Vilas County news. [volume], March 27, 1918, Image 2

About Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927

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WILSON ORDERS
DUTCH SHIPS IN
THE U. 5. SEIZED
Action Taken by President De
feats German Coercion.
HAS SYMPATHY FOR HOLLAND
Executive Declares America’s Action
Is Necessary to Overthrow Small
Nation’s Fear of Kaiser—Al
lies Take Similar Action.
Washington, March 21.—hTe presi
dent issued his pi’oclamation on
Wednesday night taking over 400,000
tons of Dutch shipping within the ter
ritorial waters of the United States.
At the same time similar action was
taken by the allied governments on
200,000 tons of Dutch ships in their re
spective ports.
Under Navy’s Control.
The navy department, as announced
by Secretary Daniels, takes over the
vessels. He intimated that for the
present they will remain under the
navy’s control.
This action indicates that the ships
will be immediately put into service in
the most vital war work of the moment
•—getting men to France and food to
the allies.
The Netherlands flag fluttered down
at sunset Thursday from the jackstaffs
of vessels throughout the world, total
ing 600,000 of sorely needed tonnage.
On Thursday the Stars and Stripes,
the red ensign of England and the tri
colors of France and Italy were hoist
ed and the ships will start their serv
ice in democracy’s cause.
Action Ends Foe’s Grip.
This action ends the German grip
on some of the finest ship tonnage in
the world, held idle because of Ger
many’s coercive measures against her
little neighbor.
Had Holland carried out the proposi
tions she made to this country, which
she did not do because Germany for
bade it, these ships would not have
been used in the war zone. As it is
there are no strings on them and Amer
ican troops and American munitions
will form most of their cargoes.
There are about 400,000 tons of Dutch
shipping in American ports and about
200,000 in the ports of Great Britain.
Holland Unable to Act.
In discussing the negotiations, fol
lowing the submission of our final pro
posal, President Wilson made this
comment:
“A reply has been received which,
while in itself unacceptable, might
under other conditions have served as
a basis for further negotiations. But
the events to which I have alluded
had served to demonstrate conclusively
that we have been attempting to nego
tiate where the essential basis for an
agreement, namely, the meeting of free
wills, is absent.
Has Sympathy for Holland.
‘*Even were an agreement concluded,
there is lacking that power of inde
pendent action which alone can assure
performance.
“I say this not in criticism of the
Dutch government. I profoundly sym
pathize with the difficulty of her posi
tion under the menace of a military
power which has in every way demon
strated its disdain of neutral rights.
But since coercion does in fact exist,
no alternative is left to us but to ac
complish, through the exercise of our
indisputable rights as a sovereign, that
which is so reasonable that, in other
circumstances, we could be confident
of accomplishing it by agreement.
Steps are accordingly being taken to
put in our service Dutch ships lying
within our territorial jurisdiction.”
Enough for Own Needs.
“This action on our part and the
similar action which is being taken by
governments associated with us leaves
to Holland ample tonnage for her do
mestic and colonial needs,” says the
president. “We have informed the
Dutch government that her colonial
trade will be facilitated and that she
may at once send ships from Holland
to secure the bread cereals which her
people require. These ships will be
freely bunkered aad will be immune
from detention on our part.
“Ample compensation will be paid to
the Dutch owners of the ships which
will be put into our service and suit
able provision will be made to meet
the possibility of ships being lost
through enemy action.
“It is our earnest desire to safeguard
to the fullest extent the interests of
Holland and her nationals. But, ex
ercising iu this crisis our admitted
right to control all property within our
territory, we do no wrong to Holland.
“The manner in which we propose to
exercise this right and our proposals
iuade to Holland concurrently there
with, cannot. I believe, fail to evidence
to Holland the sincerity of our friend
ship toward her.”
U. S. STOCK OF WHEAT LOW
Holdings in Mills and Elevators Out
side Cities 20.000,000 Bushels
Less Than in 1917.
