M
VOL. LVIII. NO. 18,040.
PORTLAND, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTE3IBER 18, 1918.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
HIGHWAY WORK IN 3
PEACE FRAHEUP
25 SOLDIERS DIE
LAND OF
EMBARGO PUT ON
SEATTLE EXPORTS
KICK OFF MEETING
STATES DESCRIBED
AS TRAINS COLLIDE
CLOSED inc
DAILY SLAUGHTER
JCLTCS SIEIER GITES NATTOXAIr
WRECK OCCURS IX NIGHT XEAR
GOVERNMENT ORDERS CLEAN
UP OF PILED-UP MERCHANDISE.
CONFERENCE INFORMATION.
MARSHFIELD, MO,
HEW GROUND WON
BI BRITISH TROOPS
RUSSIA
MOST ENTHUSIASTIC
American Answer
Way to Vienna,
on
FOE'S NEXT MOYE AWAITE
Teutons Expected to Continue
Their Offensive.
WILSON'S COURSE PRAISED
TTnanimous Indorsement Expressed
in Legislative and Diplomatic
Circles of Abrupt Rejection
of Austria- Proposal.
1
WASHINGTON. Seot. 1 7. Austria';
peace offensive is a closed incident so
far as toe American Government
concerned.
Secretary Lansing- sent to the Swed
Isb Minister today the note addressed
last night by President "Wilson flatly
releetlne? in two short sentences the
proposal of the Austro-Hungarlan gov
emment for secret and non-binding
peace discussions.
It was started on the cables at once
for transmission to Vienna by the For
ign Office at Stockholm.
' laaalnoas Approval Voiced.
The President's action. Including the
precedent-setting- brevity of the reply
and the promptness with which it was
delivered, drew expressions of approval
during the day everywhere in Wash
ington, at the Capitol, among officials
and throughout the allied diplomatic
corps. Similar responses from the
other nations at war with Germany are
expected to follow quickly.
Wise mm Rlafet." Says Lodse.
In the Senate, Senator Lodge, of
Massachusetts. Republican floor leader
and the ranking minority member of
the foreign relations committee, voiced
the feelings of Congress on the sub
ject in a prepared speech heartily ap
proving the President's course as both
wise and right.
The United States, the Senator said.
can talk peace only to a Germany
beaten and deprived of power further
to harm a wronged world.
He was followed by Senator McCum-
ber. of North Dakota, Republican, and
Senator Thomas, of Colorado, Demo
crat, with like expressions. On the
House side Representative Fess, of
Ohio, chairman of the Republican Con
gressional committee, spoke in ap
proval.
Prompt Actloa Xeeeaaary.
Unequivocal rejections of the Aus
trian offer by all the allied countries
will be in accord with the general
policy which has governed the entente
powers and America in meeting the
German peace offensives.
Prompt action is regarded as the
surest means of combating underlying
purpone of the central powers to shake
the allies and develop fatal weakness
by the encouragement of the expres
sion of individual aims and views of
the seperate states.
Foreign Minister Balfour's comment
yesterday la accepted in Washington as
a sufficient Indication or the attitude
of Great Britain, and It is not doubted
similar expressions will be forthcom
ing from other entente capitals soon.
Xew Coap Dlaeonated.
Regarding this phase of the peace
campaign as practically closed, the Ad
ministration Is now closely watching
for the next move on the part of the
enemy, for It Is not believed that they
will abandon their efforts.
It has been suggested that, denied
unlimited fields of secret discussion of
war Issues. Austria may attempt a
coup by assenting to a restriction of
the discussion to the principles laid
down by President Wilson as the only
possible basis of peace.
It was said authoritatively today that
such a proposition undoubtedly would
be accepted, but this statement was ac
companlcd by significant reminders of
conditions which must be met prelimi
nary to any such discussion.
Btera Coadltloaa XarnesU
These are that the central powers
must withdraw completely from all oc
cupied territory in France and Belgium,
Italy. Russia and Serbia.
The Germans must drop the subter
fuge of the Brest-Litovsk treaty made
by Germany with Russian agents, hired
to betray their country.
