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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1918)
WJfxiHK ,r" tr r' "" " The Commoner SBPTEMBBB, 1918 Government Outlines Aims for Russia The statement by the government as to its purposes and aims in extending military and economic aid to Russia, issued August 3 in the form of a "statement to the press on the Anglo Japanese action in Siberia" from the acting secretary of state, follows; "In the judgment of the government of the United States a judgment arrived at after re peated and very searching considerations of the whole situation military intervention in Russia would be more likely to add to the present sad confusion there than to cure it and would injure Russia rather than help her out of her distresses. "Such military intervention as has been most frequently proposed, even supposing it to be efficacious in Its immediate object of delivering an attack upon Germany from thq east, would, in its judgment, be more likely to turn out to be merely a method of making use of Russia than to be a method of serving her. "Her people, if they profited by it at all, could not profit by it in time to deliver them from their present desperate difficulties and their substance would meantime be used to maintain foreign armies, not to reconstitute their own or to feed their own men, women and children. CONCENTRATED ON WESTERN FRONT "We are bending all our energies now to the purpose, the resolute and confident purpose, of winning on the western front, and it would, in the judgment of the government of the United States, be most unwise to divide or dissipate our forces. "As the government of the United States sees tho present circumstances, therefore, military action is' admissible in Russia, not only to render such protection and! help as is possible to the Czecho-Slovaks against the armed Austrian and German prisoners who are attacking them and to steady any efforts at self-government or self defense in which the-Russians themselves may he willing to accept assistance. "Whether from Vladivostok or' from Mur mansk and: Archangel, the only present 'object ; for which American troops will be employed will , he to guard tailitary stores which may sub seqently be needed by Russian forces and to render such aid as may be acceptable to the Rus sians in the organization of their own self defense. "With such objects in view the government of the United States is now co-operating with the governments of France and Great Britain in tho neighborhood of Murmansk and Archangel. "The United States and Japan are the only powers just now, in a position to act in Siberia in sufficient f dree to accomplish even such modest objects as those that have been outlined. "The government of the United States has, therefore, proposed to the Government of Japan that each of the two governments send a force of a few thousand men to Vladivostok with the purpose of co-operating as a single force in the occupation of Vladivostok and in safeguarding, so far as it may, the country to the rear of the westward moving Czecho-Slovaks, arid the Japanese government has consented. "In taking this action the government of the united States wishes to announce to the people of Russia in the most public and solemn manner that it contemplaFes no interference with the political soveignty of Russia, no intervention of hfir internal affairs not even in the local affairs of the limited areas which her military force may be obliged to occupy and no impair ment of her territorial integrity either now or hereafter. ONLY PURPOSE TO HELP PEOPLE "What we are about to do has as its single and only object the rendering of such aid as shall be acceptable to the Russian people them selves in, their endeavors to. regain control of their own affairs, their own territorv and their own destiny. The Japanese government, it is Un,,mr8tood' Hl issue a similar assurance. tu eSe plans an Purposes of the government oi the United States have been communicated to the governments. of Great Britain, France and taly, and thoso governments have advised the department of State that they assent to them in Principle. - "No conclusion the. government of the United states has-arrived at in this important matter is intended, however, as an effort to restrict the actions or interfere with tho independent judg ment of the governments with which wo aro now associated in the war. "It is also the hope and pirpoio of tho govern ment of tho United States to take advantage of the earliest opportunity to send to Siberia a com mission of merchants, agricultural experts, labor advisers, Red Cross representatives and agents of the Young Mens' Christian Association ac customed to organizing the best methods of spreading useful information and rendering educational help oC a modest kind. "The purpose is in some systematic way to re lieve the immediate economic necessities of tho people there in every way for which an oppor tunity may open. Tho execution of this plan will follow, and will not be permitted to em barrass the military assistance rendered to the Czecho-Slovaks. "It is the hope and expectation of the govern ment of tho United States that the governments with which it is associated will, whereever pos sible, lend heir active aid In the execution of these military and economic plans." DRYS GAIN IN ILLINOIS (From the Chicago Tribune, Sept. 14.) Illinois drys yesterday claimed an easy work ing -majority of the next Illinois house of repre sentatives on the issue of ratification of tho federal constitutional amendment on prohibition. Late returns indicated that their claim is well founded and that at least eighty drys will sit in the house, Republican and Democratic. Whether the dry forces will attempt to pre cipitate a fight on the speakership through an amalgamation of the dry Republicans and Demo crats is still to be determined. It is well under stood on the inside that Speaker David E. Sha nahan will be a candidate for re-election and that he will have the unequivocal support of tho state administration and of the State Council of Defense, of which he is a member. The drys, upon a straightaway proposition, may determine to oppose him with Homer J. Tice, who has been nominated in the Thirtieth