Washington, March 18. —Wheat hold
ings at country mills and elevators on
March 1 were estimated by the de
partment of agriculture at 68.972,000
bushels. That Is about 20.000.000
bushels less than was held March 1
last year and 86,000,000 bushels less
than Ia
LIEUT. COL. KREGER
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Lieut. Col. Edward A. Kreger Is on
his way to France to assume charge of
the office of judge advocate general for
the American expeditionary forces.
His work heretofore in the war has
been in the office of the provost mar
shal general.
FOUR TITLED SPIES TAKEN
BY U. S. MEN IN NEW YORK
Women and Men Will Be Turned Over
to French Authorities—Given
Money by Bernstorff.
New York, March 19. —Four persons,
two men and two women, claiming
French citizenship, but who both
American and French authorities say
have been intimately connected with
German espionage activities in the
United States, were arrested on Mon
day in their handsomely appointed
suites in prominent New York hotels
by agents of the department of justice.
They will be turned over to immi
gration authorities for deportation to
France.
The four spy suspects have been un
der surveillance for several weeks, but
not until two of them, a woman styl
ing herself Mme. Despino Davidovitch
Storch, and an associate, designated
as Baron Henri de Beville, departed
for Cuba a week ago after a mysteri
ous two-day junket to Washington, did
the authorities consider their appre
hension advisable.
The othei- two suspects are known
as Mme. Elizabeth Charlotte Nix and
Count Robert de Clairmont.
When Mme. Storch and Baron de
Beville were taken into custody at Key
West, while en route to Cuba, a half
bushel basket of papers was seized
from a safe deposit box in this city
which one of them had rented. A num
ber of cable messages in code were
among these papers.
Although each stopped at a different
hotel or apartment, they were said to
have been associated in activities ob
jectionable to the government. Mrs.
Nix is said to have admitted receiving
$3,000 from Count von Bernstorff, al
though she claims it was a loan. ‘
GEDDES GIVES SHIP LOSSES
Lord of the Admiralty Says 6,000,000
Tons Is Year’s L 055—42,000,000
Tons Left.
London, March 21.—Figures on the
shipping output and tonnage losses of
Great Britain will be published regu
larly hereafter, It was announced in
the house of common;? by Sir Eric
Campbell Geddes, the first lord of the
admiralty, in the course of debate on
the navy shipbuilding bill. The’
amount of tonnage sunk in the last 12
months was 6.000.000, said Sir Eric,
Instead of 9.500,000, as the Germans
claim. World’s tonnage exclusive of
enemy ships had fallen 2,500.000 from
the beginning of the war to the end of
1917, Sir Eric said. The total of .al
lies’ and neutral tonnage is now 42,-
000.000. Sir Eric stated, the fact that
it Is at this figure being largely due
to the new construction by the United
States and the seizure of German
ships. During the last quarter of 1917,
said Sir Eric, the allies were averag
ing within 100.000 tons monthly of
making their losses good and were
then replacing 75 per cent of their lost
tonnage. f
U. S. STEAMER SINKS DIVER
American Tanker Halts After Being
Pursued and Sends Submarine
to Bottom With Shell.
An Atlantic Port, March 18.—At the
end of an hour’s battle between a Ger
man submarine and an American tank
steamship, the Paulsboro of the
Vacuum Oil company, which arrived
here, the U-boat was sunk, according
to officers of the American vessel. One
of the crew on the tanker was wound
ed by a shell fired by the submarine.
The fight took place in the Bristol
channel on February 24. The tanker
tried to escape and was pursued.
The tanker halted and gave battle.
The officers said the shrapnel shells
fired by the American gun crew either
fell short or passed over the U-boat
for a time, but finally one struck the
submarine fairly in the center and she
disappeared immediately. 1
THE VILAS COUNTY NEWS. EAGLE RIVER, WIS.
U. S. MEN BLOW UP
MINETHROWERS
Troublesome German Batteries
Destroyed by Artillery.
PATROL ENTERS FOE TRENCH
Yankees and French Have Short Skir
mish With Teutons—Gas Shells
Hurled Into Chemin Des
Dames Sector.
t
With the American Army in France,
March 20. —It is now permissible to
announce that American artillery in
the Euneville sector has located and
blown up a battery of mine throwers,
one of which a few days ago obtained
a direct hit on a dugout in which were
a number of American soldiers, most
of them Irish descent.
