0 WAR ZONE OBSERVATIONS AMERICA'S NEED IS FOR TRAINED MEN BRITISH RELATIONS TO BE CLOSER ENGLISH CENSORSHIP IS RELAXED NORWAY PLEASED AT RUSSIAN ADVANCE ENGLAND IS AT LAST FINDING OPEN DOOR - NOT STAND FOR THE SYSTEM! OF SWISS .Scheme Gave Non-MUitary Republic Quarter Million Finest Troops, NEWS POLICY IS BEST s V. I Britishers Find Out That Their Strict Censorship Was' Ex ceedingly Serious Mistake. s WRITERS CAN BE TRUSTED TRAINING IS COMPULSORY THE OREGON SUNDAY ' JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 7, 1916. AMERICANS WOULD Englishman Deplores. Lack of Similar Condition; Bays Opponents ' Are Greatest Felonists. Ry William G. Khepherd. Berne, May 6. (U. P.) The "men of Switzerland aren't soldiers, In peace times. They are only citizens who know how to be soldiers If thev have to. The t'niied States doesn't need 4.000.-I 000 soldiers. Whut It does need Is j 4.000,000 men who know how to be ; Oldlers, In cane the need anises. "I had a boy In collece," wrote the 1 father of a young British soldier. v. ..tt ...iiufa,t ... . London foot regiment. After three mouths' training his regiment was sent to Flanders. lie wan killed nt Ypre. I am telll ns: you this to help you preach the gospel of compulsory train ing, not conscription. j "I am grieved and riroud about mv boy. But 1 feel that his regiment did not have a sporting chance. They only knew how to go and die. I feel that the men In Holland who of pose compulsory military Uniting aru guilty of a greater felony than those who sank the Lusltanla." This Is the sort of feeling I find, this feeling expressed by this father, that brought about compulsory mili tary training in Switzerland. Here in Switzerland where, under the. marvelous system of military tralnliiK, a fifth of a million or th-i finest soldiers In Europe were placed on the frontiers of their country to guard them before the firm shots t Liege had died down, you get It driven Into your American mind that com pulsory 'military training isn't ln ' tended to create soldiers. Its purpose . id to create a nation of fine, strong young men and hale, hearty old men who will know how to he soldiers If an enemy forces them to play that role. Every Swiss Is Trained. The Swiss aren't fussy; they don't love fighting. All these years of learn ing: how to be Koldiers, If the need cornea, has taught them that fighting in no picnic and that it doesn't pay to start a row Just for the sake of rowing. The Swiss are not a fighting na tion like the Serbs, for Instance, and yet, man for man. the Swiss army is the equal of any army in the world. Every citlzon In the ever fighting Balkans is a soldier, a potential sol dier. That's one of the troubles with the Balkans. Bin every citizen of Swltzerland.because of his scientific training. Is a citizen who'll be a sol dier only when some enemy drives him to play that rolo. That's the big reason Switzerland ia ' at peace today. It would cause an upheaval in ,the United Spates to put the Swiss mili tary system Into effect there. In fact, we couldn't transplant It in its en tirety. There are some things about it that Americans wouldn't like. One of them la the little blue book. Tells Personal History. A little blue book, Mr. American, With your name and your photograph and a score of facts about your life written In it, which you would carry In your pocket all the time, would be the token of the upheaval In Ameri can life which would le caused by the Introduction oi the Swiss military system, in its entirety, in the United States. "Here's my book," said Luigi Cortl, a storekeeper of Chiasso, who used to live la Texas. "Every Swiss must carry his book with him. When I ' go to the bank I take It. When I go to a strange Swiss city I'm asked for It I show it when I register at the hotel, when I draw money, when I .end a telegram. My book shows how much military service I ve done. I neglected my duty my book will chow it." "Do you think Americans would like to have to carry books like that?" "Not the kind of Americans I used to know in Texas 20 years ago. Ameri cans don't like their government to Interfere with them," said Luigl. Luigl was In the American army during the Spanish-American war. "This little book," he explained, "is issued by. the federal government. Down in Texas the folks got along all right with the mayor and the police men and the sheriff, but the minute .you said 'United States marshal' they pricked up their ears. lmHium Vnnl HnV "American folks don t like to be governed by Washington." Luigl Cortl had his Texas folks right. He had a lot of other Ameri cana right, too. This little blue