THE O'NEIL FRONTIER D. H. CRONIN, Publisher. • ^NEILL, NEBRASKA >H There f* much to mystify the over age American in the mixup that has developed between Japan and the United States concerning the state department’s recent note to China; and the mystery’ i« not lessened by the British foreign office’s polile re fusal to join the United States in its representations to the Chinese, govern ment. On its face, our government’s note seemed Innocent enough and alto gether legitimate. It has always been America’^ policy to support the integ rity of Chinn and to deal with it as an independent state. But the Japanese conception of Japan's special position with reference to China It as been de veloping very rapidly, obviously, a sit uation exists that calls for the most careful handling. In the circumstances, nothing could be more welcome than the approaching visit to Washington of a Japanese diplomatic commission. The two governments should make an ex ceptional effort to reach a definite un derstanding. Very drastic is the commandeering by the government of all the new ships under construction in American ship yards. But happily the president was not forced to do this under his "war powers"; cot Egressions I sanction for the act had beeh granted in a federal elatute. it was a vitally necessary inter ference with ordinary business, as was shown by the British government's hearty cooperation in approving the , transfer of its own contracts, aggregat- ! ing 1,000,000 tons of new shipping, to the United States government. Of ■course, the two governments have a complete understanding as to the fu- . , lure use of these vessels. By command eering them In the yards, the United States authorities, that is to say. Gen eral Goethals, will be able to quicken construction and fncreuoo substantially the total amount of tonnage to bo turned out in the next year and a half. \ very important step in the defense against the German submarine has thus been taken. , If further evidence were needed that a demand for Indemnities is .a,tong Germany's undisclosed peace terms, it , is given in the statement of the Saxon minister of finance, that in view c-f the fact that war was forced upon Ger many it “has a claim before God snd on the ground of justice for indemni ties; that should be the reparation which President Wilson had declared ns the right of the victor,” Germans, j therefore, need not feel that in lending money to the government they were making sacrifices, because the costs of the war would have to be borne by the enemy. In this matter of war indemni ties somebody is being very badly de ceived; it is for the United States to make sure that the German govern ment cannot carry out its threats of brigandage. There are 40,000 dependents of Can adian soldiers in England unable to re turn to Canada owing to the lack of passenger accommodation on the few steamers running to Canada. They came soon after their men folk when the latter enlisted and, in some cases, the men already have returned to Can ada wounded or discharged from the army. Others were relatives of sol diers who have been killed there, are anxious to return to relatives. British second hand vessels are not bringing the high prices of a year ago and buyers are holding off in view of the new conditions and increased tax ation of profits proposed in the last budget. While Scandinavian and Jap anese second hand steamers are selling up to £50 a ton, three British jjteamers agregating 20,000 tons recent lyRhtl.^t £12. 10 shillings a ton. per ton; ~ 4T!fr' 0 ■■ - — " % rftpi ' - . w 1 ■ * There would be no trouble in drafting the new army If all wives were like those whom the war department is be ginning to hear from. They write con fidentially that there is no good reason .why their husbands should not go to war, in spite of their disinclination to 4,o so, and that the war department would make no mistake to draft them into the service. The nattqnal board of underwriters calls attention to the numerous flies caused by leaving small electric devices in circuit whe not In use. The actuar ial bureau Of the national board reports that in one day 100 Arcs out of a total of 2,000 were traced to this cause, and • it is estimated that fully 30,000 fires a year have such an origin. For tho purpose of facilitating army recruiting, -he people of New Zealand have adopted distinguishing names for the two lots of men who are serving. Those who volunter are called ‘The Wents” and those called up by ballot or conscription “The Sents.” On ar rival at. camp there is little or no fric tion between the two. A substitute for tire clay, patented in France, employs blue pottery clay, 1 part; common salt. % part; coal ashes, % part; tine said, >4 part, and glass, % part. These ingredients are well ground together and are then mixed with water to the required