Morning Oregonian., December 25, 1914, Page 3, Image 3

TTTE MOTIXTXG OREGONTAN, FTTTDAY. DECE3IBER 25. 1914.
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MOTOR TRUCKS AID
GERMANS IN EAST
Numerical Superiority of Foe
Discounted by Speed of
Reinforcements.
RAILROADS DO NOT EXIST
Unes Kussians Failed to Destroy
Xn Retreat Are Torn TTp by Ger
mans When They, in Tarn,
Abandon District.
BERLIX, Dec. 6. (Correspondence of
the Associated Press.) Trains of motor
trucks are the principal means of trans
portation of the supply department of
the German forces operating In the
Eastern theater of war. The territory
in which the campaign Is at present be
ing carried on has been occupied and
evacuated several times by the Ger
mans and Russians In turn, with the
result that the railroads are now no
longer In existence. What the Russians
did not tear up on a retreat, the Ger
mans destroyed when they had to leave
the district. Bridges and culverts were
dynamited, embankments leveled, rails
removed and stations wrecked.
Under these circumstances another
means of transportation had to be used
by the Germans. Already the value of
the motor truck had been learned in
the campaign in Belgium, and when the
forces under Field Marshal von Hlnden
iburg advanced again from their rail
road bases in- East and West Prussia
and Slllcla, it was decided to use the
motor trucks. Large contracts were
let for the manufacture of a type of
motor truck which had been tried in
recent maneuvers.
Motor Trains Number Hundred!.
It has been lmpossiule to ascertain
liow many of these trucks are now in
commission. It is known, however, that
the trains formed by them .must be
counted In hundreds. A supply officer
said yesterday thzt possibly there were
more than 400 such trains.
The trucks have rather low and broad
platforms and are moved by gasoline
engines of 80 to 100 horsepower. Each
truck has a trailer, which may be aban
doned. If necessary. Where the roads
are good, or when straw and hay or
otner DuiKy supplies are moved, a sec
ond trailer is hitched on and sometimes
a third. The motor is able to move eight
tons of freight at a speed of six to 10
miles an hour, according to the roads.
A motor truck train or column con
sists of 16 freight trucks ' and their
trailers, one automobile and four con
veyances for tae escort. The automo
bile. In which travels the officer in
command of the column, two escort men
and a machinist, heads the column.
Soldiers Go as Escorts,
Then comes one of the escort trucks
with about 30 soldiers. On this travels
also the engineer officer of the col
umn. Then come the 16 freight trucks
and their trailers, and the rear is
brought up by three other escort trucks,
on one of which travels the chief
mechanician. Each struck and car has
Its own machinist and several spare
parts. .
To make possible the operation of
those trains, the Germans have been
obliged to build many miles of roads in
Russian Poland. It is asserted that
the effort expended In this would have
rebuilt all the railroads which have
been destroyed. The Germans prefer
to use the roads instead of railroads,
which in Russian Poland are few and
far between.
It Is well known that the motor
truck is responsible for many German
successes In the East. The numerical
superiority of the Russians has been
discounted only by the quick distribu
tion of reinforcements. Without the
motor truck, this would have been im
possible, it is asserted.
Now and then a motor truck column
Is attacked by a small force of Cos
sacks. A lively scrimmage results, as
a rule, and the Cossacus are said to
have lost, generally.
GERMAN SCIENTISTS HELD
Astronomers In Russia to Observe
Sun's Eclipse Are Broken Up.
BERLIN, Dec. 4. (Correspondence of
the Associated Press.) The astronom
ical observatories of Berlin. Hamburg,
Munich and Potsdam have Just issued a
statement regarding the fiasco of the
four German expeditions that went to
the south of Russia to observe the total
eclipse of the sun on August 21.
Although the expeditions were under
taken with the assistance of the St.
Petersburg Academy of Sciences, the
astronomers and their technical helpers
were arrested and kept as prisoners for
a time In Odessa. The older scientists
finally were allowed to return to Ger
many, but the four younger men were
kept at Odessa until November 14. when
they were sent as prisoners of war to
Astrachan.
