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/ ? WEATHER. Fair tonight and Sunday, moderate temperature. Temperature for twenty-four hours end ing noon today: Highest, 87. at 2:20 p.m. yesterday ; lowest. 61, at 6 a.m. today. Full report on page 7. of the Pre* TV Associated Ptn> Is cxrloslvelr SB titled to the u?" for republicstlon of all newa credited to It or not otherwise credited In this paper and also the local new* published herein. All rights of publication of apeclal < herein arc also reserved. IVet Circulation. Month sf Jalf, 1917, Dsllf Artrste, 87?M5| Snndny, No. 26,779. WASHINGTON, ?> C., SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 1917?SIXTEEN PAGES. ONE CENT. 250 MAYBE DEAD RESULT OF BLAST IN POWDER MILL Great Plant at Rigaud, Que bec, Employing 5,000 Per sons, Reported in Flames. FORTY HOUSES WRECKED IN A NEARBY VILLAGE Communication Cat Off and Only Meager Details of Disaster Have Been Received. OTTAWA. Ont., August 18.?First reports received here from the scene of the powder explosion today at Rigaud. Quebec, state that in the Neighborhood of 250 persons have been killed. MONTREAL. August IS.?A terrific explosion ?t the powder plant of Cur tis & Harvey, Limited, at Rigaud. Que bec. today is believed to have caused heavy loss of life. Five thousand men and women are employed at the plant, which covers an area of five square miles. Reports received here soon after the explosion said the plant was nearly all 1n flames. Passengers on a Canadian Pacific railroad train, which passed the scene of the disaster, placed the num ber of dead from the first explosion at twenty. Three Explosions Reported. From points near Rigaud it was learned that three explosions took place. vThe first, at 9 o'clock, was heard In Vaudreuil. twenty miles away. It was followed by two others in quick succession. The explosion disrupted the telephone and telegraph communication with Rigaud. making it difficult to obtain in formation. Traffic on the Canadian Pacific tailroat^s Ottawa-Montreal line, which passes -close to the plant, has been suspended. Rigaud is a post village in Vaudreuil county, Quebec, on the Riviere a la Graisse, forty-five miles southwest of Montreal. It had a population prior to the war of about 1,000 persona Forty Houses Wrecked. Trainman ?b? Kk *>ra>' from the scene of the explafTfcn reported that at Dragon, a little Tillage near the pow der plant, forty houses occupied by workmen were raied by the force of the explosion. The passengers said it was impossi ble to obtain definite figures, as hun dreds rushed into the open country when the first explosion occurred, and I few had returned when their train left I for Montreal. The extent of the explosion may be judged by the fact that two farm houses more than a mile from the plant were blown down. At noon the village of Dragon was blazing and it looked as if it would be destroyed. The whole countryside was covered at 10 o'clock with a dense coppejr-col ored smoke. A special train of doctors and nurses left here at 10:30 o'clock for the scene of the disaster. The officials here of Curtiss & Har vey. Limited, lacked information as to th^r cause, of the explosion. It was said that probably three hundred persons were working in the section of the plant where the first explosion took place. It is believed by the officials the two other explosions were caused by fire which spread from the first. STRIKERS WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOREST FIRES Lumberjacks Will Remain on Job No Matter What Action the I. W. W. Leaders Take. MISSOULA. Mont., August 18.?More than 500 striking lumberjacks, mem bers of the Industrial Workers of the World, who have been sent from Mis soula to fight fires for the United States forest service, will stick to their jobs, even though the threatened general ?tike of the Industrial Workers is called next Monday, according to a statement today by Arthur W. Smith, secretary of the organization here. The announcement is Important, forest service officials say, because the fire situation is now more serious than at any time this year Dangerous fires are spreading rapidly through dry for ests and men enough to combat them successfully cannot be obtained. Fires near Fa 1 son, Idaho, along the Chicago. Milwaukee, and St. Paul rail road. are the most serious in the dis trict. and are said to be thretening the . power lines which supply the electrified ' division of the road. NATURALIZED AMERICAN GLEEFULLY JOINS ARMY Alexander Schaffner Embraces Ex amining Surgeons When Told He Is Eligible for Service. CONNKR.SVil,I.E. lnd.. August 18-a.1 Alexander Schaffner. formerly Alexander Koffovitch. wh<? came to America from Ituw-ia i-averal >ears ago. today was one of the happiest men of draft age in Fay ette ?sounty. Granted his first citizenship papers yesterday morning. Schaffner was ushered from the county clerk's office to the room where physical examinations for draff*6"eligibles were being conducted Schaffner made a special display of his physical prowess, and when told he was physically fit he emitted a s^rien of ye'ls and braced the examining doctors. Then he shook hands with every man in the room and those waiting outside. He em ployed a motor cy?