The battery had been causing a
great deal of trouble for several days
and the Americans were determined
to put it out of action. It was lo
cated after considerable trouble and
the artillery concentrated high ex
plosives on it.
A patrol of 24 men, half Americans
and half French, went into the German
lines at night from an isolated portion
of the eoetor. It completed its mis
sion of reconnoissance, bringing back
the desired information. The patrol
had a short skirmish, but obtained no
prisoners.
During the day extraordinary artil
lery activity developed in the Chemin
des Dames sector, where some troops
from New England are in training.
The enemy began a gas bombardment
late Saturday night and continued it
until Monday.
A vigorous reply was made' by both
American and French batteries, which
gave the Germans about four times as
much as they sent over.
Six thousand shells were fired from
the sector in which the Americans are
stationed, a large proportion of them
being gas shells.
Three Heroes Cited.
Citation of three more American
soldiers, carrying with it the French
war cross, was announced at Ameri
can army headquarters, while on the
LuneviAe sector six officers, six
sergeants and two privates were re
ceiving the war cross at an impressive
ceremony just back of the fighting
line.
Among the men decorated near Lune
ville were Col. Douglas MacArthur,
Lieut. Col. Matthew A. Tinly, Maj.
William J. Donovan, Capt. Thomas
Handy, Lieut. W. Arthur Cunningham.
Throws Self on Bomb.
Private A. A. Crawford of Alabama,
Corporal Harry W. Fanning of Balti
more and Private Bernard Black of
Baltimore were the men cited.
Private Crawford was killed when
carrying dispatches through a German
barrage.
Corporal Fanning received his cross
for the following act:
“During a heavy bombardment a
bomb fell on a trench parapet. Cor
poral Fanning threw himself upon it
and prevented it from falling into the
trench, thus saving his comrades by
his presence of mind and preventing a
very grave accident.”
LENROOT 3,000 IN THE LEAD
Victory for Loyalist Candidate As
sured in Wisconsin Senatorial Pri
mary—Davies Nominated.
Milwaukee, March 21. —Congress-
man Irvine L. Lenroot at a late hour
had a lead of approximately 3,000
votes over James Thompson, La Fol
lette entry in the state senatorial pri
mary.
His nomination as the Republican
candidate for the Wisconsin junior
senatorship is now assured.
Latest revised figures give Lenroot
68,532; Thompson, 66,206; Berger, 36,-
645; Davies, 54,173; McCarthy, 13,026.
The total number of votes so far tab
ulated is 238,812 of a possible 275,000
votes cast.
The Socialist vote already shows an
increase of more than 300 per cent of
that recorded in the 1916 senatorial
primary, when Eisner, Socialist, polled
only 11,479. Incomplete returns now
give Berger 35,347.
The nomination of Joseph E. Dav
ies on the Democratic side effected
a better than 4 to 1 victory over his
opponent, Charles McCarthy.
THREAT OF DRIVE IS BLUFF
War Department Says Enemy Talk
Fails to Impress Yankees—Wait
for Allies’ Attack.
Washington, March 19.—Germany’s
threat of a great spring offensive on
the western front no longer impresses
American military men.
In its weekly review, issued on Mon
day, the war department records con
clusion that the enemy, in spite of his
vast preparations, will not take the of
fensive unless forced into it. This con
firms the opinions many officers have
expressed for weeks in the face of of
ficial forecasts to the contrary from
both sides of the Atlantic.
“While hostile preparations for an
offensive in the west are not slacken
ing,” the review says, “It is becoming
more evident that the enemy will
launch the offensive only If compelled
to do so by the exigencies of the gen
eral situation." -_
HARRY L. ROGERS
Stel' W f
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IROI. IB
Harry L. Rogers, who had charge of
the transportation and supplies of the
American expeditionary force into
Mexico several months ago, is chief
quartermaster of the American forces
in Europe. He has just been promot
ed from the grade of colonel to that
of brigadier general.