Their valuable astronomical Instru
ments had a still worse fate. They had
to be left, packed in boxes, at Fedosia,
In the Crimea, and they were later con
fiscated by the Russian government
and given to the University of Odessa
PARTY MAY BE SPLIT OPEN
(Continued From First Page.)
toms at Charleston, S. C, has gone
down in history as one of the most
memorable contests between an execu
tive and the Senate.
Previous Consultation Demanded.
President Cleveland and President
Garfield also had their patronage fights
with the Senate, and they also lost, or
the men they appointed lost, because
their nominations were rejected.
The Senate Interprets the Constitu
tion to mean that the President shall
consult Senators from a state before
making appointments in that state and
that after the nominations are made
they shall not be effective until con
firmed by the Senate. The President
holds that he has the unrestricted right
to select appointees. If he does not care
to consult the Senators interested, and
in case the 6enate refuses to confirm
or rejects his nominations, that the men
named by him; if recess appointments
are given tnem, can be held in office
Indefinitely.
There Is an unwritten rule, acknowl
edged by Presidents for years, that a
oenator snail nave the privilege of se
lecting the postmaster in his home city,
provided he be of the party In power.
Senator Reed, of Missouri, lives In Kan
sas City and had a candidate for post
master, but the President ignored his
recommendation and appointed a man
who was objectionable to Senator Rpori
When the nomination came up, Senator
Keen stated tne ground of his protest
and the Senate forthwith and without
ceremony rejected the nomination unan
imously. Attempt to Rebuke Senator Falls.
Of course, the President, In making
the Kansas City appointment, was at
tempting to rebuke Senator Reed be
cause the Senator had opposed several
Administration bills. The President's
action proved a boomerang, and . as
these cases accumulate he will find his
position, more and more embarrassing.
The trouble that started over two
Federal appointments will not stop at
patronage. Quickly the Senate is ar
raying itself against the President;
feeling in the Senate runs high, and
there Is general inclination to "teach
the President a lesson."
Of course, nothing of this sort oc
curred prior to the election, but now
that the election is over and Democratic
prospects for 1916 are none too rosy,
most Democratic Senators are content
to pick a quarrel with Mr. Wilson and
make him responsible for any disrup
tion tnat may develop in his Dartv.
Democratic Senators feel that they will
have public sympathy on their side, and
Republican Senators are glad to sit by
and watch the spilt in the Democracy
develop.
What President Wilson Is doing to
the Democratic party today President
Tart did to the Republican party when
he undertook to punish Republican in
surgents by denying them patronage in
their states.
OFFICIALS ARE ASSAILED
POSTAL DEPARTMENT ACCUSED OF
TREATING CARRIERS IXFAIRLY.
Representative Johnson Says Pay of
Star Route Contractor Held Up
and Attorneys Given Names.
" OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash
ington, Dec 24. In the face of charges
recently made In Congress by Repre
sentative Johnson, of Washington, the
Postoffice Department Is called upon
to explain why It Is withholding pay
from star-route carriers, and also is
called upon to answer a more serious
charge that it Is "in cahoots" with a
coterie of lawyers in Washington city
who are endeavoring to enrich them
selves by aiding carriers In collecting
compensation due them from the Gov
ernment. Since his return to Washington. Rep
resentative Johnson has been endeav
oring to compel the Postoffice Depart
ment to pay some of the star-route car
riers In his district who have received
no compensation from the Government
since July. The department, without
cause, has held back the pay of these
carriers, all of them working under
contract, and likewise has declined to
answer inquiries from the carriers
themselves as to why their pay was
not forthcoming.
While the carriers could get no. re
sponse to their letters addressed to
the Postoffice Department, they did re
ceive letters from attorneys in Wash
ington offering, for a fee, of course, to
aid them "in adjusting their claims
against the Government." Representa
tive Johnson, on the floor of the House,
demanded an explanation from the de
partment, first, as to why it held up
the pay. of the carriers; second, why it
did not answer inquiry from carriers
who were trying to collect their pay,
and thirdly, as to how Washington at
torneys come to have access to the of
ficial files of the Postoffice Depart
ment, and through those files, know
when carriers are having trouble in col
lecting their pay from the Government.
