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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1918)
9 TITE arORXTNG OREGOXIAX. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1918. TRADE COMMISSION SHARPLY ASSAILED Federal Body Accused of Usurping Power Presi dent Asked to Act. WHERE THE ALLIES PRESSED FORWARD TESTERDAY AT VARI OUS POINTS ON WEST FRONT. INACCURACY IS ALLEGED Subversion of Justice In Food In . quiry Is Charged; Jurisdiction Alleged Exceeded; Able Men Said to Be Needed. WASHINGTON, Sept. I. Usurpation of power. Inefficiency and unjust abuse of business Interests are among the charges made against the Federal Trade Commission and laid before President Wilson by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. In a letter to the President, made public tonight by tEe organization, the directors approve and submit a report denouncing the Trade Commission as an Irresponsible body that has lost the confidence of the public and asking the President to remedy this condition by filling two existing vacancies in the membership with able men "whose In terests will be single to the commls ion's work." The report was prepared by the chamber's Federal trade committee, of which Rush C. Butler, a Chicago law yer, is chairman. It presents the fol lowing seven charges: Jurisdiction Alleged Exceeded. eMc?f1'ls ere wnmmce i V we vve&jeee ,0 ay" 0 rwwwir Cv5?j S c I 'microns I re r- tv v 'jyr.iu .r.- 3 We;?? ALLIES PURSUE FOE CDMO 1G mm AiGiirniu iiUUHlUilLUHVLni Desperate Fighting Takes Place With Germans Under ground Field of Battle. WHIPPET TANKS EFFECTIVE American and French Troops Ad vance Together In Action Aimed to Smash Defensive Sys tem of Iiadendorff. 'r-tir- il -'-JON. V . ifufso! Tiff ' " -r-A' rrauncotjrc 'ufSp Cffnrey res L'-ft'lierO AIR The commission has undertaken the exercise of functions beyond its own Jurisdiction to the detriment of its proper usefulness. "The commission has besun the study of important situations but, because of vacillating interest or for other rea sons not apparent, has left Its work in complete. "The commission's procedure, orig inally orderly and appropriate, has been changed without public notice or no tice to Congress. "The commission has abused Its powers of publicity. "Prominent features of the commis sion's recent food investigation were subversive of common Justice. "In present information to Congress and the public the commission has been heedless of the accuracy and frank ness which Its position and the circum stances require. Purpose Said to Be I.est. "The commission has departed from the fundamental purpose for which it "was established." The report sets forth that It does not Undertake to criticise in detail specific acts of the commission, but rather to point out mistakes in principles of con. duct. The President is assured that the chamber and its committee, which has followed the work of the commls-. sion since its organization three years ago, does not represent special business interests. In support of the charge that the commission has taken on improper functions, the report cites the' commis sion's news print report and its efforts to supervise distribution of coal before creation of the Fuel Administration. In both these activities, the report says, the commission was inaccurate in fig ures of costs and "dealt recklessly alike with National Interests and per sonal rights." Inquiries Started, Never Finished. Investigations of the lumber industry, of resale price practices and of bitumi nous coal production were started but never completed, the report says, and tnese are citea as examples of per mitting public interest to suffer and wasting public money. Charges of unfairness, often Initiated by a Jealous competitior, the report de clares, are preferred by the commis sion and made public without giving the accused firm advance notice of the charges, or sufficiently definite infor mation on the charges to enable it to make proper answer, while by filing about ISO formal complaints and dis posing of only about 30. giving full publicity to the original complaints, with meager announcement of dismis sals, the commission has caused great Injustice injury and confusion. Enplooace Aid Invoked. "This strange spectacle ended In Chi cago in February. 1918, when applica tion was made on behalf of the com mission for a search warrant under a section of the espionage act. and the Circuit Court of Appeals quashed the warrant. "The result of the commission's course was not to give Information to the public, but to place the commis sion in the position of seeking to create prejudice which would support an apparently preconceived purpose to Inaugurate. Government ownership of the business." Referring to the commission's re cent report to Congress on profiteering, - the report says: "The commission again showed its lack of responsibility by giving such form and content to a report as to make general charges of calumnious nature against business enterprises without supporting its charges with adequate facts." Sensational Cbirin ls warranted. "The commission couched its charges In sensational terms unwarranted by the facta set out. For example, it spoke of Tare-faced fraud,' "monopo listic control." "manipulation of the mar kets by illegal devices,' and "preying with shameful avarice upon consumers.' "It even resorted to hearsay In re citing, it is understood, that producers I repeated. .i I'i&uc spruce in ine .Nortnwest have taken advantage of allied gov ernments. "Intrinsic faults ln this report are even more serious. The commission criticised the principle of fixed prices, which every other agency of the Gov ernment has approved as a means of at once resu'.ating the market and ob taining the increased production the Nation requires. . . . Jt finds the profits of producers of Southern pine "unusually and unnecessarily large," yet the price-fixing committee of the Gov ernment, having before it the commis sion's own figures of costs, has recently increased the price for Southern -pine to the Government by approximately 15 per cent." Wholesale Innuendo Deplored. The report concedes that Individual profiteers exist and should be prose cuted vigorously, but adds: "The existence of Individual error and crime is no reason for condemna tion of the whole community or any part of it by broad accusation and innuendn." Members of the Federal Trsde Com mission are William B. Colver, chair man: John F. Fort and Victor Mur- dock. Joseph E. Davies and William J. Harris recently resigned member ship to seek Senatorial nominations in Wisconsin and Georgia, respectively. Francis J. Heney, special counsel, dur ing the packers' Inquiry, was a candi date for the Democratic nomination for Governor of California. 1" r ' -9aUS!' ...V pay "-A Oferes'e. . i t xy u in uJ V, 'tro lll'l.,,"'; sr. ei-7ygj OSyCTCOUs JTi.l afimiru orem-r X?,j-..'i"- oupxres Mr.,.. 77o ,.yr,. -A. i vixUji mz.' jri. .rt :tt-K'&urj ( ,ir' rr tj", It'll Z, t.r: ftK. '. . U -fey- m o , o 1(1 I "l.-U'tf . 1JT M Dotted Line Shorn German Position Before Allies Started Drive. Solid Line Shows Position Saturday and Shaded Portions Indicate Gains Yesterday on the Lys Salient. Northeast of Bapanme, in the Peronne Sector, Where Peronne Was Taken, and to the North of Sotssons. Where- French Pressed on Conchy, Arrows Shovr Where British 3Ioved Around Mighty Stronghold of Lens. CAW 600 Advance of Two Miles Made Beyond Juvigny. TEUTONS CAUGHT NAPPING German Officers Oat-Maneuvered and Their Men Badly Outfought Raid Attempted by Enemy Proves Fruitless. Continued From First Paee- had been subjected to a counter-bar rage by their own army. That did occur in at least one instance, due to the confusion in the German aerial service. Triple Barrage Repeated. The Americans held their long range guns on a line of targets, be ginning their barrage along a line to the rear of that. This barrage moved on and in a brief interval another bar rage started at the same point. When the first moving line of fire reached that of the long-range guns, they shifted and the triple barrage was Ordinarily when a creeping barrage passes, those under the fire feel free to reappear. In 4his case they re appeared only to be subjected to an other smothering firs. On the Americans' left similar tactics were used but the Intervals were longer, the Americans' guns covering exactly twice the ground, if measured by the density of the fire. The allies' mastery of the air in this sector is unquestioned. In the air at one time there were counted su amea planes. It was one of those rare oppor tunities for observation work: the visi bility was good and squadron after squadron ascended. After the observa tion planes went combat planes, a few of which disappeared over the German lines to take part In the actual fighting. Occasionally a German plane chal lenged their presence, but in every case it was driven off. The allied planes even prevented the Germans spotting for their own artillery with any degree of efficiency. Not one allied plane was brought down. An incident of the arrival of the pris oners at the rear was a halt of a de tachment at a spot where graves were being dug. Their stopping was acci dental, but the men were fully con vinced that they had been brought there to die and there to be burled. In the dressing stations today the range Are of the Germans today did not result'in many casualties. The German dead is out of proportion to the num ber of Americans killed. AMERICAN FORCES IN LORRAINE, Aug. 31. (By the Associated Press.) German artillery last night shelled the American lines in the Toul sector. Fol lowing a lull of several hours the bom bardment was resumed at daybreak to day, gradually narrowing tt a concen trated fire on a small sector. At 5 o'clock this morning a German force estimated at about 200 men at tempted a raid behind a barrage. The enemy was driven off before he reached the trenches. Some German dead were left. Another raid attempted In the Vosges sector this morning was repulsed. WITH THE (AMERICAN FORCES ON THE AISNE FRONT, Aug. 31. (By the Associated Press.) Juvigny, the ruins of a village north of Soissons, that the Germans fought so desperately to re tain, is well within the American lines. It was taken Friday, but publication of details of its capture was not per mitted. The .Americans have consolidated their positions to the east of Juvigny. They control the zone in advance of the village. American artillery domj nates the country and the Germans ap parently have been left with slicht chance of effective resistance