Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, March 08, 1918, Image 1
maha Daily Bee THE WEATHER Cloudy VOL. XLVII NO. 226. OMAHA, FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 8, 1918 FOURTEEN PAGES. On Trilm. t Molili. ' Ntwa SUnei. tie. SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS. .HE OFFENSIVE ON WEST FRONT HEARS;- j1 "" ,y , . ; 0 .o,. : : 0 . RUSS RADICAL LEADERS INSTRUCT DELEGATES TO SIGN TEUTON TERMS Former Peace Delegate Pleads With Slavs Against Ab ject Peace; Declares Germans are Drawing "Iron Ring" Around Revolutionary Russia; Fran cis Asks for Support of Allies. (By Associated Press.) Petrograd, March 7. The central executive committee of the soldiers' and workmen's council, while recognizing that the German peace terms were those of "political bandits," has ' called on its delegates to the Moscow congress to vote for the ratification of the peace, says the Izvestia, the Bolshevik! organ. This action is advised because the peace has afforded the social revolution an "absolutely necessary respite," declares the radical newspaper. . PLEADS FOR WAR. 0 To a gathering of workmen's and soldiers' delegates at Moscow on Monday, M. Prokrovsky, leader of the second peace delegation at Brest Litovsk, explained th. treaty with the central powers. Deeply, moved, he begged those in sympathy with the democratic revolution not to deceive themselves. The new frontiers traced by Cer many, M. Prokrovsky declared, con stitute a ring of iron around revolu tionary Russia. He said the Germans were endeavoring to stifle the revolu tion, the conquests of which were re duced to nothing by the economic de mands of Berlin. The decree nationalizing the banks had fallen into abeyance because the German terms had the effect of con verting the banks into German con cerns. Military evacuation by Russia of Esthonia, Courland and Livonia gave the enemy full authority in those regions. - ' M. Ziniovictoff, president of the Petrograd council of workmen's and soldiers' delegates; M. Sverdloff and others ;fom Petrograd addressed the conference, s They said the 'Russian ' reprjesentativeswr e'obliged :to sign the peace agreement as a tactical measure ,: owing , to the situation brought about by Ukraine in agree ing to ignominious peace terms. The meeting adopted no resolution. - ' Francis Makes Plea. Vologda, Russia, Wednesday, March 6. In a public statement to the people of. Vologda today on the ' international association as it affects Russia, David R. Francis, the Ameri can ambassador, said: "America has no plans, or desire for territorial conquest in Russia. While the . present government has never been formally recognized by my government or any of the allies, both Premier Lenine and Foreign Minister Trotzky are aware, because I so advised them, that I had recom mended to my government that ' it recognize any government the Rus sian people might select and would also earnestly urge that material as sistance be rendered to such govern ment, provided tha,t .it would continue the war against the central powers. Th? success of Germany would result in the loss by the Russian peo ple of all the liberties they have gained by the . revolution. Conse quently the free people of the United States sincerely-hope that the severe terms of the separate peace imposed by Germany will not be ratified by the Russian people." FORTY PERSONS FACE JUDGE AS RESULT OF RAIDS Sixteen women and 23 men arrested in a raid on a restaurant and cabaret known as the "Races" were arraigned before Police Judge Fitzgerald Thurs day morning. T. F. Smith, Ernie 'Weill, P. J. Chrisman and F. J. Boukal, musi cians, were discharged. All other Al leged inmates were discharged, with the exception of Thelma White, who was fined $15 and costs. Cases of Charles Moore, manager; Ed Rasgor 'shek, bartender; Harry Riley, "Frog gie" Howard and Patsey Carroll were continued until Friday. Other allege! inmates of the dis orderly house were not so fortunate. , Babe Anderson, 617 North Twentieth street, was fined $25 and costs and Dolly Brown of Sioux City was sen tenced to 10 days in jail. These two "were said to be "army vampires." Corrinne Jewell, arrested, in. a . raid on the Belmont hotel, was fined $12.50 and costs. Elvina Thompson also was fined $12:50 and costs. -John Flick and Edward Clark, state univer sity students, were discharged with a warning not to frequirnt "such places." Mable Epps, alleged va grant, provided some excitement by making her escape while telephoning for money to pay her fine. Destroying War Material Made Crime by House Bill Washington, March 7. A bill im posing severe penalties on persons couvicted of destroying war materials or conspiring to prevent its manu facture, was passed by the house to day by unanimous vote after it l-.ad been amended to meet the objection of members thatit would ooerate to penalize workmen- in war plants w!ioj went 'on. strike. A sinii'ar till has!! lecn passed by tne seaate. '. " ENVOY FRANCIS LODGED WITH