Yorkville enquirer. [volume], December 03, 1918, Image 1

About Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006

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Y0RKV9LLE ENQUIRER.
IS8PED MCMI-WEKHLT.
L. M. GRIST'S SONS, Publisher*, r % ^amilg Jletrspayer: ^or th$ promotion of th$ political, ?otfal, Sgri^nltnral and (fommfrcial Jntfrests of th$ Pfoylj. | SINGLE COPT. PI VE CENTS.
ESTABLISHED 1855 ~~ YOUK, S. a~fufe IV V DECEMBER~371 >18. ~ X
COMMUTATION FOR MOONEY
Death Sentence Changed to Lite
Imprisonment
?~?- ??
GOV. STLPHtNS MAKtS STATEMENT
Celebrated Case Which Has Figured In
National as Well at International
Affairs?Labor Had Threatened to
Strike?President Was Much Concerned.
%
S.u i.iin?-nt<>. <"al.. Nov. as.?The .s?nU-iii
o! Thomas J. Mooney, si-nti need
to Im- hniiKcd on December la. for the
deaths of ti n persons killed hya bomb
xi'l<i>ioii in San Friuietsi o during u
ju? Mil' dm ss |>aiad* in July liiltf, was
I I lllullteil h> IfliV, Stephens tO-llllfht
o imprisonim at lor lit*-.
Court action to save Mooney Irom
the gallows was exhausted by th< |>riMiiier.
tie supreme court of the I'nitid
States huviiu: recently docid* <1 it could
not review tea.si-.
Threats of a national strike in rase
the governor <li<l not interfere had l?een
made hi various parts of the country
and some time ago it was reported
that resident Wilson had written the
governor to see that Moonej suffered
lio in just ice. The trial judge had also
n' ! ( ste.i a lo w trial for Mooney.
iovernor Stephens' statement announ)
tug the coiniiiutatioii said that
in considering the case he had had hefoi?
him "the una nt appeal of the
president of the I'nited States that I
grant commutation."
'originally, in January of this par.
I received a letter from the president
asking me ii it would not lie |tossihle
to |mis! fidlie till- execution of MoOtteV
until he could he tried upon one of the
other imlictinents against him.
"Inasmuch as an appeal already had
l? en taken to the supreme court of
<'a 11 lorn la. which ap|ienl itself acted
as a stay of execution, there was at
that tiun no occasion for action on my
is-irt I take it that the president was
not correctly Informed as to the status
of the- rase."
Statement of the Governor.
In explaining why he had not felt
ralh il on to art previously, tin- go\ ernor
said:
"The i as- as presented to th?* ("ali*
foriila courts was that murder, without
further evidence of motive than the
iml*ossiMe t< nets of anarvhlsts, whose
s\eipattiles for tin* (Iirmnii cause in
the war are well known. Their wild
pacifist theories fitted into the wide,
spread activities of the kaiser's agents
in this country.
",\ number of persons of pronounced
anarchistic tendencies were arrested
shortly after the explosion and of
these Warren K. Hillings was convicted
and sentenced to life Imprisonment
and Thomas J. Moone.v found guilty
and sentenced to be hanged.
"So long as avenues of appeal to
the courts remained open to Mooney,
and he was availing himself thereof,
I deemed It improper for executive
authority to interfere."
The statement reviews the case fully
and <|iiotes the two messages from
President W'lson In which the action
now taken by the governor was suggested.
The commutation says the
governor reduces the case to the status
of that of Warren K. Rillings.
"I refuse to recognize this case as in
any fashion representing a dash between
capital and labor." the governor
sntd. an<l ho enarnctonzou ;is
th" propaimnda tliat would make
Mooney appear as a martyr to the
cause of labor. In support of tltis
statement. he quotes a letter from
Alexander Iterkmnn outlining tfi? plan
afterwards adopted for the Mooney
campaign.
!!< denies that Mooney was a true
friend of h?lK>r and characterized his
previous record as such that it did
not enlist faith in him among law
abiding citizens, hut said in conclusion
that this particular case had been tieci<led
on Its merits.
President's Message.
The two messages sent b> President
Wilson follow:
"The White House,
"Washington. March 27. litis.
"(5ov. William !>. Stephens.
"Sacramento. Oil.
"With very great r??spect I take the
liberty to say to you that if you could
siv your way to commute the sentence
of Mooney it would nave n mosi u?.n.f<
It effect upon certain international
affairs which his execution would
urea 11 v coin |>licate.
"Wooilrow Wilson."
' The White House.
"Washington. June 4. 191S.
"Hon. William I>. Stephens,
"Sacrsintento. i'al.
"I hep that you will believe that 1
am moved only by a sense of pub !o
duty and of consciousness of the many
and complicated interests involved
when I a train most respectfully suppest
a commutation of the death sentence
imposed ujH?n Mooney. I would not venture
a pa in to call your attention to this
cose did 1 not know the international
sipiiltlcancc which attaches to it.
"Woodrow Wilson."
The povernor said that there were
certain features connected with the
ease which convinced him that the sentence
of death should not be executed,
i.w mo* reason and because of the
"earnest request" of President Wilson
for commutation ho did not believe
that the exttvmo penalty should ho
paid.
Coventor Stephens said ho accepted
full ivs|K>nslbility for the wisdom and
justification of the aotion."
In rcviowlnp the case the povernor
said his aotion was taken after a
pains-takinp survey of the evidence
produced at Moonoy's trial, not because
of "certain new developments followinp
the conviction." which could not
be considered by the state supreme
cotirt. to which the case has been appealed
he found justification for settinp
aside the death sentence.