-le owner to carry him in a s.de car to ihe homes of the various conecrip'ion offic??!?. where he serenaded them, playing "The Star Spangled Banner" *? J :.ut .>r:al anthems of oth*r entente nation-- on an accoidion Later he dis tributed cigars ar?>or?g hiii friends. Conscription officials contrasted his rr'rit w??h th=* attitude shown by other men of draft age. OFFERS DRASTIC MEASURE TOPRESERVEORDERHERE Senator Myers Introduces Bill Aim ed at Suffrage Picketing. With Ob jectionable Banners. Senator Myers of Montana introduced a bill in the Senate today proposing some drastic amendments to the law to preserve order and peace in the Dis trict of Columbia. The bill was re ferred to the committee on judiciary. Senator Myers, in a brief statement to the Senate, said he was moved to in troduce this bill on account of the out rageous. scandalous and almost treason able actions which have been going on j around the White House for months, i He said these actions constituted an insult to the President and to the peo ple of the United States. He' declared that the branding of the President of the United States on the banners displayed before the White Housf as comparable with the emperor of Germany was outrageous. He said that the emperor of Germany was the greatest despot and tyrant in history, a murderer, who has brought upon the world the greatest scourge it had ever known. Denounced as Infamous. He denounced as infamous the prac tice of picketing and displaying of ban ners and said that it ought to be stop ped. It hws been going on for months and if there is no adequate law to stop it then the law ought to be amended. "I believe the people of the country are tired and disgusted with the per formance.'* said Senator Myers. "The President, out of the kindness of his heart, had pardoned some of the of fenders. ar.d he feared that the Presi dent had erred when he pardoned them. They had deserved their sentences of sixty days in the workhouse and should have served them. Time for Congress to Act. "Although the President had erred through kindness, it is time for Con gress to step in and effectually put an end to the disgraceful occurrences." Senator Brandege of Conencticut sug gested that as the law has been suffi cient to convict them, there would seem to be no necessity for amendments, un less the senator wanted to deprive the President of his constitutional right of pardon. Senator Myers insisted that there was no such intention, but he thought Con gress should make the law so plain and drastic that it would put a stop to all such disorder in the future. Penalties Imposed. The bill introduced by Senator Myers ; to prohibit display of inflammatory banners in the District applies to war time only, and imposes penalties of a fine of not less than $100 or more than $1,000, or imprisonment for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or both fine and imprisonment. The proposed law applies to banners whose wording is calculated to bring the President or the government of the United States into contempt, or which may tend to cause confusion, excite ment or obstruction of tjie streets. It prohibits banners bearing objectionable language, with reference to the Presi dent, the Vice President, the Constitu tion. to the duties of executive officers or proposed amendment to the Consti tution or. the laws relating to suffrage or rights of citiaens. AMERICA IS TO MAKE REPLY INDEPENDENTLY The reply of the United States to j the Pope's peace note will be sent in- | dependently and not in connection with | any answer from the other belligerents. At least this is the plan at this time as indicated by Secretary I^ansing. A re ply may not be expected until the note has been carefully considered. It is generally taken to be the fact that President Wilson and Secretary ! Lansing will be aided by the tenor of the opinions of the other belligerents and that the diplomatic representatives in Washington are exchanging the views of their governments with the State Department. SEE NO DANGER OF STRIKE AT BROOKLYN NAVY YARD Shipyard Wap Contention Is to Be Beviewed at Xieting of Union Delegates Tuesday. NEW YORK. August 18.?While tilt general situation of the striking ship yard workers is to be reviewed at a meeting of delegates of the various unions to be held in Tammany Hall next Tuesday, it was said today that there was no danger of the strike; spreading to the employes of the j Brooklyn navy yard. Labor leaders es- j iimated there were about 12,000 men i 'engaged in the various shipbuilding trades out on a strike in New York j and vicinity. The m*n ask for an in- '? crease in wages of about GO cents a I day, making the wage for skilled labor} $4.50 a day It was learned today that , the men working at the navy yard are j being pai<> the $4.50 rate, and that thej union men were satisfied with con-s ditions at all government plants. j The strike spread yesterday to the j yards of the Standard Shipbuilding j Company, the New Jersey Drydock ! Company, at Elizabeth, N. J.. and its! allied yards on Staten I.