SIAMESE MEN Washington, March 7. Ambas sador Francis, reporting to the State department under date of March 4, said he was temporarily quartered with the Siamese and Brazilian diplomats in a club house placed at their disposal by the mayor of Vologda. He added that a few of the Red Cross and pub licity workers were still in Petro grad. The State department was with out advices of the ambassador's in tention to leave Vologda, but it was pointed out that any move was dependent upon his own judg ment, although it was not expected he would leave Russian territory. A dispatch to the State depart ment from Sweden said that the British ' charge d'affairs, accom panied by eight members of the staff,, had left Helsingfors on March 4 for Sweden via Tornea. . GERMANS SEIZE JAMBURG, NEAR RUSSCAPITAL Teutons Now Within 68 Miles of Petrograd; Old Regime Revived ' in Occupied Towns. (By Associated Press.) London, March 7. The Germans have captured Jamburg, east of Narva, while the Turco-German offensive is continuing beyond Trebizond, says a Russian official agency dispatch re ceived here today. This action, adds the statement, is despite the official announcement ' by the German high command that hostilities against Russia have ceased. Jamburg is on the railway line from Reval to Petrograd and only 68 miles from the Russian capital. The Ger mans were reported in yesterday's dis patches to have halted at Narva, ap proximately 100 miles from Petro grad; Trebizond is on the Black Sea coast of Turkish Armenia. The Turks were reported to have reached the Tre bizond region i their offensive when the recent ptace treaty was signed. The bolshevik government has been showing concern over reports that the central powers were continuing on the aggressive against the Russians despite the conclusion of peace under the recently signed treaty. Petrograd dispatches on Wednes (Continued on Tag Two, Column Three.) German Socialists Decry Finnish Policy Amsterdam, March 7. Interven tion of Germany in Finland and the consequent ill-feeling against Ger many in Sweden is criticised severe ly by independent socialists and pro gressive members of the Reichstag, a Berlin dispatch says. Baron von Dem Bussche-Haddenhausen, under secretary ot foreign affairs, in reply, said that Sweden no longer raised objections to Germany's action, which was taken in response to ap peals for help from Finland. The occupation of the Aland islands as a base, he said, had not yet taken place. ' GERMANY THREATENS TO SINK NEUTRAL SHIPS (By Associated Press.) Amsterdam, March 7. In an obviously inspired article the semi official Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeittmg warns neutral states in con nection with the negotiations by the United States to acquire neutral tonnage and argues that vessels so acquired assume a hostile character and must be treated as such no matter whether the tonnage is employed within or without the barred zone. The paper contends that such transfer of tonnage by neutrals is tantamount to indirect participation by neutrals in economic war against Germany and involves serious danger of complications "as already shown in the history of the United States during the present war." It adds that participation by neutrals in such negotiations is" an act hardly con-' sonant with neutrality. UBOATSHOSING GROUND, BELIEF OF OFFICIALS Month of December Shows Allies Sunk More Submarines Than Germany Able to Build. Washington, March 7. More sub marines were destroyed by the allies and American naval forces in Decem ber than Germany was able to build during that month, according to in formation reaching Washington. This fact developed today in dis cussions of the statement made to Parliament yesterday by Sir Eric Geddes, first lord of the Eritish ad miralty, that the submarines were being checked. Whether succeeding months have shown a net loss in German subma rines is not known here. It is be lieved that the anti-submarine cam paign has proved so effective that in creased efforts this spring will see a steady decrease in the number of U-boats available to prey on allied and American shipping. Officials Are Optimistic. What officials know of plans for pressing home the attack with in creasing vigor explains , the feeling of optimism that now prevails in of ficial circles despite continued heavy drains on ship tonnage through the U-boats. The gradual decline in ton nage losses was graphically pictured to Parliament by Sir Eric with curve charts. American naval officials appear to be satisfied that the weapons with which thpy expect to crush finally the submarine menace are forthcoming Increased numbers of patrol vessels of various, types, appliances and de vices to make them more effective against underwater craft and the in creased skill of the navy personnel are among the things upon which they count. It has taken time to de vise and build the weapons, but they are beginning to become available now. - ' . , i U. S. Help Appreciated. When