Omaha Daily
THE WEATHER
Fair; Warmer
VOL. XLVII.-NO. 171.
OMAHA, THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 3, 1918. FOURTEEN PAGES.
ZZ'tlllT-M. SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS
WCT
UTON
ITALSAMi
CIDED GAIN
Bee
RUSS
TERMS;
r i if ii "
11 ir 114.
II IrV ir
FLANK ALONG PIAVE MADE
INTACT WHEN GERMANS ARE
DRIVEN FROM BRIDGEHEAD
Central Armies Lose Position Occupied Since Mid-November;
Troops and Trains Held in Alps By Heavy
Snow Storms; Enemy Food Supply
Cut Off Temporarily.
(Fly AtKoeiutad FrM.)
Italian troops have won the first victory recorded in the
new year. The defensive line from Lake Garda to the Adriatic
has been strengthened by the Italian success in driving the
Austro-Germans from the Zenson- bridgehead, on the western
bank of the Piave, which they had held since mid-November.
PIAVE FLANK INTACT.
While holding strong position in
the mountain region from Asiago
across the Brenta to the Piave, the
Italian flank along the Piave is now
intact. The enemy has replied only
with artillery to the French stroke
which gained valuable positions in
the Monte Tomba region.
The weather apparently also is com
ing to the aid of the hard pressed
Italian army, which has had little rest
since the Austro-German drive be
gan lat" in October. Heavy snow is
falling on the Swiss-Italian and Swiss
Austrian frontiers. Troops and other
trains are being held in the Alps by
the snow, and the food supply of the
enemy troops on the Italian front has
been cut off temporarily.
Raid is Repulsed.
On the western front the coming of
1018 was welcomed by strong artillery
duels in the Ypres, Cambrai and Ver
dun areas. In the Verdun sector the
Germans have extended their fire to
the left bank of the river, hut have
made no attacks. The Germans at
tempted a raid near Loose, north of
Lens, Tuesday morning, but were re
pulsed by the British.
With the entire Cossack territory
reported aroused against the Bol
sheviki, General Kaledines troops are
advancing "toward Moscow and fight
itig with the BolslrwfkrTias'beeTrYr-
stimed at Kurst, about :U(J miles south
of Moscow.
SUPREME COURT
ASKED TO DELAY
ANTI-TRUST SUITS
Washington, Jan. J. Attorney
General Gregory today asked the
supreme court to defer argument on
the seven large anti-trust suits pend
ing, including the International Har
vester, United Shoe Machinery and
the Steel corporation cases until the
t:ext term of court.
This action, Solicitor General Davis
explained, was taken because the gov
ernment wants co-operation from the
business interests of the country. The
suits postponed are those of the gov
ernment against the United Shoe
Machinery company, the Interna
tional Harvester company, the United
States Steel corporation, Eastman
Kodak company, the American Can
company, the Quaker Oats company
and the Corn Products Refining com
pany. '
"In order that tiie government in
this time of stress may not meet with
competition from private enterprises
in its financial operations," said the
government's brief filed in connection
with the motion, and the flotation of
its loans the Treasury department
ftas been constrained to urge that all
private financing on a large scale
shall be avoided as far as possible.
"It is quite clear that the dissolu
tions which are sought in the pending
cases will require financial operations
on a large scale if they are to lie gen
uine and, effective. Important as the
remedy sought in these cases is be
lieved to be, it must give place for
the moment to the paramount needs
of the "hour."
Central France in
Grip of Cold and Snow
Paris. Jan. 2. Another heavy
fall
of snow in eastern and central France
at d in the Vosges has greatly in
creased transportation difficulties.
Lvons with the thermometer stand
ing at zero, Fahrenheit, a degree of !
cold almost unheard of there, is snow- j
bound. The Lyons-Mediterranean
line has cancelled a considerable num
ber of trains and the few still running
ar
hours behind schedule. St.
Etienne. in the heart of the great iron
working district of central France,
is under three feet of snow and the
railroads in the region are completely
blocked.