- land, and to j the repair yard of the Morgan Steam-) ship Company. It was estimated that , about 3.500 workers Joined the strik- j ers yesterday. The strike at the Standard Shipbuild- j ing Company's yard is one of the few j instances where it may interfere with ? government work. AMBULANCE AS GIFT. Presentation to Virginia Battalion of Infantry by Jefferson Club. ! S|M>fij| to The Star. RICHMOND, Va., August 18.?A mod ern and complete ambulance of the type used by the government has been pre- j : sented to Gov. Henry C. Stuirt by Wil-1 I liam H. rtchawrxschild, president of ihe Jefferson Club of this city. This is the I '.most exclusive and fashionable Jewish i club in ltichmond. The ambulance is the gift of the club j to the 1st Battalion. 1st Virginia In ; fantry. Gov. Stu?.i*t received the gift on I behalf of the troops, and then in turn J presented it to Maj. J. Fulmer Bright, | commanding the battalion. The ambu lance ?as furnished with a case of the latest surgical instruments and is ready for field service. There are a number of Jews in the military commands from this city, while there are few of the companies from any part of Virginia which have not Jewish soldiers in their make up... .^ :Jv\ Income and Profits Provisions Principal Item in Dispute in Senate. | FEW UNCONTESTED ITEMS Only a few of the uncontested provi sions of the war tax bill remained to he disposed of when the Senate resumed consideration of the measure today. Much headway is being made in dispos ing of important features, among them being the wine and motor vehicle sched ules. With the disposal of all the uncon tested provisions, the Senate's decks then will be cleared for action on the income and war profits taxes, the prin cipal point in dispute. Senator Gore of Oklahoma offered an i amendment today to the war tax bill pro [ viding that none of the money raised by t the bill shall be expended for sending: troops abroad unless soldiers have vol j unteered for the sfrvice. Further progress was made in the Senate yesterday on the bill. The Senate adopted an amendment f by Senator I'nderwood of Alabama pro viding: that war increases in postage ! rates shall npt be the basis of increas ing: any postmaster's compensation. "Senator Hardwick of Georgia intro du6ed his substitute amendment, re- i Jected by the finance committee and in- ' dorsed by the Post Office Department, for the committee's provision to in crease second-class postage rates. The substitute would leave the present i rate of 1 cent a pound on news sections of publications, but tax advertising: portions J 3 cents a pound until July 1 next, 6 cents! a pound until July 1, 1919, and 8 cents a pound thereafter. To meet objections against repeal of the "drawback" allowance of sugnir refiners. Senator Broussard of Ixmisiana introduced an amendment providing that the allied governments may import raw sugar into this country for refining free of duty. Senator Thompson of Kansas offered an amendment to exempt bank checks from the proposed 1-cent stamp tax. House Provisions Approved. The revisions of the finance commit tee levying between $40,000,000 and $j?0.000,000 on owners of motor ve hicles instead of $6S,000.000 on manu facturers, as proposed by the House bill, were adopted, as were the in - i crease* *ates on wines, estimated to! raise $21.0ov.000 against 56.000,000 I under the House rates. House provisions levying a 5 per cent tax upon gross sales of many manu facturers and designed to raise $118. 750,000 also were formally eliminated, the new automobile and other reduced taxes being substituted. The Senate also accepted the finance committee's action in striking out the House provision far Afditioud federal taxation of innarttiancoii, designed to raise $0.000,000. New Kngland senators protested that inheritances are a prime source of local, state taxation and should not be interfered with by the federal government. Surtax on Automobiles. An amendment to the automobile section suggested by Senator Knox and adopted imposes a surtax of $!?> -for each $.~?0o value on cars costing more than $3,000. As accepted the section now provides the following motor vehicle taxes, pay able by owners of those not used ex clusively for business purposes: Motor cycles. $2.50; automobiles costing un- j der $.>0O. $r? annually; costing between and *7."?o, $7.."?o; costing between $75o and $1,000. ?1?\ with $."> additional for each $r?oo up to S." 0oo. and $lu for ea< h $5oo above *.