BAKER VISITS U. S. MEN
INTRENCHES AT FRONT
German Shell Bursts Less Than Fifty
Yards From His Motor Car—War
Head Has Exciting Day.
With the American Army in France,
March 21. —Secretary Baker had his
baptism of fire in the front line
trenches, and while he was returning
a German shell burst within less than
fifty yards of his motorcar. He was
not injured.
The secretary went into the trenches
In a sector the location of which must
not be revealed, where American troops
fa cethe enemy nearby. For half an
hour he plodded over the duckboards.
The Germans maintained an active fire
with heavy pieces and machine guns.
Nevertheless, Mr. Baker made his way
to an advanced sap, entered a listening
post and talked for several minutes
with the soldier on duty there.
But the narrowest shave was on his
return to headquarters. The German
shell, of 105 millimeters, roared down
and burst cleanly less than fifty yards
from the automobile containing the
secretary of war and the escorting offi
cers. The shell hit a roadside dugout,
digging a big crater. Mr. Baker wished
to stop and ascertain whether there
were men In the dugout, but the chauf
feur, realizing the danger, opened the
throttle and made his best speed until
the danger zone was passed.
This was the secretary’s hardest and
most exciting day in France.
The secretary was first put through
the regular gas mask drill. He carried
his mask slung at the prescribed posi
tion when he went in. A sentry halted
the party as it was entering the trench
and demanded a pass.
“Division commander and secretary
of war,” replied the general.
Often the secretary stopped to speak
to the men, asking homely questions
such as: “Well, how is it going?” or
“Where are you from?”
“Fine, sir,” or “Going very well, sir,”
was the usual reply. Once the secre
tary asked a private if much was going
on.
“It’s pretty quiet, sir,” came the easy
response.
Finally, notwithstanding the protests
of the officer, Mr. Baker made his way
through the sap to the listening post.
Peeping over the parapet into “No
Man’s Land,” he said :
“Now I am on the frontier of free
dom.”
BIG SHIP STRIKE IS ENDED
Six Hundred Workers Who Quit at
Baltimore Return After Being
Out One Day.
Baltimore, Md., March 20.—The 600
shipworkers who laid down their tools
at the Baltimore Dry Dock and Ship
building company plant here on Mon
day returned to work on Wednesday.
Local No. 35, boiler-makers, iron
ship builders and helpers, issued a
statement announcing that the lay
off was due to a misunderstanding of
the wage adjustment board scale, but
that it had been properly explained at
a meeting last night and the men had
voted unanimously to return to work.
Leaders deny that they received any
message from the shipping board in
ducing them to resume work.
BRITISH QUELL INDIA REVOLT
Natives of Baluchistan Put Down
With Heavy Casualties—Prop
erty Destroyed.
London. March 21.—Uprisings on the
part of natives in Baluchistan recent
ly resulted in fighting in which many
casualties were Inflicted, the India of
fice announces. The natives attacked
British posts and were repulsed com
pletely. Punitive measures are being
undertaken.
Oil Plant Sustains Loss.
Bayonne, N. J., March 19.—The Con
stable hook plant of the Tidewater OH
company, sustained a $50,000 loss
when the plug of a high pressure still
was blown ouU
ALLIED OFFENSIVE
IS EXPECTED SOON
Supreme War Council Holds Key
to Situation.
MAY HIT ON ITALIAN FRONT
Pooling of Army Reserves Will Permit
Overwhelming Concentrations at
Selected Points of Attack
and Bewilder Foe.
Washington, March 20.—The key to
the 1918 riddle of the western battle
front is in the hands of the supreme
war council at Versailles.
Decision as to the time and place
of major offensives by the allies rests
with that body.
It directly controls also, officials
here believe, a new weapon forged
during the winter with which to make
effective its plans of grand strategy.
Foe Abandons Offensive.
That weapon is believed to lie in a
pooling of the army reserves of all the
allied armies, permitting overwhelm
ing concentrations at selected points
of attack.