consistency. Maine has just had its smallest Grand Army encampment of about 100 veterans. This does not mean any lessening of interest in the order on the part of those who fought in the union army, but represents the increas ing toll that time has been taking. Germany's secret service need not overstrain itself in getting word to Berlin that the Liberty loan has been oversubscribed. All the censors in the world could not keep that news from the kaiser and his minister of finance. A special session of the diet has been summoned for June 21. The sessit/t which will extend about three weeks, is made necessary by the dissolution of the house of representatives last win ter. A new house was elected iu April. The Philippine hat industry, which boasts hand-made products akin to those of Panama, in 1916 more than doubled the value of its 1915 exports and established a new high record with a trade exceeding $600,000 in value. An electrically ignited pipe which lights the tobacco at the bottom of the bowl ins tea,) of at the top, thus avoid ing the collection of moisture in the stem, is the newest in smokers' inven tions. The maximum draft uge in tills coun try is 31 and Canada is considering tho drafting of men as old as 45, but there is still the consideration that Germany is using every available man between 16 and 60. Exports of Philippines leaf tobacco tn 1916 soared over previous 'high record by several million pdur.ds, ri idling a total of nearly 4a,006,0o0 pounds for the year. The obnoxiuus potato bug having made his appeurujice. tJjgiry.'ti. iiQthijig^to do but rig up the poteon machine and give him a tcato vt v»ari&rtfe I RUMORED HITCHCOCK AIMS AT PRESIDENCY Omaha Senator Said to Have Decided to Cast His Hat Into Bing. Omaha, Neb.. June 30.—The latest political story to stir the Nebraska de mocracy Is that Senator Hitchcock hag definitely decided to run for the presi dential nomination in 1920. and hi» lieutenants have made overtures to Governor Neville to buck him for suc-| cession at that time. This is taken as a move lo counteract the effort being made to induce the governor to believe thut a surer way to the Senate is to become colonef of the Btxth Nebraska, and thus make a military record that will be valuable in after-the-war of fice seeking. INSURANCE MEN PLAN TO REDUCE CASUALTIES Lincoln, Neb., June 30.—A group of Chicago insurance men are in Lincoln today for the purpose of forming a stale organization of insurance agents to look after nil places where foodstuffs arc stored. Their spokesmen said that elevators have been burnt, on the aver age of one a day, for some, months, and it is not only a matter of self defense for the companies, but to conserve tht tood supply of the nation, that system of state guarding and inspection b< created. The state will be divided Intc districts, with inspectors in each, whi will make confidential reports to the •elate council of defense. TO EXTEND CAMPAIGN TO ERADICATE HOG CHOLERA Aurora, Neb., June 30.—The fqedarel bureau of animal industry has instruc ted the inspectors who have been •con ducting n five-year fight against ho* (hplera in southern and southeastern Nebraska to add four counties to the X they are now covering. This action has been made possible by the syste matic cleaning up of the biggest hog raising counties in the state, and the [successful fight made against the dis ies.se. When Ihe campaign was begun, lone county In each of 17 states was selected as the scene of operations. TRANSPOSITIONS ANNOYING TO STATE’S DIGNITARIES Lincoln, Neb.. June 30.—In order to cover up the ghastly work of the men who printed the new session laws for the state, Secretary of State Pool has ordered pasters for Insertion therein. The errors that have caused Mr. Pool trouble and which have made two of his fellow state officers madder than the well known hornet, consisted of listing Assistant Attorney General Dex ter T. Barrett as attorney general and the real attorney general as his assist ant. and Deputy Treasurer Berge as state treasurer, with George E. Hall, the real treasurer, as deputy. The sec retary of state blames it on the proof reader, who did not notice the trans position of slugs. WOODMEN PLAN TO CARRY INSURANCE ON SOLDIERS Lincoln. Neb., June 30.—Head Consul Talbot, of the Modern Woodmen, just relected, sayB that the principal work of the head cgmp was to provide for a patriotic fund out of which the order will meet death losses incurred by members serving as soldiers. Each member will pay 20 cents a month on each $1,000 of insurance he carries, or a total of $300,000 a month to care for war risks. No rate discussions were permitted at the head camp, these be ing referred to the next gathering. The order is facing the necessity of an in crease in rates, bpt the officers, nearly all of whom nearly lost their jobs three years ago by advocating a raise, shied away from the proposition. v ~ 4— * PERSONAL PROPERTY VALUE INCREASED BY $2,000,000 Madison, Neb., June 30.