SHELLS TWICE ESCAPED
MAX IN TWO RHEIMS HOTELS AS
GERMANS DESTROY THEM.
Cellars Are Found to Be Unsafe Places,
as Wreckage Falls In Basement,
Saya President of City.
DUNKIRK. France, via London. Dec.
15. (Correspondence of the Associated
Press.) A resident of Rhelms who has
survived all the successive bombard
ments of that city advises against
taking to the cellar in case of bom
bardment. "Two of the Rhelms hotels were
blown into rubbish while I was sleep
ing In them," he said. "In each instance
most of the people In the hotels took
refuge in the cellars and came near
losing their lives when the bricks and
mortar came tumbling In on top of
them. If your house is blown up, the
ruins almost certainly will block you in
your cellar and you stand every chance
of coming to an untimely end by
asphyxiation.
"I had calculated correctly that the
part of the city where I was living
would come under fire from the north
west, so I selected a room on the first
floor at the side most remote from the
point of threatened attack. In my sec
ond hotel. Just across the way, I re
versed the process. In each case I
escaped with my clothes in my hand,
and later assisted In digging out the
cellar refugees, who were nearly dead.
"The favorite time for bombardment
is between 2 and 4 o'clock in the morn
ing, when the Germans can use, their
big guns without any risk that their
location will be found out by scouting
aeroplanes. It might be well to men
tion that shells of this caliber do not
merely make holes in walls or blow
roofs off. They lift the entire con
tents of a four-story house Into the
streets floors, partitions and all de
tails Included. The daily bombardment
of Rhelms after this fashion has now
lasted more than 80 days."
WOMEN'S VOTE OPPOSED
MR. UNDERWOOD PREDICTS DE
FEAT OF AMENDMENT.
Early Action Expected Due to Insist
ence of Republican Members
of Committee
WASHINGTON. Dec. 24. Democratic
Leader Underwood predicted tonight
mat wnen me proposed constitutional
amendment for woman suffrage
reached a vote In the House it would
be defeated probably by a two-thirds
vote.
"I shall vote against it. and so will
most of the Democrats in the House,"
said Mr. Underwood. "The party, by
caucus action, has gone on record
holding that woman suffrage, like pro
motion, is a state issue and not a
National question. It is a question for
the states themselves to act upon, and
not for Congress."
It is generally understood that the
suffrage resolution will be -voted on
soon after the passage of the postoffice
appropriation diu, as early In January
as possible. The House rules commit
tee has voted to present the rule for
its consideration, largely through the
Insistence of Republican members of
the committee.
A telegram was received today by
the rules committee from the execu
tive committee of the Nebraska anti
suffrage organization urging defeat of
the suffrage amendment.
Park Enlargement to Be Asked.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington, Dec 24. At the request of Sena
tor Lane, the Interior Department is
taking steps to ascertain private hold
ings of mining claims within the pro
posed new boundaries for enlarging the
Crater Lake National Pank with a view
to preparing a bill for the enlargement
recommended by Superintendent Steele.
MODERN WARFARE
OUTSTRIPS CAVALRY
Spectacular Charge of Horse
men of Old Is Not Found
in Present Conflict.
'SCREENING' IS MAIN AID
Some Use Is Yet Found in Sending
Reinforcements Hurriedly About
Battle-Kront, but Chief Work
Is Xow In Trenches.
VIENNA, Deo. 6. (Correspondence of
the Associated Press.) In Austria
Hungary, as In Germany, a tenacious
adherence to tradition rather than the
lessons of recent military history has
been responsible for the retention of
various cavalry organizations which
were Intended to take part in war much
In the manner of the campaigns of 1866
and 1870.
Though the Boer war, the campaign
in Manchuria and more recently the
operations In the Balkans had demon
strated, as military experts asserted,
that cavalry was a thing of the past
in this era of machine guns, the Austro
Hungarlan and German governments
continued to maintain large numbers
of these expensive troops. Their value
has now proved to be slight, it is as
serted. Already most of the Austro
Hungarian and German cavalry regi
ments have modified their field work
considerably, so that now they are
little more than mounted infantry.
Old Cavalry Charge Missing.