"In arrtvinp at this conclusion." the
povernor continued. "I have exercised
that caution which must be observed
in wvtphinp evidence presented outside
of established lepal procedure. By
commutation to life imprisonment
Moonev's case will be In the same
status as that of Warren K. Rlllincs,
who was convicted of the same crlnf
and received sentence of life imprboment."
Moonty's Alleged Crime.
Refusal of the United States su
pr< me court. November IS. to r?-vlc
h'- r.' ?? of han^inj,' imjiosed ujo
Thomas J. Mooney, ended court actio
in a case that excited internationi
interest. The death sentence pass*
iif.on him was for the murder of Mr
Myrtle Irene Van 1xk> of Meroed, Cal
one <>t the ten persons killed by
|i?ckwork bomb which exploded o
Maiii?t Street in San Francisco dm
t.ir i "I'ri |-iiif|n< -s I>:?\" |?arade thi-i
July 2?. l'Jlti. Four others were ir
la till with him fi?i ten counts of mui
!i r hot hi.- case was singled out as a
: sic- b> lal-or oiitani/ations ol seven
oi.ritrii s. Strikes were urn d in vat
on- parts of tin- country, and other
w ei hi : i d 111 other countries as la
I .Ill's protests. M i .one v 's ap|M'Ul t
w.irtline worki rs not to stiike sto|ipe
limitation tor a general strike May
i'jlk.
I'r. sidi-nt Wilson intervened by ask
in:* 'iovermir Stephens to olitaiti
new trial for Mooney. lie ordered a
uiM siim.'it ion l.y a commission whie
i eoiuiiieiidi d a n hearinir.
Four ol i in- live persons imlicte
Were tried for murder. Mooney wa
sentenced to lie hunKod May 1". li'l
Warn n K. Hillings, a shoe clerk, no<
is si r\ iiik' his sentence of life im
prisoniin nt, Mrs. IP na Herman Moon
! >*. Mofiiiej'.s wife, and Israel Weill
I?rg. an automobile bus driver, war
ui'i|iilttc<l oil oik- churge ami now ai
at Iil it> on liail on other charges c
inurd* r. while K?lwar?l I>. Nolan a tnti
> hints! still is waiting trial.
Arrest Follows Explosion.
Mooik y's alleged activity in a Sa
Francisco street ear strike, eharaeti i
i/*-d I>> violence, ami his allege*! In
dustrial Workers of the World aflili
at ions drew suspicion toward him an
Ins wife. Th< > w>re arrest id live da>
atti i lie- explosion, at tiuerneville, Ca
They saiil they had rend in newspap* I
that they were wanted and they ha
telegraphed the police they would sin
ri-ndei themselves. Four of the te
counts of murder against Mrs. Moon
v. (Pilings. Weinberg and Nolan wer
dismissed the state admitted Inahil
it> to proceed <>n them.
Moom-y's trial opened January
1017. and ended with his convictio
Ft hruary 10.
Frank ?\ oxinan. a cattlcmtin ?
Durkee. i>ri .. the state's chief wit new
testjlied in the Moonev trial that It
saw the Moomy's. Hillings ami Weill
herg drove to the spot where the c>
plosion ocetirred and saw Hillings dt
posit a suitcase supposed to eontai
the bomb. Subsequently Mooney's at
toiie.\m el large. I that Oxinan testille
falsely against Moniwy and that ti
suiicht to imbue I*. K, Kigali of Gray
ville. III., to do likewise. The llllnol
State Federation of I*abor announce
it had similar information. liiga
estate to San Francisco and testified si
<?\man's trial for attempted suhorna
tlon of perjury that Oxman induce
him to come here and offered to divid
with iiim a portion of a largo rewar
offered for Mooney's conviction. (>.\
man was acquitted.
It silso was charged that thrrv nth
rs. two of them women httd perjnrc
tin mselvi s to "railroad" Mooney to th
allows t>ut the charges were m
pressed.
State Court Denies Appeal.
Mooney appealed to tin- t'aliforni
supreme court for a new trial and li
was supported by a "consent" tiled ti
the state attorney general. I". S. Webl
t'harles M. Kiek? rt. district attorne
of San Francisco., wlio prosecuted th
bomb murder ease, op|iosed the "con
s. nt" as "irregular and vicious" and
..as dism'ssid. Mooney's appeal wa
< iiied. M.'ireli 1. IMS. the Slipretn
<>urt stipulating it could not eonsid<
evidence outside tile record.
Mooney ap|M a led to Governor Sb
pin lis for a pardon and unanlim
Mommy's attorneys applied to the tri;
ourt for a writ of "coram nobis" (In
fore us. the k'ntr). tin action seldot
resorted to whereby suiters under th
million law could seek reversal r
ludittiienl obtained by fraud. Attoi
ta-ys said all other legal means wet
\ ha listed except this np|<cnl to th
basic law. The application was deni>
and the hanging reset for August 2
KMs. Mooney had been in "death row
it San Jucntin prison since July 1
. ..i,,-viinii-me court affirnic
I 111" I .1 UK ,
this ih-nial July 22, Hits. just two yvat
after the i xplosion, Five years late
xaetly two years after his aires
Mooney was reprieved to December 1
by Governor Stephens to allow tlrr
for him to review the record.
Action of the foiled States supreir
court. Xovcinhcr IS. closing the Ion
court tiirht, was in the form of a ineiti
orandum l?y Chief Justice White refui
imr a writ of certiorari.