They must loosen their hold on the
wheat fields of Ukraine and the oil
wells of Serbia and Russia, and all this
must be done before America would
consent to talk of peace, even upon the
basis of the President's stipulation.
Attention was called to the fact that
In his reply Secretary Lansing referred
to the terms upon which the United
Hates would consider peace as having
been stated repeatedly. That meant
not that the terms in President Wilson's
Fourth of July speech at Mount Vernon
must be considered, but that they must
be considered In connection with other
declarations from the source.
Proposals Important.
It was practically intended, it was
explained, that there should be held
in mind the 14 propositions stated bj
the Fresldentln bis address to Congress
January t last.
Whereas the Fourth of July speech
stated simply broad general principles
that should govern any peace discus
sion, the address to Congress laid down
Plans Discussed for Greater Cse of
Roads and Truck Service for
Small Communities.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash
ington. Sept. 17. (Special.) As the
representative of a National highways
regional district composed of Oregon.
Washington and Idaho. Julius Meier,
of Portland, is here attending a con
ference of the highways transport com
mittee of the Council of National De
fense for the purpose of devising plans
for greater use of the highways during
the war emergency.
During the conference Mr. Meier
gave an extended account of the work
that has been' done and that la con
templated In the three states oi me
Pacific Northwest, described the steps
already taken in the establishment of
truck service from small communities
to market centers, and said that in his
ooinion a-reat progress will be made in
the coming year in the development or
the commercial motor truck service
that will give producers a cheaper
means of retting small quantities of
produce to market than the old meth
od of each farmer hauling his own
produce. '
Such service, he said, will not oniy
be an economy to the farmer, but will
save in the aggregate an immense
amount of time of the farmer workers
and teams, thus helping to solve the
problem of shortage of labor.
CORN AND RICE CONSERVED
Fighting Nets 1301
German Prisoners.
TEUTONS SEEM NERVOUS
Assault Forces Lacking to Re
pel Expected Drive.
U. S. VICTORY DISHEARTENS
Xew Anti-Beer Proclamation Signed
by President.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17. Use of any
foodstuffs except barley, malt and hops
in the brewing of beer and near-beers
after next October 1 is prohibited by
a proclamation signed tonight by Pres
ident Wilson. The President previously
had ordered the brewing of all beer
topped next December 1.
The purpose of the new proclamation
is to conserve stocks of corn and rice
which in recent years have been large
ly substituted for barley in brewing.
In announcing the new order Food
Administration officials said that even
after the breweries are shut down
December 1 they will have on hand In
their vats sufficient stocks of beer to
last from two to six months. The sale
f this will not be prohibited.
UPSIDE DOWN FLIGHT MADE
'Iyer Rides Keel of Capsized "Air
plane to Safety.
LONDON. Sept. 17. A British airman,
hile flying at a height of 1600 feet,
had the tail of his machine shot off by
direct hit from a shell.
The machine turned upside down and
the pilot was thrown from his seat, but
managed to clamber upon the bot
tom of the fusilage, on which he re
mained astride.
Although the machine was out of
control, he managed, by moving for
ward and backward, to balance it and
glide steadily downward. Under a
strong anti-aircraft fire he crossed the
German lines successfully a few hun
dred feet from the ground. His ma
chine came down with a crash. He re
eeived some injuries, but will recover.
5000-TON WOOD SHIP WINS
Steamer Plans Approved by Lloyd's
and American Shipping Bureau.
Plans for a 6000-ton wooden steamer, i
drawn at the headquarters of the
Oregon district, wooden ship division of
the Emergency Fleet Corporation, were
pprovea yesieraay oy uoya s ana me
American Bureau of . Shipping. The .
ews was telegraphed last night to the
Oregon Wood Shipbuilders' Association
J. W. Hall, assistant district su
pervisor, who is in New York City.
The ship is to be 134.5 feet long;
beam, molded, to be 48 feet, and depth,
molded. 4. feet. The ship will be all
wood and her construction specifica
tions call for such timbers as only the
forests of the Northwest can supply.
Alarming' Rumors Concerning Ex
tent of American Gains at St.
Mihlel Prevail Among Enemy
Troops Before English.
