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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 1914)
GERMAN ARMIES ARE ADVANCING ON ALLIES Teuton’s Slowly But Steadily Forcing Their Way by Mere Weight of Numbers — Enemies Are in Battle Order. RUSSIAN’S ON TEUTONIC BORDER Czar is Ready to Throw Immense Armies into Germany and Aii^na-Hungary—English Troops Join French on Field; Censor Keeps Plan Secret—Japan s Navy to Co-Operate With the Armada of England. 1* sduiL—Pushing forward by mere v r of a umbers, the German ad Vance across Belgium is slowly bat steadily proceeding and ao must come to contact with the allied armies which, according to an official roiuou n.ea’tun from Brussel*, are in battle *«rder at some point unnamed. The Be-sian* in the outpost skirmishing are said to have inflicted severe checks on the German force, but on the whole the German wing has «wpt on its way and ha* reached a point a little from the north of Xatnnr to Mal ien. which surges’* that the first big battle will he fought somewhere be tween Law vain and IMe*?, where the a: lea probably w ill try to block the roads to Brussels and Antwerp, and ptevest the German attempt to make north Belgium untenable. Further south French troops have entered Belgium through Charleroi, gong U> the relief of their neighbors and to aid in any attack directed to ward Namur, while in the east the French are reported to have secured posoeasam of ridges in the Vosges mountain* and to bold the passes of be Borhotcme sad Saiti'e Mane-Au Jline*. through which important roads par* and which, it is asserted, gives them groat strategic advantage. The Germans again are hammering away at the Leg* forts, and. accord • mg to their accounts, one of t he forts — Poet late—has fallen. This, how ever. Is denied by the Belgians. The official news bureau of the army has issued a warning to the pub lic against placing the slghtest re liance in the many rumors current daily regarding alleged victories or defeats <>r concerning the arrival of wounded soldiers or disabled ships of Great Britain*— "These are without exception base less." the warning says. Tb“ probable attitude of Japan and Italy is still the subject of much spec ulation. Conversations are going ou continually between Jar?” and Great Britain concerning Japan's duty un der her alliance with Great Britain, and the part she will be permitted to take in the peace conferences follow ing the war. There are persistent rumors that Italy will join the triple entente. The Italian ambassador is a frequent caller at the foreign office. If it should prove correct that Tur key has purchased the German cruis ers Goeben and Breslau, war between Greece and Turkey is said to be like ly. for Greece sees in the movement an attempt 'on the part of Turkey to recover some of her islands taken in the last war. Russia to meet such a contingency, would send troops to the Rumanian frontier. The British government has called for bids for an issue of JTn.OOO.OOj) treasury bills. With the arrival in English ports of many ships there has been a sharp decline in the prices of provisons. GERMAN CRUISER DRESDEN IN ATLANTIC \ Tha German cruiser liresden ha* been reported off oandy Hook presume • b!y 2)ix*c in mull to intercept the merchant ships of France and England. Military strategists are of the optri loa that the G-rmar.s are meeting wit*, delay which they did not count on. and that every day the Belgians keep • beat fighting means an increase of Russian forces cm their eastern frontier They etpn-ts the belief that ncieas Germany soau dispose* of Bel gium and France she will have to choose between withdrawing a great part of her army from the west eg leaving the road to Berlin open to the force* of the exar of Russia The Russians are reportrd to be Im marching townrd Prussia on tie one aide and to Austrian Galicia cm the other In ihe latter country, they • are said to be in the vicinity of the Btyr river, which is on the route to Umherg. Japs to Help British. London. — Ii is learned from a diplo matic correspondent that the Japanese government intends to carry out to the full its obligations under the Anglo Japanese treaty. The correspondent says that the Japanese navy has put to sea and w ill co-operate with the British fleeet in taking effective action against the enemy's ships in the Pa cific. , War May Involve Sultan. London —Great Britain. Prance aud Kursia have sent a sharp demand to Turkey for the immediate repatriation of the officers and crews of the Ger man cruisers Goeben and Breslau. L is reported that the two cruisers were met by & Turkish vessel outside and escorted into the Dardanelles. There Is no official confirmation of the actual purchase of the cruisers by Turkey, but the report to that effect is generally credited. Czar Will Protect Poles. St. Petersburg.