—An increase in actu*; value of personal property in Madison county of over $2,000,0p0 is shown from records in the county as sessor's office during the past two, years. This is explained by the IB per cent increase in assessed valuation of all merchandise und manufactured goods on hand and by the increased high prices on grain and live stock. The Trapp family, farmers in Fairview pre cinct, pay the highest tax in the rural section, $53,965 being set as the value of their personal property. The Hune Robertson-Wyckoff linn pays the most taxes in the town of Madison, $50,355 being the value of their property as shown by the assessor. YOUNG NEBRASKA FARMER BADLY HURT IN RUNAWAY j Vermilion, S. D., June 36.—John Eben, a young farmer residing in Nebraska, just across tbe river, had his right leg liadly mangled and received a number of other severe wounds about his body when his team with which he was mowing hay became frightened at a passing auto and ran away. Young Eben attempted to control the team in its mad flight, but the horses turned a sharp corner and one of the mower wheels struck the Coi ner post with such force as to break it, and in some man ner in the melee Eben was hurled in front of the machine, dragged a num ber of yards, and when help came he was unconscious OSMOND—The Red Cross campaign closed here with almost $300, the work of nine teams. The largest individual con tributions were $23 from K. Fuelberth and P. J. Shay. The Indies of the town will meet on Friday afternoon to make ban dages, comfort bogs, etc., for the sol ;dlerB. , ---"A— LINCOLN—George A. Gary, aged 70, stepped in front of a fast moving car at a downtown corner Wednesday and was •o seriously hurt that he may die at any time. He had stopped at the crossing and the motorman, believing he had noticed the approach of his car, had no oppor tunity of halting it. COPS PREVENT LYNCHING. Salt Lake City, Utah, June 30.—Aniid cries of "he's all right” and "take him away from them,” a squad of police seized George Rose, 42 years old, as he was addressing an excited mob as sembled in front of the postoffice for the avowed purpose of organizing a lynching party to hang Pete Turpoulis, alleged slayer of 16-year-old Bruce Dempsey, who was arrested early this morning and who now is in the county Jail__, MERCIER’S PRIESTS ARRESTED BY GERMANS Amsterdam, June 23.—According to the Telegraaf, several priests of the entourage of Cardinal Mercier, primate of Belgium, were arrested recently and Imprisoned in Germany. One of them Is Bishop Legraive, of Malines. Twenty others, the newspaper says, tave been imprisoned iu Belgium. Among this number is Cardinal Mer cier's private secretary, who was sen tenced to a year in prison for preach ing a sermon on Whit Sunday on “Christian* Charity;" REED AND NEVILLE ARE DRIFTING APART I Governor and Attorney General of Nebraska Both Have Senatorial Hopes. Lincoln, Neb.. June 29.—Governor Ne I Vtlle and Attorney General Reed are ' drifting apart. The attorney general ! said, in Omaha the other day, that I there was no quarrel between himself ! and the governor because he had en joined from acting the state board of mediation that the chief executive had sent to Omaha to settle the industrial strike. He said that its a matter of fact the governor did not want the board to inquire into the strike. Governor Neville says that he never said anything of the kind, and that he sent the board to Omaha with interac tions to find out all about the strike necessary to evolve a set of recommen dations. As proof of hiB interest in the matter he telephoned the hoard to em ploy an attorney to defend it from the attorney's injunction suit. The labor men a> e much agitated over the activ ity of the attorney general, and insist that all of his moves have been in the direction of helping the employers win the strike. Both Reed and Neville are understood to cherish senatorial ambi tions. STATE EXEMPTION BOARD FOR NEBRASKA IS NAMED Lincoln, Neb., June 29.—Exemption board of Nebraska as given out by Governor Neville are composed of the county clerk and county sheriff of eacli county and one physician. This does not apply to Douglas and Lancaster counties, where a special board is named for the county and Omaha given five additional boards and Lincoln two. The physicians appointed for the counties in northeast Nebraska are as follows: Boyd—J. R. Beaty, Butte. Brown—G. O. Remy, Ainsworth. Burt—P. A. Johnson, yekamah. Cedar—F. A. Paden, Hartington. Cherry—A. N. Compton. Valentine. Dakota—C. H. Maxwell, Dakota City, Dixon—!a, N. Y., June 25.