For reconnaisance purposes, and what
is known as "screen" work, the cav
alry remains now, as in other wars, an
Important arm. It may also still be
used when reinforcements must be sent
hurriedly, or when a flank movement
of the enemy is to be frustrated, but
the old cavalry charge would seem to
have been relegated to oblivion. The
losses of the cavalry organizations have
been frightfully heavy in this war, it
is said; so heavy, in fact, that they
finally have overcome the stronghold
which the cavalry tradition had on the
military world of Europe.
Hereafter cavalry will be used only
for field Intelligence, patrol, cover and
reinforcement purposes. Outside of that,
the men now fight in trenches as do
the infantrymen. In the Austro-Hun-garian
army much cavalry has been
converted into machine gun personnels.
Excellent work has been done by the
men on horseback now and then, but
usually in operations not considered
heretofore the proper sphere of cav
alry. Forty Men Capture Five Hundred.
The honveds of Hungary, for Instance,
became the terror of the Servian troops.
In one campaign it was but necessary
to make a demonstration with these
descendants of the warriors of Attila to
get results. But the honved cares lit
tle for cavalry tactics and Austro-
Hungarian army regulations. True to
the instincts of the Pusta cowboy, he
rides "up and at them," - takes cover
whenever necessary and does saber
work only when the - chances for it
are good.
At Mltrovlci some S00 Servian in
fantrymen surrendered to a honved pa
trol of 40 men. The honveds. It appears,
had ridden around the Serbs so many
times that the latter believed them
selves attacked by at least a division
of these Magyar horsemen.
It is predicted that there will be
little cavalry in Europe after this war,
and that governments will concentrate
their efforts and means upon motor
transportation for their foot troops.
Motorcar Value Proved.
The operations of the Germans in
Belgium and France have already dem
onstrated the great value of this, and
the trench war now In progress leaves
no sphere for the mounted men. This
is true also of the hill fighting in Ser-
vla and the mud and swamp-hampered
operations in Galicia and Russian
Poland.
In neither of these theaters of war
has the cavalry beeji, a success since
the first encounter. Ground is gained
and lost, not by miles, as heretofore,
but by feet and yards, and in these
fronts, measured by the hundreds of
kilometers, there Is hardly such a
thing as a flank, which cavalry might
back up or envelop.
Thursday's War Moves
INSTEAD of the Christmas truce which
Pope Benedict endeavored to arrange.
Christmas eve finds the armies of the
belligerent powers engaged In fierce
battles on both the eastern and west
ern fronts.
In the west the allies' hammer Is
tapping at the German entrenchments,
trying to find a weak point, while in
he east the Russians, who have been
driven back from the Austrian and
German frontiers, seemingly have been
brought to bay behind rivers which
offer them natural lines of defense.and
turning have counter-attacked "the
Austro-German forces.
The Germans in their rush toward
Warsaw, under direction of Field Mar
shal Von Hindenburg, drove the Rus
sians over the Bzura and Rawka rivers
and they themselves succeeded in cross
ing these rivers, but, according to the
Russian official report tonight, the
Germans there reached the main Rus
sian line and were routed. From this
report it Is gathered that the Germans
directed their main attacks against the
Russian front, which lies along the
banks of the Bzura River and thence
southward to the Pllica River, but
without success.
Along the rest of the front south to
the Carpathian Mountains the Russians
assert they have won similar victories,
but on the East Prussian frontier the
Germans apparently have turned the
scales on their adversaries and, after
having retreated to their own territory,
resumed the offensive and again are
back in Mlawa, whence they originally
tried to outflank the Russian forces
north of the Vistula and work their
way to Warsaw from the north.
Even now it is possible that the Ger
mans have resumed their outflanking
tactics and. while keeping the Russian
center busy by making frontal attacks,
are hoping to get into Warsaw by the
back door. All that is certain at pres
ent Is that the two armies, whose
numbers can only be roughly estimated,
are engaged in one of the greatest bat
tles of the world's history on a front
which extends from East Prussia to
the Carpathians and in which the ad
vantage sways first to one side and
then to the other.
