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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1918)
X The Omaha- Daily Bfe THE WEATHER Fair VOL. XLVII NO. 282. OMAHA, MONDAY MORNING, MAY 13, 1918. 0 Tralni, it Hot.lt, Niwi Ettndi, EM., .SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS. fin E mm WD BORGLUM DEMANDS THOROUGH INQUIRY INTO AIR SCANDAL Secretary Baker Declared in Letter to President Wilson To Be "Party to Statements Untrue and Unfounded, Issued to Deceive Nation" and Serving as Warning to Germany. (By Associated Press.) t Washington, May 12. Gutzon Borglum, storm center of the aviation controversy, made public tonight another letter to President Wilson, denying that he had betrayed the president's confidence, renewing his assertions of grave misconduct in the, government aircraft production organization and insisting that the senate military committee should conduct openly and thor oughly the investigation -which he says he was prevented from making "by the War department under Secretary Baker." In regard-Jo the documents put into the senate record Fri day, designed to show that the sculptor attempted to capitalize his friendship with the president by secretly organizing a cor poration to produce airplanes, the letter says Senator Brande- "gee of Connecticut will submit to the senate Tuesday or .Wednesday detailed evidence and affidavits relating to "this de liberate frameup." DEEPLY CONCERNED. "It is a matter of the gravest con cern to me," it adds, "that credence could be given to charges of such a nature, or that they could have been in your possession and I have received no intimation of the falsehood, until Mr. Marshall intimated that there was some sort of a charge or charges of disloyalty to you. This is so un thinkable that "I dismissed fand de clined to even discuss them." - M. Borglum repeats his published answer to the charges and continues: 'Tt is absurd to state that pro-Germans are clamoring for investigations while the secretary of war is a party to statements untrue and unfounded, issued to deceive the nation and serv ing no other possible purpose except to warn Germany to hurry up her own airplane production as we are forever and forever 'just at the peak of pro duction.' Attacks Aircraft Group. ' ' "Never, I believe, in the history of the country, has a group ot men been Triven so comDletelv a nation's re- sources, together with the adminis- ." tration, and the people s connaence, as has the aircraft group, and never has such confidence been more wan tonly abused. I refer here to Major General Squiers, Howard E. Coffin, Colonel Deeds and Colonel Mont gomery. These civilian and military members appear everywhere in the program planned to meet our military needs and they appear everywhere - in the deliberate and elaborate ma chinery that placed and held the col lossal contracts imong a few they appear everywhere in the fine net work of falsehood arid camouflage, and they include Mr. Baker as their partner in the common statement to the public they deliberately lied to vou and framed up their statements, particularly their failures, misleading ' congress before the senate military committee, and they directly are re- ' sponsible for no engines, no planes, no propellers, and our vanished ap , opriations. Resents "Foul and Unfair Blow." "Had there not been this malicious effort to discredit me with you arid impugn my honor on the floor of the senate, I might have, with the rest of America, though with some shame , and anger, still been holding my peace, waiting ahd watching for the interminable shifting from one de partment to the other of responsibili ties that can lie only at the door of the executive members of the air craft board. "The scurrilous stand by Deed's friend was a foul and unfair blow and the circumstances of its importance and its purpose to invalidate me, dis- credit me, gave it abnormal public interest and unusual publicity. This. Mr. President, compels me to demand that the investigation by the military committee of the senate shall be com plete, and exhaustive in the matters relating to aircraft production, but as these charges have befen brought be fore the senate, the interference by the War department, under Mr. Baker, prevents me from securing proper evidence. "I know you will agree with me in ' this, that I "have a right to demand it, as you know no harm can come to anyone but those who are guilty. "I am loyal to you as our president and even better I am loyal to your thought as so often expressed- touch- ing the state of the world and the na tion's mission, and I shall remain so, but I am not loyal to, nor can I sup port, men or methods inimicable to our country's good, planned to de ceive you and the nation, and discredit us in the eyes of the world." Pershing's Soldiers Come to State to Speak (From a Staff Correspondent.) Washington, May 12. (Special Telegram). Two members of Per shing's "Fifty" who have come to the United States to participate in the forthcoming Red Cross drive have been ordered to report to Professor M. M.t Fogg, in charge of the Ne braska Four-Minute Men at Lincoln, Tuesday, for a campaign through the " state. The men selected to assist in the Nebraska drive are Sergeant Ste vens of Montana, a member of Com pany H, 267th infantry, and Sergeant Paul A. Haverin, of Maine, a mem ber of 'Company D, Second Engineers. , o FRENCH GAIN HIGH GROUND NEARJEMMEL Germans