—Permission to begin suit for $300,000 against the estate of Mrs. Lizzie M. Palmer, widow of Thomas W. Palmer, former United States senator from Michigan, was granted to John Neger, of Brooklyn, Saturday by the surrogate of Nassau county. Mrs. Palmer died at Great Neck, L. I.. July 28. 1016, leaving an estate valued at more than $5,000,000. Neger’s petition alleged that Mrs. Palmer promised to leave him the Great Neck property, valued at $250,000, and $250,000 additional if he waujtl con sent to live In her home its her son and companion. 1 I.W.W. < AIDS SPIES By TYING UP NINES j Letters From West Tell of Ger- -• man Plot to Cripple Smel ters and Other In dustrials. i PLAN TO FREE SLACKERS Papers Found Declare Strike to Be Inaugurated Unless Men Who Defied Draft Were Released. Washington, D. C., June 29.—Indus trial Workers of the World leaders were charged with working with Ger man agents in mines and fields of the west to stir up strikes among Germans and Austrians in correspondence laid before the Senate today by Senator Thomas, of Colorado. Particular refer ence was made to strikes in Arizona, and Senator Thomas charged there was a German conspiracy to cripple smelt ers and industries in the west. Virginia, Minn.. June 29.—Minnesota range Industrial Workers of the World members are prepared to strike. This was revealed in minutes of a meeting of the metal mine workers’ branch of the I. W. W., found in a pocket of Secretary Dominic Silver, who late yes terday was held for action of the fed eral grand jury. The minutes were in troduced as evidence. They call for a general strike ” if our fellow workers are not released from the Biwabik jail.” Fifty I. W. W.s art .held there as al leged slackers. • - Trinidad, Colo., June 29.—Members of the county sheriffs force are investi gating reports that a German spy is in operation at the coal mines here or ganizing Austrians and other pro-Ger mans who resist conscription. There are many Austrians here work-' ing and a strong undercurrent of anti draft feeling has been present among them since registration day. Duluth, Minn., June 29.—With the sentencing Arthur Thorne, secretary of ithe Duluth local of the Inrustrial Workers of the World, to 85 deys at the work farm, Municipal Judge ■Smallwood last evening placed the court on record as holding the I. W. W to be an organization, “which by word of mouth teaches or advocates the duty, (necessity or propriety of violence or in- t jdustrial strife.” r Butte, Mont., June 29.—One hundred [fewer men appeared for work at tha (mines in Butte today despite the fact 'that no new strikes were called in sym pathy with the electricians’ strik® mgainst the Montana Power company (for higher wages and a demand that the [mining compny for recognition of the Metal Mine Workers’ union. CM ASKS PENALTY ITALIAN LAW PROVIDES Dread of Electric Chair in New York Causes Prisoner and Friends to Act. Bologna. Italy. June 2D.—“I feel my- . self acquitted morally, but I am ready I to undergo the legal penalty of my "M country,” Alfredo Cocchi, slayer- of 1 Buth Cruger is quoted as saying to the ' interrogating judge at the last ques- k tioning of the prisoner. Yesterday, f however, Cocchi. according to reliable authority, sent put this message to a friend: “I am guilty and I want to pay the penalty. Why spend your money on a lawyer, I won’t see him.” There is no doubt in the mind of any body who is watching the case that Cocchi has a horror of a sentence to death by the American electric chair. This abhorrence is shared by all his friends, and they, with the prisoner's relations, are starting a fund to light proceedings for his extradition. Meanwhile new efforts are being made to raise the question as to wheth er Cocchi’s mental condition ts normal, SENATE TO RESCUE IN PAPER MUDDLE Passes Reed Resolution Asking Why Trade Has Not Stopped “Exorbitant Charges.” Washington, June 29.—The resolution of Senator Reed of Missouri, calling upon the federal trade commission to Inform the Senate it has not ordered news print paper manufacturers to de sist from “illegal practice and exor bitant charges" was adopted today by the Senate without objection. RUSS PEASANTS TORTURE CAPTURED CRIMINALS Petrograd, June 28.—A dispatch from Nikolayck, northeast of Odessa, relates that the peasants of Norvia Odessa, enraged by the crimes of murderous *<• burglars and horse thieves, started an * organized movement against them, tor turing or killing captured offenders. The authorities of Nikolayev, who went to the scene to protest, were threatened with violence. Twelve charred corpses marked the scene of the peasants' vengeance. FORMER SOUTH DAKOTAN REPORTED SHOT AS SPY Milwaukee, Wis., June 29.—According to reports reaching here G. H. Schoff. former major in the British arm', and formerly a resident of Doland. S. I)., has been executed as a German spy! Schoff was about 48 years old. He was horn in Germany. Efforts to confirm the report of his execution have been unavailing.