possible in response to the call. Secretary of War Baker, who Is still In France, has learned his lesson, nnd It Is understood he Is urging the greatest expedition In getting our army across. Day by day the American troops are being hurried up to the fighting front and brignded with the British and French, who greet their .arrival with cheers. That they are now taking an active part In the great battle is evi denced by the lengthening cnsifalty lists sent over by Generul Pershing. In tholr own sector tho Americans continue to do fine work. Oiv Wednes day, Just northwest of Toul, they wero subject to the strongest attack the Ger mans had made In that region, after three days heavy shelling, The Yan kees not only broke up the advancing ranks by their artillery fire, but promptly emerged from their shelters and chased the shattered Hun troops from the field. The German press hns ceased to sneer nt American participation In the wnrfare nnd admits that this country will be a great factor In determining the result nnd that It Is preparing for a long conflict. The turn events have taken and President Wilson's power ful speech In Baltimore have convinced the Germans that the result of the war Is to be determined by force of arms. Count Czcrnln, Austro-Hungnrlan foreign minister, finds his position shaken since Premier Clcmencenu dis proved his assertions concerning peace talks, and the Czech opposition to him la Increasing. In Germany there Is growing dissatisfaction with Chancel lor Von nertllng and Foreign Secre tary Von Kuchlmann, and there Is n movement to make Dr. Von Helfferlch Imperial chancellor. Germany's forces In Russia, after capturing Kharkov, proceeded 130 miles further to the northwest and occupied Lgov. They then sent an ultimatum demnndlng the surrender of Kursk, capital of the government of that nnme, but the local soviet decided to resist. The Germnns also are continuing their operations In Finland, In aid of the government and the White guard, and havo compelled Russia to remove or disarm Russian warships in Finnish waters. The bolshevik! government of Russia was concerned mostly last week with the landing of Japanese troops in Vladivostok. The press expressed the fear that Uils was tho first step in the occupation of Siberia, and the commis sioners demnuded that the Japanese depart, threatening otherwise to de clare wnr. If the Japanese really are on conquest bent, they would ask noth ing better than that, but America and Great Britain probably stand In the way for they do not wish to hnve Rus sia throw herself utterly Into the hands of the Germans. Indeed, the foreign consuls at Vladivostok promised the lo cal authorities the troops would be withdrawn soon. Dehiyed dispatches from Harbin said American muriues also had been land ed at Vladivostok and were In control of tho docks, while the Japanese were gunrding the railway and ammunition depots. The diet of Bessarabia, tho Russian province which borders Roumanla on tho east, Is reported to have voted In favor of union with Roumanla. Uk raine lias signed an agreement to fur nish to the central powers about 03, 000,000 pounds of foodstuffs and deliv eries of grain already have begun. George Creol, chairman of the com mittee on public information, brought a storm about hU head by saying, In a public address, that he would thank God to hlB dying day that the United States was unprepared when it went to wnr, because othorwlse it would have been fatso to Its traditions and policy. In both houses of congress he was de nounced bitterly, the senate seemingly overlooking tho fact thnt only a few days previously It had voted to ranko that state of unpreparcdness perman ent by refusing to vote for universal military service. Creel made hhc out to tnke from the British. 2 General Empey speaking for the Liberty loan rageous statement when acting aa spokesman of the administration at a meeting of Liberty loan lecturers, and his dismissal from government employ wns demanded by the Indignant con gressmen. On Wednesday the senate passed the amendment to the espionage bill, mak ing It the most drastic anti-sedition mensure ever proposed In this country. It Is designed to expedite punishment for disloyal acts nnd utterances, but wns changed to permit of Just critic Ism with good motives. Fear of antag onizing loyal citizens of German de scent caused tho elimination of a clause barring from the malls publications In the German lungunge. The senate had another exciting de bute over the conference report on the bill for punishing sabotage and wilful destruction of wnr material. As re ported, the measure provided that It should not be construed as making It unlawful for employees to 'agree to gether to strike or refuse to work for the purpose of securing better wages or working conditions. Senator Un derwood and others strongly criticised any such government Indorsements of strikes during wartime. Next day tho senate rejected the conference report by a vote of 34 to 25. At the same time Samuel Gompers wns warning congressmen not to commit tho "devil try and folly" of pnsslng the proposed law to prohibit strikes and lockouts. Too many of the laboring men of the country full to recognize the fact that when they are working for the gov ernment on war tasks they are doubly working for themselves. 1 ' Premier Lloyd George again baa staked the political existence of him self nnd his cabinet on one measure, the new man power bill which includes the. conscription of all men between the ages of 18 and 50 years, and which furthermore extends conscription to Ireland. The latter feature of course put the Irish Nationalist members In a rage at once and the premier waa warned that any attempt to enforce the draft In Ireland would result In dvll war; that It would take an army to raise n regiment. Ho stood firm, how ever, declarlug the time had come when Ireland must be treated like the rest of Great Britain in the matter of mil itary service, and that If the bill was defeated his government would give way to another. The measure passed its preliminary readings by a large majority, but the press and people of England ure decidedly anxious about Its success should it become law. Submarine sinkings as reported by the British admiralty