American observers now are con
vinced the German high command
plans a defensive campaign, and that
the long-talked-of drive on Paris or
the channel ports has been abandoned.
The initiative, according to this
view, rests with the allied and Ameri
can forces.
Communiques are being closely
scanned for the first Indication of any
offensive operations mapped out at
Versailles.
Reserves Clew to Drive.
Decision by the war council, officers
here believe, as to the field where
these and similar forces from other
armies are to be concentrated will
show where allied blows at the Ger
man defenses are designed to fall.
If there is to be no German drive,
as the war department predicted in
its weekly war review, the council will
not be forced to hold its reserves for
defensive purposes, and can devote
this new agency to attempts to smash
weak points in the German line.
May Make Blow in Italy.
Opinion as to the sectors offering
the best opportunity for allied assaults
varies widely here. There is sub
stantial agreement, however, that the
Italian front may In fact become the
main theater of war this year.
Drives with all the appearances of
being the real offensives undoubtedly
would accompany or precede the main
thrust.
The pooled allied reserves under di
rection of the supreme council would
make possible a campaign of such na
ture, designed to keep the German
ccmmand perplexed as to which as
sault would be'driven home.
AIR RAIDERS CAUSE PANIC
Germans Thought Flyers Were Ameri
cans and Dashed for Cover, Says
Traveler.
London, March 20. —Fifty persons
were killed and great material damage
was done by bombs dropped by allies’
airmen when they raided Koblenz, Ger
many, March 12, according to a neutral
traveler, who arrived at The Hague,
the Times says.
“The people believed the raiders
were Americans,” the traveler said.
“I was In the neighborhood of a big
munition works at Mulheim (north of
Koblenz and also on the Rhine) at
ten minutes past noon, when suddenly
all the factory whistles started blow
ing and the sirens were sounded.
“Many womei rushed from the
works for the bombproof shelters,
while pass, ng street cars were stopped
as the crowds bolted into houses. Four
or five airplanes were visible In the
clear sky.
“Presently someone exclaimed:
‘They are Americans!’ Another per
son screamed aloud: ‘The Americans
are coming.’ A Dutchman I knew
rushed v.p to me and said: ‘Didn’t I
tell you the Americans would come
sooner or later?’ ”
TRAIL SPY IN U. S. LINES
Sentry Shoots, but Fails to Hit Man
Discovered Signaling the Hun
Trenches.
With the American Army, March 19.
—American intelligence officers report
evidence leading to the conclusion that
possibly a spy may be at work within
the American lines northwest of Tuol.
Early in the morning an American sen
try saw flashes of a signal light from a
window facing In the direction of the
enemy fines. He fired through the win
dow and dashed into the house, but
failed to find anyone.
Four hours earlier Important tele
phone wires within the American lines
were found to have been cut.
FRENCH PENETRATE HUN LINE
Gain Half Mile in Reims Sector and
Blow Up Fortified Shelters—
Prisoners Taken.
Paris, March 20.—1 n the Reims sec
tor on the Champagne front the Ger
man lines were penetrated to a depth
of more than half a mile by French
troops during the night, the war office
stated. A number of fortified shelters
were blown up and some prisoners
were captured. The Germans attack
ed In the sector of Slllery, but were
thrown back.
DAVIES IS CHDSEtL
G. 0. P. RAGE CLOSE
HEAVY VOTE CAST FOR CANDh
DATES FOR U. S. SENATOR
IN WISCONSIN PRIMARIES.
LENROOT GETS EARLY LEAD
Congressman Denies Rumor That He
Will Withdraw in Favor of Davies.
Hoan, Socialist, and Braman
Are Nominated for Mayor
in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee —Joseph E. Davies, can.
didate for United States senator, ha<J
easy sailing against Dr. Charles Mc-
Carthy in the democratic primary. i n .
complete returns from sixty-five of the
seventy-one counties in Wisconsin
gave Davies 54,173 votes and Me-
Carthy 13,262, a majority of 40,911 for
Davies.