Military experts say that one of the
advantages the Russians retain is that
they hold the right bank of the Vistula
as far west as Plock and thus can pre
vent the Germans from using the river
for keeping their army supplied, and
that along the whole of the rest of the
front they have rivers and streams to
fall behind when hard pressed. This,
however, will all be changed, the ex
perts say, when the rivers freeze and
the armies can be moved over them as
easily as overland.
Mining and sapping, artillery duels,
attacks and counter-attacks, and In
fact every means of warfare, are be
ing employed In Belgium and France
by the allies in their effort to force the
Germans to give up their present lines
of defense. Some advance has been
made, but only against stubborn oppo
sition and counter-attacks, which suc
ceed occasionally in recovering the
ground that the allies have taken at
great cost.
England yesterday experienced an
aerial attack', when a German aero
plane, coming from the Belgian coast,
flew over Dover and dropped bombs
In the garden of St. James rectory,
which Is in front of Dover Castle. No
damage was done. Two British aero
planes rose in pursuit, but the . Ger
man escaped in the mist.
WAR HELPS FISHERIES
PORTUGUESE AIXIASCE REMOVES
BAN ON PRODUCTS.
Reciprocal Concession by Newfound
land Affects Use of Name "Port"
In Designating Wine.
6T. JOHNS. N. F Dec 24. A s trance
effect of the war is Its bearing upon
me future or the fish trade of New
foundland and maritime Canada. The
war has revived the alliance between
Great Britain and Portugal and a re-
suit has been that a discrimination
made by Portugal for many years
against fish from New Foundland and
the Canadian maritime provinces has
teen removed. The products of this
region are now admitted to Portu
guese markets on an equality with
those of all other countries.
One reason for the discrimination
was the objection of Portugal to the
custom on this side of the Atlantic of
applying to certain wines not produced
in Portugal the name of port wine.
The Portuguese government contended
that the word "port" could only be
applied properly to wine from that
country.
Reciprocal concessions have been
made, Canada and Newfoundland
agreeing to Portugal's terms In this re
spect. The Imnnrfa nf vlna tr vah.
foundland last year amounted to only
ouuu gallons, valued at $5000, whereas
the exports of dry codfish from New
foundland to Portue&l
200,000 quintals, valued at $1,250,000.
Next to Brazil, Portugal is the largest
purchaser of the Newfoundland com-
moaity.
It is eroectpil that Bimiia.
slons will be obtained from the Spanish,
Italian ana ureeK governments in the
near future a.nrt that th- fniati,n
in codfish will be greatly increased
next year.
NEUTRALITY PLANS LAID
IDEAS OF SOUTH AMERICAN RE
PUBLICS CONSIDERED.
Peru Would Enlarge Neutral Zone and
Chile . Proposes Limitation of
Belligerents' Coal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 24. Committees
to consider the plans already presented
by various South American countries
for the maintenance of neutrality by
the republics of the Western Hemis
phere were named at today's meeting of
the special Commission of the govern
ing board of the Pan-American Union.
Three committees were named the
Ambassador from Brazil and the Min
isters from Peru and Honduras to
consider the Peruvian plan: the Am
bassador from Chile and the Ministers
from Uruguay and Cuba, that of Chile,
and the Ambassador from Argentina,
Secretary Bryan and the Minister from
Ecuador, the remaining three members
of the Commission, to give their atten
tion to a plan which Argentina may
present later.
The Peruvian plan would provide for
enlarged neutral zones in both the At
lantic and Pacific, which would be de
clared free from all activities of
belligerent warships and wide open to
all neutral shipping. The Chilean plan
comprises the decree announced by that
country several days ago and presented
to the State Department by Ambassador
Suarez. It provides that belligerent
vessels In American ports should re
ceive only enough coal to take them
to the nearest port in the adjoining
country, unless they agree to go di
rect to European ports, and that if any
merchant ship violates Chile's rules of
neutrality no coal shall be furnished
in a Chilean port to any vessel be
longing to the company owning the
offending vessel. The Chilean govern
mem contends tnat if this set of neu
trality regulations were adopted uni
formly by all the American republics
there would be no difficulty in main
taining strict neutrality on this Hemis
phere. The Commission decided to meet
again January 7.