Paris and northern France, curi
ously enough, are far more favored as
regards both temperature and snow
than central and southern France and
transportation for the armies i going
on without interruption.
United States to Provide
Necessities to Sweden
Stockholm, Jan. 2 The Swenska
Dadbladet ascribes to the Swedish
foreign office information that nego
tiations with the United States have
been concluded satisfactorily. It says
that an agreement has been reached
under which 11.000 tons of necessities,
chiefly coffee, petroleum and drugs.
Will arrive in Sweden about tiie mid
4D cf February.
RED GARRISON
ROUTED IN FIGHT
WITH COSSACKS
Town of Alexandrovsk Occu
pied; Bolsheviki Regiments
Disarmed by Kazatin; Street
Fighting in Odessa.
BULLETIN.
Petrograd, Jan. 2. A new republic
has been set up in the Black Sea ter
ritory with Novorossysk as the capi
tal. A coalition cabinet, including
constitutional democrats, v has been
formed. Delegates from Ukraine to
the constituent assembly will arrive
in Petrograd tomorrow. No effort
was made to open the assembly today.
Tchernoinorsk, or the Black Sea
territory, is a district of Trans-Caucasia,
consisting of a long, narrow
strip ou the coast of the Black Sea
and on the west slope of the Cau-
j'mii
Cossack Troops Seize Town.
B AwMiclatrd Press.)
London, Jan. 2. Cossack troops
have occupied the town of Ale.xan
drovsk without opposition and the
Bolsheviki garrison was disarmed, ac
cording to reports received here trom
Fetrograd regarding the civil war in
Russia. It is not stated which Alex
androvsk was captured. (There are
several towns and villages in Rus
sia named Alexandrovsk, but the
nearest to the Cossack territory are
those in Ekaterinoslav and in Stavro
pol.)
Reds Disarmed.
Other Bolsheviki regiment are
said to have been disarmed bv the
Orenburg Cossack leader, Kazatin,
who returned the arms after the Bol
sheviki swore never to fight against
the Ukrainians and Cossacks. The
Cossack commander at Rostov re
ports that the Bolsheviki have liber
ated a number of prisoners of war
and armed them. Bolsheviki troops
still occupy parts'of the Don mining
district, but they are unable to send
coal to Petrograd.
There was rhore street fighting in
Odessa on Monday, but it apparently
was not serious.
The Bolsheviki authorities, accord
ing to an Exchange Telegraph dis
patch from Petrograd, have received
information that the situation on the
Roumanian front is very serious. The
relations of the Bolsheviki with Rou
manian officers afle said to be becom
ing alarming. It is said the Rouman
ians have occupied the Bessarabian
town of Loevo and have arrested and
shot several Bolsheviki leaders.
LATE WAR
BULLETINS
GERMAN PLANES DOWNED.
Paris, Jan. 2. Six German airplanes
were put out of action yesterday by
the French, it is announced officially.
Artillery fighting continues at various
i points on the front, but no large in-
tantry actions are reported.
BRITISH REPULSE ATTACKS.
London, Jan. 2. Several raids were
made by the German forces last night
on the British positions on the Bel
gian and Arras fronts. The official
statement issued by the War depart
ment today says that all the raiding
parties were repulsed.
PUSHED BACK AGAIN.
Rome, Jan. 2. Another attempt to
cross the Piave river has been de
feated by the Italians, the war office
announces. Half a score of vessels
loaded with enemy troops were dis
persed at Intestadura, where the
crossing was attempted.
London Markets Close;
Meat Supply Exhausted
London, Jan. 2. Many butcher
shops throughout London were
without their usual supply of meat
today and some were forced to
close. Almost no beef arrived at
the Smithfield market and the
scanty stocks were exhausted long
before the retailers, who stood in
I line from 5 o'clock in the morning
j until noon, could be suppli"J
Starting
r
Jf0f& I He CAU6H7 j 5g
RUSH TROOPS TO
BATTLE FRONT IS
JMMCILCRY
State Department Announces
Plans Outlined by Great In
ter Allied Conference
Held at Paris.
