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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1918)
CHOLM GIVEN UP IN PACT BYUKRAINE . Polish Pressure on Austria , ' Causes Revision of Peace Treaty; Own People to De cide Fate of Province CENTRAL POWERS TQ GET UKRAINE FOOD Von Seydler Quotes President Wilson on Self-Determi-nation Plan BASEL, Switzerland. Feb. 20. lr; von Seydler. the Austrian pre mier, has announced to the reich strath representative that thj Ukraine rada and the 'Auatro-Hun-garian government' have signed ah agreement ! supplementing tko Ukraine peace treaty by which the province of Cholm will not revert to the Ukraine republic A, mixed com . mission will be ar pointed to decide its fate on race piinciples and with regard to the wishes of the popula - Hon. The announcement is said to -have been applauded heartily. .In an address to the lower house of the reichsrath at Vienna, Dr. von FeydJer. the Austrian premier, de clared that under the' peace-treaty. with the Ukraine there had been placed at the dispotal of the central powers the Ukraine's surplus of ag ricultural products. This surplus, the premier asserted, was greater than the central powers at the most favorable estimate could transport. i ReydJer Defends Treaty J - - AMSTERDAM, Febl 20. The Austrian premier, Dr. von Seydler, ; f peaking In the reichsrath . to day, entered Into a, long defense of the original treaty of paee with "Ukraine and announced a. subsequent treaty appointing A comtt Isslon to define the-frontier of Ukraine and Cholm (Chetm). "V. - , "Th Petrograd government," he sad, "has declared the state of war ' between Russia aid Austrla-IIun-i gary at an end, and. so far as hu- man, judgment can foresee, a state of war-trill; mot agala arise between these two countries. "Responding to Gurman cries for help from Esthonla nnd Livonia Germany resolved to march rurtner . Into rtha itnerlorjn order to save from certain destruttion these un happy nationals living in those pro vinces. In foil accord with our allies . we decided not to participate in this military action. Que aim remains what it was before to bring help an speedily as possible to the Austro Ifongarian nationals still on Rus sian soil' . - . 20.000 PHuoner Arrive, - ' Dr. von Seydler announced that " 20.000 prisoners had already ar- -Irved from Russia and that negotia tions would be resumed with the Petrograd government for the ex change of prisoners. ' I In explaining the appointment. of the commission, the, premier declar ed that the ruSure of Cholm would -depend upon race principles and the desires of the population. Russia, he said; had demanded for its ter ritories the rlaht of all peoples to elf-deteratnation, even to the ex tent of complete severance. - "We accepted this standpoint for the occupied territories," he contin ued, "and all the negotiations at Rrest-Lltovsk were conducted on this basis. W! recognized this right for theepoplei of Lithuania. Cour land and Poland, and n& logical or moral ground could be discovered for deprtvlng the Ukrainians of th5 rihgt granted to other Russian peo pies - , ' .-The members of the., Polish, c'nb ' .cannot deny the existence of a large Ukrainian population in'Clfolm and that this, nation has the right to be heard. I go even farther and cay it was (he duty of the Austro-Hongar-Jan .jtoTcmmeot to ..conclude , peace with the Ukrainians. "What , wan secured at Bret-T,1t- ' ovsk was" pace"for the people, afld the Austro-IIungarlan peonies woul.1 . never have understood if we hd rejected this psaco,' or rejected the possibility of obtaining wheat mere ly Jaorder thaf Cholm in Its entire ly, and unconditionally! should Call to; Poland. "What wpald the. em-J plre's reply have been If the foreign Minister had returned and admitted that he had spoiled the chances of peace because he-pef use -to the Ukrainian population of Cholm the ame riaht to be heard as la pof sea Bed by the Polish part' 54, i :, .-. Preldnt M'Hon Quote!. Dr. von Soydler here ouoted, pres ident Wilson's phrase that peoples and provinces must not be transfer red' from oe , state of authority; to another merely as pawns in a game, and continued; ' - Ji u'r" "Had we acted as the gentlemen of the Polish club demand we should not only have failed to conclude a peace with Ukraine but should have severed the delicate threads, which may perhaps lead to a general peace J Continued' on page 2) i MAT TO PENETRATE LINE OF ALLIES Secretary Baker Views Jm ! pending Offensive With 0 ' Confidence ENTENTE STRONGER NOW Line Will Withstand Any 1 Shock Is General Opinion From Abroad " i W'ASHIXOTOX. Feb. 20. Secre tary Baker, in his weekly commun ique Issued today, regarda the im pending German offensive on tho western front line4 with a note of confidence. Both -the allies and the Germans, he says, after extensive prepara tions, silently and systematically carried on, are ready for battle. ! By massed