—With the view of removing the apprehensions of the Poles in Russia. Germany and Austria Hungary and of gaining their friend ship in tlie two last mentioned coun tries. the Grand Duke Nicholaivitch, ccmmander-in-ehief of the Russian ar my. has issued an order to th? effect that all Poles showing loyalty to the Slav cause will be specially protected by the Russian army and government. Any attenipt to interfere with the per sonal and material rights of these new laws were necessary. The pre» ident may send a special message to congress in the latter event. "Certainly the country ought to be defended,” the president wrote to the attorney general, "if possible against men who would take advantage of such circumstances to increase the price of food and the difficulties of living.” Attorney General McReynolds at once set at work the bureau of' in vestigation of the Department of Justice with hundreds of agents throughout the country. Agents of the Department of Commerce were started on the inquiry and Secreaarv Redfield of the Department of Agri culture. Millions of Bushels Piled Up. Congressmen, who have already in ONE OF FRANCE’S GIANT DIRIGIBLES Poles not guilty of hostility to Rus sia. will, according to the order, be punished with all the severity of mar tial law. Austrian Police Open Letters. Rome.—Via Paris—News received here from Vienna says that letters ad- '■ dressed to foreigners in the Austrian : capital are opened by the police, who 1 either retain or deliver them with a yellow band on which is printed, i I "opened by the state police.” Newspapers throughout Austria-Hun i gary print scarcely anything except j official news. Vienna itself is half deserted. The j worst feature of the war to those in i the capital is the lack of money and I the fact that prices of food have risen enormously. The public services are paralyzed and women are taking over the work. Italy May Take Action. A dispatch from Rome says •'Turkey's purchase of the German cruisers Breslau and Goeben has j made an unpleasant impression here. Italy probably will demand an expla nation as to the future use of these ships and also warn Turkey that it will not allow the equilibrium of the lower Mediterranean to be threatened, as Italy is determined to prevent com plications.” English and French Forces Join. London.—The much debated ques tion. “Where are the British troops in Belgium?” was particularly answered when a dispatch from the Havas agency in Paris announced that Sir John French, commander-in-chief of the English forces, had joined, on the field. General Joseph Joffre. the French commander-in-chief. The name of the place where the two leaders met was eluded by the censor, but presumably it is some where east of the center of Belgium. Further news from the agency, dat ed Brussels, says there was a fresh engagement between 900 Germans and Belgians at Geet-Betz. a short distance south of Haelen, where a German force was said to have been beaten back. Russ Army On Border. London.—According to reliable in formation from St. Petersburg. Russia has mobilized 2.00(1.000 men on the ] German and Austrian frontiers, half a 1 million on the Turkish anti Roumanian frontiers, while 3,00' ,000 men are held in reserve. U. S. to Probe Food Prices. Washington.—President Wilson has set the machinery of the federal government in motion to determine whether the cost of living is being increased upon the pretext of the conditions existing lr Europe. He called upon Attorney General Me Reynolds to report if criminal pro ceedings were warranted, and if any I troduced resolutions to investigate the rise in prices and others who are preparing similar measures, viewed the action of the administration with satisfaction. They pointed out that while flour particularly has taken a great jump in price, wheat exports ! are practically nothing and inillons | of bushels are piled up in elevators ; or in freight cars strung across the continent. Secretary Redfield wrote Chairman Adamson of the peace conference committee suggesting an appropria tion of $30,000 for his part of the in vestigation. Wilson's Statement. The president sent the following j signed letter to the attorney general: “The rapid and unwarrantable in : crease in the prices of foodstuff in j this country on the pretext of the conditions existing in Europe, is so serious and vital a matter, that I take the liberty of calling your atten tion to it. “1 would be very much obliged if > you would advise me whether there is , under existipg law any actioE which the Department of Justice could take, either by way of investigation or le gal process, and what federal legis* lation. if any. would, in your judg ment, be Justifiable and warrantable in the circumstances. ‘T feel that this is a matter which we cannot let pass hr without trying to serve the country. Certainly the country ought to be defended, if pos sible. acainst men who would take ad vantage of such circumstances to in crease the price of food and the dif ficulfities of living." Blockade Would Cheapen Food. Minneapolis. Minn.