LONDON, Sept 17. The British
gained ground today in the neighbor
hood of Hoinon village, northwest of
St. Quentin, according to Field Marshal
Haig's report tonight.
A German post west of La Bassee was
captured. New posts were established
northeast of Neuve Chapelle and in the
neighborhood of Ploegsteert.
BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE, via Montreal. Sept. 17.
(Reuter's.) British troops in the last
24 hours have captured 1301 Germans.
There is plenty of evidence that the
enemy is expecting further concerted
attacks at various points. A captured
order points out that the allies must
now be expected to strike heavy blows
and bewails the lack of assault troops
as rendering any prospect of successful
counter attacks or effective resistance
impossible. -
Yank Victory Suppressed.
Prisoners recently captured say that
every effort has been made to suppress
11 news of the American success at
St. Mihlel, concerning which alarming
rumors prevail. The general impres-
ion seems to be that the American
victory has been so overwhelming that
the German army command does not
dare admit the facts.
Another small but important bulge
of the YpreS 'salient Into Germany's
territory was ' forced by the British
troops yesterday, when they attacked
on a front of 200 yards along the
Menln road and drove back the Ger
mans for a distance of 500 yards. This
advance carried Field Marshal Haig's
men within a mile of Hooge, which
figured In many fierce conflicts in pre
vious fighting.
Warm Weather Returns.
Further south the British at the same
time pushed northeastward of Ploeg
steert and established posts 200 yards
in advance of the old line which they
had occupied before the German drive
began in March.
This was the third consecutive day
of fine, warm weather and the battle
fields are rapidly drying out.
LONDON, Sept. 17. British air squad
rons have again bombed the airplane
(Concluded on Page 3. Column 3.)
Names of Killed and Injured Not
Available, as Strict . Censorship
Is Placed on Information.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Sept. 17. Twen
ty-flve Boldiers. were killed and be
tween 50 and 60 more were injured to
night when a freight train and
troop train crashed together in a head
on collision one mile east of Marsh
field. Mo. Bodies of between 15 and
20 soldiers were recovered, but several
others were buried beneath the wreck
age and it will be impossible to reach
them before the wrecking crew has
cleared the tracks.
The injured were placed aboard
relief train from Springfield and rushed
to hospitals here
There was little confusion at the
scene of the wreck. Within a few min
utes after It occurred a guard of sol
diers had been thrown out around the
tracks and the soldiers were at work
removing bodies and giving first aid
to their wounded comrades. Marsh
field physicians were called in to as
sist in caring for the wounded. After
the first half hour no one else was al
lowed to approach the wreck.
The names of the killed and injured
were not available late tonight.
strict censorship being placed on all
information as to the wreck by the
Army officers on board the train. No
information as to the fate of the train
crews was available, nor would rail
road officials comment as to the prob
able cause of the collision.
It was stated here tonight that the
engineer of the troop train was killed
and . the fireman badly injured. No
statement is made regarding engine
men of the freight.
The first coach, from the wreck of
which the bodies were taken, con
tained troops from Colorado and Minne
sota, with a few from Missouri. In the
second coach were troops from West
Virginia, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska.
CZECH'S PROVE PATRIOTIC
Scappoose Club Buys Bonds Beyond
Quota and Has Parade.
SCAPPOOSE, Or., Sept. 17. (Spe
cial.) The Czecho-Slovak Club of
Scappoose started the drive Monday
evening with a big parade.. They sang
America" and the Czech (Bohemian)
National song, and then subscribed for
Liberty bonds. Their quota was 12500
and they pledged 13000 and will buy
more bonds yet. -'i
This was the first time the National
song has been sung since its recent
translation into the English language.
After the meeting the whole cfowd
sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" and
repeated the Czech anthem.
GENERAL WHEAT0N DEAD
Retired Officer Expires in Chicago
Following Operation.
CHICAGO, Sept. 17. Major-General
Lloyd Wheaton, U. S. A., retired, died
tonight in a hospital following an op
eration.
General Wheaton served throughout
the Civil War and won the medal of
honor for bravery in action in the
Spanish-American War. He was ' 80
years old and was retired in 1902.