Purine the two years worldwide at
|h ;iIs were made to labor bodies to at
in sup)iort of new trial. Russian rati
ieals paraded in I'ctrngrnd and mad
a demonstration before the America
embassy. The American Federallo
of I?ibor. the I/ondon Trade CVunc
and other organizations matle ptibll
demands for a new trial for Moone
Why McAdoo Retired.?"I feel th:
I owe it to my obi friends here 1
speak frankly and to say to thei
something 1 have never said before
said William G. McAdoo. secretary i
the treasury and director general <
the railroads, who has been on a toi
of inspection in the south, at an infoi
mal dinner tendered to him at a Oha
tatiooca dub last Thursday night.
"It was not pleasant u>i mv
frankly to the American people as
did in my letter to 1 "resident Wilsc
and to talk of my personal affairs, bi
1 want to say to you that those reasoi
are the exact reasons why I am retii
ing from public life. There are r
other reasons. 1 have been amused t
the theories of politicians and son
newspapers. In all the six years
have been in ofilcc I can say truthful
j that I have yet to lie to the America
(people. I have never misrepresent*
anything and would not for all the fo
tunes of the ages lie to them- If at
man owes anything to the nation it
to be square and truthful. When pol
ticians learn that it pays to be on tl
level then they will elevate Amerh
' and politics.
Paris has Information to the effe
' that the city of Cologne is placard*
with notices signed by the execute
, 'committee of the soldiers' associatio
offering a reward equivalent to $2(
000 to whoever will k II the kais r it
the crown prince in the Xcthcrlanl
or bring them back to Germany f
sentence by their own people as tl
| "arch crimlnala"
I PROFITEERS IN REVIEW
n 9
d Commercial Sharks Indulged In
,8; General Piracy
a . 1
:n PUBLIC ROBBED RIGHT AND LEFT
? ? i;
' Icny With the Soaring Prices of All
Kinds of Commodities, the Price of
J Labor Was Raised to Keep the '
Wage Earner Satisfied, and the Bur- ^
s den Fell Hardest On People Who j
Worked for Salaries and Had Noth- j
'I mg to Sell. I
, Ixniis Seibolil in New York World.
I
Almost from '.he very start of the ^
- European war in August, 1914, the.
a pru ts of every commodity began to | (
it soar througnout me woriu.
h Great Britain, France, Russia, Bel- '
gium. caught unprepared, were coni<1
polled to teach out into every' quarter '
s of the globe for materials with which
" to oppose the progress of the German
a armies.
i- The neutral countries immediately
- contiguous to France and Great Brit
aln lirst felt the tremendous pressure
upon their economic industrial re''
sources. When these countries?Hoi- 1
' land, Denmark, Norway, Sweden.
l" Spain, Switzerland and Italy?had j
been drained, the enemies of Germany
reached out over the seas into the '
" prosperous and resourceful United
'* States. The effect was that the indus- (
'* tiial institutions of the country, partieul.trly
those equipped to make war j
*' materials, were expanded several times
s their normal capacity and entered up'
on an era of prosperity never before 1
^ enjoyed by them.
'' it is still a matter of controversy us
to just how much British, French and
" Russian money found its way into the
coffers of American concerns of this
' character, as well as those engaged in 1
the production of food and other es- I
sential supplies, one au'hority places 5
the amount received by the producing
11 element in the United States during 1
tin* thirty-three months before the 1
United States entered the war at $4,- 1
' SOO.OOG.OOO.
10
Another estimate is that the gross
' amount would more nearly approxi-!'
mate $7,000,000,000. In any event the1'
war demands or ine countries opposing >
Jormany brought to the Unite'l States.1
! from foreign sources a greater volume '
of business than they had ever before 1
known. 1
s Wages mounted apace with the "un-l<
(l usual prices" demanded and received 1
by American concerns for their pro- '
[t duetions. As wages mounted the cost 1
of living began to soar, and profiteer- I
(J ing set into full swing. After the Unit- I
I,, ed States became a belligerent and
,1 found it necessary to subordinate the 1
.. demands of the civil population to her 1
own and the military necessities of her 1
. Allies, the living wage became the most j
,1 important problem confronting the '
,, American people. Business concerns 1
,t engaged in the pioduction of commod- 1
itiis and supplies of every character '
seized upon the opportunity afforded 1
a to embark upon a profiteering course <
with unbridled license. f
v Clasjes Which Suffer, |
i?. The principal victims of these prac- '
y tices were not the wage earners whose '
e im imies were directly affected by war 8
- conditions, but those employed at fix- '
it ed and arbitrary wages which did not 1
s command the premiums paid to those '
e . in ployed in the production of muni- 8
t tions and other war supplies?bookie.
epers. shop clerks, insp< ctors, collec- '
- tors and of the greater numb, r of pro- I
' fessional pursuits.
' The stipend of four or five million 1
'* men and women coming within this 8
in. <
" classiticaiion nas not cviu?v
ie i r-ased during the progress of thi
war. Certainly the increases, if any,
'* have not b^en commensurate with
0 those paid to war workers. But they
have, nevertheless, felt the pinch more
acutely than toilers whose services
have been at a premium.
As foreign pressure began to close in
' on the production resources of the
,! United States the prices for living nes
cessitles became much more pronouncr*
ed. The neutrals nearest tho belligerent
countries were squeezed dry of
^ their last ton of coal and pound of
" meat. Them* began to add their clamor
for the products of the United
lt" States. During the period that the
K United States persisted in maintaining
its neutrality between the belligerent
nations, coal, for instance, sold at $100
a ton in Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland.