the.JJnited.States.f.ntcred. th? war the navy contributed promptly all that it had available to join in the submarine hunt. Sin Eric paid high tribute in his remarks to the spirit and efficiency of American naval units, crediting them with affair share of what had been accomplished. Vice Admiral. Sims' destroyer forces have constituted only the advance guard of what the American navy planned to furnish for the fifht. Even with that limited aid, the allied navies have held the enemy and are now de stroying one out of every four or five German U-boats that put to sea. Now America's real contribution to the naval warfare is about to be felt. With every passing week the strength of the force will grow, for it is em bodied in the most extensive con struction program evefr undertaken for the navy of any power The new' destroyers and other craft must be added to the patrol fleets gradually as. they are completed. Therefore, no sudden falling off of tonnage losses is to be expected. It has been stated publicly by higher British naval authorities, . however, that next August will 6how beyond question that the U-boats have been overcome. There are officials here who are hopeful that decided results will be apparent before then; perhaps as early as May or June. Roumania in Armistice; Final Peace Pact Soon Amsterdam, Wednesday, March 6. The preliminary peace treaty signed Tuesday evening at Bufftea, according to a dispatch from Bucharest, was signed by Foreign Secretary von Kuehlmann-of Germany, Foreign Sec retary Czernin for Austria-Hungary, M. Montschiloff, vice president of the Sobranje, for Bulgaria; Talaat Pasha, the grand vizier, for Turkey, nd M. Cartentojana for Roumania. It was agreed that the armistice be tween Roumania and the central pow ers should run for 14 days from mid night of March 5 with a period of three days for denunciation. Complete agreement was reached between the signatories that the final peace should be concluded within this period on the basis of the preliminary treaty. Omaha to Receive No Aid ' From Released Freight Cars Omaha railroad freight men now foar that Omaha will not be benefited by the recent release of a large num ber of freight cars from Atlantic coast lines. These cars, it was reported, would be sent into the grain, belt, but few of them got as far west even as Chicago. before they were com mandeered and started cast again. When Army Training r CITY COULD SAVE ON FIRE TRUCKS, ASSERTS BUTLER Issue Postponed One Week; Commissioner of Finance Fights. WithnelPs Recom mendation. City Commissioner Butler told the city council the city could save $12, 000 by buying fire apparatus from sev eral bidders, instead of adopting the recommendation of Commissioner Withnell of the fire department to ac cept the combination bid kof the American LaFrance-company.' The council, after, a spirited discus sion, decided to put the proposition over a week, and during the interim City Purchasing Agent Grotte, Assist ant City Attorney Ti Poel and Otto Bauman will prepare and examine blue print tabulations of the technical features of the bids. The LaFrance company's bid of $68,300 for nine pieces of motor ap paratus was recommended by With nell as being the best bid. The. su perintendent and chief of fhe fire de partment are contending for' stand ardization of fire apparatus. LaFrance apparatus was bought in 1916 and in 1917. Butler's contention is that the city is paying for the luxury of stand ardization. The other commissioners were willing to have him sho& where in a saving might be obtained by go ing against the recommendation of the fire department officials, A representative of the LaFrance company explained to the council that he was $1,700 lower than the only other bidder on high grade apparatus. BARE BIG LOSSES IN GOTHAM VICE INVESTIGATION New York! March 7. Gambling losses of $26,400 at chemin de fer pre ceded the attempt of Captain Nicholas Iseguine, Russiar army officer, to take his life here some time ago. This was brought out today at Dis trict Attorney Swann's vice gambling inquiry when Captain Iseguine was called to the stand as a witness. The testimony was sensational. He testified to losing the money at the Ritz-Carleton hotel in January, and that the next day he was taken to a hospital suffering from a revolver wound. The witness objected to being questioned on the subject in detail. Captain Iseguine came here f"m Russia before the revolution as a financial representative of the govern ment. He said he was still getting an allowance from the present Russian government. Omaha Woman Drops Dead in Los Angeles Los Angelc3, Cal., March 7. (Spe cial Telegram.) A woman, said ic be Mrs. Alice Duffy of Omaha, dropped dead in a department store here Wednesday afternoon. Relatives of the woman reported dead in Los Angeles cannot be lo cated iu Omaha. Her name does not appear in Omaha city or telephone directories WORRY Si,iySS2Z7 Camps Are Included . , , v POLITICAL Member of Working Men's Ticket File Petition for City Primary. SHRAPNEL M.