FEW III TRENCH ESCAPE
OFFICERS SEE HEAVY ARTILLERY
FIRE RID FRENCH OF FOE.
Dead and Wounded Germans Litter
Line Where COO Guns Cease After
IS Minutes of Destruction.
PARIS, Dec 24. General Joffre, the
commander-in-chief, said to Colonels
Ignatieff and "Sarde-Buller, the Rus
sian and English military attaches at
the field headquarters of the French
army, three or tour days ago:
iome witn me and you will see
something never seen before in war."
The military attaches accompanied
the General to a place near the lines of
far from Arras. There 600 pieces of
heavy artillery were placed in a posil
tlon so as to bear upon a comparative
ly short plexus of German entrench
ments. The ranges already had been
found.
Upon a word from General Joffre.
repeated by his aides telephonically,
tne uu pieces opened a sustained fire
upon the German works and the spaces
just behind them.
After a quarter of an hour the
French infantry charged. Not a hos
tile snot met them. Not a bayonet
gleamed over the edge of the works.
The trenches actually were torn in
pieces as tbough by gigantic plough
shares. Dead and wounded men. half burled.
littered the line' where formerly had
Deen tne trencnes U'ne few alive were
struggling to free themselvs from
heaps of earth. Those who had tried to
run were caught by the horrible spray
from bursting shells in the rear of the
German trenches. Probably not a man
defending that part of the line escaped.
TEUTONS ROUTED ON
BZURA, SAYS FOE
Germans Turn Tide and Beat
Russians Back from Sol
dau, East Prussia.
CZAR'S PIL1CA FORCE GAINS
Enemy Is Forced to Recross to Left
Bank of River and Successes
Previously Reported Are Re
peated, Says Petrograd.
LOKDON, Dec 24. Strong German
forces were utterly routed on the
Bzura River and another army that
had crossed to the left bank of the
Pillca River were thrown back yester
day, acordlng to a Petrograd official
dispatch, which added that the successes
reported cn the various fronts the
previous day were repeated with heavy
losses to the ' invaders and the cap
ture of many prisoners.
The Germans report that they have
turned on the Russians on the line from
Soldar to Mlawa on the Russian
Poland frontier, driving them back Into
Poland.
German Regiment Annihilated.
The statement from the general staff
of the Russian commander-in-chief re
ceived here from Petrograd tonight,
says: .
"On the Bzura River near the Chateau
of Tuchow five versts below Sochaczew,
our troops on the night of December 23
utterly routed the strong German forefs
which had crossed to the right bank
of the Bzura.
"A German regiment was almost com
pletely annihilated and In addition lost
five machine guns. We captured five
officers and 515 soldiers.
"All through the day of December 23
the Germans made fierce attacks in
the region of Bolimow, but were every
where repulsed. Stubborn fighting also
prevailed that day in the region of
Liow-Lodz and below that point. We
succeeded In throwing back the Ger
man column which had crossed to the
right bank of the Pillca.
Russians Capture 3000.
"On the 22d and 23d violent fighting
took place all along the front on the
Nida River. It was especially stubborn
on the lower Nida between Wlslica and
Nowemiasto Korczyn.
During these two days we captured
to the north of Pinczow 57 officers and
more than 3000 soldiers.
"To the south of the Vistula we
maintained our successes of the previ
ous day. Here we took 1500 prisoners.
"In East Prussia, near Przemysl. and
In the Carpathians no important changes
have taken place.
The following official communication,
issued in Vienna today, was received
here tonight:
"In the upper Magyoger Valley the
battle continues. In the Lateleza Val
ley yesterday our troops repulsed sev
eral attacks, the enemy suffering heavy
losses. One Russian battalion was
blown up.
Austrian Gain Alois Ung.
"In the upper Ung Valley our at
tack has gained ground for us and near
the Urzeker Pass 650 prisoners were
taken.
"On the Galiclan front the battle con
tinues. "On the lower Drina more than 2000
prisoners were taken December 22.