In this country prices began
^' to follow the trench of import quotations
and coal (hat had been marketed
|.
at $5 a ton commanded $10 even be"
fore the United States entered the conflirt.
That which was true of coal was also
true of shoes, clothing, metals, and, in
fact, provisions of all sorts- Prices
charged for these products In the belli
lig< rent and neutral countries caughl
to between the punches of war were al-|
most prohibitive. A pound of beefstake|
iii Sweden cost ao high as J12. It has i
>f sold for 30 cents in this country dur>t'
mg pre-war periods, hut it practically I
ir doubled in value as the insatiate de- i
r- mends of war became more imperative,
t- Shoes cost three times as much in the
belligerent and neutral countries as
k they cost during peace times, and twice
I as much in the United States. The
same was true of almost every other
"I commodity.
is Confronted with its humanitarian
r- obligations, the United States contribio
uted largely to alleviating the wofully
? tragic condition of the inhabitants of
?e devastated northern France, Belgium.
I Poland, Serbia. Armenia and other
ly . countries upon which the German arin
j niies had seized. Every dollar of food
'd j and materials employed to relieve the
r-1 constantly widespreadlng distress nat
>>" urally affected arid restricted the prois
duotion of the supplies bought with it
i- in this country.
if Up to the time when the United States
entered the war no attempt was made
to regulate the prices charged to foreign
buyers: only moral pressure was
ct brought to curb the rapacity of domes*1
tic dealers Intent upon preying on the
kne civil population.
One of the first ventures that the
id Unit, d States, after its declaration of
ls war upon Germany, attempted was to
^ stabilize prices of all products charged
| not only to its Allies but to domestic
consumers. The enormous task Imposed
upon the authoritative government
agencies has operated successfully
In the case of producers dealing
with the government of the IJnltsd
States and those associated with It In
the war against Germany. Arbitrary
prices were fixed for materials bought
for military purposes, but'the efforts
to curb profiteering at the expense of
the civil population of the United States
have mainly been of a moral rather
than a legal character, with a few exceptions.
These exceptions have included
coal and foodstuffs, for which
fixed prices were established, and to a
II m it Art otlcnl the efforts to CUrb prof
Ittering in those products have been
fairly successful.
The fuel and food administrations
have had their hands full providing
for the demands of war. Their rules
for the regulation of prices to domestic
consumers, while generally follow?d,
have not been rigidly adhered to.
The result has been that the practice
af extortion in even those materials
which had no war value has been universal.
The licenses of many dealers in coal
end food have been taken from them,
there have been fined nominal siirns, a
few have been compelled to refund
heir ill-gotten gains, and here and
here a profiteer more merciless than
the average of his fellows, has been
jent to Jail. But on the whole the profiteer
in an almost endless variety of
materials has escaped unscathed.
Several hundred persons caught
hoarding foodstuffs have been finedThe
government's regulations, while
reasonable and comprehensive, have
left many loopholes for the avaricious,
who, conspiring with the more fortunate
of his customers, has profited to
in unholy extent through expensively
nought favoritism.
Clothing Men Unchecked.
The shoe and clothing dealer escaped
unscathed until a few weeks ago,
when the war industries board fixed
[ rices to apply to shoes. There is absolutely
no supervision of clothing,
rhe manufacturer of clothing fabrics,
[ho wholesale dealer and Jobber in
men's, women's and children's clothes,
ind, finally, the retailer, have charged
'what the market would stand."
Aside from the general laws applyng
to extortion, obtaining money unler
false pretenses, swindling ^and
grand and potty larceny, provided by
:he Federal statutes and penal laws of
the various states, there is no government
agency authorized to deal directy
with the clothing problem, nor has
tny attempt been made by the department
of justice, the war Industries
uoard, the Federal trade commioslon,
tor any other government agency empowered
to Investigate and fix the
prices.
Congress has passed but one bill renting
to profiteering, though there are
iow pending two or three measures
-stating to this problem. The on$$UW
ictually written into the statutes of
he United States applied to proflteerng
in rents in Washington, D. C. The
var demands of the government atxaeted
to the national capital probacy
100,000 persons. To house and
are for these was a problem that the
;overnment is Just beginning to solve.
Until it embarked upon the business
>f constructing living quarters for its
xomendously swollen population, per10ns
who either volunteered or were
Irafted into the public service there
.vere the victims of most outrageous
xtortion practiced by house owners
ind lessees of apartments.
The one law directed against profleering,
therefore, sought in a meaaurt
:o protect people of this sort.
President Wilson Bounded the nrst
lote of warning to profiteers in a porlonal
appeal to the citizens of the
country on April 15, 1917, nine days
lftcr the United States entered the war
igainst Germany. Appealing to the
producing element to observe extraorlinary
efforts to increase the output of
ill commodities to meet the demands
if war, he said:
The course of trade shall be as unhampered
as it is possible to make it,
md there shall be no unwarranted manipulation
of the nation's food supply
by those who handle it on its way to
the consumer. Let me say to the middlemen
of every sort, whether they are
handling our foodstuffs or our war
materials of manufacture or the products
of our mills and factories: The
eyes of the country will be especially
upon you. This is your opportunity
for signal service, efficient and disinterested.