book would mean that you were tabbed and listed by the federal government. . Some years ago this would have sounded more un-American than it does today, because in. reality you are now tabbed and listed on the federal Income rolls. But this little book of military service and citizenship would keep you In your niche, right under me eye oi wic icuvrm muiuiry au thorities, all the time. If you. left Chicago to live in Cleve land you would be forecd to have your military book vised by the military commanderof the city you were leav ing and signed by the commander in the city to which you moved. A centralized, government would have its grip oi you. Even the Swiss, after 18 months of war, are becoming restless under the Central military control of Berne. In peace times the local commander is an officer chosen by the soldiers In the local troops; he is always a man from the neighborhood. Wast lo Centralization. But during the war high officers from Berne have gone to the various corners of Switzerland to take control and the Independent Swiss citizens don't like it. Not any more than Americans In Oregon would like to have an army officer from Washing ten come and rule their lives and ac tions. There have been half a dozen parliamentary quarrels in the Swiss congress within the last four months over this matter. Tbs UtUt blue book. Issued b the state government, wouldn't be an in convenience. Americana in every dis trict, to Judge by the experience of tha Swiss, would, want to elect tualr mmmm ifeir hm ur ojk wim- i Htii fftM I- ''m WSl Knowlton Is Bravest w 1ffi: VSSI'Xh' Aviator TeUs of Village in England '. :; Ihrjr;.; i'rV i-l - A Remarkable Escape Little Town Has Sent All Xts Ken to War Except Those Too Aged to rig-nt. london. May 6. (U. P. The brav est village In the British Isles is Knowlton, a tiny hamlet In Kent, not over B0 miles from London. By reason of the fact that Knowlton has sent more men to the colors. In re lation to population, than any other vlllaca, a memorial cross soon will be erected in the village square. No one remains In Knowlton today but women, children and old men. Husbands and fathers from every single household have gone. The next bravest village, according to a London newspaper which Insti tuted an investigation, is Mennock, Iumf riesshire. Scotland. Mannock cent all its eligible men to the war but one and since compulsory military service has been enacted by parliament he also will have to go. Mennock will receive a bronze tablet to commemor ate its bravery. Three hundred and eighty-six Brit ish villages figured in the competition. A record of more than 10 per cent of the male population sent to the fight ing ranks was shown by 204. In addition to being the bravest, Knowlton is one of the prettiest and oldest villages in Kngland. Located not far from the east coast, between Deal and Canterbury, Its picturesque old church forms the most conspicuous part of the community. Famous Tenor Is Accused of Spying Metzenhoff, Who Haa Spent Several Months Is Bucharest Under Queen's Protectorate, Attempts Suicide. Bucharest. May 6. (I. ,N. S.) The famous Russian tenor Metzenhoff. who arrived here some time ago and has given several concerts under the pro- tectorat of Queen Marie, has Just made a sensational attempt to end his life. The singer is a captain In the Rus sian reserve and took part In the cam- rj'palgn In Gallcia. Early last summer he was siigntiy wounded in one of tne battles near Lemberg. After his dis charge from the hospital he came to Bucharest. He was received with open arms by musical and aristocratic cir cles. Lately the police and the military authorities became suspicious. The famous tenor spent large sums of money and moved almost exclusively among the officers of the Roumanian army. After watching him for several months, the authorities became con vinced that he was conducting an ex tensive spy system In the Interest of Russia. His arrest was ordered, but when police officers tried to enter his apartments he attempted suicide by firing two bullets into his head. Joy of Frenchmen Turns to Lamenting Prisoners at Xlndsbach Became Greatly Excited When Terdnn Battle Broke Out and Expected liberation. Cologne, May 6. (I. N. S.) Several hundred French prisoners of war who are employed as farm laborers at Klndsbach, Rhenlsh-Bavarla, became greatly excited when the roar of the cannons before Verdun was plainly au dtble in the village. With the shout: "Our comrades are coming victoriously! We shall be lib erated!" the Frenchmen threw down their implements and refused to con tinue work. As some of them tried to