Driven From Impor tant Position Aft:: Long Struggle and Fail in Drive Farther South. " (By Associated Tress.) With the British Army in France, May 12. An important section of high ground near the Vyverbeek river, north of Kemmel, has been captured by the French in a strong attack. Both hifj 44 and Goddeaone farm, which lie between La Clyte and Vierstraar,. were stormed and' occupied, thereby giving the French positions which had been a bone of contention for many days. The Germans also received a knock cn the southern battlefront, where they made a drive in an attempt to capture defenses on the elevation south of Mailly-Rainval. Changes Hands Several Times. The battle for hill 44 was the out come of the German attack May 8. When the Germans assaulted the allies were holding the elevation. Bitter fighting ensued all day Jong and the Germans in the course of time secured possession of the - hill. The British almost immediately or ganized a counter-attack and forced the enemy out. The next day the Germans again drove forward. They made such a heavy assault that they again captured the hill, which they held until yesterday. The German gunners have been pounding the back areas hard and during the last 24 hours great quan tiies of gas shells have been thrown by long-range guns. German Gas Blown Back. Prisoners recently captured declare that the German losses in their at tack between Voormezeele and La Clyte Mary 8 were heavy. Especially severe casualties were inflicted by the allied machine guns which were worked to the last minute. The allied artillery rifle fire also took a heavy toll. Considerable disorganization was caused behind the German lines be cause the gas from their gas shells blew back and forced them to don gas masks. Fortunately for the en emy the gas wa3 only an irritant, not ethal. An interesting entry has been found in the diary of a German candidate officer. Writing at Caix. on the southern battle-front April 22, he said that an attack which had been planned to take place previously had been delayed because a German naval division had pillaged Albert and cre ated disorder. Roumania Ravished by Mailed Fist Treaty, Declares Antonesco (By Associated Trfss.) Vichy, trance, May 12. Victor Antonesco, former Roumanian minis ter to France, Vho recently resigned, showed deep emotion todav when the Associated Press correspondent sub mitted to him the text of the treaty of Bucharest, which he had not seen. "Such a treaty means the crushing of Roumania politically and econom ically," he said. "Her present terri tory is seriously diminished and the door is left open for further wrongs which dare not yet be acknowledged. Will the Danube become an Austro Germah river? It seems probable. "The Carpathians, which for cen turies have guarded the race's ex istance, are torn from us by Austria Hungary. Dobrudia, won by the glorious war of 1877 and made pros HUNS' BIG RUSH NEAR COLLAPSE Entente So Confident It Has Been Decided Not to Use Americans in Present De fensive Operations. (By Associated Press.) Ottawa, Ont, May 12. So confi dent is the entente of its ability to withstand any drive the Germans can launch that it has been decided not to use the American army until it be comes a complete and powerful force, according to a cable summary of op erations on the western front received here tonight from the war committee of the British cabinet. "The position now "Is," said the summary, "that the Germans, de termined to concentrate every avail able unit on an enormous offensive, are draining their country dry to force a decision" before it is too late, while the entente are so confident that, having been given the choice of a small immediate American army for defense or waiting till they are rein forced by a complete, powerful, self- supporttng American army, they have chosen the later. Aim To Exhaust Enemy. "To the sledgehammer uses of masses of men by-the enemy, the allies are opposing the strategy of meeting the blow with the smallest forces capable of standing up to the shock, while keeping the strongest reserve possible. Troops on the wings "are permitted to give ground within limits wherever the enemy has been made to pay a greater price than the ground is worth, the whole aim being to reduce the enemy to such a state of exhaustion that our reserve at the right moment can restore the situation." "In the present operations," the summary adds, "the British army has withstood many times its own weight of enemy masses. It has retired slow ly, exacting the fullest price. Mean while, Foch holds the bulk of the French reserves, sending units only to points hard pressed. Ihts strategy has justified itself in that in three weeks it has seen the enemy brought to a standstill without a single strate gic objective fulfilled and with losses so immense that his reserve is in danger of proving inadequate to his policy. German Positions Exposed. "The German commander, seeing how nearly he is to delivering him self to the allied reserve, has been (Continued on rage Two, Column Three.) MAJOR PADDOCK, NEPHEW OF GEN. PERSHING, ON LIST New York, May 12. Major Richard Bolles Paddock, reported slightly wounded in the casualty list from France, is a nephew of General John J. Pershing, commanding the Ameri can expeditionary forces in France, and has been on his uncle's staff since the American punitive exhibition was sent into Mexico. Born in Lincoln, Neb., the son of