The country expects you. as
It expects all others, to forego unusual
profits, to organize and expedite shipments
of supplies of every kind, but
especially food, with an eye to the service
you are rendering and In the spirit
of those who enlist in the ranks, for
their people, not themselves. I shall
confidently expect you to deserve and
win the confidence of the people of every
sort and station"
Following the president's declaration
the functions of various government
agencies were employed to prevent
profiteering of any kind. The N'ational
Louncu 01 L/eiense, 111c reucuu
commission, the Food and Fuel administrations.
and finally the War Industries
board began the work of standardizing
the government prices for all
materials and supplies covering every
variety of product bought for war purposes.
Less attention was necessarily
puid for the time being to problems of
the same character affecting the civil
population.
After the gigantic task of systematizing
the supply and price of all products
needed for war purposes, thf
Food and Fuel administrations and the
Federal Trade commission set about
establishing fixed prices for domestic
products distributed through the retail
agencies to the civil population of the
country. These agencies are still engaged
in attempting to regulate the
same and reduce to a systematic and
scientific basis the production and allocation
of the necessaries of life upon
which the civil population must exist
All German soldiers with the exception
of the classes of 1898 and 1899, are being
discharged as rapidly as possible
according to reports reaching the
American Third army. These twr
classes will be held in service until
Field Marshal von Hindenburg sees 111
to discharge them. Demobilization lr
Germany Is being carried out as rapidly
as the troops reach their headquar
ters- Demobilization of the Germar
army Is not specifically required by thi
terms of the armistice.
THE TERRIBLE THIRTIE1H |
Ooslaogbts Against German Lines
Irresistible
HOW AMERICANS ENDED THE WAR
Stars and Stripes, Official Organ of
the American Expeditionary Forces,
Tells of Wild Mix Up In the Fog. |
Where Boys From South Carolina,
North Carolina and Tennessee Won
Imperishable Glory.
Walter Burns of Company D, One
Hundred and Fifth Engineers, sends
the article below which he clipped
from the Stars and Stripes of October '
10, 1918. The Stars and Stripes is published
in France as the official organ
I of the American Expeditionary Forces. |
. Mr. Burns thinks the article should be I
J republished for the benefit of t!.o read- ]
era of The Enquirer and we think so
too:
A week ago yesterday morning,
when the darkness melted away into
a heavy fog that hid even the opposite
hank of the narrow, breast-deep river
Selle. hid even the railroad bank paralleling
the stream behind which German
machine gunners waited, and hid
the bluff a kilometer away where the
Germans for two days had been digging
in, two American divisions that
in nine days had fought their way 32
kilometers past the Hlndenburg line
found themselves at the zero hour of
a new attack.
These divisions fighting with the
Fourth British Army, had come to an
eager hault on the west bank of the
Selle, south of Le Cateau, In front of
the newly blasted walls of St. Martin
Riviere and Molain.
Mow artillery was massed in the hills
behind them. There was a gun for
every 25 yards. They poured down on
the opposite valley a tremendous load
of shrapnel and high explosive shells,
and all night l?efore the going over
time the machine guns played on the
misty slopes where the enemy lay.
When the zero hour came the doughhoys
took the riverside towns of St.
Martin and Molain in their first rush,
and for five kilometers along the Selle
marched Into fog?waded the river or
crossed on the bridges which the Engineers
threw down.
For four hours there was fought in
that blinding fog on the east slope of
the valley of the Selle one of the
strangest liattles In which American
soldiers In France have yet engaged.
In front of the doughboys a battal'nn
of t.mks?Americans at the steer
'ng wheels and Americans at the guns '
?nosed Into the drizzling cloud and 1
'umbered on toward the enemy. In the 1
'orr they loomed large as locomotives. 1
IMIu^motora reared and chugged 1
with a sound. Intensified by the fog terr'fying
above all other battle no'ses. 1
""u'ded by compass and Instinct, they 1
'umbered on and on over the rough '
'op'-s. while the artillery harrage.llft- '
'ng and ro'llng ahead on the time ta- '
hie. searched out the Herman lines and !
ontrlbnted terror of its own.
Then the Inevitable happened. In '
'he fog the tanks, the attacking dough- '
' oys and the Hermans became mixed '
n one confused mnss rushing back
and fourth on the lower slopes. All 1
nse of direction was lost. The flare 1
of guns lit the dense mist until the
hole slope seemed aflame. Almost by '
he law of gravity prisoners began to '
filter to the edge of the river, to b- '
gathered in by the fresh oncoming '
waves of attackers. The prisoners be- '
"an to come even before the main 'n- '
'antry attack was launched.
One tank, scorning to use a bridge
'or such a stream, plunged into the I
Selle at a ford near St. Martin Riviere '
wallowed across and started ahead, i
't could be henrd thundering on, its <
guns rattling ceaselessly. Engineers '
laying down a bridge where the tank i
crossed had Just started their work i
when they were astonished by a doz- I
en Hermans appearing specter-like
with their hands hold up. They shout- i
ed their surrender when the engineers ;
dropped their planks and grabbed for
their rifles.
On Toward tho Slope.
The confusion of the blind battle
ended with the clearing of the fog, and
the Americans pressed on toward the
slope. They kept on In spite of machine
gun Are which met them from
such strongholds at 1'Arbe de Guise, a
knoll wooded and banked with redoubts.
The advance was steady on 1
the whole front At night the whole
ridge was in American hands, and In
ArbeGuernon, a crossroads village at
the center of the American front, a
tank was being used as an outpost
Another Instance of the speed of the
tank advance was furnished by a
captured German marine officer. He
had left his machine gun command behind
the ridge to go to a telephone
post. Returning half an hour later,
he was amazed to find his command
prisoners and himself squarely In front
of the guns of an American tank which
had settled down for a rest after cleaning
a machine gun nest.