break away, they had to be locked up in the fire house of the town. In their Improvised prison they were singing and dancing all night, but their Joy turned to the deepest grief when they were taken to the depot on the follow ing day and shown long trians filled with French soldiers captured before Verdun. own officers and be under the con trol of their own state govern nent. Any Swiss can tell you that to sub mit to any other arrangement is to upset the fundamental ideas on which bo,th the United States and the Swiss federation were founded. Military men In Switzerland want federal control. The cltisena want canton or state control. And when .they don't have it they raise a row, that serves to ease up the federal pressure on iheaa. htm f 1 " ?&v" . - v .if liientenant Oswald liooJke, who is acclaimed in Berlin as the roaster of the clouds because, to date, he has brought to earth IS of the enemy's flying . machines. 2 For five months Italians commanded by the younger Garibaldi worked on the tunnel under Col de tuna mountain, the summit of which was held by Austriaris. When all was ready a fuse was set to powerful explosives placed in the tunnel and the top of the mountain was torn off. 3 Xorman Brooke, Australian tennis player, commissioner in Egypt for the Red Cross society. 4 Prince George of Battenbeg as a coal passer "somewhere in the North Sea." 6 Augustine B i r r el L chief secretary for Ireland, who resigned his position following the Irish rebellion. MPERIAL FEDERATION BETWEEN BRITAIN AND Round-About Method of Do ing Business to End After War Is General Belief, By Charles P. Stewart London, May 6. An imperial federa tion between England and her more Important Colonies is. one of the like liest results of the war. Business .between the colonies and the home government has been trans acted hitherto through the office of th secretary for the colonies. Tne method was indirect and frequently unsatisfactory. It was so much so that a start already has been made to ward changing it, in the face of war necessity. , Premier Borden of Canada and Hughes of Australia, already have by invitation, attended meetings of the English cabinet in London. It Is considered certain that a simi lar invitation will be extended to and accepted by Premier Massey of New Zealand. Premier Botha of South Africa will be brought' into the conference also if h visits London later, politicians say. This inclusion of the colonial pre miers In deliberations concerning im perial affairs was a long step in the direction of a federation. Nor was it purely a war measure, though the war was responsible for it. originally, Home Secretary Samuel has said spe cifically teat England "always" will b glad to have the colonies ieixresent ed when imperial policies are eing adopted. Notably this promises td be Import ant when Questions of protection and preference are before the government.. The preference Issue between the col onies always has been an exceedingly difficult oae to handle under the. old system. It Will be immediately sim plified if they can be heard from di rectly throagh their own personal rep reseatatjvea. , - COLONIES PREDICTED -"i -ra ' ' " -JM. : . ..'" 2" Vc :. . War Invisible Along Battle Line in Flanders But It's There Just the Same Misty Gray Line of Trees, Ruined Farmhouse, Stake With Tangled Wire That Is All. By fl. Warner-Allen. Somewhere in Flanders, no date (1. N. S.) It is no easy matter in the flat plains of Flanders to. reach the ad vanced lines. The smallest eminence gives so wide a view that the enemy's lookouts can, on a clear day, spot a motor-car many miles away, and the German gunners are generally ready to welcame such a target. However, there Is much mist in Flanders, and under its cover it is possible to reach without danger points where, in sun shine, one would surely have been bombarded. There is a certain village at an im portant crossroads. Here the visitor can gather a very fair idea of the fa- mous Flanders mud. Every cavity and depression was full of water thinly frozen over on the day I visited the lines, and one could only marvel at the magnificent patience and endur ance of the men who stand for days up to the knees In what was practical ly a freezing mixture. i Nowhere along the line is war more Invisible than in Flanders. A misty, gray line of trees, a ruined farmhouse, a stake or two with tangled barbed wire that Is all (here is to show where the enemy Is lying. As for our own defenses on close inspection they prove most encouraging. A master mind tias been at work, taking advan tage of every little hill and depression in the