Washington, Jan. 2. Constant and
speedy dispatch of American troops
to the European battle front is the
principal recommendation made to the
government by the American dele
gates who recently returned from the
inter-allied war council at Paris.
The principal recommendations of
the American delegates, headed by
Colonel E. M. House, as President
Wilson's personal representative, are:
That the United States exert all
their influence to secure the entire
unity of effort, military, naval and
economic, between themselves and the
countries associated with them in the
war.
Inasmuch as the successful termi
nation of '.he war by the United States
and the allies can be greatly hastened
by the extension of the United States
shipping program, that the govern
ment and the people of the United
States bend every effort towards ac
complishing this result by a syste
matic co-ordination of resources of
men and materials.
Speed Up Ships.
Speeding up of the merchant ship
building program and closer co-opera-tiou
with the co-belligerents.
Through a new inter-allied organi
zation for co-ordination of shipping
resources arrangements have been
made to devote "the greatest amount
of tonnage possible for the transpor
tation of American troops."
Arrangements were made to have
the United States participate in mili
tary deliberations of a supreme war
council "as a step toward efficient
and centralized unity of control of
military operations."
To Rush U. S. Troops.
.In order to enable the United States
to visualize the problem of food con
trol at home Great Britain, France
and Italy have agreed to put in legal
ized and compulsory control of food
stuffs in their countries.
The extent of the military effort to'
be aimed at by the United States was
clearly determined and an allied advi
sory board was created to advise each
nation on allotments of ships, so as
to permit the American military ef
fort to be realized.
More active utilization of American
naval forces and an agreement was
made with the British admiralty to
effect certain plans for anti-submarine
warfare.
Contribution of the United States
to a pooling of war resources. Ihc
arrangement guarantees full equip
ment of every kind will be available
to all American forces sent to Europe '
uul '"IS 4 ' J'
lhat the fighting forces of the
United States be dispatched to
Europe with the least possible, delav
incident to training and equipment.
(Ktimmarr in ilefnll of rrrommrnilllon
of intpr-alli?d war roiinrll will be found on
pasre 4.)
Skating Rink Burns.
Montreal. Tan. 2. The Montreal '
arena, the big.;et skating rink in east-j
ern Canada, was destroyed by fire to-da-
" :
the Game
UNCLE SAM MARKS
THE ROOSTER FOR
VICTIM0F THE AX
Decree Goes Forth That Be
cause He will Not Lay Eggs,
Head of Barnyard Flock
Must Die.
The ax will fall on the necks of
roosters in Nebraska about May 1.
City roosters are doomed to die be
fore that date, for they are a useless
luxury, and an expensive ornament
to the back yard flock. They eat too
much and are not producers of eggs.
So the government is after their
scalps. This is part of the mighty
wave of conservation.
"Hens are wanted. They are in great
demand. The government has a
of workers out, working up a cam
paign for increased production of poul
try throughout the United States. The
campaign is being arranged in Omaha.
A. G. Peters, United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, has arrived and
has selected Omaha as the first Ne
braska city to be organized for an in
tensive campaign for increased poultry
production. Committees have been
appointed to organize the work.
Knows All About Roosters.
Of course the Department of Agri
culture is not ignorant of the fact that
roosters have their function. But after
the breeding season is over, about
May 1, this feathered barnyard dude,
this strutting camouflage sport, is as
useless as his cock-a-duodle-do.
It has been found by scientists thai
the rouoster is not only useless, but
is a detriment after the breeding sea
son. He eats a lot of good wheat,
corn and katydids that might be sup
porting laying hens. His eating is
only one of his faults. He has an
other. He is a detriment tothc egg
crop.
Eggs from a flock in which roosters
are numerous, do not keep as well as
those from a flock that has been de
prived of masculine companions. The
government has estimated that SLv
000,000 'worth of eggs have been
spoiled annually this wax-.
Here is the Finish. ,
So the barnyard cork is doomed.
The United States government be-
' s u.'s u " " nf (l,''an u,ls
miii jim, rfiiii Lilt: meeting reason,
and the government, has consequently
decreed that his mortality rate shall
be higher after May 1.