showed a great falling off In number, only six vessels being listed as loot, but both here nnd abroad there Is a feeling that this presages a concerted movement of the U-boat against the transports that are now carrying American troops to France In great numbers. However, the convoy system has been so per fected and so many warships aro avail able for It that no grave apprehension Is felt for the safety of those trans ports. ta The Dutch have quieted down con cerning the seizure of their vessels by Amerlcn and Great British, but Minis ter Phillips has left Washington for home, ostensibly on account of 111 health. President Wilson last week com mandeered the Clyde, Mallory, Mer chants and Miners and Southern steamship lines and turned them over to Director General McAdoo. , This added 03 coastwise vessels to the 48 already under government manage ment. Three Russian ships in n Pa cific port also Were taken over by the shipping board. ) General Allcnby's forces in Palestine are still pushing forward north of Jerusalem, despite stubborn resistance by the Turks, who have been re-enforced by German troops. In Berlin there is n belief that tho Holy City will be recaptured, but this Is based on false Ideas of the British action in falling back after cutting the railway at Es Salt. ? Tho Liberty Loan campaign was most successful during the week. Iowa lead the nation, subscribing Its quota ' within four days. LEND YOUR MONEY TO HELP WIN WAR Help Properly Equip Your Own Son and Other Soldier Boys Over There. DUTY OF ALL TO BOY BONDS Liberty Loans to Undo Sam Is Best Guarantee of Our Flnhtera Safe , Return Home Do Not Hesitate. (By ROLAND G. USHER of the Vig ilantes'.) Put It to yourself straight now. You know perfectly well thnt you would feel ashamed to keep your boy out of the ranks If he wanted to go. You know perfectly well thnt you would probably feel ashamed before your neighbors If they know thnt tho boy wns sticking nt home. But hnve you ever asked yourself whether you felt ashamed that you were keeping your dollars tight In your Jenns Instead of lending your dollars to tho war as well as your boy? If you have not got a boy you probably would feel, that he ought to go If you had one. You have got some dollars, why don't you send them? Think again; If you havo sent a boy over there, don't you know for cer tain whether thnt boy will come back, God grant that he may. But he went. Just the same, knowing fully Just as you did that he might not como back. You gavo the dearest thing you hud In the world to the government freely, for the cuuso of democracy. You wero glad to do It; you felt fine about It. Yon still feel that If you had It to do over again you would not do anything else. But I will wager anything you like that you have a lot of money that you can lend to the government with out hurting yourself at all, and which, you are hnnglng on to until It screams. Think of it. Those dollars will be per fectly sure to come back if you lend them to the government Tho govern ment guarantees that. Why should you therefore be so afraid to loose your clutch on theni. The great risk you have already taken and did It be cause it was a worthy and a noble thing to do. The thing which is no risk at nil nnd yet which is just as nec essary to the war ns the other, you hesitate about. Dollars Will Come Back. Let me suppose for a moment that you have not yet sent your boy. I will wager you havo a sneaking feeling that he ought to go. He has too. In this case, I won't have to make a wa ger about it you have not sent your dollars. If you hesitate to send the boy because you are afraid he may not come back, you have a perfectly ex plulnuble reason, but you have not got a good reason why you should not send your dollars. They will como back, you may be sure of It. Not only will they come bnck, the government wilt pay you Interest on them in the mean time. You will lend the government your cnpltnl and will get a return on It. Far from losing anything, you will make something. Why hesitate? Look at It from another point of view. If your boy has not gone, or If you ,hnve no son, your neighbors who have sons havo sent them. Those boy are going Into danger. They are go ing to need guns, food, artillery, ships, and airplanes, not only to enable them to do what they went over there to do beat tho Germans out of sight but to keep them safe. If they don't hav those things they certainly won't come back at all. You know'perfectly well, however tight-fisted you may be, or however mean you may think yourself nnd you are not hnlf as mean as that you would not hurt your neigh bor's son Just because a few dollars stood in the way. You would feel so ashamed of yourself for the rest of your llfo you would not be ablo to shave In the morning. Your neighbors' sons and your friends' sons that you have known all your life need the things your money can buy for them, and It Is going to go mighty hnrd with them If they don't get them. Make Your Money Help. Now put it to yourself straight. If the thing was a little nearer to you so that you really saw your neigh bor's sou actually without food be cause you had declined to give It to him, you would not hesltnte for a mo ment what to do. The difficulty Is here, that the thing Is on so largo a scale that you do not realize that your failure to lend your money to tho gov ernment Is going to result very prob ably in depriving that particular boy of things ho needs. You can say, If you like, there are so many millions of them thnt It will be some other fel low's son that will go without. I liopo you won't get much comfort out of thnt, because it Is the same old thing. You would not hurt him either If you 'saw him and knew ho wns In want; but because you don't See him, because he Is somewhere ln,Vrance, you for get ubout him and don't stop to think thnt he wants n thing you would i.nt hesltnte to give hlrn If you know him. Why hesitate, then, to lend your dol lars to the government? They nre tho only thing that can really do this busi ness. They are the only thing that can put tools Into the boys' hands over there to kill the Germans with. Don't hesitate any longer now;, get It straight, and go down nnd buy a bond nnd feel better about It for wo rest of jour life.