Bolsheviki Ruthless in
Taking Lives.
VICTIMS RECEIVE NO . TRIALS
Allied Citizens Trapped and in
Great Danger.
MANY HELD AS HOSTAGES
AH Moscow Newspapers Suppressed
Executions in Petrograd Reach
Total of 812 for Sin
gle Week.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 17. Information
reaching the State Department today
from a neutral country threw new light
on the situation in Central Russia,
where a reign of terror conducted by
the Bolsheviki has made the positio
of the populace tragic in the extreme
and is endangering citizens of the en
tente powers who have been unable to
leave the country.
Declaring that -the outside world can
not have a true conception of the actual
conditions, the dispatches said that
since May the Bolshevik extraordinary
commission against the counter revolu
tion has conducted a campaign of
wholesale murder.
No Trials Granted.
Thousands of persons have been shot
without even a form of a trial, it was
id, and many of them probably were
innocent of the political views for
hich they were executed.
The assassination of Moses Uritsky,
head of the commission against the
counter revolution, and the attempt on
the life of Premier Lenine were direct
results of this condition of tyranny,
said the advice.
Besides the 500 persons who were
shot in connection with the death o
Uritzky. a large number of other per
sons are held for execution in the event
that further attempts are made on the
lives of the Bolshevik leaders. - V
Moscow Prisons Crowded.
A general search is being made of the
homes in Moscow of the well to do and
of former officers, in an effort to' se
cure any shred of evidence upon which
to make arrests, said the dispatches.
The prisons are filled to overflowing
and executions continue daily.
In addition, irresponsible and venge
ful gangs are venting on innocent per
sons their desperation over the daily
declining power of the Bolsheviki.
The Socialists who are opposing the
Soviet government, have adopted the
same methods that they once used
against the- tyranny of the Imperial
government.
All newspapers in Moscow except
Bolshevik organs have been suppressed
since July 1, the dispatches add.
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 17. Wholesale
(Concluded on Page 3, Column 2.)
NOW OVER THE TOP FIRST.
MAN CALLED SLACKER SUES
W. E. Thompson Would Recover
$3000 From Alexander Kemmas.
"Tou are a slacker."
This is the charge made publicly
against Alexander G. Kemmas by W.
E. Thompson, according to the charges
contained in a complaint filed yester
day in the Circuit Court by which
Kemmas seeks to recover $5000 dam
ages from Thompson for alleged slan
der. The complaint alleges that this re
mark was made at Bridal Veil, Or., Sep
tember 12, last, and was made in the
presence of G. Tepfe. The plaintiff as
serts his reputation has been badly
damaged as a result of the alleged
slanderous statement.
NEW DIVISIONJEADY SOON
Officers Trained In France of Late
Prove Ability at Camp Lewis.
CAMP LEWIS, .Tacoma, Sept. 17.
With the division organized only a
few weeks the result of having officers
who have had service in France de
tailed to it to act as instructors is
already apparent. The training of the
division already has been speeded up
until courses that were received by
the 91st division only after' the en
listed personnel had been here five
months are already under way.
Officers declare that the division will
be ready for overseas in a much shorter
time than has formerly been allowed.
1 NOW OVER THE TOP FIRST.
t ; ; ; ; .
1 .. ... ........ 1
Since Beginning of Tear Freight
Accumulation in Puget Sound
Metropolis Is Greater.
SEATTLE. Wash., Sept. 17 (Special.)
The Government Railroad Adminis
tration has ordered embargoes placed
on all exports reaching Seattle until
an accumulation of 2573 carloads has
been cleaned up. The embargo affects
all grain shipments into Seattle and
on lumber shipments eastbound to all
points east of Mississippi except Gov
ernment business.
Cars of export merchandise began
accumulating to the point of congest
ing the port with the beginning of the
year. Operating railway officials or
ganized the committee on car service
for the purpose of devising plans for
reducing the accumulation. War condi
tions which reduced the available
trans-Pacific shipping was in part re
sponsible, and the diversion of freight
from established Eastern routes via
the Atlantic and the consequent growth
of business through this port contrib
uted heavily to the result At one
time there were 5700 carloads of ex
port merchandise in the port of Seattle.