During the afternoon American
ond * *> LrrwH with ma
i 'ItUll'O UVIIIUCU uwu . ......
chine pun Are the advancing lines of
a German counter attack, launched to
, recapture the northern part of the
ridge.
In this one day's work the Americans
gathered In 1.000 prisoners.
Among them were many from a German
naval division, which had been
thrown Into the front opposite the
Americans in the hope of checking the
steady advance.
Thj impetus of this battle of October
17 was held for two more days.
and nightfall of last Saturday found
the Americana in front of Catillon. five
! kilometers ahead of their starting place
1 on the Selle?37 kilometers from the
place where they had broken the Hin'
denburg line two weeks before. The
prisoners taken in those two weeks total
more than 4,500 including almost
> 100 officers.
In recognition of the work of the
> Americans, Field Marshal Sir Douglas
Halg, commander-in-chief of the Britf
Ish Armies, has sent to the command,
er of the Second American Army
corps with the Fourth British Army
he following message:
| I wish to express to you personally
and to all the officers and men serving
under you my warm appreciation of
the very valuable and gallant service
rendered by you throughout the Fourth
British Army.
Called upon to attack positions of
(Treat strength and held by a determined
enemy, all ranks of the 27th and
3<'th American Divisions under your
ommand displayed an energy, courage
and determination in attnek which
proved irreslstablc.
It does not need me to tell you that
in the heavy fighting of the past three
creeks you have earned the lasting esteem
and admiration of your British
omrndes in arms, whose success you
have so nobly shared.
(Signed) D. Haig.
POLITICS iN ENGLAND.
Lloyd George Tells Where He Stands
On Different Questions.
David Lloyd George, the British
prime minister. In a speech at Newcastle
last Friday, said the victory of the
Entente Allies had been due to the
:easeless valor of their men and that
it would be a lesson to anybody who
la the future thought that they, as the
Prussian war lords hoped, "could overook
this little Island in their reckoning."
"We are now approaching the peace
conference." the premier continued.
The price of victory Is not vengeance
lor retribution. It is prevention.
"First of all what about those people
whom we have received without question
for years to our shores; to whom
?-e have given equal rights with our
cwn sons and daughters and who
ibused that hospitality to betray the
land, to plot against security, to spy
jpon it and to gain such information
is enabled the Prussian war lords to
nflict not punishment but damage and
njury upon the land that had received
:hem as guests? Never again!"
Mr. Lloyd George said that the Interests
of security and fair play demanded
that it should be made perfectly
clear that the people who acted
n this way merited punishment for
:he damage they had inflicted.
Question of Indemnities.
The second question was the question
of indemnities, the premier added.
In every court of Justice throughout
the world the party which lost has had
to bear the cost of the litigation. When
lermany defeated France she estabished
the principle and there was no
loubt that the principle was the right
t>nc. Germany must pay the cost of
the war up to the limit of her capacity.
"But I must use one word of warning."
said Mr. Lloyd George. "We have
to consider Germany's capacity. What?ver
happens Germany is not to be allowed
to pay the indemnity by dumpng
cheap goods upon us. That is the
jnly limit in principle we are laying
lown. She must not be allowed to pay
for her wanton damage and devastation
by dumping cheap goods and
wrecking our industries.
"There Is a third and last point. Is
no one to be made responsible for this
war? Somebody has been responsible
for a war that has taken the lives of
millions of the best young men of Europe.
Is not any one to be made responsible
for that? If not, all I can
jay is that if that is the case there is
nne Justice for the poor wretched
rriminal and another for kings and
smperors."
Mr. Lloyd George declared that there
were two offenses against the law of
nations that had been committed.
'One," he said, "is the crime against
humanity in the deliberate plotting of
the great war. The other is the outrage
upon international law. It Is a
rrlnie, a brutal crime, to devastate the
lands of another. Whoever did that
aught to be rcsponsiDie ror uCrime
Against Humanity.
"The submarine warfare did not
mean only the sinking of ships, but It
ivas a crime against humanity in that
It sank thousands of harmless merchantmen.
In the whole history of
tvarfare between nations that had never
been sanctioned. It is rank piracy
md the pirates must receive the punishment.
"I mean to see that the men who did
not treat our prisoners with humanity
are to be made responsible. I want
this countiy to go to court with a clean
conscience, and she will do so. There
Is not a stain on her record. We will
not be afraid to appear before any tribunal.
".Vow these are the things which wo
have to investigate. We mean that the
investigation shall be an impartial one,
a perfectly fair one. We also mean
that it shall be a stern one, and that it
shall go on to the final reckoning.
"We have got so to act now that men
in the future who feel tempted to follow
the example of the rulers who
plunged the world into this war will
know what is awaiting them at the end
of it. We shall have to see that
this terrible war, which has inflicted
so much destruction on the
world: which has arrested the course
of civilization and in many ways put it
back; which has left its marks
upon the minds, upon the physique
and the hearts of myriads in many
lands that this generation will not see
obliterated?we must see by the action
we take now, Just, fearless and relentless,
that it is a crime that shall never
again be repeated in the history of the
world."
The premier, in defending the
Unionist members of the cabinet, said
he would trust those men who for two
years had helped him to carry out
great and progressive measures until
he saw a better reason than he did
now for suspecting them.
Asked "what u.bout free trade?" the
premier added:
"I am prepared to examine every
problem, to cast aside any prejudices
or preconceived ideas and examine
hem purely upon the facts as the war
has revealed them to us."