*!.?m?o. The tax. based upon original list price, would be reduced by 10 per cent for each year's use of the machine up to a gross allowance of ."70 per cent. PRESIDENT KEEPS TAB ON MOVES BY I. W. W. Chief Justice Covington Is Report ing Direct on Western Labor Troubles. President Wilson, in making a per sonal study of the labor situation in the northwest, especially in Washing ton. Oregon, Montana and Idaho, where a general strike of the I. W. W. threatened next Monday, is keeping in ' touch with the situation through ?'hief Justice Covington of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, his per sonal investigator now in the west. Situation Still Is Grave. Department of Labor conciliators on the ? ground reporter! over night that the situation seemed to have changed sliiefctly for the better, although it was still grave, offers of mediation have been made in some instances and will ! probably be made in others today. Department of Justice officials, scan- : ning over-night reports, saw little : change in the situation. A recommenda- | tion said to have been reached at a con- ! ference yesterday among Gov. I.ister of I Washington, the state attorney general ami representatives of the Department of Justice had not be?n received here today. The recommendation, it was re ported. was to the effect t!;;ir all strike leaders should be summarily arrested ! when the strike became effective. In the absence of official confirmation of the report, department officials de clined to comment on the situation. May Avert Coal Strike. I Officials in clos? touch with the threat ened miners' f-trike situation in Alabama I were optimistic early today that the ?strike would be averted by developments; | within a few hours. ? I Paris Club for Allied Officers. | PARIS. August 18.?The presence of so j many allied officers in Paris has resulted in the formation ?<f ? military club f,?rl j their use. Karon Henri de Rothschild has i offered his mansion in the Kue Sauit j I Honore. with gardens reaching to the' Champs Klysee. as a clubhouse. Marshal Joffre has accepted the honorary presi dency. U. S. Sailor's Body Washes Ashore. BASK OF THK AMERICAN KLOTILI.A IN BRITISH WATERS, August IK.?The body of James H. Bush, twenty-eight years old. of Brockton. Mass.. fireman on an American destroyer, has been mashed ashore, clearing up the mystery of his dis appearance ten days ago while on watch. Aocidental drowning was the verdict at an inquest. It is the first death since tho arrival of the.flotilla. . Danger of Immediate Strike at Lon don Involves Many Bailway En gineers and Firemen. LONDON. August 18?There is con !! f, ,lanKer an immediate strike involving about half the en gineers and flre-men employed on Brit ' railroads, the main point at issue being the recognition of the principle Of an eight-hour day. although the de mand does not necessarily include mak ing the principle effective during the I r?a?iin Th? ,m1ni00ncerr"?d nui?ber about I Sy a?"f l ocomStil0. Etigi neers '^tnd I the^much ,?'r union o'f raT 1 SrJnen. wh,ch '? no' involved Th. i trouble ha* t*.?n hr?? . "* 1 tim?L., * hre*ln" fo<" some j fP-y dh?< i ers in thhope 'of'arrangIng'the1 d pute although without 5uc.?,? Adt' -: were not granted. "CaUSe ,he j Ute in the evening: Secretarv r?nr>?? i ther ^Uu^eit7ons? Jhirh^1^^8 fUr" ' Often Work 15 Hours at a Stretch, i ^irr I recognizing* the (ess-it; ofoworking somewhat longer")^ I ~ j would 'ause dXv"T,r?hewh"" tion of wounded, as wen as reTnfor'e" l' menls of men and supplies to ports V 1 ^Th?n%? ^ regards ?raXe7chSo?7abSr "uceh ? | 'eerns however, that there is some'an tagonism between the two tin on" It w predicted that if the strike develops I measures!""men' ?"'? '?ke ver^t?'# j GREAT LAKES FREIGHTERS FOR WAR TRADE SERVICE Federal Apent at Cleveland to Com- i mnndeer.Craft for Coastwise and 1 Transoceanic Traffic. < I.l.\ ICLANT). Ohio, August 18 Al representative of the Inite.j states' shipping board was in Cleveland today,' definitely initiating government plans ' to commandeer lake freighters for coastwise and transoceanic war trade Figures tabulated by the government agent in conference with local shinning : ex pel ts owners, builders and tug men I show that upward of eighty lake Can be taken to salt water The ???., ! ping boards dec.sion will rest upon the ' report to he made by its .epresema,ive i The plan IS to take every boat possible of prssmg through the Welland ??!? ' and thence through the St. I.awrenc? ' river to the Atlantic before lake tr-ir ? fit* is i<*ebo'.infl. The ?him>in<r i.A, , f" ? now making a list 0f bon.a under 2?'? ' feet length and 4:: feet beam wjilch I can pass through the Welland can-. without alteration. canal ( Boats up to 520 foot length and not more than 4:: feet beam will l>* t?ut in two and towed hy tugs through th2 canal and river. e . PITTSBURGH TB00PS PABADE. ' City Bids Farewell to Men Depart-j in? for Training Camp. I-ITTSKI KCH. August IS.?With a ' military review and n:ir-<ri? than 4.000 former Pennsylvania nl' ? th.nal guardsmen row in federS se??' Ice, the city of Pittsburgh today ba"e ' farewell to the troops that have been concentrated here for more than a week awaiting orders to proceed to ,h? ?southern training camp at Auirnsta J Only the former guardsmen nni recently commissioned as officers a Z'm" various officers' reserve traini? were permitted parade* was reviewed by Brig. Oen A t t and Mayor Joseph Armstrong. Kan Count Andnusy May Be Premier COPENHAGEN, August 18-b?h' pest papers say that Cot,nt Juilu? a?" drassy is