And as the government plans a cam
paign to decapitate the ron-ier. it
plans a campaign to enthrone the lien.
"Lucie Sam is interested in seeing
more people keeping poultry, rather
than seeing a few people keep more
poultry," said Mr. I'eters, the govern
ment man, alter he had lined up some
of the willing workers in Omaha on
this campaign. "In these times of
nnlinuii on I'wee Two. Column SI.)
Judge to Decide HOW
Old an Egg Should Be
When is an egg bad? This mo
mentous question will be decided by
Police Judge Fitzgerald at the hear
ing of David Specter, proprietor of
the Chicago Bohemian bakery, 1207
North Twenty-fourth street. A
complaint states that Specter has
been using eggs past the egg limit
in the making of pastries. A sec
ond complaint, charging he is keep
ing an unsanitary bakery, has been
filed against Spectf
RED CROSS CHIEF
I
SAYS CIVILIAN
RELIEF BIG JOB
T. J. Edmonds, Director of Cen
tral Division, Tells of So
ciety's Aims After the
War.
Civili.ui relief is the big job of the
Red Cross which will justify the so
ciety's continuation after the war, ac
cording to T. J. Edmonds, director
hi this department in the Central di
vision, who talked to Omaha volun
teer relief workers at the Young
Women's Christian association.
"The man in the front line trenches
is a better fighting machine if he
knows his family at home is well taken
i are ot. he said. 1 his is not char
ity work; it is doing our duty to the
family and community from which
the man was removed. Where relief
is given it should be as dignified as
possible. All families to whom this
department should give service will
not be dependent families. Another
big work will be the explanation of
war risk insurance and government
allow am es to ihe families oi enlisted
men."
Too Many Societies.
Mr. Edmonds issued a warning
against the organization of innumer
able relief societies for the aid of sol
dier' families. "The community
should know this is the field of the
Red Cross. In the civil war there
were 7,000 relief societies, not one of
which was properly organized or fi
nanced for the big work."
"One-half of Red Cross work now
is concerned with civilian relief,
rather than military relief, for which
the Red Cross was organized, and the
work will increase as time goes on,"
said the speaker. Civilian relief is
the most important work because it
must maintain all the social stand
ards of the nation. When the war is
over our men must find the world a
good place to live in, alter all, and a
good place in which to convalensee.
Standards of national life will be
stressed in the mean time, but they
must not be exhausted. Child labor
and overtime work for womerrrmtSI
not be countenanced."
. Mr. Edmonds traced the growth of
the Red Cross from its organization
in 1859 for men salvage by nursing
to 'the establishment of public health,
disaster relief work and its present
war work, which includes not only
medical departments, but rantcens,
Christmas and comfort packets, sup
plementary clothing and civilian re
lief. He pointed out the economic im
portance of the prevalence of women
knitters in public. "It means using
up time which would otherwise he
wasted. Hand-knitted articles, too,
wear better than machine-made
ones."
American Aviator
Barely Escapes Death
Paris. Jan. 2. Lieutenant Raoul
Lufbery of Wallingford, Conn., of
the La Fayette escadnlle, had a
narrow escape in a fight with four
German battle machines last Sat
urday. The gasoline pipes on his
airplane were punctured during the
engagement and although he had
the advantage of a higher altitude
his machine became almost help
less through the stoppage of his
motor.
Lieutenant Lufbery seemed vir
tually at the mercy of the Germans,
but by clever maneuvering with one
of the Germans following him down
almost to earth and firing contin
uously he managed to escape un
hurt. His machine was found to
have 11 bullet holes in it.
Nebraskan Tells of Battle With
Six U-Boats Which Allies Won
T have taken part in a battle be
tween ships of the allies and six en
emy submarines, "somewhere in the
war zone," and to have seen the oil
bubbl es on the ocean's surface after
the submersibles had been sent to the
bottom, fell to the lot of Chief Yeo
man Ernest E. Sensency of Plain
view, Neb., who stopped in Omaha
enroute home on a visit.