On Tuesday this had been reduced to
1815 cars under load and 758 cars
in storage.
J. C. Roth, car service manager at
Portland, is expected here tomorrow to
investigate and inquire into the situa
tion generally. It is probable that Mr.
Roth's headquarters may be moved to
Seattle.
Harry A. Abel, who has been secre
tary of the car service section since
its organization, has resigned and taken
a position ith the Post-Intelligencer
company under Clark Nettleton, the
new publisher.
SOLDIER THIEF SENTENCED
Forrest Leek Gets Ten Years for
Stealing From Company Member.
CAMP . LEWIS, Tacoma, Wash.,
Sept. 17. For "borrowing" 80 a few
days without the owner's permission.
Private Forrest Leek, of the 45th Com
pany, 16th Depot Brigade, will spend
the next 10 years on Alcatraz Island.
Leek, according to the testimony
brought out at the general courtmar-
tial which tried him, took 11 travelers'
checks totaling $180, which belonged
to another member of his company. He
cashed five to the value of 180, and.
after he was arrested, returned the
moneys-" " ''" " -
The trial brought out that h had
served 13 years in the National Guard
of California.
3000LoanWorkersGet
Final Instructions.
STATE CHALLENGES CITY
Outside Counties Have .Two
Days' Start Over Multnomah.
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN
Leaders Confident Whole Slate Will
Respond Promptly to Cull and
Raise Entire $40,000,000
Before First Day.
WAR HEROES TO BE HEARD'
AT AUDITORIUM TOMOR
ROW MGHT.
Portland Is invited to attend
the mass meeting to be held to
morrow night at the Auditorium,
when two officers of the allied
armies, both veterans of over
seas service, will speak under the
auspices of the speakers' commit
tee of the fourth liberty loan.
Lieutenant Vincent de Wlenx
blckl, of- the French high mis
sion, and Captain T. E. Y. Sed
don, of the New Zealand contin
gent, are the speakers. They will
tell of the titanic strife that is
being waged against Prussian au
tocracy with vivid descriptions
of the price men pay that the
world may be free.
Fully 3000 workers of the Portland
liberty loan forces who will take the
field this morning were most enthusi
astically present at the "kick-off"
meeting and instruction rally held last
night at the Auditorium when final In
structions were given for the conduct
ot the campaign.
''The meeting was presided over by
Edward Cookingham, chairman of the
state executive committee, who re
minded the gathering that while Port
land's record of patriotic achievement
is an inspiration to other states, the
local workers must not be carried
away by over-optimism In their drive
for the city's quota of $19,000,000.
Speakers Are Dramatic.
Mayor Baker drew lusty applause by
his recital of the strength of America
in man-power and his declaration that
all are ready to take advantage of "the
open season for hunting Huns in Eu
rope." Not laggard, either, was the
applause that answered the character
istic sallies and vehement logic of
Judge Henry E. Mcf .tin. Major
Thornton A. Mills, of the Spruce Divi
sion, spoke with dramatic intensity of
the task before America, and the Na-1
tional ability to cope with It.
Music was furnished by the Multno-
Sovereign Grand Commander Smith mah Guard Ba"d' directed by Lleuten
ant w . a incLfuugau, aim uie una
CHURCH ASKS $35,000,000
Methodists Ask Sum for Mission
Work for Five Years.
DALLAS. Texas, Sept 17 The cen
tenary of missions conference, Metho
dist Episcopal Church, South, the pur
pose of which is to raise 135,000,000
during the next five years for mission
work, was formally opened here to
night.
An interpretative address on the mis
sionary centenary was given by Bish
op James Atkins, of W'aynesville, N. C
YIASONRY HITS KAISERISM
Arraigns Prnssianism.
BOSTON, Sept. 17. Prussianism was
itterly arraigned by Barton Smith, of
Toledo, Ohio, sovereign grand comman-
er of the Supreme Council Ancient Or
der or Scottish Freemasonry of the
northern jurisdiction in his allocution
at the 106th annual meeting of the or
der here today.
NDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS
The Weather.
YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 84
degrees, minimum, 50 degrees.