—The price >or wheat, flour and bread of the Amer ican people depends entirely on whether or not a great naval battle between European powers makes for freedom of American export trade, said J. S. Bell, president of the Wash burn-0 rosby Flour Milling com pany. “If wheat and flour ran be exported to Great Britain and France." said Bell “I do not believe flour would ad-, vance materially, for such freedom has been anticipated. “Flour is selling at $6 a barrel in the wood in 1,000-barrel lots. That 's 10 cents below last week's v price, which was the highest since August, 1912. “If exporatlon becomes impossib'e, the price of wheat and flour should Urop. The supply would be greater than the demand. “The American shipper wants ft credit by foreign buyers which will insure payment for goods shipped, whether captured or not. Ships to Ru6h to Santo Domingo. Washington.—The battle ships j Texas and Louisiana, from Mexican waters, are at Guantanamo awaiting orders for possible service in Haiti and Domingo. French General Popular hero. Pans.—Haeral Jose Joffre. com. maader in-chlef of the Preach army. M a popular hero He haa traveled thousand» of miles id his motor car. drtvea by ileorge HotBot. three times sinner of the Preach grand prig in racing coolest*. since army mobiiiza twa and actual lighting began Head red a of Herman military pris oner* peased through a Paris suburb on tbeir way to Poitiers Gearral Joffre hi enabled to cover maay miles along the front, and has inspired bis men by bis presence Big Shipment of Eggs. New York. -In the refrigerators of the African liner New York, that has I sahed for l.or.don are 3C.OOO dozen eggs, the first American eggs for Eng. lish markets since the beginning of the European war. These eggs cost here *5 cents a dozen. They were or dered by cable irom 1-ondon and there were calls lor more but the steamer could not accomodate them. With the supply of eggs from Rus sia shut off. England had no place to turn except America. Guarantees Against Discount Loss. London.—With the purpose of ter minating the present deadlock in the money market and to enable trade and commerce to resume their normal courses the government has agreed to guarantee the Bank of England any loss it may incur in,discounting bills of exchange either foreign or home, banks. trade accepted prior to August 4. The Bank of England, therefore, an nounces that it is prepared on the application of the owners of any ap proved bill of exchange accepted be fore that date, to discount it at any time before its due date at the bank rate and without rcourse to such holder and upon the bill maturing the bank will give the acceptor the op portunity of postponing payment with interest at 2 per cent, over the bank rate. Shanghai.—The Japanese steamer Shikoku Mam was seriously damaged and one of its crew killed by a can non shot fired from the British fort at Kong Kong while the vessel was en tering the harbor. ~—- - ' . " -- ■ " 'J* Bataan State Prepare for War The kaiaer »a making a aupreme ef ton to lad are Greece. Bulgaria and Rpumanta to attfr with Gertraay and Austria la the present war. The n'go tare being cioaely followed here The Ba-kaaa mart inevitably be • drawn into the war. H ia believed, but it far unlikely that they will line up ewtirrly for the kaiaer. Turkey will aid the kaiaer. while Greece will aid haa proclaimed a atate of atoma aad the roaorrea arc being call -d to me colors. Russia is endeavor ing to keep Bulgaria out of the light ing. In Italy unti-Austrian feeling is in creasing. but the government insists that it will continue neutral. Food prices have advanced rapidly, I many manufacturing establishments have been dosed, suffering among the, poor is intense arid the government it considering plana of relief. Athens. Aug. 13.