"Between December 11 and 20, 43,000
Russians were captured. There are now
in the monarchy 200,000 prisoners of
war"
Among the Items sent out by the
German official press bureau were the
following:
"While there is general confidence
that the Germans and their ally are
making progress along the extended
battle line in the East, there is no
indication, either in the German or
the- Austrian official reports, that any
marked advantage has been won.
"Indeed, it is noticeable that Vienna
uses the adjective 'favorable' in re
ferring to the battles In the Carpa
thians, but contents itself with say
ing that the severe battle along the
Lower Dunajec River and on the Kros-
no-Tuchow lines continues."
Germans Win In Prussia.
The German general headquarters
staff today made the following report:
In the East we have assumed the
offensive and' are advancing from Nei
denburg and Soldau (in East Prussia).
"We have repulsed the Russians
after several days' fighting at Mlawa
(Northern Poland), and the enemy's
positions at Mlawa again are in our
hands. More than 1000 prisoners were
taken in these battles.
"At the confluence of the Bzura and
Rawka rivers, fierce bayonet attacks
took place at many places. The artil
lery could do little on account of the
misty weather.
"The Russians suffered heavy losses
on the right bank of the Pillca River,
in the district to the southeast of
Tomaszow. The Russians attacked
fiercely several times but were re
pulsed by the Austro-German armies
with heavy losses.
"Farther to the south the situa
tion generally is unchanged."
POPE RECEIVES COLLEGE
Pomp of Leo's Period Is Apparent
During Sacred Ceremonies.
ROME. Italy, Deo. 24. Pope Bene
dict today received the members of the
Sacred Collega in solemn audience ror
the exchange of Christmas greetings,
the ceremony taking on the pomp of
the times of Pope Leo.
Addressing the cardinals, the pontiff
expressed his regret at the absence of
some of the prelates, owing to Illness,
referring especially to Cardinals Agll
ardi and Martinelli. He added that
the latest news regarding the health
of Cardinal Agliardi made it apparent
that his recovery would be speedy.
The Pope then enumerated the ef
forts he had made to render the war
less terrible and said that he would
continue to devote ail his energies to
the suppression or limitation of the in
human sacrifice of life.
WOMEN TO LOSE TEMPLE
Willard Slemorlal Hopelessly In
Arrears on Bond Interest.
CHICAGO, Dec 24. Another move
dooming the 12-story Woman's Temple
building In this city, insofar as it ex
ists as a memorial to Frances E. Will
ard, was taken today when suit seek
ing to foreclose on the property and
asking for a receiver for the rents was
filed in the Circuit Court.
The suit was filed by the Northern
Trust Company and the Field Museum
of Natural History against the Wom
an's Temple Building Association. The
trust company holds bonds of the build
ing in trust for the museum. The
women are said to be hopelessly in ar
rears on bond interest.
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FRENCH LOSE DIVER
Vienna Reports Sinking of
Submarine Curie.
CRUISER IS TORPEDOED
Austrian Submarine Said to Have
Attacked Squadron in Otranto
Channel Paris Says Dam
age Is Unimportant.
AMSTERDAM, via London. Dec. 24.
An official telegram received here to
day from Vienna says:
"The French submarine Cruie was
fired on by our coast batteries with
out having been able to deliver any
attack. The members of her crew were
imprisoned.
"Our submarine No. 12 attacked
on December 21 a French squadron
ocmposed of 16 ships in the Otranto
channel. The submarine twice success
fully torpedoed two battleships of the
Courbet type, but the consequent con
fusion among the hostile squadron, the
dangerous proximity of some of the
ships and the high sea running ren
dered it impossible for the submarine
to establish with certainty the fate of
the torpedoed ships."
PARIS, Dec. 24. An official commun
ication Issued today by the French
Minister of Marine says:
"An Austrian submarine fired two
torpedoes at a French armored cruiser
in the Strait of Otranto, one of them
exploding forward. The damage done
to the vessel was unimportant. None
of the cruiser's crew was wounded."
The Gulf of Otranto Is In the Adri
atic, at the southern end of Italy.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 24. Foreign Of
fice dispatches received tonight by the
Austro-Hungarian Embassy here con
firmed the Vienna announcement of the
submarine attack on French battleships
in the Otranto Channel, giving the date
as December 21, and 'told of the sink
ing of an enemy s subirrine by shore
batteries.