monotonous plain. Is there a spot where barbed wire entanglements can lie concealed from the enemy's artillery, to prove at the moment of the assault a fatal obsta cle? There you will find neat rows of stakes intertwined with that deadly barrier which has done so much to change the whole system of warfare. Occasionally the bare expanse is broken by a good-sized wood. In such flat country the cover given by trees is invaluable. Indeed, the undergrowth of a coppice is a far more powerful defense than the strongest wall of a medieval castle. Such a Wood may bold a regiment, a brigade, a division a veritable army, and its resistance could only be overcome at terrible cost To the stranger the only gay thing about the country is the windmills. Right up within the aone of firs they eon tin u to throw up their arms with extravagant gestures to the skies, working away steadily at their dally task, despite the Invader, with true Belgian persistence and obstinacy Some of them have been mutilated by the enemy's shell and one I saw had only a single sail left, which still stood upright as though defying the Ger mans a few hundred yards away. In this land of dikes and car.als per haps the most Interesting features are the formidable barricades which pre vent the flood water from reaching the sea and maintain the inundations which guard the line. They are such bar riers as had elsewhere along the front been raised to hold back the barbarians thousands of sandbags neatly piled one on another, and in time of frost when the tide is low, covered with an armor of ice. Against such tremen dous obstacles no bombardment can be effective. A lucky shell may dis place a score or two of sandbags, but they can be replaced without delay and the whole barrier is only the stronger. Some miles behind the firing line I visited a hospital built at the cost of the American wife of a British officer. Here the men who require immediate attention are nursed until they are able to be tent to the base hospitals. The doctor in charge considered the position of his hospital ideal since, thanks to motor -ambulances, the wounded could be brought down with a minimum of delay and at the same time it was far enough away to give perfect tranquility to the patients and to allow the surgeons to operate with out the nerve-racking disturbance of big shells bursting near. He told us that during the early part of the war he had a mortality of between 20 and 25 per cent At that time hs ws in charge of a mobile' field ambulance and it was no small gratification to him that now, during" trench warfare, e' had been able to reduce the mortality to less than 6 per cent. , . "Yet, he said, "in trench warfare wounds are really more serious than they are in war in the open. The wounds made by grenades and trench mortars are particularly deadly, as the projectiles touch the ground before hit ting the man, and- therefore infect the , wound. 1 RUSSIAN ADVANCES IN 4 TURKEY IS TO SCANDINAVIANS People Believe Czar Will Not Be So Interested in Secur ing Ice Free Harbor, North. Copenhagen, April 29. Scandinavia is greeting every report of further Rus sian advances In Asiatlo Turkey with rejoicing. This satisfaction is due to the grow ing prospect that the czar will get Mediterranean port. If he should I cure an ice-free harbor in that quarter Scandnavians take it for granted he will be less ambitious than he is sup posed hitherto to have been to acquire the same thing on the Norwegian coast The Swedes and Norwegians have long believed he had his eye on an out let at Narvik, Norway, which, though close to the Arctic circle, has an un frozen harbor the year round by virtue of an offshoot from the Gulf stream. To have acquired this port it would have been necessary for the Russians to have seized a good sized slice of northern Sweden and Norway. If Stockholm and Christlanla can be relieved of this source of anxiety, the principal reason for Sweden's bitter hcstility toward Russia and for a somewhat less acute antl-Russlon feel ing among the Norwegians will have been removed. Denmark's chief Interest In the mat ter is that the way would be cleared for a reapproachment between herself, Sweden and Norway. This has been much desired In Copen hagen but the fact that Denmark Is violently antl-Qerman, while Sweden by reason of her fear of Russia, in clined to pro-Germanism, bas been dif ficult to accomplish. Strong hopes are entertained now that the three Scandinavian countries can be closely united and that an act ual federation may yet be affected. Suggestions that Russia might take Constantinople were not very optimis