until they reach tne broken terrain around Neu ville. The German officers were out- maneuvered and their men outfought. Enemy machine guns proved a ter rible barrier to the progress of the Americans, but it was not enough. When all was over the Germans unwit tingly added a final touch of tragedy when they dropped a high explosive shell into the midst of 187 prisoners the Americans had driven to the rear. Five German captives were killed and scores were terribly wounded. When the objective of General Per shing's men finally was attained the Germans w-ithln the town were caught napping. The Americans had complete ly encircled them. German machine guns and trench mortars all were pointed to the west and the northwest, but the assailants appeared out of an arc drawn about their rear. The mopping of the town and posi tions immediately adjacent to it netted the Americans 225 prisoners. The Ger man dead have not been counted. The number is big. Two days ago American patrols were a mile and ahalf beyond Juvigny. But the Germans were not exhausted and there was a repetition of the experi ence of certain Americans north of the Marne when town after town passed back and forth before the Germans were definitely pushed back. Thursday night, when an American detachment escorted by tanks entered Juvigny, the German line once more was behind the railroad west of the town. A tremendous struggle began. Friday the Americans were Instructed to pound the German lines and to harass them in every manner, while the French were bringing up forces on the flanks, but not to make any effort to advance. BY LINCOLN EYRE. Copyright by the Press Publishing Com pany, the New York World. Published by Arrange meiiL WITH THE AMERICAN FORCES NORTH OF THE AISNE, Sept. 1. (Spe cial.) Amid the tangled trench . lines that cross the tortured battle ground west of ChemIn-ds-Dames, our in fantry is helping the French to cleave the wedge In the stone wall of the de fensive system with which the enemy seeks to save himself from further dis astrous retirement. Flanked by crack French divisions, acepmpanied by several squadrons of light tankjj, the Americans are pushing forward in tne lace or resistance even stronger than any oftered by the Ger mans on the Marne, the Ourcq or the Vesle. LudendorfC realizes only too well the vital importance of the high plateau running eastward rrora the t ranco American front at Juvigny to Chemin- dcs-Dames. He is ready to spend men and munitions like theatrical currency to keep the allies off these heights, for should he lose tbem he must needs fall back to the line from which he set out on March 27 last. Offensive Plans Secret. Only General Mangin, under whom the French forces and ours are co-operating, knows what the offensive move ment, begun on a comparatively nar row front, fs expected to achieve. The American units, and, so far as I know, the Poilus on either side of the Americans, have accomplished thus far all that has been asked of them; but the battle still is in full tide and prophecy may not be formulated yet. Mangin's operations began with cer tain subsidiary attacks, designed to bring about a rectification of our line. As soon as this had been effected, artil lery of many calibers, including light and heavy American batteries, started a methodical destructive fire on the en enemy's trenches and back areas. German guns retaliated by flooding our sector with gas. Although attack ing with masks is decidedly no fun, the zero .hour found French and Americans ready for the fray. Gas Masks Donned. Fully 50 per cent of our boys wore their respirators when, our drum fire having lifted, they debouched from the railroad embankment west of Juvigny at 6 P. M. heading eastward. Whippet tanks rambled along with them, dipping in and out of ravines along the disused trenches like a school of sea Hons. The ground hereabouts is made of shell-craters, ripped-up field fortifica tions and twisted meshes of barbed wire. In Juvigny, elements of the Seventh Prussian division, fresh troops whose physique and morale were both of the highest order, swarmed out of the un derground quarries with which this Aisne country abounds to meet our ad- , vancing columns. I Fighting was of the most savage character owing to the nature of the terrain as well as the enemy's tenacity. Before noon the flow of prisoners had set in and the Americans were still pushing forward slowly but surely to ward the objectives assigned to them. Tanks Clean l'p Machine Guns. German machine guns, hidden in the depths of caverns and suddenly whisked into position, were the worst things with which our soldiers had to con tend. Here the tanks helped mightily. They charged the machine gun nests as bull charges the red cloth and ob literated them before the infantry came up. ' The enemy had a liberal stock of anti-tank rifles with long, barrels. Private Wesley Barlow, of Warsaw, Wis., captured one of these curious weapons by creeping up on its operator from behind while a squad of American infantry was pouring direct fire in from the front. The tank Fritz sought to annihilate dodged about so cleverly that it never was hit. The business of mopping up a sub terranean stronghold of the foe was a ticklish one. Just when all hands would think a certain cave had been