Santa Claus to Visit Berlin
Despite War.
Christmas Gift Pack Will Not Be So
Abundant, However, Today for
Little German Lads and Lasses.
BERLIN. Dec. 24. The stores of the
city today announced a message of
comfort for the little people. This
message is that, despite war, embargo
and hard times, Santa Claus is expect
ed to appear at the usual time.
He may not bring quite so much in
his pack as in past years, but he will
bring something, and there is ground
for rejoicing in that, for thousands of
persons had feared that Christmas this
year would mean nothing more than
two figures on the calendar.
A war-time feature is the opening
of an elaborate exposition of "what the
soldier needs in the field." There is a
surprising range of things that must
have been manufactured since the war
began, going from condensed foods and
drinks to elaborate sleeping sacks and
hundreds of ingenious devices to make
the field of duty of the soldier more
comfortable.
A. round of the larger stores shows
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EG IN building your fortune
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with the NEW YEAR. Open
a savings account now with $1
or more here where it earns a liberal
interest rate and where it is
always safe. Adding to it
will soon become a pleasure
as well as a fixed habit
United States National Bank
Capital $1,000,000
Surplus and Undivided Pro fits.. $1,250,000
Third and Oak Streets, Portland, Oregon
l's.
TO
POWERS1!
that regular ante-Christmas picture In
all departments. Perhaps the only dif
ference is in the stocks of military
toys, which are rather larger than
usual. Regiment upon regiment of toy
soldiers appear, all uniformed in the
new "field gray," and drums, guns,
swords, tiny uniforms, cuirasses and
soldier caps, always prominent in the
toy departments, take up more space
than in peace times. A large propor
tion of the books also deal with the
war.
SEGREGATION LAW UPHELD
Louisville Act Xot Violation of 14U
Amendment, Says Court.
LOUISVILLE. Dec. 24. Segregation
of the 40,000 negroes in Louisville Is
the rightful exercise of a police power
of the state, according to an opinion
handed down in the Criminal Court
here today by Judge Gregory. It vio
lates neither the 14th amendment nor 1
the Kentucky bill of rights, the court
held.
The City Council passed a segrega
tion ordinance last May. Arthur Har
ris, a negro. Ignored its provisions. He ,
was arrested, fined in police court and .
appealed. His counsel endeavored to
show his constitutional rights had been
abridged.
The ordinance contemplates no imme
diate ouster of one race from blocks .
where the other predominates, but re- "
quires that future removals of citizens
be made only to blocks where their
race is in the majority.
CANADIANS G0 TO FRONT
Princess Patricia's Own Regiment
Leaves for Battle Line.
LONDON'. Dee. 24. Princess Pa
tricia's regiment, a part of the Ca
nadian contingent which has as its
honorary Colonel the daughter of the
Governor-General of Canada, has left
for the front.
This regiment will shortly be fol
lowed by the Scottish regiments of
Canada's army, which, after a course
of training in Canada and on Salis
bury plain, 'are considered fit to take
their places with the seasoned soldiers
of Great Britain.
The rest of the 30,000 men who came
across the American Continent and the
Atlantic Ocean to fight the battles
of the British empire are reaching the
concluding stages of their training
and it is fully expected that the whole
contingent before many weeks will be
on the Continent.
WAR INDORSED BY WITTE
Statesman Denies Heading Pacificist
Movement in Russia.
ROME, Dec. 23. (Delayed In Trans
mission.) Reports having been cir
culated that Count Serglus Witte, the
Russian statesman, was leading a pa
cific party at the Russian court, the
Count has telegraphed to this city d3
nying the statements. In his telegram
he save :
"At the beginning I deplored the war,
thinking it was not inevitable or in
dispensable, but since the war is in
progress any discussion regarding it
would be futile.
"Now that the war has assumed In
Russia a popular character, it can only
end with a decisive victory for Rus
sia." Charlton's Trial Put Off Again.
NEW YORK. Dec. 24. The trial of
Porter Charlton for the murder of his
wife at Como, Italy, again has been
postponed, according to cable advices
received here by Charlton's attorney.
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