tically received here because it was believed the cxars allies would object to slvlnj; him sols control of the Boe PLEASING British War Plane Set Upon by Sev eral Fokkers: Begains Own Uses After T light sergeant Kurt.. London. May I. N. P.) A Brit ish flight sergeant tellH of a remark able escape from a Herman Fo'itker in the following words: "On the ninth day we were on patrol duty about 60 miles over the enemy's lines when we were attacked by a number of German machines, Includ lnir some of their noted Fokker mono planes. We saw them preparing for the attack, and as we were quite ready we waited for them. You cannot Imagine how anxious we wero for them to get near to us. "YVe rose to a height of between 14,100 feet and 15.000 feet-before the flcht began. They, as usual, attacked from the rear (being faster machines) T was with Captain Ilowett, who said 'Mind and give them some lead. waited until they came ridiculously near, and then emptied a full maga zlne into them. The machine fell like a log out of sight, and I am certain thev Daid the price. This finished rear attacks. "The next one came more to the front, so I let him have some at greater range They must have been hit for the machine made a nose dive and cleared off at once. I could not see the result because we were im mediately attacked by another before I knew where I was. I could see him firing at us before I was ready, and by the time I had fired five or six rounds I was hit with a bullet that went through my thigh. Almost at the same moment an anti-aircraft shell hit us, blowing my seat away, large pieces or sneii pierc ing my thick leather flying Jacket. I was stunned for a time, out was in no position to do a faint, so 1 1 pulled myself together and we made for our lines. Then some BO miles away, doing 'ducks and araJtes' to avoid anti-aircraft shells. We reached our lines, but there was no hospital. so we set off again by areoplane to the nearest. I am now at Boulogne, having the best possible attention." Prince of Wales Is Blessed by Beggars Merchant Frightened Into Giving Away Overcharge Which Was Secured la SeUlag Ooods to Boyal Personage, Cairo. May . (I. N. S.) The Prince of Wales' visit to Egypt has resulted In many beggars of Cairo blessing his name, though he is ignorant of the fact, A correspondent saw the prince ma win w some Durchases in the bazaar and, when the buiiness was concluded. Vie annroached the merchant and asked him if he knew whom he had had the honor of serving. The merchant shook his head, and when informed of the truth he burst into loud lamentations. He had shame' lesslv overcharged the prince, and nothing could convince him that he would not suffer an ignominious a earn. The correspondent promised that if the merchant distributed largesse to the poor in the prince's name, he himself would personally intercede wun tne nrince on the merchant's behalf. The merchant thankfully agreed. Effort Is Made to Stamp Out Brigands Sine Bandits Becently Hanged at Mle chaw and Seven In Other Places, Walls 02 lentfnoed to prison. Warsaw, May 6. (I. N. S.) The German military authorities in Poland are taking severe measures to stamp out the brigandage which always ex isted and has largely increased since the beginning ef the war. A court martial at Miechow recently sentenced nine bandits to death and they were promptly hanged. Two other criminals, who hart committed murners and robberies, were executed in War saw, two in Zyrardow and three in Za wlercze. In Warsaw, Siedlce and other cities 92 persons have ben sentenced to long terms of Imprisonment for burglaries, thefts and other crimes. porus. Latest accounts are. however, that fc's forces are aiming for Isken derootf (also known as Alexandre tta), on the western Mediterranean coast, 100 miles northeast of Cyprus. It is deemed unlikely here that there will be any objection to leaving this port in Nicholas' hands if be takes It from the Turk.' Eighteen Months meqolred for Zt.tc Percolate Through Official Heads v Press Representatives Honest. J By Wilbur 8. Forrest. London, May 6.