General Paddock, who was killed in the .Boxer uprising. Major Paddock made his home in Lincoln with Miss May Pershing, sister of General Pershing, until he entered West Point with the class of 1914. Upon gradu ation he was assigned to the artillery corps and later was placed in com mand of the police reserve military training camp on Staten island. During the Mexican trouble, Major Paddock, then a lieutenant, was trans ferred to General Pershing's staff and when the United States entered the world war, he was made a captain in the signal corps and retained on his uncle's staff. Once.in France, he was placed in charge of advanced telephone communications and com missioned a major. Fifteen Drown When U-Boat Sinks British Mine Sweeper London, May 12. The Admiralty announces that a British mine-sweeping sloop was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine May 6. Two officers and 13 men are missing and are presumed to have been drowned. perous by 40 years of toil, the port of Constana and the magnificent bridge across the Danube are ravish ed by Bulgaria- "Our wheat is requisitioned . at German prices. Railroads, posts and telegraphs arc in German hands. There is a German representative in every ministry, Roumania tri bunals are no longer competent ex cept for civil affairs, while- crimes of public order are judged by a German military tribunal. "Roumania, which had the courage to fight so that Hungarian and Austrian brothers might be reunited with their Roumanian brothers in free Roumania is to be punished by the ancestral oppressor. We are sure, however, that o'ir woes arc only transitory" CONCRETE SHIP PROVES WORTHY IN FIRST TEST GIVEN NEW TYPE VESSEL San Francisco, May 12. Exceeding all the expectations of her- builders, the Faith, largest concrete steamer afloat, was given a tryout which led experts to agree that the shipbuilding world has had something much more tangible than a promising experiment. While they would not go so far as to declare that the per formance of the Faith actually heralded a revolutionary era in ship construction, they were free to admit that the trial trip of the big stone steamer projected possibilities that appeared unbounded. Stone Ship Proves Speedy. The experts admitted that performance of the Faith in two These were her speed and In speed, the Faith averaged more than 11 knots over the course off California City, which was more than 10 per cent better than was expected of her. The vibration of the Faith was pronounced to be practical ly nil, and if she holds up in her trans-pacific trip as well as she does on the bay her advent in the shipping world must be hailed as something spelling extraordinary future achieve ments. Steel Man Enthusiastic. Joseph T. Tynan, general manager of the Bethlehem steel interests on the Pacific coast, said after the trial run that the performance of the Faith exceeded all his expectations. He added: "I don't think there was a man aboard the Faith that was not astonished at what she accomplished. Her performance was in every way a record achievement, and no one can place a limit on possibilities after witnessing such a thing. She ap peared as steady in every way as a steel ship, and there was no vibration to speak of. Her builders have certainly every reason to feel'elated." Astonishes Expert. John K. Bulger, supervising inspector of steam vessels on the Pacific coast, was equally astonished. He said: "The whole thing reduces itself to this : If the Faith holds up as well outside the bay as she did today inside her success will be unquestioned and she must be hailed a genuine mar vel. I was conscious of no vibration while aboard her, and she behaved in every way as a staunch steel craft. It was a most wonderful performance, both in speed and in steadiness." The Faith's engine was installed in 44 days. The previous engine-installing record on this coast was made by the Union. Iron works at the Alameda plant, and was G2 days. RED CROSS SETS NEW RECORD Nearly Million Meals Served at , Rest Stations and Canteens BY ITS ACTIVITIES IN APRIL (By Associated From.) 5 Paris, May 'Xp The work accom plished by the American Red Cross in April surpassed all records of the organization since it took up its activi ties in France. Food and drink were supplied to American soldiers on the way from ports of entry in France to the va rious camps. Nine rest stations on the American lines of communication and seven canteens on the French lines provided 408,000 meals.' Nine metropolitan canteens served 454,000 meals. , A complete new hospital with 200 FIRE IN MIDLAND HOTEL PROVIDES MIDNIGHT SCARE Fire in the engine room of the Mid land hotel, Sixteenth and Chicago streets last night, for a time threat ened the entire structure. It is be lieved to have started from a gas water heater in the basement. Seventy-five guests, with rooms fn the annex, were able to make their way out of the building. The fire was discovered by B. F. Rais, engineer, when smoke poured, up the stairways about 12 o'clock. Sidney Bixler, proprietor, says there has been no fire in the heating plant for a week and he could not account for the blaze. The flames were con fined to the engine room and the loss wilt be small. Tony Rider, porter at the hotel, was asleep on the third floor and was nearly overcome by smoke when rescued by firemen. Noted Archaeologist Dies. Los Angeles, May 12. George La mont Cole, known internationally as