Senseney was formerly connected
with the clerical department of the
Union Pacific in Omaha. He has
served one enlistment in the navy
and on December 10, 1916, reshipped
and was sent to San Francisco and
later assigned to a torpedo boat de
stroyer. This destroyer made a rec
ord trip from San Francisco to New
York by way i the Panama canal
ami helped to convoy the first con
tingent of the American expedi
tionary forces to a port in France.
Owing to the strict discipline and
secrecy that is maintained. Yeoman
Seiiseney would not gie the names of
any ships that engaged in battles
while lie was with the flotilla. He
tells an interesting story as to how
the subs were sighted by airplanes
and quickly put to rout by the de
stroyers. In this battle there were
2 armed trawlers. 12 armv trans
ports, 5 French airplanes and 10 tor-0
KcA I . J,.. T-...-:
ltuu uuti ui -in o n .s. inuring t lie
lour-nour names not an allien snip
was struck.
"I could tell a whole lot of inter
esting news that would make all
Americans feel jubilant," said the
yeoman, "but we have orders not to
talk, consequently I am a little afarid
to say anything. I know how the
people feel and I would like to give
REFUSE TO ACCEPT
'PEACE' OFFERED BY
CENTRAL POWERS
German Conditions to Retain Poland and Lithuania Bring
Objections From Bolsheviki Delegates; Demand
Every German Soldier Leave Country; Teu
tons Plead for Time and Beg Secrecy.
London, Jan. 2. Peace negotiations at Brest-Litovsk have
been broken off by the Bolsheviki government owing to the Ger
man attitude in regard to Poland and Lithuania and the en--cmy's
proposal that garrisons be retained at Libau, Riga and
elsewhere, according to a telegram from the Petrograd corre
spondent of the Daily News appearing in that paper today.
q m mi-it ArrrDT tpdus
GERMAN PEACE
BIG SCHEME FOR
ANNEXATION
Russ Delegation Returns to
Petrograd, Declaring They
Cannot Accept Greedy
Conquest Terms.
(Hy Aorlnt(l Tr".!
Petrograd, Tuesday, Jan. 1. The
Russian peace delegation returned to
Petrograd today and reported to a
joint session of the central executive
committee of soldiers' and work
men's deputies the progress of the
negotiations will) the Austro-Gcr-mans
at Urest-I.itovsk.
M. Kamcneff, a member of the Rus
sian delegation, read the German
terms, which he characterized as
showing the positive annexation plans
of the central powers and he declare
they were unacceptable in their pres
ent form. He stated that the terms
had not been discussed.
"If after the resumption of negotia
tions," the delegate said, "the Germans-
insist upon these terms, Russia
will conclude peace not with the Ger
man imperialists, but with the repre
sentatives of the people, the socialists
of Germany."
The German terms as submitted to
the Ilrest-Litovsk conference were
reported in substance as follows:
Articles I and II, treat with the
ending of a state of war, evacuation
of occupied territory and exceptions
to the latter provision in the cases
of Poland, Lithunia, Courtland, etc.
Old Treaties Effective.
Article III: Treaties and agree
ments in force before the war are to
become effective if not directly in
conflict with changes resulting from
the war. Each party obligates itself,
within three months after the signing
of peace treaty, to inform the other
which of the treaties and agreements
will not aKain become effective.
Article IV: Each of the contracting
parties will not discriminate against
the subjects, merchant ships or goods
of the other parties.
Article V: The parties agree that
with the conclusion of peace economic
war shall cease. During the time
necessary for the restoration of rela
tions there may be limitations upon
trade, but the regulations as to im
ports are not to be of too burden
some an extent, and high taxes or
(Cnntlnuril nn Van Two, Column Thrre.)
Ernest Sensrenetf
"
l.i
Uietll InCgOOil tl"WS.
nit I dare not." !
Yeoman Senseney has been granted I
i Z . ! .. 1 . 1 i i .
.1 nays shore leave am lei!