-AV7-' Rooneyr-Frsnl! 0. Partner;' II. r L. Birdwell, 'R C Becker and Henry F. Wulf of the Working Men's Nonpartisan and Economic league pri mary ticket have filed their petitions. H. H. Hartn'ett filed -before the refer-; etidumv The seventh member '-of this combination, T.; P. Reynolds, has yet to file. , . ; "Senator", Alfred Sorenson, fs really in the race. .He told his friends last week he would file and he has made good his word. Mr. Sorenson, one of the pioneer newspaper men of Omaha, is at present publishing a weekly pa per. In innate modesty he has not come out for mayoralty honors, but says he will be contented with a plain city commissionership. '. Mayor Dahlman plans o file for mally on Saturday. Candidate Ed P. Smith is seeking to reinstate himself in the good graces of the feminine portion of the elec torate. His opening speech indicated that and the pages of recent political history show that a few years ago he addressed a meeting of women, to whom he did not lend aid a ii comfort in equal suffrage. He is for the women now, appreciating the possibility that they may be. able to vote at the elec tion if not at the primary. In view of the status of the suf frage amendment and the mixup over it in the courts, it is not probable the women will vote at the April pri mary, even should the proposed refer endum on the amendment collapse. The election commissioner would have to have a reasonable leugth of time to register the womer and pre pare the books for the election boards, all of which means considerable work. The election commissioner makes it known that his office is open every working day for revision of registra tion. Voters who have moved within the city or have moved into the city or have become of age since the last election must register if they wish to vote at the forthcoming city election. J. J. Cameron, secretary of the Omaha Retail Grocers' association, seeks a place on the city commission. He is listed as "the grocers' and butchers' candidate." He is advo cating full publicity of all city af fairs and "an honest, efficient busi ness administration." Martial Law in Brazil. Rio Janeiro, (March 7. A presi dential decree was issued today ex tending martial law in the federal dis trict and several states until May 6, when congress convenes. Martial law has been in force since Novem ber in order to keep in check the activities of, Germans who have at tempted to embarrass Brazil in its war activities. FINNS SIGN PEACE PACT WITH GERMANS AT NOON (By Associated Press.) ' . Amsterdam, March 7. Official announcement was made in Berlin today of the signing of a peace treaty between Germany and Finland, and also of trade and shipping agreements and a supplementary pro tocol. The treaty was signed at noon today. Finland, by the conditions of the treaty, agrees to cede no terri tory nor grant territorial rights to any fortign power without the previous consent of Germany, who undertakes to exert herself to secure the recognition of Finland's independence by all the powers. BIG BATTLES OF DECISIVE YEAR SOON TO BEGIN Officials Believe Conditions Nearing Point Where World Will Be Stunned By Magnitude of Operations; President Wilson's Predictions to Come True in War-Torn Europe. By Associated Press. ' Washington, March 7. It is felt strongly that the opening of major operations in what President Wilson has predicted will prove the decisive year of the great war will not be de layed much longer. Mud has been the determining factor of many previous western front operations. U-Boat Crew Brutally Kills Wouhded Captain London, March 7. How the members of the crew of a German submarine brutally killed the wounded master of a Belgian fish ing smack, who refused to leave the vessel, is described in a Press Association dispatch from Pen zance. The submarine attacked the smack with gun fire and the skip per was wounded severely. He urged his men, including his son, to save themselves. The submarine commander forced the fishermen to row Ger man sailors to the smack in or der to place bombs aboard. One of the Germans drew a revolver and shot the helpless skipper through the head in the presence of his son. . , ,., NEW U S. FORCES FACE ENEMY IN FRENCH SECTOR ;'V.4.r':i( - - ' t . I ' Third Detachment of Ameri can Troops Enters Front Line Trenches; Repulse German Raid. . - BULLETIN. . With the American Army in France, Wednesday, March 6.An American patrol comprising one offi cer and. eight. men which had been missing since last night in the sector northwest of Toul suddenly emerged from a shell hole close to the German lines today and made a dash across No Man's land without a shot being fired at them. With the American Army in France, March 7. The third Amer ican force to' enter the trenches has now taken up a position facing the enemy. t An American staff colonel, while with a French raiding party for the purpose of obtaining information a few days before his men took up their positions in1 the