• The same counties in the republican
senatorial primary gave Congressman
I. L. Lenroot 68,532 and James Thomp
son, La Follette candidate, 66,206, a
majority of 2,326 for Lenroot. Coun
ties remaining to be heard from were
in the northern part of the state and
Lenroot supporters claimed these re
turns would increase the lead of their
candidate.
Victor L. Berger, socialist candidate
for U. S. senator, had no opposition
for the nomination of his party, in.
complete returns gave him 36,645 votes
featured by a heavy indorsement in
Milwaukee county. The Milwaukee
county primary vote on the senator,
ship was: Berger, 21,196; Davies, 19,.
285; Thompson, 12,960; Lenroot, 7,.
704; McCarthy, 3,915.
A rumor that Lenroot would retire
in favor of Davies was exploded when
Lenroot issued a statement denying
that he entertained any intention of
quitting the race. Republican leaders
scout the idea that a considerable per
centage of the Thompson vote might
go to Berger in the final election.
The early returns showed that the
trend in the so-called “Germanic”
counties was for Thompsan, and this
trend became more pronounced as
later returns were received. Counties
where citizens of German descent pre
dominate voted for Thompson and
Berger, principally Thompson.
Dodge county, home of the late
United States Senator Paul O .Rust
ing gave its largest vote to La Fol
lette’s candidate. Calumet, Ozaukee,
Washington, Sheboygan, Manitowoc
and other so-called “Germanic” coun
ties turned in the bulk of their vote
for Thompson. One precinct in Dane
county gave one vote to Davies, one to
Lenroot and 152 to Thompson with
not a single vote for McCarthy or Ber
ger.
Big Vote in Milwaukee.
Final returns on the vote in Mil
waukee for city candidates show Mayor l
Hoan, socialist candidate for re-elec
tion, obtained a total of 28,491 votes,
as against 22,376 for Braman, 6,211 for
Dammann and 1,577 for Park. Hoan,
the returns show, ran far ahead of
most of the other socialist candidates.
Mensing for city attorney, getting;
only 20,355; Stroesser, for city treas
urer, 22,512; Hampel, for controller,,
24,041, and Rehfeld, for justice of the
peace, 27,621.
The biggest vote for a city candi
date went to Treasurer John I. Drew,
who got 32,006 votes, with Comptrol
ler Louis M. Kotecki a close second
with 31,593. City Attorney Clifton Wil
liams got 27,006 votes. All of these
nonpartisan incumbents ran far ahead
of their socialist opponents.
Hoan secured a plurality over the
other candidates in seventeen wards
in 1916, but in only fifteen in 1918. He
lost the Eighth, Fourteenth, Seven
teenth and Twelfth wards this year,
but partly made it up by carrying the
Second and Thirteenth, which were in
the Bading column in the primary in
1916.
The total vote of the three non
partisan candidates this year was 30,-
164, as against 30,230 in 1916. Hoan
this year secured 28,491 votes, as
against 22,247 in the 1916 primary;
showing the nonpartisans polled their
strength of two years ago, while the
socialists increased their vote.
Oshkosh Minister Wins.
Oshkosh—The Rev. A. C. McHenry,
Universalist, led the field of six can
didates for nomination as mayor, pil
ing up almost double the votes on him
five opponents. McHenry’s total is 2,«
104 and the next highest whose name
will also go on the final ticket is Peter
L. Marden, carpenter contractor. The
other minister in the race, the Rev. E.
H. Smith, was a bad third with 508.
Green Bay Nominees Unopposed.
Green Bay—Councilman John S. Far
rell and Winford Abrams, nonpartisan
candidates, were nominated to enter
the final contest for city councilman.
They were the only candidates.
Konkel Loses at Superior.
Superior—Mayor Joseph Konkel was
eliminated from the mayoralty prima
ries in this city. State Senator Fred A.
Baxter and Solon L. Perrin are the
nominees. Baxter received 2,784 votes,
Perrin 716, and Konkel 557.
Barnes Leads at Eau Claire.
Eau Claire —Councilman W. A.
Barnes and Otto J. S. Boberg won out
in the nomination for the city alder
manic posts in a field of four. Barnes
got 1,700 votes and Boberg 491.