cleaned of occupants hand grenades or bullets would come from that quarter, indicat- ng the presence of some over-bel ligerent enemies. Wrestler Puts Out Officer. by us in a successful minor operation I east of Haucourt. "In the Lys sector our advance - Is continuing. Our troops have crossed the Lawe River and are approaching the La Bassee-Estaires road. "This morning Australian troops cap tured Peronne. After beating off the enemy's counter attacks at Mont St. Quentln yesterday evening, the Aus tralians at 5:30 this morning renewed their advance in conjunction with Eng lish troops on their left. At an early hour the attacking Australians had stormed the German positions west and north of Peronne and, pressing on, while fierce fighting was still taking place among the ruined streets and buildings, carried the eastern suburbs of the town. "The Australians hold Peronne, Fla micqurt and St. Denis and have made important progress on the spurs east and northeast of Mont St. Quentln. "On the Australians' left London troops, attacking southeast of Combles, have taken Bouchavesnes and Kan court, with the high ground overlook ing these villages, and have reached the western outskirts of St. Pierre Vaast wood. "In the course of this successful at tack, ln which stiff opposition was met and overcome by both English and Australians, over 2000 prisoners and a few guns were taken." French. PARIS, Sept. 1. The text of the French official statement tonight fol lows: "During the day there was great ar tillery activity in the Somme region and along the Canal Du Nord. "North of the Ailette we have taken foot in the wood west of Coucy-Le- Chateau. South of the river we cap tured the village of Crecy-au-Mont. "Eight enemy airplanes were brought down or fell in a damaged condition. From a low altitude our bombing air planes today dropped 23 tons of pro jectiles on enemy concentrations and convoys in the region of Vauxaillon, Neuville - Sur - Margivai, Laffaux and Manteuil La Foos (all northeast of Soissons). Thousands of cartridges were fired in the same regions on en emy troops. "Eastern theater, Aug. 31. There was great artillery activity by both sides on the two banks of the Vardar. On the left bank of the Vardar British troops successfully raided the enemy lines and brought back prisoners. Brit ish aviators bombed encampments in the Struma Valley." German. BERLIN,' via London, Sept 1. The official statement from -general head quarters this evening says: "Fighting is proceeding between the Scarpe and the Somme. British at tacks here, ln the main, failed. At iso lated places they pressed back our lines towards the east. "Between the Oise and the Aisne French partial attacks were repulsed." PORTLAND HAY BENEFIT VANCOUVER FEARS RESULT WAGE INCREASE. An American Lieutenant was gingerly leading his platoon toward the en trance of a quarry, which he had hoped was free of Boches, when a German officer suddenly popped up from the depths waving an automatic pistol. Private Jack Dubois, of ipailanti. Mich., one-time wrestling champion of his state, was standing on a ledge of rocks over the Prussian's head. He sprang from above and with a wrest ler's trained clutch broke the German a back. Caves are never entered until an ad vance guard has thrown hand grenades into them, but such is the depth and and size of some of them that the Ger mans simply lay low at one end and waited until our boys followed their bombs underground. Then a battle royal would ensue. Bayonets and gren ades were favorite weapons in the struggles often carried on in complete darkness. In places the foe had planted machine guns so as to sweep long galleries of the caves. Una Resentment Stirred. No estimate is yet possible of the number of prisoners taken. They are stalwart and of higher grade than most of the Germans we haif encountered recently They were particularly resentful when they found that a large percent age of the Yankee contingent that had pposed them were Americans of Ger man lineage. Employers of Women Lnbor Anxious to Know What Oregon Commis sion Is Going to Do. VANCOUVER, Wash., Sept 1. (Spe cial.) The action of representatives of employers and employes in wir confer ence with the Industrial Welfare Com mission in raising the wages rt girls and women to $13.20 oer week, a flat salary, may have the effect of assist ing Portland at the expense of local employers of feminine labor, unless the Oregon Commissici takes similar action and raises the minimum of wages to the same standard In Portland. The old scale was $8.90 to $10 ier week. The new rate, which will become effective as soon as approved by the commission, is to be effective for at least six months after the war. The number of hours women may work is fixed at eight by legislation. Local employers of women labor are not complaining so much about the rise they will no doubt have to pay, but are interested in what the Oregon Com mission is going to do. Portland laundries solicit business ln Vancouver and do the work in Port land, where the scale Is lower. It is tile same in other industries. It may be, however, that ' higher wage will attract help to Vancouver, and Just now getting enough help is a serious problem. FREIGHT RULING DUE SOON McXary Urges Diversion to Colum bia River Points. TELEPHONE