—The king, cabinet and ail living former ministers are! ^meeting to decide on the futura of; Greece. Pressure to participate in the present war is very 'great, but it is understood that the king desires to remain neutral. Washington. — Administration lead ers have concluded that additional revenue legislation eventually will be needed to fill the gap in the govern ment coffers caused by loss of reve nue on imports cut off by the Euro pean war. It was estimated that leg islation would be framed which would complew a “war tax” of approximately $100 000,00*. American Leave Ship. Paris.—Americans at Havre wait ing for the French line steamers France and Chicago to sail for the United States are deserting the ves sels and are returning to Paris or go ing to England. Upwards of 2,000 Americans have been living aboard the steamers at the company's ex pense, expecting daily that they would sail. The Company now of fers to repay the fares of the Amer icans less $1.20 a day dating from August 11. Most of the passengers hare accepted these terma. PLAN TO ATTACT LAW OMAHA FIRMS PLAN ASSAULT ON. BLUE SKY MEASURE. EPOWGRTH ASSEMBLY CLOSEfl I Session This Year Proved a Grand Success and Receipts of Gate Satisfactory. I-incoln.—Assault on the blue-sky j law. passed at the last session of the j state legislature, is being planned by ! Omaha firms, which come under its j Jurisdiction. That is the word brought to the railway coriimission. i The law's safety has been the cause j of many anxious moments on the eon? i mission's part for several months. ' Weaknesses have been found which were not seen by the legislators. And apparent foundations of the law have j been determined constitutionally void in c:her states, and the Nebraska law j Is affected thereby.' A provision inserted in the Nebras- I ka statute may or may not save this j entire law. This says in effect that j “should the courts declare any portion of the act unconstitutional or unau thorized by law. or in conflict with I any other section or provision of the i act. then such decision shall affect ! only the section or sub-section so de ■ dared to be unconstitutional.'’ Further the Nebraska lawmakers took tiie unusual step of declaring in j the act that "each section and pro | vision thereof, so far as inducement for the passage of the bill is concern ed, is independent of every other sec tion, and no section or part thereof is | an Inducement to the passage or en actment of any other section or part ; of a section.” Less Dogs, More Diamonds. Dogs are on the decrease in Ne braska and diamonds on the increase, if the reports of the assessors of the sjate are to be takes as authority on dogs and diamonds. This year the number of dogs in the state is given as 106.876. In 1913 the number was 107.870; in 1912. 109.670. .and In 1911 there were 111.969 of^he animals. Pawnee county this year had the least dogs, the number being thirteen, while Gage county just across the county has 3.(fl8. It is evident that when the assessor was around that most of the Pawnee county dogs were visiting over in Gage. Diamonds in Nebraska are valued for assessment purposes, which is supposed to be one fifth of actual value, at $127,048 this year. In 1913 the value was $127,213; In 1912. $121,127, and in 1911. $106, 532. Douglas county diamonds are assessed at $19,725 and Lancaster county sarklers at $19,039. Banner county diamonds are assessed at just ■*5.00.' Return Bond Application. The Omaha and Lincoln Power and Light company, which is owned by the McKinley interurban interests which operate the interurban road from Omaha to Pa pill ion. has notified the State Railway commission that it desires to withdraw its appli cation. made a few weeks ago. for authority to issue bonds in the amount of $90,000 and stock for $25, 000 for the urpose of extending its road to Louisville. In its letter the company says: “Owing to the fact that it seems to be the intention of parties for whom Benjamin Baker is acting to cause a good deal of trouble and obstruction j to the authority to issue stocks and i bonds, we have concluded to let the matter rest for the present, and we : | hereby withdraw the application made and will file an entirely new applica tion sometime in the future." One of Seven Women Work. One in every seven women in Ne- ; braska is engaged in some useful oc- j ! eupation. according to the latest fed eral census. There are 63.303 work I ing women in the state out of a total 1 I number of 432.326 women. The men j ! iii the state number 491.706. Nebraska women engaged in farm i ifig number 5,279. Of these 2.170 man ! age their own farms. Women stock i i raisers number 111. Nebraska has 10.448 women school teachers. 1.35C music teachers. 10.780 1 listed as “servants." 