Tuesday morning fur I'lainview to
visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John
Senseney. On the return trip he
will go to San Francisco and be as
signed to another torpedo destroyer
winch will make the irip to til
7 one
The dispatch quotes an article from
the Bolsheviki newspaper "Izvestia"
discussing the "new phase in the
peace negotiations." The article says
that owing to pressure from below,
the Germans have been obliged to
soil their lips with the formula put
forward by the socialists at the be
ginning of the war, but the German,
imperialists would not be imperial
ists if they did not try to take back
in fact what with gritted teeth they
yielded in words.
"The Russian revolution cannot ac
cept their conditions to retain Po
land and Lithuania. Just you try it,
gentlemen," says the Izvestia.
This is the line, the corresnondent
I of the Daily News adds, that prob
ably will be taken at a general meet
ing tonight to consider the report of
the Russian peace delegates.
Discredit Imperialists.
The Bolsheviki aim, he adds, is a
world revolution of peace on their
own terms, which they think will dis
credit the imperialists generally. The
correspondent continues:
"And, if in the long run Russia is
driven to conclude a separate peace
on any other terms, I prophesy that
the Russian signatures to such s peaee
will not be Bolsheviki, butjnraibet.
of opposition political parties."
opposition political parties.'
Guards to Border.
The Daily News correspondent
says further that considerable num
bers of Red guards are being sent
to reinforce the front and that other
preparations for defense are being
made.
It is not clear from the dispatch of
the Daily News correspondent when
the meeting, which is said to have re
sulted in the breaking off of peace
negotiations, was held and there is a
pos:,ibility that the report refers to an
alleged rupture of negotiations sev
eral days ago, when the discussions
were adjourned.
"I have private and reliable infor
mation with regard to the breaking off
of the peace negotiations, which
establish beyond doubt the hoi.esty of
purpose of the Rolsheviki," says the
correspondent, whose dispatch . is
dated Tuesday. "The central powers
proceeded to make a more detailed
statement of terms, from which it an
peared that they considered Poland, '
Lithuania, Courland, etc., had already
flcfuicd themselves. They further
based their demand on the statement
of Ukraine that it would not recognize
peace negotiations at which it was not
represented officially. They demanded
that they should keep garrisons at
Riga, Libau and other strategic point!.
Jeer Germans.
"The Russian delegation, acting on
unequivocal instructions from th
Rolsheviki authorities, took an un
compromising attitude. They said
self-dcfin.tioti was impossible until
the last German soldier had left the
country. Further, they jeered the
Germans asking what they proposed
to do. They asked whether they in
tended to take Petrograd and feed
.',000,000 starving folk; or to disarm
a revolutionary country in which
every wo. ! man had a rifle. They also
aske 1 what the Germans proposed to
say to their own democracy which
i protested a couple of months ago
;gamst the proposed annexation of
Poland and Lithuania. They remarked
that they were surprised that even the
Prussian junkers had such audacity.
" The Germans a.sked time for con
sideration and begged that this Stage
of the negotiations should not be pub
lished. The Russians refused to allow
this am' left Brest-Litovsk."
N'egotiations for a general peace at
riiest-I.itov.sk were adjourned Decem
ber 23 until lanuary 4. Since then at
j Prcst-I.itovsk and in Pclrograd repre
j 'entatives of Russia and the central
powers have been discussing inform
ally points to he settled in the event
of a peace agreement being reached.
Provisional agreement has been
readied on some points, but the Rus
sian proposals regarding occupied ter
ritories were not received with favor,
(Colli iuiieil od I'uise Two, Column Onr.)
Five of Houston Rioters
Sentenced to Be Hanged
San Antonio. Tex., Jan. 2. Five o,
the negroes tried by the last court
martial in connection with tiie Hous
ton r'ots ,,ae been sentenced to be
hanged, according to the verdict of
tiie court, announced by Major Gen
eral Ruckman this morning.
1 he are Privates liabc Collier.
Thomas McDonald, James Robinson!
t i . . ... . .
.losepn Mnitn ana Albert i). Wright,
;il! of Company I, 24th United States
in fa :i t r Execution of the sentence
will be suspended until after the case
is reviewed by President Wilson.
1 In ee oi ;hc fifteen tried were an.
c warjtenced to ten years at Leavenworth
j and seven to seven years each.