attacks of shock troops, especially drilled and man euvered for weeks for the onslaught, Secretary Baker says. In agreement with-expert military opinion abroad, the German general staff hopes to smash through. f ' Bnt .the secretary of. war points qut that the German high command mnst realize It will encounter far more difficult obstacles than any other attack the army has hitherto encountered. Apparently the secre tary with much Information at bis command which cannot be given to the put'llc, shares the opinion of the allied experts that the line will stand any Gei man shock against it. Marshfield Man A board ' ' Tuscama Among Saved i WASHINGTON. Feb. 20. Two names were added to the roll iof known Tuscania dead by a dispatch tonight to the war department. They are Sidney W. Bernett, Marshfield, Or., and Eugene W. Snyder, tRimrock. Wash. Both had been listed here tofore among the unreported of. tho American soldiers otr board the linen when she was torpedoed. , H;;-; : ' . ' Mare Island Navy Yard i Is Given Wage Increase 1 1 VAJXKJO. , Cal., Feb. 2 0 Increase- Jn ,waae3 from 10 to 15 per cent for workers in all trades, and helpers, employed at the Mare Island navy yard, were authorized Jn advices'- received here tdday from Wash inn ton. z: : The increase. It was reported,, be comes effective .on February 24, nd It is said, places the wage schedale at the navy yard on a par. with that in force in the private ship yards cn this. coast hiving tl Highest; wage. In addition to the increase the plan of giving workers thirty dav leave vfith pay wos to be continued. It was announced. Total vf Americans j 'l Lost on Tuscania 204 5 I.ONDON, Feb. 20. Two hundred and four Americans lost their lives on the Tuscania, according to the latest figures received at army head quarters. . '' Of this total there have been Iden tified and burled 'three ef fleers and 137 men; unidentified buried, one officer i and 3 1 men ; missing (Pre sumably went down with the Ship, 32 men. - : ." '- ':''-. STATE GRANGERS WILL GOME HERE Commercial Club May Stage Farmer' Week in Con- . nection With Event The Marlon County Pomona grange' and the Salenr Cornmerela4 club are making preparations' for the entertainment here the latter pan of May of the state, convention of 'the Oregon grange, which will hbld;through four.daysJ The exact dates have not been set. IB connec tion Avlth the event the commercial club-Is eonsidering a farmers' week program. " : t a .nmmlltpft rueetlnz yesterday afternoon announcement wa made that the hall of i representatives ai the state house ,has been tendered for the use of 4he convention. On the first nisht of the convention the commercial club "will glve.a Hoover tzed bannnet to the deleaates vjhere the governor and other prominent men of tho trVs will be invited to speak'. The clnb will keep from fifty to..Msenty-rir automobiles at the disposal of the delegates . for, use when the convention Is - not Jo session. .-.-;. ' Badges for delegates-will lo don ated, hy the Pheasant Northwest Products company.- The devle will to a Tibboa of appropriate color and Inscription and -a loganberry. , s v.- LAST DAYS OF U-BOAT Officials! Point to Successful Campaign Against Submar ine With More Government and Neutral Ships SHIPPING BOARD CHART SHOWS UPWARD TREND Confidence Is Expressed in Ability to Add 4,000,000 ' Tons in 1918 , WASHINGTON, Feb. ?0. Over seas ship tonnage available to Ameri ca and the allies passed Its low point about February 1 several weeks ear lier than shipping experts had pre dicted. ; Officials 'believe the upward curve will continue' until the war is ended unless difficulties now now foreseen are encountered. In support of this, belief attention vi&s called to tday to the satisfactory results obtained in the campaign against enemy submarines, to the fact tbat government ships now are coming from American yards, and to. the progris of negotiations for neu tral vessels to 'be used in the non hazardous trades to release other shipping for overseas canying. i. Estimates Are Unchanged. When experts first plotted the curve of the. tonnage supply, taking Into consideration the greatest suc cess of submarines and all posslbl? contingencies In the domestic situa tion, they found that the number of vessels available for transporting troops and for feeding ' the allies would be lower toward the end of J this month than at any other period. Just how close to the danger point that would be. they did not care-to say. Knowledge that the Germans sank about 6,000,000 tons of ships in 1917, nearly three times as much as was produced In Great Britain' and the United States, did not change their, ettlmates. ' For the last three weeks the charts of the shipping board have shown a steady upward trend. Officials think that from now-on new factors -wJU aid rather than retard the efforts to put more ships into service. Chief of these will be the restriction , of Imports, made