an archaeologist, died at his home here today of heart disease. Mr. Cole was an authority on the ancient cliff dwellers and the life, manners and customs of the modern Pueblo people of the southwest. He was 69 years old. New York and Missouri Soldiers at Front Send Mother's Day Greetings With the American Army in France, May 12. The following messages have been telegraphed to correspondents' headquarters with the request that they be trans mitted to New York and Missouri papers: "To the home folks of the 165th infantry: Your boys at the front send loving greetings on Mothers' day. (Signed) COLONEL." "To the signal corps mothers of Kansas City: "Missouri officers and men of the signal battalion send loving greet ings on Mothers' day. It is espe cially sacred in France and every man is writing home. Health ex ceptionally good. (Signed) "GARRET." they were astonished by the outstanding technical features. the lack of vibration. beds was established in a chatteau im mediately behind the front. A hospi tal of 500 beds is being erected at a famous race track near Paris. Convalescent homes have been opened at Cannes and Biarritz. Nine teen artificial arms and 169 artificial legs were distributed gratis. For Americans at the front there was completed a shower bath estab lishment with equipment for remov ing vermin. It has a capacity of 25, 000 men weekly. Two laundries were installed at aviation camps, of suf ficient size to wash the clothes of 1, 000 men weekly. , Six field kitchens furnished food to soldiers going to and returning from the battle field. Fach has a capacity of 5,000 men daily. The Red Cross in the month dis tributed 691,000 hags of tobacco and packages of cigarets. Uiftler an arrangement just con cluded, the Young Men's Christian I association withdraws from all hospi tals, the Red Cross assuming respon sibility for activities of whatever nature there. CHARLES TO PAY VISIT TO WILHELM AT HEADQUARTERS Amsterdam, May 12. A Vienna dispatch reports that Emperor Charles, who has been on a visit to the Italian front, departed Friday for German great headquarters. He was accompanied by Baron Btirian, Austria-Hungarian foreign minister, and Field Marshal Arz von Strauscnburg, Austrian chief of staff. Woman 45 Miles From Railroad Says She Will Return 6 Sacks' Flour "l live 45 miles from the railroad station. I liave six 24-pound sacks of flour, which 1 Lave freighted out here. 1 want the boys over there to have it. It is no sacrifice to go without wheat flour. We have had no white bread, or anything made of wheat flour since last November. Please advise me when and where to send this flour." The foregoing is the response from Mrs. Florence Beckler, Spade, Neb-, to the appeal to save wheat flour, coming to Gtirdon W. Wattles, federal food administrator for Ne braska. "When Nebraskans display such spirit as does Mrs. Beckler. there is no question about Nebraska's pa triotism," says Wattles. "Her offer should be an incentive to every citizen of the state. Isolated, you might say from the world, she has heard the appeal of her country and she has answered the call as only an American can. "Shall wc, who live in the midst of plenty, with every convenience INVADERS SUFFER SEVERE LOSSES IN PICARDY BATTLE French Maintain Positions Recenty Won Near Orvillers Sorel; Artillery Duels Raging Below Amiens and at Verdun; Italians Capture Dominating Position of Monte Corno. BULLETINS. (By Associated Press.) -- Paris, May 12. A German attack last night on the posi tions recently won by the French near, Orvillers-Sorel, on the southern side of the Picardy battle front, broke down with! severe losses, the war office announced this afternoon. There was heavy artillery fighting near Mailly-Raineval, on the battle line below Amiens, and also on the Verdun front. London, May 12. French troops on, the Flanders front im proved their positions north of Kemmel village yesterday and took more than 100 prisoners, the communication from the war office this afternoon announces. - German artillery is active in the Ancre river sector, south of Albert, east of Loos and near Voormezeele, in Flanders. ' NEW MEN AT HELM AS GUARDIANS OF OMAHA AFFAIRS Administration Takes Reins of Government Today, Follow ing Program Outlined by Commissioners-Elect. The new city administration will assume charge of the muuicipal gov ernment today. The following program, informally agreed to last week by the six commissioners-elect, will be followed at the city council meeting" this mora ing: Ed. F. Smith will be selected mayor; W. G. Ure, accounts and finance; J. Dean Ringer, police and sanitation; Roy N. Tow!, public im provements; Harry B. Zimman, fire; Thomas Falconer, parks; Dan B. Butler, streets. Commissioner Butler, re-elected by the high vote last Tuesday, did not attend the conference last week when the organization program was ap proved. Butler wants to retain the accounts and finance department, which he has had for six year3 and did not look kindly upon the "assign ment of the department of street cleaning and maintenance. Several protests will be voiced this morning against" forcing the streets department upon Butler, but there is no indication that the assignments as agreed to will be disturbed. Commissioner-elect Towl yesterday denied that he would dissent. The organi zation plans as announced arc agreeable to him. Old Members Step Down. Members of the retiring council will meet at 10 