1 " 1
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, comnander
of the American naval forces
n Europe since the United States went
*o war, has been selected for promo <on
to the rank of admiral when r
vacancy occurs th's month by the r"
'""rnent of Adm'rnl M. KnleM
Two men were kil'ed and a dozen or
more wounded at Toledo, Ohio, Thursday.
in a battle of railroad police with
whisky-runners from Detroit, who
were trying to carry liquor into the
'ry state of Michigan.
Information has reached Japan to
the effect that Admiral Kolchak, the
dictator of Siberia, has been assassinated
at Omsk. No details are given.
MOTOR TRUCK TRANSPORT
Nev Means of Great Commercial
Development
WILL HELP PRODUCER AND CONSUMES
War Department Has Available Twenty
Thousand Trucks and Plans Are
Now Under Consideration to Use
These In the Development of Trade
That Has Not Heretofore Existed.
By Frederic J. Haskin
Washington. Nov. 26.?Twenty thousand
motor trucks organized into a 1
great national system of trnnsporta- 1
tlon for the hearing of food direct from 1
.\nitTiran larins xu .\ni?Tiran mi nun*.
Each motor truck line, connecting [
a city community with the country to
he unilcr the joint control of the poo- '
pie whom it serves, and managed by
officers whom those people elect.
Every bit of food?every egg and '
oyster?guaranteed pure and fresh by 1
the fact that it is shlpjred as United
States mail, and must therefore fulfi'l
every claim nuide for it by the 1
shipper.
Fair prices guaranteed by the fact
that each city will have a number of 1
truck lines to draw from, so that ojn-n '
competition will be assured.
These are the essentials of a plan
which the postofflce department, in 1
co-operation with the bureau of edit- '
cation, is now beginning to put into
operation. Both the legislation and '
the physical machinery necessary to :
carry out the project are already In
existence. Congress has passed a law '
authorizing the postofflce department
to establish such a truck parcel post
service between the producer and the
consumer, and has made an appropri- '
ation for starting the work. The war
department has on band 110.000 motor '
trucks, built for war purposes, which '
are to be taken over by the postofflce '
department under Fourth Assistant
I'ostmasted (lerernl Blnkeslee to form '
the transport cor|>s for this new sys- 1
tem of focwl distribution. E. J. Ward. 1
who is attached to the bureau of edu- '
cation for the purpose of studying :
problems of community organization, 1
left Washington a few days ago to or- '
ganlze the first truck line of the great I
system, which will be operated between
the national capital and the historic !
town of Oettysburg in southern Penn- 1
svlvanla.
Mr. Ward and Mr. Blakeslee, who
are the moving spirits of this new gov- 1
? ? i. ..? .. i
rrnnirm nurriu nv-i- ?v ?*-. ?. v...
able to the establishment of a rati- 1
road system. Means of conveyance, i
roadbeds and terminals are all to be 1
provided for. The trucks, of course. '
will be the means of conveyance. I
State roads will take the place of <
tracks, and the government will con- I
tribute to their support. The terminals,
In the beginning at least, will
be school houses, in the cities and In
he country. These will be the centers (
of community organization, the places
at which the produce will be gathered
in the country and distributed in the
city. The plan of organization. In brief '
-ill be this:
Farmers Will Meet.
The farmers of each country community
will meet at their school house,
form an organization with a constitution
and by-laws outlined by the government.
and will elect a community
secretary. This community secretary
wi'l very likely be the principal or
teacher of the school. He will receive
ono-third of his salary from the United
States government. That Is. if the
otnmunity is now paying the individual
$1,000 a year to act as school
prlncl|xal, the United States governor
nt. will pay him In addition $500 to act
as community secretary. His first
duty ns secretary will be to receive the
roduce?eggs, butter, poultry, vegetables,
etc.?brought In by the farmers,
list It, together with the prices asked,
and send the list to the city.
The people of each city community
will form an exact similar organization.
with a secretary elected and paid
In the same way, for thf purpose of
buying food. This city community
? * ""-'Jvo (hp renuests of
31'vrcwu J mil iwv*.v .... ,
tho community people for produce and
lint them.
When tho system is complete, there
will be in each city which forms a huh
of tho system a clearing house whore
all of these lists will be turned in.
Now suppose that the farmers
" ouped about a rural school 12 miles
from Washington can send in two
gross of eggs every week at 61 cents a
dozen. The clearing house will already
determine which urban community can
use those eggs and they will be sent
by the community secretary in the
country, by parcel post truck, to the
city community secretary who can dispose
of them.
Many Obvious Gains.
The advantages of the system are
obvious. The produce will be faster.
inwpr and above all. waste
*.vill be eliminated. Farmers having
small amounts of produce are now at
a loss how to dispose of them. Much
food, especially fruit and vegetables,
is allowed to rot for want of a market.
Much more because stale In the
roundabout progress by which country
produce now reaches the city. This
system will make a clean sweep of the
tributary country of every big American
city, gathering up dally everything
that the farmers can spare and delivering
it directly to the city folk who
need it
Moreover the proposed system Is in
no sense an experiment. It Is now offered
to the public as a project which
exists only on paper. It is the culmination
of a long series of experiments
in community organizations, and it
has been operated successfully in all
its essentials, in at least one community.
E. J. Ward who is co-author of the
scheme with Mr. Blakeslee, has spent
the past 12 years of his life in study
ing the problem of organizing American
communities for various purposes,
first as a private citizen and later as
an official of the American government
appointed by President Wilson.