district, and who is certain of election. .If this develops, it is certain that one of the tighest speakership contests .ever staged at Springfield will bo started without de lay and the first blows are likely to be struck at thestate convention' at Springfield next week. MR. BRYAN IN SAN FRANCISCO Introducing Hon. William Jennings Bryan at the San Francisco Ad Club, Mr. Gavin McNab aaifl, "Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemep: In tho progress of human affairs, men have risen, whose character, wisdom and personality have enabled them to exercise vast powers without occupying the chair of authority. Such were the prophets of Israel, who foretold better things for this world, and brighter world to come. "Our distinguished guest should have no re grets. "He sought the Presidency, that he might servo humanity. He lost tho Presidency but per formed the service. He aimed to make a better world for mankind that a better mankind might make a better world. "Without exercising other powers than God gave him, he has lived to see his advocacy be come achievement, his theories become laws and rules of action. Few men of our times have ac complished so much for humanity. "I have the honor to present the guest of this occasion, Hon.. William Jennings Bryan." 'The mystery as to why Kansas has more high grade newspaper editors than Nebraska is made clear by an Inspection of tho late primary re turns. The Kansas voters nominated an editor for senator and another editor for governor. The Nebraska voters defeated the editors who were running for governor and senator. A South Dakota man was jailed because ho waved a German flag and declared that this is a rich man's war. He was a plain fool and traitor. The man who waves the American flag with one hand while he is raking in riches with the other is a traitor, but it would be difficult to prove him a fool. Having perfected a device that enables the submarine chasers to determine the presence and location of an undersea enemy boat, Mr. Edison would be living up to his ancient fame if h would invent something that would enable the bread chasers to locate the profiteer and in stantaneously discharge aolepth bomb oyer him. DEMOCRACY "WILL RURBLY, WIN Tho Indianapolis Sentinel of August 21 printed the following: "Pledging the unified support of America to her soldier e the battlo flold, William Jennings Bryau recolved an ovation in his addreea to the soldiers of Fort Benjamin Harrison last night when he stopped to speak under the auspices of tho War Camp Community Service on his way to Tipton, Ind to fill an engagement there. " 'Wo not only must win this war for our selves, the allies and tho world of today, but for tho world of tomorrow,' Mr. Bryan said to the soldiers. 'And as It is tho duty of tho whole people to stand ns one man behind your ovqry move. I am glad to say I beliovo that every day we at home are becoming cemented more closely together.' " "Mr. Bryan said that America is putting on tho battlo field the greatest soldier tho world has ever known and a set of the cleanest mc over gathered together." POWER OF DOLLAR SHRINKING A Washington dispatch, dated August 29, says: Comparison of food prices prevailing now with thoso of flvo years ago show that tin purchasing power of a dollar bill has shrunk to 54 cents In Washington and Baltimore; 75 cenU in Philadelphia; 59 cents in New York and Chi cago; and G3 cents in San Francisco, according to a statement today by the department of labor. Food which could be bought for $1.00 in July, 1913, now costs $1.85 in Washington; $1.84 I Baltimore; $1.77 in Philadelphia; $1.G8 in Now York; $1.69 in Chicago and $1.58 in San Fran cisco. In the one year period from July 1917 to July 1918 food prices advanced 22 per cent In San Francisco; 20 per cent in Washington and Phlla dolphia; 20 per cent in Baltimore, 17 por cenl in New York and 11 por cent in Chicago. AMERICANS SET. WORLD HEALTH RECORD A Washington dispatch, dated August 14, says: American troops at homo and overseas are setting world's records for health and low death rates. In announcing today that deaths from disease among the soldiers for tho week ending JuIy'2G were at the rate of 1.9 per 1,0Q0 a year, Surgeon General Gorgas said such a record never has been surpassed by any military establish ment. In past wars the best rate was 20 per 1,000 during tho Ruaso-Japanose war, showing the tremendous progress made in military sanitation. Attention was called to tho fact that the annual death rate among civilians of miliary uge is 6.7 per 1,000. German newspapers express considerable sur prise because they find so many Yankees oppos ing them who bear good old German names. ""It may be that this Is tho basis for their claim that not very many Americans have yet gono into battle in France. One of the best answers that have yet been given to thoso 101 per cent pa triots who have been so quick to leap to the con clusion that because an American cKifcen bore a German name ho couldn't be loyal to tho flag is the number of boys of Teutonic origin whoso names have appeared on tho casualty lists. The American soldiers in Franco are living up to all of the valorous traditions of tho ser vice. In gallantry, grimness, steadiness under fire, eagerness to come to grips with the enemy, they are valorous sons of a glorious soldiery, America knew what the boys would do when they got across, but it is nono tho less gratify ing to read tho measureless praiso they ha'v won from men who know a good fighter when they see ono. While the republicans, if wo may judge from the various state platforms so far adopted, aro still convinced that the democrats cannot safely bo trusted with the government at all times, they are willing to admit they know how to run a war. Democrats have had so much experience in fighting in tho last fifty years that it would be strange if they did not know how to conduct a great conflict, Instead of sending long distance dispatch, from tho front stating tho exact gains of terrN . tory from the Germans eafch day, 'General Pershing, might -say it;all;ia.oe veateace: "Bus1jmj as usual' ,'. - .' - . - , . vJflft vt& t' 1 Ji s VI ' M mm .- (, . i 'I - Vi ' u m ' -. r 'J ) ttbM4u MMMttMMU' . jiJi.jtLa, iU 1 ( "K