4.930 dressmak ers outside factories, and 439 in fac j tones. Session Is Over. The Nebraska Epwor;h assembly, j which has been open h°re at Epworth Lake park the past ten days is over. ; Like, its former meetings, the session has been a grand success and the re ceipts at the gate have been satisfac- | tory. The Nebraska assembly has taken a stand as one of the leading Chautauqua gatherings in the country and has continued to draw talent from all over the world. Last Year’s Wheat Crop. To what extent Nebraska suffered by reason of the partial failure, and in some parts of the state, the total failure of the wheat crop last year is evidenced by the reports of the asses sors as sent in to the secretary of the state board of assessment. The num ber of bushels reputed to the assess ors in 1913 was shown to be 6.250,514 bushels on hand April 1. 1913. The re port this year shows but 2.780.674 bushels reported when the assessors made tber rounds, indicating a . great deal of demand for the 1914 ccrop. Will Not Raise Assessment. The State Board of Equalisation held a session to listen to the ob jection of representatives of different counties where the board had given out that a raise on lands would be made unless a showing was made which would cause them to change their minds. Representatives from about twenty counties were present at the session. As a result of the showing made the board decided to make no raise as first contemplated. ARMIES OF POWERS COMPARED Gt ftRITMM JAPAN ITALY AUSTRIA TOTAL STRENGTH OF ARM* WAR tooting PEACE FOOTING FRANCE. GERMANY RUSSIA REAL BATTLE CAPABILITIES OF THE ARMIES OF EOROPE "Do you know that the contending armies in Europe today are battling upon their peace time footings?" asked a colonel on the general staff of the United States army. "And don't for get that the nation that gets its fight ing force up to its full war strength first will gain a material advantage ir. the present turmoil.'’ This means that any hasty deduc tions made upon the basis of fights .won and loet up to date may soon prove absolutely misleading. The question then arises: Which of the struggling armies can reach its war strength soonest, and. with that attained, what are its chances for maintaining that standing in the gru eling days to come? The answer is a matter of administrative efficiency first, and then follows naturally the relative merits of the reserve material upon which the nation can draw as battle after battle and disease thin the ranks of those in the field. At present the Germans are virtually fighting alone four other nations, but their initial setbacks are not properly a true index of what is to come in the near future. Some Figures. -A8 It is necessary to deal with fig ures it is just as well to begin now as later. These figures, interpreted in i the light of additional information have another meaning, one that comes | closer to the facts inspiring the ag gressive policy assumed by the kai | ser in face of seemingly appalling odds. According to authoritative in i formation the peace and the war foot ing of the powers named are as fol lows: Peace. War Reserves. Total. ; Russia .. 771.193 1.073.387 r.*10.009 6.4<»7.347 ! Sertr.anv .563.565 >44.983 5.(410.009 5,844.983 France ...535.67>> 7" .740 3.25P.000 3.950.740 I Austria ..343.353 529.524 2.500.000 3.(29.524 i Italy .211.394 371.496 1.500.000 1.871.48: j England ..306.626 223.698 215.000 438.6*4 | Japan _182.5(85 264.300 1.000,000 1.264.3 >< As between France and Germany apart from the latter's superior war ; footing, the total of the fully trained ! reserves in the Fatherland would he : the most potent factor in a prolonged struggle and alsc the justification fcr j a vigorous initiative despite early heavy losses. Both Germany and France have in the last two years in j creased the period of service from two to three years. In France this lengthening of the term with the col ors aroused a great deal of opposition, not to say discontent. Immediately back of these soldiers are the first reserves, men who but recently have finished their full tours of active service and of course are familiar with the latest practices. Now look at the foregoing figures. Ger many's peace footing is only 29.815 men stronger than that of France, but upon the first call to arms this moder ate superority immediately jumps to the greater figure of 144,203. giving the kaiser an advantage of nearly 21 per cent. But this is only the beginning of the difference. t Germany's total reserve of fully trained reserves—men trained with peculiar thoroughness—Is today quite 5,000,000, while the admittedly less ei acttngly drilled reserves of France number