OPERATORS f WAN D TE Young Ladiesfor Permanent Positions. Pleasant, Light and Clean Work No Experience Required Rapid Increase in Wages Call at Telephone Company; Room 601 - Sixth Floor Park and Oak Streets Between 8:30 and 5:30 P. M. A complaint was lodged in Justice Cru son's Court at 10 o'clock Friday night charging James Ward and George Smith with assaulting E. L. Trento with a deadly weapon. The fight oc curred at 8 o'clock at the Trento home about four miles east of Lebanon, in which ward and Smith are said to have attacked Trento with a knife and a shotgun. Trento was beaten and cut, but is not dangerously hurt. H. L. CARNAHAN RESIGNS Political Cause Ascribed for Request by Governor Stephens. SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1. In a let ter to Governor William D. Stephens, made public here last night, H. L. Car nahan, commissioner of corporations. announced that the Governor had re quested his resignation and that in compliance with the request he had resigned. "It is obvloue," said Commissioner Carnahan's letter to the Governor, "that you demand my resignation be cause at the recent primary I did not support you and did support Mayor Rolph." Governor Stephens defeated Rolph of San Francisco for the Repub lican Gubernatorial nomination. AID IS ASKED FOR MINERS Rise of Prices Relative to Gold Cre ates Serious Condition. SEATTLE, Sept. 1. Need of provid ing some sort of assistance to the gold miners is among the Nation's important economic problems at this time, accord ing to Charles A. Sulzer, AlaEk:. Dele gate in Congress, who arrived h-re to day en oute to Alaska. Supplies and mining costs, he said, have advanced two and three fold, but the price of gold has remained the same. Mr. Sul zer believes that the Government must either increase its price for gold or provide some sort of bounty or cub siJy to keep production up. Draft Official Declared Briber. CLEVELAND, Ohio, Sept. 1. David L. Shaw, attorney and member of draft board No. 9, was arrested today on a charge of demanding and accepting a bribe of foOO from Ldward I. Robinson, to give Robinson deferred classification in the draft. Robinson also has been Mayor arrested. ! Meat Fats Sugar Eat Plenty But Wisely In WHEAT SAVERS you are getting practically the same amount of energy that is con tained in an all-wheat cracker. WHEAT SAVER Crackers are as good as they are patriotic. Ask your grocer for The Gen uine WHEAT SAVERS. Pacific Coast Biscuit Co. Portland, Uregon OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash ington, Sept. 1. It Is altogether likely that the railroad administration and the other Governmental agencies will co-operate in an effort .to divert to Columbia River ports some of the Middle West and Eastern traffic now going through Seattle and congesting shipping facilities there. Senator Charles L. McNary today pre sented the subject at length before the traffic division, and was told that a decision would probably be reached during the coming week as to the ex tent to which It will be practicable to divert freight with greater expedition ln handling through Columbia River ports. Official War Reports. British. Fires in Forests Averted. Quick action on the part of forest rangers has prevented any serious loss from the 24 fires started by an elec trical storm in the Cascades last week. Only ona or two fires attained any size, and these were quickly controlled, number of German wounded was far according to George H. Cecil, district greater than the American. The longforeater. LONDON, Sept. 1. The British war office statement issued today says: "lesterday evening the enemy re peatedly counter attacked our new po sitions at Mont St. Quentln and was repulsed on each occasion after severe fighting, leaving prisoners In our hands. "We have made progress in the di rection of Le Transioy and during the night cleared the enemy from the vil lages of Longatte and Ecoust St Mein, taking 100 prisoners. "North of the Arras-Cambral road more than B0 prisoners were captured : LABOR POLICY TO WIN WAR British Leader Asserts No Surrender to Predatory Aims of Imperialists. BIRMINGHAM, England, Sept.-!. Arthur Henderson, leader of the labor party in the House said in a speech Saturday, labor's international policy was not one of compromise with the militarist rulers of Germany or sur render to the predatory aims of the German Imperialists. It was not a pol icy of weakness and disunion, such as led the Russian people to the debacle of Brest-Litevsk, but a policy to win the war for democracy and freedom. Mr. Henderson said there could not be an international Socialist confer ence until the parties in the central empires accepted the inter-allied labor memorandum as the basis of discussion. msmfcsr biscuit 9 Buy WHEAT SAVERS In pack ages or in bulk from any s;ood sroeer. i!I2i!!II!ll!!ii!!!!;iI!l!!i i Enlist Your Dollars Dangerous Assault Alleged. LEBANON. Or.. Sept. 1. CSpeelal.) THE TRADE-MARK ON GOOD BREAD Ask for Davidson's Ideal "It's Different." In the I Fight for Freedom H Begin saving now for the next call of your country. Subscription period begins Septem- E ber 28. Are you preparing to do your part? EE I Hibernia Savings Bank A Conservative Custodian ee 1 FOURTH AND WASHINGTON STS. !!I!!iI!li!iliI!!!iliiII!li!!l!i!!H