o'clock and without much formality will turn the reins of government over to their successors. Interest is manifested in the ad ministration of Ringer as superin tendent of the police department. During the campaign heannounced a determination to enforce the laws against bo6tlegging. prostitution and gambling. I he gang has ruled the police de partment," Ringer stated in a speech. "He is hated by crooks in and out of office," reads a circular letter issued two weeks ago by the allied candidates. The New Platform. Five allied candidates were elected on this platform: ' "Help in every way to win (he war; self-government and individual liberty; reorganized police department, eliminating (Continued on I'mcii Two, Column Four.) around us, permit this woman, in the far off districts of this state to re spond to the call while we unthought cdly fail? There is but one answer that is 'no.' "While we arc conserving flour, we must use sugar more intelligently than ever. The food administration has drawn up a plan which will per mit Nebraskans to havcall the sugar they need. By proper observance of this scheme, we can avoid the situa tion we find ourselves in with regard to flour. And we can have sufficient foods, with sugar, to carry us through the season. "One important lesson should be evident to every Nebraskan. If we observe faithfully the rules and regulations of the food administration, we can anticipate conditions and avoid unpleasant situations, which demand unusual and extraordinary remedies. "Let uc emphasize these two things. Save wheat flour, elimina ting it from use, if possible and use sugar more intelligently than you have in the past.' Q HUNS RETIRE. With the American Army in France, Saturday, May 11. In the Luneville sector, our patrols early this morning established the fact that ' the hamlet of Ancerviller has been sdandoned by the enemy. The Ger mans had not attempted to occupy shell holes in the salient which re cently was torn up by our artillery. Quiet prevails today on all fronts' in which there are Americans, according to reports. Poor visibility has pre vented extended aerial activity. The Seichcprey salient shows s'gns of again becoming active. The enemy last night and this morning deluged the place with machine guti bullets. , Fighting Activity Restricted." Berlin, May ,12. CVia London.) The official communication from gen. cral headquarters today says: "The fighting activity was restricted to local engagements. North of Kem mel and on the southern bank of Lys, h.enrmy' attacked after violent ar tillery preparation at several points, pressing forward in strong recon naissances. "North of Kemmel in hand to hand fighting we broke down an enemy at. tack on. our lines? Elsewhere his storming troops collapsed under our lire. "On the western bank of the Avre violent fighting developed as a result of our advance southwest of Mailly, during which we captured 40 prison- ' crs. , . "Between the Avre and the Oise there were many reconnoitering en gagements. , .. , . "In aerial fighting during the last two days 19 enemy airplanes were shot down, 12 of them being brought down by the fighting echelon former, ly led by Baron Von Richthofen." Italians Take Monte Corno. Italian Headquarters, Saturday," May 11. After a long period of in-" activity, owing to weather conditions, Italian troops on the mountain front executed a brilliant operation last night, capturing the dominating po sition of Monte Corno, destroying) an elaborate system of enemy defenses and taking 100 prisoners, two guns, a number of machine guns and much' war material. , The actions were in the Area valley,' which leads down from the Lagarina valley and is the main line of ap proach from Trent and Robereto. It was here that the Austrians attempted to reach the Venetian plain in the first great offensive. Recently they have erected powerful defenses, with battery positions built in Roy, and electrically charged, and with a sys tem of barbed wire entanglements. Take Enemy by Surprise. There was considerable 'snow re maining on Monto Corno, which is 6,000 feet high. This increased the difficulties of movement of the com paratively small Italian force which carried out the attack. It was pre ceeded by a short artillery action. The infantry advanced over rocky and precipitous heights in daylight, but the enemy was taken by surprise and could make little effective re sistance." All the enemy's defensive works were occupied. An Italian po sition was established on the crest of the mountain and the surrounding slopes. The chief effect of the action is to dislodge the Austrians from the dominating height in the center oi the main highway from the mountains and to give the Italians command over the heights and approaches. The result gives great satisfaction, espec ially as the victory was won on the. very spot where Dr. C. E. Battesti, a deputy from Trent who went over to the Italians, and others of this heroic band were captured during the first offensive. Dr Battesti was put to death by the Austrians. Former Greek King, III At Zurich, Suffers Relapse Paris, May 12. Former King Con- ' stantine of Greece, who . is ill at Zurich and recently was reported to have passed the danger point, is said in a Zurich dispatch to the Petit Jour nal to be in a very grave condition. He has had a relapse, and has a high fever. " , All the members of the royal family gathered about his bedside yesterday '