but 3.250.000 rank and file. Here, as can plainly be seen, the Fa therland leads by 1,750.000—two and a half times the war footing of France, while still having in reserve as maty as France would have at best. Setting aside the question of the relative military value of the training of the German and the French sol diers. those of France carry a maga zine rifle of eight miliimiters caliber and the German infantrymen repeat i ers having a caliber of 7.8 millime i ters. Assuming the same propulsive charge, the German gun will carry fur ther and travel flatter than the French weapon, making for better marksman ship at all ranges. Again, the French rifle is heavier than the German, increasing to that extent the stress upon the man who has to carry it on long marches. The soldiers of both nations carry the same number of cartridges, 120. But the saving in weight in the German musket is offset by other weights he has to carry. Fully equipped the French foot soldier has a total bur den of 54.58 pounds, while the Ger man infantryman has to bear 58.75 pounds. As a broad proposition the average German is a sturdier man than his French rival, and this greater tax is wisely laid upon him. French Equipment. In the French army each company of infantry has the following portable tools: Eight shovels, four pickaxes (double headed), three axes, one fold ing saw and a pair of wire nippers. The German foot soldier on the other i hand does not get off so easily, be cause each company has to carry 100 small spades, ten pickaxes and five hatchets. Now what does this mean? Simply that the kaiser’s infantrymen are able to entrench themselves quick er than their French rivals, and for that reason could hold an advanced po sition more securely and guard them selves against attack while there bet ter than the soldiers of the tricolor. Now let us see what Russia repre sents as a foes to Germany on the Fa therland's northern border. I'nques tionably the czar's army is superior to the kaiser's in mere point of num bers in peace, in war and in the total available reserves, and so far as per sonal bravery goes the Russian soldier is unsurpassed Rut battles are not won these days by just numbers; training and handling of the men are of supreme importance. Broadly speaking, it is doubtful if the Russian forces are any better trained than they were when they measured strength with the Japanese in 1904-05. The infantry are armed with magazine rifles of 7.62 millime ter caliber, and as marksmen they are nothing like the equals of the Ger mans. How They Compare. Russia is measurably superior to Germany in the matter of infantry, cavalry and artillery in the form of Held guns, and Germany, in turn, leads France in the vital feature of artillery. Artillery has played a prime part in all great wars, and the popular idea is that it is upon these guns that the tide of battle turns. In a measure this is so, for the field pieces have to pro tect or support the infantry; but with this done, the decisive outcome of an action depends upon the conduct and gallantry of the foot soldier, fcr he "constitutes the backbone of any mili tary force. As a matter of history, the French have led in field ordnance ever since the Franco-Prussian war. The Flench were the first to adopt the long recoil which made it possible to use higher propulsion charges and to secure'bet ter practice against the target, and to them, too, is owed the introduction of the spade upon the trail by which the recoil of the carriage could be checked, thus making it possible for the gun pointer to hold his position and to fire deliberately and rapidly. To the French, also, the world is indebted for the higher development of the shrapnel shell with its withering blast of leaden bullets. ________ A AIR MACHINES WILL DO BUT LITTLE KILLING While he believes war of the air will be the wpr of the future. Captain Bristol, beadif the United States navy aeronautic service, predicted that t.ir machines will do little actual who e sale killing in Europe. > They will be used almost solely for reconnaissance work, he said. Their chief service wiiV be in scouting. “Bombs,” he said, “are not devsl [ oped yet to the point where they will be particularly destructive. Their chief effectiveness in the big war in Europe will be to create consternation in groups of hidden soldiers. The death rate from an air bomb among closely packed forces might be twen ty men.” That the air machine will lend to the spectacular element of war was his belief. He ventured the predic tion that some battles may be waged between scout aeroplanes or aero planes and dirigibles.