- (IT. P.) Nineteen months of the moat rigorous ceneor-1 siiip known to newspapers is beginning, to loosen up tn Kngland. I Whitehall, In London, the givem-' ment office kernel of the British wa news nut, so hard for American cot- I respondents to crack during the war. is beginning to crack, of its own eev cord. 7 I If American newspaper readers have not noticed by this time, they sooh will be able to note that the American, correspondents In London are not rely- Ing so much on sterotyped phrase: such an "authoritative sources," "It Is officlaly known." or "from high sources." In the new. they send over the trans-Atlantic cables. The Ameri can newspapers for the first time since the war may now quote the British officials directly. ; Lord Robert Cecil, new minister 'of blockade and under-secretary for for eign affairs, set the pace for other j officials. For aeveral months, thI Amerlcnn newspapermen were permit-I ted occasionally to "interview" Lord! Robert at the foreign office. Tneeei 'Interviews.'' however, appeared 101 American papers somewhat thus: . . - I Cecil "tarts JTew Move. I It is stated tn official circles that,"! the Interviews carried no weight. Any! far seeing newspaper reader could ask I himself: "Couldn't the man Who wrote this article have written it without! any official Information; Isn't it mora! than nosslble that these ideas are his own Ideas credited by him to o-J ficial circles'?" For the benefit of doubting Amfl can newspaper readers It can be truth j fully stated that "these Ideas" were official, but no British official would allow his name used nor would he permit the mention of his particular government department. -r ' ' Lord Robert Cecil startled th,e American lntervlewera recently by an nounclng that "You may use the in formation as coming from us and you may also say something about the! foreign office If you care to." Within two weeks Lord NewtOtt and Lord Percv. both at the head of de partments In the foreign office, opened! their offices to the American corres pondents. And they announced that! they could be quoted. The foreign office now has opened a "news bu reau" where the American newspaper man are received every day. ?-.:. Here are other result of the 'gen eral news relaxation in official Lon don: American newspapermen are granted weekly conferences at the British India office, minister of munitions and ad miralty and will, it is understood soon have the same privilege at the War office. They have been allowed to visit units of the British fleet; to see the British army In the trenches for the first time: visit military and civil ian prison and Internment camps; visit the galleries of Vhe house of commons during important debates and among other things, inspect a special review of trooDS by the king and queen-.' Recently the British home office promulgated a new rule about the travels of aliens the friendly variety, including Americans setting forth that heavy penalties would be the pun-I lshment if "said aliens" traveled to restricted areas without authorisation from a competent military authority, Bootlaad Yard Arreeeble. The American correspondents Im mediately consulted Basil Thompson, head of Scotland Yard. Thompson said: "American newspapermen, repre senting the reading public of the United States here have played the game in England. They have not at tempted to play underhand tricks on the authorities. We are pleased with their conduct and you say for me that, so far as I am concerned, there is utterly no objection to their preaettce in restricted areas when it is neces sary." A list of bona fide American news gathers now is on file at the foreign Office. As In Washington, the British of- officials have learned to trust the newspapermen. The government has discovered that Its theory during the first It months of the war that all news should be withheld and that the press should be curbed to the upper most is a sad mistake. "We have Just begun to learn what a sad mistake it was," declared an of ficial in Whitehall the other day. "We have been told all alpng to open our doors to the press but we couldn't understand how this was possible. You Americans have showna us hew it is possible." British officials generally are be ginning to agree that the "open door policy" is better than all the propa ganda books, pictures and lectures la the world. Deserters Barred From Switzerland Berne, May . (I. N. S.) The Swiss on all their frontiers have been . In- trtmrAA tn ntrmlt nit Ammri rm tt nase in the future, no matter from what country they come. This step was taken to avoid dlplomatlo complica tions. w The Italian government some time ago demanded the extradition of a number of soldiers who had deserted from their regiments and sought an asylum on Swiss soil The request could not be granted under the Swiss laws and the controversy between Italy heated. The Italian government finally withdrew Its demand. . ; re VfSjtvesenitfsts If A seat nee aatiMtt j. 1 ewSetHt.um i L J ay.f aytiitM trei Mswissf fi Iters nmttf. Si PartlrlEttAPtt tiBims-ionii M m cut tur m? MtWITIWM Ii Vstei et' lulls - - a tst 10 wrmtn. WATTla.",IU.k r.r.iuky(i soorco.