slated to succeed Ooi.nJ u A,n" Esterhaiy as premier of Run?r^?ThI1 prime minister fa expected leave his post on account of hi health* SMALL COMMITTEE IS TO FLOAT NEXT LOAN Work in Second Federal Reserve Bank District Is Already Being Planned. ' NEW YORK. August 18.?The actual ? work in connection with the flotation of the next offering of liberty bonds ; in the second federal reserve bank dis J trlct will be done by a small commit I tee. composed of not more than five | or six members. The decision to place ; the responsibility for the success of | the forthcoming loan in the hands of l a few men was dictated, it was said, today by the fact that the large num ber of subcommittees in the first loan campaign resulted in confusion and duplication of effort. Among the names meutiojaed as probable members of the eemroittee are CUarles E. Mitchell, president of the National City Com ! pany; Allen B. Forbes. Guy Emerson i and Arthur M. Anderson. I Owing to the large number of young 1 er men employed in the financial dis I trict who have been drafted into the ! National Army or are eligible to serve, j members of the liberty loan general I committee said today that it may be i difficult to raise a large enough force I of competent clerks to handle the de ! tail work of the sale and distribution ! of the loan. NeT Issue Before Committee. I The House ways and means committee | had before it today Secretary McAdoo'a { proposal for a bond issue of $7,53S,945, j 000, to bear 4 per cent interest and subject only to income supertaxes, war i profits and excess profits taxes. The ! proposed legislation is intended to pro j vide $4,000,000,000 for additional loans j to the allies and for retirement of the $3,000,000,000 non-taxable 3 ^ per cent ' bond issue now authorized to meet al : lied loans. The committee will meet a week from i today and prospects are that it will ac cept the 4 per cent proposal. Full sup j port of the committee for authorization of the bonds is expected, although sen | tiinent apparently is strong for a flat j levy of 6per cent on the interest rate 'for the applicat'on of the income tax. It ! is hopec' to put the necessary legisla tion through the House inside of a week after the committee acts. FEATURES WORTH READING Among the many feature* to be found tomorrow in The Surday Star the fol lowing arc of particular appeal: XATIOXAL SERVICE FOR AMERICA Anoth> r in the really remarkable; nrrie* of article*, by ISAAC /?'. MAR rossoX. "MISSIXG? PAGE II" An unusually inter/ft I tiff detect ire story, by Anna Kathcrine Gre?n. in her series of storie* i each complete in itself > entitled 'THE PROBLEMS OF VIOLET STRAXGE." \ WASHIXOTOX MYSTIC GIVES STARTLIXG EX III BITKtXS OF "OC CULT TRUTHS." CAMP CITIES TO 11E HOMUS OF OCR IlKi X ATI OX A I. ARMY. 'ROMAXCE AX l> ADVEXTURE IX THE RISE Of EDWARD V. HUB LEY." by JAMES H. MORROW. .IE A LIXO I'A IH.) MI'TILA Tl'.D ITAL IA V SOLDIERS RY THE MERE pnWER OF SUGGESTIOX. HOW EVERY XM ERIC AX WOMAX (AX T1KE PART IX THE COXSFRIA TIOX OF FOOD AX It HEALTH. 'WHEX TASTE A \1> E SOW LEDGE OF liRESS IS X EC ESS A RY," by A X XI.' Rl TTEXII Ol'SE. REAL PIOXEER1XG WITIIIX .1 FEW MILES OF WASHIXGTOX A iron derfully interesting story of a man tcho in,at back to the toil a feu: years ago and made a succes* of it. 'THE CAPE TO CAIRO LI X E AS A RESl'LT OF THE El ROPE AX WAR." by CHARLES M. PEPPER. THE RAM RLE R WRITES OE THE SEW ALL AX I> BARBOUR FAMILIES. HISTORY OE THIS GREAT WAR IS ALREADY REIXG WRITTEX. ' IFiCHIXG SAMMIES IX FRAXCE Tit PROTECT THEMSELVES." by STERLIXG II El LI G. "ORGA XI'UXG THE LI MBER IXDl S TRY FOR THE ARMY AXD XAVY." by FRAXK G. CARPESTF.R. I V THE PLA XOG HA IF RE SECTIOX : A XFMRFR OF REMARKABLE WAR PHOTOGRAPHv. Including: A Xcw Snti*n/irlnr. Controlled by Wireless. Which May Rout Germans; A Camou- \ frge Tank to Fool the Enemy; An Actual Rat tie Sc-ne on the Austro Itati'in Front: Feeding a Monster Brit ish Gun : The Spoils of War Picked Up on the Battlefield. SCFXES AT AXXISTOX, ALA.. WHERE KATIOXAL GUARD OF THE DIS TRICT IS TO TRAIX. LADIES' DAY AT THE MUNICIPAL POOLS. Tomorrow in The SUNDAY STAR COAL HEARING 10 BE | RESUMED MONDAY i I Justice Carter Announces All Sides i Will Be Given Opportunity in Illinois. 1 By the Associated PrfM. j CHICAGO, August IS.?The coal sit j nation in Illinois remained unsettled j today, the public hearing on prrce fix | in* by Justice O. N. Carter, director of <oal. having- been adjourned until next f Monday. Justice Carter, acting under instructions from Gov. Frank O. Dow den, has announced he will proceed with the hearing until all sides have presented their cases, after which he will set a price for fuel at the mine mouth unless such power has in the meantime been assumed by the federal governments i The coal operator* have publicly re pudiated an agreement reached with Gov. T ipyttW' itifc Wfinlr which resulted in the apbomtraient or Justice Carter as state coal director, with authority to fix prices. Their action caused Gov. Lowden to consider seizure of mine properties in the state, to which end he has called