He effected the community organization
in Bridgeport, Conn., which did so much
to solve the labor problem in that city
at the time of the recent munition factory
strike. Long before that he organized
the community center moveI
ment in Wisconsin. In that state and
eisewnei c tui cuui. ? iu uumv w v> rivulze
tho people of each community about
their local 9choo! house. The idea was
for the people to meet in the school
house to discuss their various social
and economic problems. The movement
never developed much vitality
because there was no provision for
paid community secretaries and hence
no practical thin* could be accomplished
by those community organizations.
Nevertheless, Mr. Ward chin*
tenaciously to the idea that the American
|?eople could solve many of their
problems by effecting such organizations.
When the state legislature in
Wisconsin refused to make an appropriation
for paying community secretaries.
he came to Washington and no
cvpted an appointment as expert in
community organization under the bitreau
of education.
In Washington Mr. Ward lived in
that section of the cit> known as Park
Plow He chose it chiefly because it
had a large new schoolhouse admirably
suited to the pur|?ose of community
itrganizat ions and because it had a live
ind active citizens' association with a
zompctent po-sitient.
Mr. Ward ami his fellow citizens of
Park View persuaded conpnss to pass
t law providing |?ay for community
secretaries in the District of Columbia.
This enabled tin- community secretary
lo devote all his time to community
luisiness.
Meantime congress had made an appropriation
of $10,000 to be used by
the postoftlce d? part incut for establish*
ing an experimental parcel post truck
service to brim; country produce direct
from the farm to the city conaimer.
Mr. Ward persuaded Mr
ItlalO'Slee. who had charge of tlie expenditure
of this money to use the
Park View organization as the center
for this o\|M>riincnt. and a truck line
ivas established, which daily brouirht
rountry produce from the farms about
Washington to the Park View school
house. Here the continuity secretary
received it and dcstrilnitcd it anyone:
I he neighbors.
The experiment was proved sue
essfttl?how successful mny Ik* most
convincingly indicated by tin- sdati ment
that tin- citizens of I'ark View
are now getting fresh eggs at tit cents
i dozen when the regular market price
In Washington is S3 cents and oysters
it to cents a iiuart, when the market
price Is l'i cents.
Tiie national system which is now
iliout to lie instituted will lie nothing
more than nn extension on a national
wale of tills plan I>y which the Park
View citizens arc heating tin* high cost g
[>f living and getting tin* fresh country f
produce direct from tin- farms. That /
It has great possibilities of develop- y'
aunt is obvious. But the po'nt is that /
In its essentials It has already proved/
practicable. Tin* only tiling to niar
the national system a realm is
operation of the various <,oir,,,"'^>
In efftyglng their local
TO UNSHACKLE COTTON.
Congressman Lever Says the Embargo
Should Be Lifted At Once.
The chairman of the committee on
agriculture. Bepresentative la ver. has
received numbers of telegrams with
respect lo the cotton situation, lie
has conferred personnally with the
various agencies of the government
concerned, and recently addressed a
formal communication to these agencies
pointing out the critical situation
with respect to the marketing of cotton,
and ad\ ising that they at once confer
to remove tiny restriction upon the nor
mal flow or tills proauci in me iuunnels
of commerce.
"Of course." said Mr. Lever, "it Is
understood throughout the country
that the so-called price-fixing committee
has recommended that r.o price be
fixed on cotton, and has adjourned permanently.
This fact should bo impressed
up producers, many of whom stem
to be under the Impression that this
committee is still in existence. The coinmlttc
Is not in existence, it lues made
its recommendation, and that recommendation
is emphatically against
price-fixings on cotton, so the [?ossiIdlity
in that direction is absolutely.
"In my opinion, the steps to be taken
now. and they should be taki n now.
with emphasis on now, should Include
a very literal attitude ii|*>n the part of
the federal reserve banks In the matter
of the rediscount of cotton collateral,
the restoration of the through
bill of laden, provision for adequate
tonnage for cotton and the removal
from time to time as promptly as possible,
of restrictions upon the exportation
of cotton, not inconsistent with
the international relationship. When
these steps have been taken, backed
by a strong holding movement upon
the |?ftrt of the farmer, the situation
will relieve Itself and prices will
promptly reach their normal level."
Foch Was Not Demonstrative.?In a
dispatch to the London Daily News, H.
W. Smith, in Rotterdam, says that
from the account of the armistice negotians
given to the Vossische Zeltung
by a member of the German delegation.
it appears that the Germans,
before entering the train which conveyed
them to the Forest of Compeigne,
were taken for a ten-hour motor
drive in company with' French officers.
"It appears likely," says the narrator.
that it was intentionully prolonged
in order to drive us all over the devastated
province and prepare us by
what we saw for what was shortly to
be put before us in the way of hatred
and revenge in the extremely severe
armistice conditions. Silently now and
again a Frenchman pointed to h<-aps of
ruins and mentioned them by name.
'Behold St. Qu? ntlnl' "
When the delegates met the Allied
reprvsntativea the greetings were of
he coldest. Marshal Foch. it is declared.
only showed himself twice, at
the opening and at the end of the proceeding.
and It was a "discovery" when
he announced that there were to be no
negotiations. He proceeded to dictate
h" conditions.
The narrative concludes with this
statement: "Immediately before the
close of the second and last plenary
sitting, we placed with the enemy In
the German language our protest
against the treaty, but in the end we
had to sign."
Statesmen of France are considering
plans for a great international railroad
from Paris to Odessa. ^
I X