new American sec tor on the Lorraine front, met a Prus sian lieutenant in an enemy trench and captured him. The colonel, with an American cap tain, brought the Prussian officer back to the lines Jie Americans are now occupying. The German raids in this new sec tor occurred on Monday night, a sharp fight taking place, in which the Ger mans suffered u repulse, with losses. In it a unit which was among the most recent arrivals disolayed the customary American fighting energy and apparently gave, the enemy a much warmer reception than its ex pected. Repulse German Raid. Paris, March 7. An official state ment issued today by the French war office announcing the repulse of Ger man raiding forces on trendies held by Americans in a new sector of the Lorraine says: "In Lorraine a German rain oit trenches held by American troops was repulsed. Patrols ot our antes oper ating in this region took si.me pris oners." British Aviator Killed. Fort Worth. Tex.. March 7. Bur ton Hurlburt, royal flying corps cadet, whose mother lives at Prescott, unt.. was killed this morning when he tried to make a landing. He was flying with an instructor at the time. The latter, in the back seat, escaped un injured. Hurlburt is the 36th tadet killed here. f) GROUND STILL SOFT. So long as the ground is soft with the winter rains it is impossible to move forward great guns and neces- , advancing line. 1 ' Troops and supplies for Genera Pershing's forces are now moving to France on schedule time, it was learned today on high authority. While figures may not be pub lished, it was stated positively that ; transportation requirements of the ' army are being met by the Shipping board, and the immediate situation as to ships was described as satisfactory. LOOK FOR SIGNS. ' In view of this assurance that the United States will be able to maintain its place as a fighting unit on the bat tlefronts reports from the western front are being scanned more eagerly than ever before by officer!! here for it.. .?. v-vf !t 101(1 imnairm Even in Flanders, however, indi cations this' year are that the ground will harden early in the spring, per mitting either stele to undertake the enterprises planned. , . Start Offensive Early ; -"J-' til prevlVeirtprli' hassecn ;; offensive, operations set in motion by the allies". For that reason many of ficers here seem to anticipate raiding and minor assaults before the middle of next. month, which will show in themselves that the grouni ts, being mapped, information obtained and local strategic advantages estab- lished bv one side'or th other n preparation for a great effort. lo others it appears proDabie mat no offensive will be undertaken on any considerable scale before May 1. They base that view on reports that the trench onensive m lvio started in April, proved to be at least two wccks iuu cany, x uc euua .iu noiu- port could !not be brought forward to consolidate aU the ground the troops ahl in wrrmat trnm , th t-r man control. . ' - ' : ' "' ' - '' ' ' Meanwhile, during the last few davs there has been, less discussion of a German offensive on the western front. There are observers here who never have been convinced that the Germans actually intended to attempt another drive at the channsl ports or at Paris. To these officers, the ad mitted - concentration of . German forces has seemed a defensive rather than an offensive step. They believe that the German general staff fore saw a great allied effort this year and While much' has been said both of ficially and unofficially of an expected German offensive, nothing s to prob able aggressive measures by the allied forces has come over the cables. This fact has attracted particular attention , because of the reiterated official dec laration that the allied !:ne out matched the German in gun and man power and in view of the formation during the winter of the supreme war council, designed to make the warfare more aggressive on the part of the allies and the United States. A substantial American army al ready is in the trenches on the west ern front and Secretary Baker has in dicated that there may be at least 1.000,000 American troop3 in' Francs during 1918. i ' , . -. Refloat Big Steamer. 'l A Pacific Port. March 7. The Pa cific' Steamship company's liner Uma tilla, reported aground on the south ern Japanese coast, has been floated and is nroccediner to Honekonz.-ac- cording to company advices today, . INFORMATION, and ' SERVICE In furthering , our policy of the best possible service, we have in stalled an information desk in ''the lobby of the Bee Building. To the riprht of the elevators. A step off Farnam street. When you wish copies of back num bers of The Bee, when you wish to place a .Want-Ad, or when calling for answers to your ad vertisements, use this lobby ' counter. ' ' ; ' ; Competent clerks are in charge, who will give yu any informa tion you may desire. This serv. ' ice will save you time and in convenience. -": v-' i - "Keep Your Eye On The Bee" Improving Every Dyt ,