upon State Attorney General Brundage for information as to the proper proce j dure to follow. Gov. J?wden sent a ! telegram to Francis S. Peabody. chair | man of the coal committee of the Na tional Council of Defense, declaring he might be obliged to take possession of the coal mines in the state in order to enforce the contract he made with the operators. Mr. Peabody, in his re ply, asked the governor to delay, as serting federal action would no doubt be forthcoming shortly. In a telegram to Samuel Insull. chair man of the state council of defense. President Wilson also gave assurance that the Illinois coal problem "is re ceiving the most careful attention, and everything that can be done will be done." Many of the 20.000 c?al miners who have been on strike in certain districts of Illinois have already returned to work and labor leaders predicted today that others would resume work next Monday. DR. MICHAELIS OPPOSED TO RULE BY PARLIAMENT Article by German Chancellor Res urrected to Show Political Beliefs. j COPENHAGEN,, August IS.?Interest - j ing light on the political creed of Dr. jGeorg Michaelis. the German chan cellor, is given in an article which he wrote in December. 1914. for an obscure religious weekly, which has now been ! resurrected. It condemns parliament arism on the one hand and on the other the selfish policy of the conservative party. "What democrat, in view of the mis erable fiasco of parliamentarism in ; England, of the republican constitution ? in France, can demand parliamentary rule in Germany?" Dr. Michaelis asked i "Who will dare to touch the emperor's military authority?" He challenged those who "wish to place the noose of ministerial responsibility to the law about the neck of the chancellor." After paying a tribute to the social ists, Dr. Michaelis rebuked the conser vatives, saying they opposed franchise reform and an inheritance tax to pro tect their own power and pocketbooks, and determined their policy in regard I to other legislation by personal instead j of national interests. | NEW YORK EXPECTS CLASH j OVER SOAP BOX ORATORY i I j Effort of Vigilantes to Suppress In 1 cendiary Speech to Be Opposed by "Constitutionalists." i NEW YORK, August IS.?Madison j Square, Union Square and street cor- i ners along Broadway in the theatrical' district where soap-box orators nightly ? air their views, under the guise of free speech, have been cho'sen as the centers of attack tonight by squads of vigi lants in the campaign against so-call ed pro-German orators. Opposed to the vigilants will be con stitutionalists, who plan to see-that the rights of free speech are not impaired. At the same time the friends of Irish freedom have announced their inten tion to test their right to continue criticising Great Britain, to which Cleveland Moffett, the author, objected recently and was arrested. Membership In the vigilants was in creased to ninety today. GERMANIC ALLIES MASK) PEACE Austria Wishes Favorable An swer to Pope?Bulgars Covet Occupied Areas. BERLIN REPLY TO WAIT By the A?sociat*d Pr?*M. COPENHAGEN, August 18?The Ger | man foreign office is not yet ready to announce the government's standpoint on the Pope's peace proposals and an answer probaldy will be delayed consid erably while the four central powers are endeavoring to reconcile somewhat divergent views and interests regarding | peace. A cordial article in the Cologne Ga zette perhaps presages the German point of view by declaring it is the duty of all governments to support any effort at ! honorable mediation and pointing out that the Pope's action is in line with previous efforts of Germany. Austria for Favorable Reply. It is evident that Austria-Hungary will throw its full weight in favor of J an affirmatitve answer to the Pope's welcome proposal just as Bulgaria, which recently has been manifesting i extreme sensitiveness upon Austto Germat} discussion of the future of Macedonia, will flatly and vehemently oppose any acceptance of return of oc cupied areas. The note which was sent i direct to the ??mperor by the i'ope was published in the morning papers. I While the newspaper Germania, as i befits its representative Catholic char acter. is decidedly optimistic regard ing the prospects for taneible results, most papers are rather skeptical as to the chances that it will lead to any thing in the immediate future. Stand of Pan-Germans. At least the pan-German papers insist that peace on the proposed basis is utterly impossible. Th* Herlin Tages Zeitung in its comment says the evacu ation of Belgium and all occupied re gions of France is impossible, just be cause independent Belgium henceforth would be an irreconcilable enemy of Germany and it must be subordinated to the security of Germany's frontiers. Even the plan gf the former German chancellor. Dr. von Bethmann Hollweg. for a Polish protectorate is rejected, because the Poles have shown them selves ungrateful for favors granted them. Oppose Pope's Program. The L.okal Anzeiger says it is now clear that the Vatican was behind the ? recent action of Mathias Krzberger and