TODAY'S Fair; senile southwesterly winds.
War.
British sain. Page 1.
Allied fivers active. Fai 3.
Sight of periscope at sea always signal tor campaign supplies, while General Aud-
Temple Quartet, with Lucien E.
Becker as pianist. When the big home
defense band broke into the lively
strains of "Over There" the audience
shouted salvos of applause.
Soldiers' Drill Appreciated.
And there was tumultuous apprecia
tion when a squad from the First Pro
visional Regiment, Vancouver Bar
racks, commanded by Lieutenant Zim
merman, marcnea smartly iortn ana
went through the manual of arms.
At the organization session which
followed the "kick-off" rally, workers
of the two city divisions received their
final instructions to "go out and get
'em," with General Guy W. Talbot pre
siding. Slides were cast on the screen.
showing the subscription blanks and
Pag 2.
Page 2.
in Russia.
instant action. Page 4.
French and Serbs gain 5 miles.
French near St. Gobaln Forest.
Official casualty list. Page 7.
Foreign.
Bolsheviki murder thousands
. Page 1.
National.
Julius Meier tells national conference of
highway work in Pacific Northwest.
Page 1.
Immigration commissioner at Xew York de
clared German propagandist. Page 6.
Wilson may seize oil and coal lands. Page 7.
Senate bill proposes inquiry Into candidates'
expenditures. Page 5.
Peace offensive closed Incident. Page 1.
Government to spend 136,000,000,000 In com
ing year. Page 4.
Domestic.
Twenty-five soldiers perish in train col
lision. Page. , . -
Ten perish in factory fire at Newark, N. J.
Page 5.
Sports.
Royal Mac wins straight-heat victory ever
Blnland. Page 14.
Bobble Moore to box Peter Mltchle Friday
night. Page 13.
Pacific Northwest.
Seattle exports under embargo. Page 1.
Commercial and Marine.
Burlap prices may be fixed at lower level
by British government. Page 17.
Sharp break in Chicago corn, due to ex
tension of railway embargo. Page 17.
Rumor of abdication of Kaiser lifts stock
prices in Wall street. Page 17.
Governor Withycombe scores bollermakeri.
Page 12.
Portland and Vicinity.
Dragnet set for habitual loafers. Page 18.
Multnomah fair opens at Gresham. Page 10.
Housing plans approved by Mayor; meeting
called for today. Page 10.
State Federation of Women's Organizations
convenes. Page 3.
"Kick-Off meeting of liberty loan workers
most emn ....u. .... . . treat cannon that
rignting airpiaiico nm uo uuih ubib. cage o. I
n.itu H In thrllllntt chau. T c ti I
Weather report, data and forecast. Page 6. tCoaclud.d on Page
itor Nevins instructed the workers re
garding the proper method of filling
out the blanks. ,
There were brief talks by Marshall
N. Dana, concerning the Liberty Altar
feature and the record book, and by
Captain T. E. Y. Seddon, of the New
Zealand contingent, one of the liberty
loan speakers assigned to Oregon.
One Incident Dramatic.
One dramatic Incident of the assem
bly was the introduction by Mayor
Baker of Colonel R. V. Geist, In charge
of organization at the Columbia River
Shipbuilding plant. Himself a machin
ist at the big shipyards, Colonel Geist
stepped to the stage in his grimed over
alls and told how the workmen already
had exceeded their record of the third
liberty loan drive.
At 4 o'clock-yesterday afternoon the
pledged subscriptions at the yard
amounted to $175,000, with the exact
amount of their fourth quota not yet
revealed to the workers. In the third
drive the quota was 140,000 and the
amount subscribed was $161,000. Ev.u
before the fourth drive is launched te
Columbia employes have drwen past
their former record by a margin of
$15,000.
Pledges to Be Fulfilled.
The eagle's eggs are golden In the
nest of liberty. From them spring the
full-flCdged battleplanes that shall
swoop above victorious fields on Ger
man soil.
The brood is varied regiments, bri
gades, divisions of leveled bayonets;
break and shatter
sharp-prowed destroyers
5, Colun& 1.).
iCoacludcd on Fags 3, Column 1.)