the center party which led to the adoption of the reichstag peace reso lution. It quotes a '?well informed politician." evidently a member of the center j>arty. as sayln* that the Pope knows i?ermany's peace conditions and undoubtedly informed the entente gov ernments in regard to them before [venturing to make this proposal. Be I ing an annexationist organ, the I.okal J Anzeiger disapproves the Pope's pro gram. The Fremdenblatt of Hamburg says the Pope obviously chose a poor time for his proposals, which can count on no particularly favorable reception, at a moment when the necessity of prose cuting the war is being announced on jail sides. Sees Balance With Entente. The note contains one point agiee able to Germany and other* favorable to the entente, the newspaper says, the balance undoubtedly being on the side of the entente. It continues: "It is questionable enough for the Pope t<? include so delicate a question as that of Belcium. but far more so to touch the questions of Alsace-Lorraine. Trent and Trieste, affecting the disposal of German and Austria^ soil. These points are treated carefully, but not in 'delicate enough form to make it pos sible for Germans to take up even academic discussion with foreigners of matters bound up so indissolubly with the fate of Germany as the disposition of Alsace-Lorraine.** The newspaper regrets that the papal note makes it needlessly difficult in regard to this and other points for the Germans to recognize the praise worthy intent of the pontiff's efforts. Pope's Plan Considered Shortsighted by Paris; Terms Unacceptable By tke AMsoriat*-?l Pr?-s*. PARIS. August 1*.?The impression gathered in well informed circles here is that the peace proposal of Pope Benedict has not modified the situation from the viewpoint of the entente al lies. who have no reason to depart from the attitude they outlined in re ply to President Wilson's peace note. The pontiffs document will be con sidered with the deference due to th<* personamv of the author, but not with the idea that it necessarily calls for a reply, because it raises no new issu- s and simply seeks to put the belliger ents In the position t'nev occupied at the beginning of hostilities, which, it is pointed out. is an absolute impos ? sioility. , . , ! Particular stress is laid ??n the mo I merit chosen for the sending of the l note?when the military situation on ; the Russian and Rumanian fronts tem- , porarilv is favorable to the central powers?and on the nropositlon of th* i'ope to leave Belgium and France to restore their own devastated r^eions j while Germany, with the agricultural I and industrial machinery of which she ; has stripped those regions, would en- : jov a crushing economic superiority for j years to come. Deemed Fatal Defect. This is considered the fatal defect in i the pont ff's plan?that the allies would be precluded from economic measures , for th^ir protection against the central empires, while Germany would be al lowed to profit from her invasion of j Belgium and northern France. ' The plan for the settlement of the rase of Alsace-1-orraine. Trent and Trieste is contrasted with the proposi tion regarding Poland, the latter seem ing to accord perfectly with the ulans of the central powers, while the for-j mer is regarded hjj likely only to de velop an interminable diplomatic em- j broglio The humanitarian reasons for; the pope's action are admitted and ap-J predated, but they are considered : short-sighted, as it is stated that the j peace proposed is so unstable as not j to guarantee its duration beyond the} time necessary for the belligerents to! recover from the wastage of this war j and prepare for another. It is stated 1 that the real interests of humanity re quire a decisive result In this war. which, it is held, alone can prevent another. The Catholic Gaulois makes a distinc tion between the solemn ? office of the pontiff in decreeing articles of faith and the expression of purely human " (Continued on Seventh Pa|^.) Teuton Attacks Fail Complete ly After Fierce Fighting in Flanders. FRENCH MAKE PROGRESS Br the A?iM>c-tatc<I Pnnt. LONDON. August 18. The German troops in Flanders wcro again com pletely repulsed by the British after sharp fighting. according to the British official statement issued early thia morning. The statement says "The enemy early today delivered an other counter attack against our re cently raptured positions immediately northwest of Lena. Ilis troops were attain completely repulsed after sharp fighting. in which we secured a few prisoners. There was considerable hos tile artillery activity during the night in this neighborhood and also north east of Ypres." Twenty-Four German Guns Seized. The statement of last night reads: "On the Ypres l.att'e front otir allien have improved their position slightly in the neighborhood of the Steerl?eke and have taken further prisoners. Otherwise, the situation lias not changed No further counter attacks have liecn attempted by the enemy Twenty-four German guns, in cluding numb -r of heavy guns, have been captured by the allies. "On the I a >os I-attic front we have se cured the positions captured by us yester day afternoon and have gained further ground west of Lens. Th- number of pris oners taken in this area sine*; the com mencement of our attack now totals 1,120, including twenty-three officers. Raid East of Vermelles. "We carried out last n'ght a successful raid east of Vermelles. The enemy's sup port line was reached and many casualties were inflicted. "There was great activity in the air yes terday, although*a strong west wind mada fighting difficult. Our airplanes had greatly the better of the fighting and were able to carry out their task successfully in spite of the determined efforts on the part of I hostile aircraft to interfere with their work. Our activity commenced l?efore dawn and continued uninterruptedly throughout the day. Hostile airdromes were cleared with machine gun fire from a height of a few score feet A total of nine and one half tons of botr.bs was dropped on the enemy's airdromes, railway stations and billets. "Other machines directly assisted our infantry in their attack, harassing the / German infantry and gunners with may chine gun fire. Our artillery fired directly upon concentrations of German troops. Fifteen hostile machines were brought j down, eleven others were driven down out ? of control. One German observation bal loon was also brought down aflame. Kiev* en of our airplanes are missing " Denies Loss of Langenxarck. The official press bureau denies that ! the Germans have recaptured I-ange imarck. Belgium. Concerning the report in j the German official communication that | the forces of Crown Prince Rupprecht i had retaken the town, which was captured ? by the Kritish Thursday, the official press | bureau issued the following comrnunica i tion: "The German wireless official com munication contains a series of mis statements. The right flank of the allied attack on Thursday was on the Ypres-Menfcn road.* There was no at tack between this road and the River Lys The enemy, therefore, nearly doubled the length of the front of attack. "The enemy has not recovered I?ange marck, nor did lie make any attempt to do so. A British staff officer re ported at *? p.m. "today that he had Just returned from Langemarck, where he had been for five hour> "The British troops hold not only Langemarck. but a considerable lengtii of the German offensive position yards north of Langemarck. Reference to Pcelkappelle. j "The reference to 1 'oelkappelle ob J viously is intended t?? give the im i pres&'ion that the British failed to j reach some imaginary and distant ob jective just as in the German official statement Thursday it was implied that the British objecti\e on th?- l^ens front was Vendin-le-Vieil. It is sufficient to state that the British troops gained all their objectives not only north of Lens on Wednesday. I?ut also from St. Julien northward on Thursday." The statement also points out that the G^rrtan claim that the attack on Wednesday was made with four Cana dian divisions was an exaggeration. | PARIS. August 1*.?The French last j night made further progress in Bel | gium north <?f the road between Bix schoote and I*ang< nrck, it is an I nounced officially. They captured a ! strong point of support east of the ; Steenbeke river. German attacks on j the Aisne front were repulsed. ??n the Verdun front tlie French In a ; brilliant attack recaptured positions recently taken by th.? Germans, com pletely re-establishing their lines. The announcement follows: "In Belgium our troops continued to make progress north of the road from Bixschoote to Langemarck and carried a strong enemy point of support east j of Steenbeke. j "North of the Aisne-we repulsed sev eral attacks, especially east of the j Froidmont farm. In Champagne our i artillery fire prevented an attack which the enemy was preparing: in the , sector of Massiges. "On the right bank of the Meuse (Verdun front) our troops made a brilliant counter-attack at Caurierea wood and recaptured elements of trenches taken by the enemy on Aug ust 16 and IT. Our line w;y> re-estab lished completely. Heavy artillery fight.ng continues in this sector. "In Alsace a German attack near Steinbach v. as repulsed I y our Are. Elsewhere the night passed in quiet.** Twenty-Four German Guns Seized. Last night's communicatIon follows: "In Belgium the Germans made no further attempt in the course of the day. Our troops are organizing the ground we captuied north and east of Bixschoote. from I ?!????*? echt en. whiclt is in our possession, lo the Broenbeck river. "We have finished reducing a few nests of resistance and have added to the number of out prisoners, which now exceeds 4???. Beside*, we have cap tured fifteen cannon and a large num ber of mitrailleuses. ??The cannonading was lather spir ited at various points on the Aisne front, especially in the region of the plateaus in front of Craonne. Two hundred and fifty shells fell on lvheims. Two casualties are reported among the civilian population. "On the right bank of the Meuae the artillery struggle continued violent in