effective February 16, the results of which will not be nottc able for weeks yet. As more ships are needed they will bo withdrawn from" the neutral trade and comerce with those countries curtailed to that extent. Officials declined. to say what was tho dominating factor, in checking the decline In available ton n a ire, but H. Is well known : that optimistic opinions are. held regarding the anti submarine campaign. Despite labor troubles, confidence is expressed that the goal of 4.000.000 'tons of ship ping will be bujlt In this country this year. Sailing vessels, of which there are 2,500.00 under the Ameri can flag, are being put into the coast wise and other trade, to release the faster steamers for ,trans-Atlant!c service. ' Germany Demands Peace -Cabinet for Rumania LONDON, Feb. 20. It Is asserted that on being asked by Rumania that he allow1 the proper time for the formation of a new Rumanian cabi net, Field i Marshal von Mackensert, the German commander In Rumania, replied dictatorially that he expected the cabinet to be formed within 4 hours, and that It was to Include no statesmen conspicuously hoctlle to ward Germany or Austria. , 110 Persons Perished As French Steamer Sank ; PARIS, , Feb. 20.- One hundred and ten persons "perished when the steamer Dives was torpedoed In the Mediterranean on February 1. ac cording to an official anouncement. The attacking submarine was not seen. i .-' Salvation A rmy Barracks Burn; Two Men Perishl iNEW YORK, Feb. 21. The bodies of two men, inmates of the barracks, were found in the rnins 'of the -building. an4 the 'lives of 120 men and women were imperiled early this morning when fire wrecked the Sal vation army barracks on Fourteenth street, and the officer tralnpg school for men whtt-h adjolas it. Clyde Rupert Convicted on Charge of Stealing PODTiIaXD. Feb. 20. ClyJe J. Rupert, formerly gTiard in' the North western National bank, wss convict ed by a Jury In the circuit court to nijcht of the tbe of $5000 worth of liberty bonds from the bank. The theft was committed two months ago. IN PROSPECT wilson OPPOSE HIGHER PRICE OF WHEAT Disturbance in, Fixed Prices of Food Administration Claimed $2.20 BASIS IS FAVORED Full Influence of Executive to Be Used to Check Pro posed Measure ' WASHINGTON, Feb. 20. The full Influence of the administration will be used if necessary to prevent enactment of bills pending in con gress to Increase the prlc4 of wheat. This became known tonight from an a nthoritatlve source. Opposition to tf measures, another of wljch was introduced today by Represent ative Heiverine- of Kansas, Is based on the eround I that, their passage would unset the entire wheat, and bread program of the food adminis tration, worked , out in reat detail and that President Wilson already has full authority to readjust the price If it is found advisable. Wheat is selling now on a basis of $2.20a bushel and the price is main tained by heavy government pur chases for the army and navy and for the all'es. The food administra tion has worked out a scale of prof Its for millers and distributors of flour on this basis and bread Is sell ing at a fixed price. In enacting the food control law congress placed an arbitrary minl- m mm price of t2 a bushel on next season mason's crop.'' This is the price that the bills offered seek to Increase The 20 cents difference between the price of last year's yield and this year's crop was fixed in large meas ure to draw wheat from tto farms before the new crop is marketed. FRENCH CAPTURE 400 PRISONERS Heavy Attack Made on Ger man Line in Lorraine Over Wide Front PARIS. Feb. 20. French detach ments 'msde a heavy, attack on the Germans In Lorraine today,' entering the German lines ovei; a large front and capturlna; more than .400 pris oners, according to the war office announcement tonight. ' 1 Quarrel Arises; Stockman Kills Another, Surrenders BAKER, Or., Feb. 20 Alex Mc Gue, aged 35 years, was shot and Instantly killed today by Fritz Rader, a wealthy stockman, at Long Creek in Grant county. Rader immediately' telephoned to the sheriff at Canyon City and surrendered himself. The men are declared to have quarreled over the lease oC land. Government of Italy Adopts War Insurance 6 ...I, ii.- ROMR, Feb. 20. The Italion gov ernment haa followed the example of the United States in instituting a system of war insuranre. A decree Just issued provides that all Italian soldiers of combatant grades - shall in future obtain, at the state's ex pense, life insurance policies at the National Assurance Institute of from ZOO to 1000 lire, payable at once to their heirs- In I case of death or to f nrvlvors In thirty years' time. TELEPHONE CONVERSATION RATE SALEM TO PORTLAND ADJUSTED BY AGREEMENT MADE YESTERDAY An agreement was made lwtween the Pacific Telephone tk Telegraph company and the public service com mission at a hearing in Portland yesterday whereby for a two-number caTT, the -former rate 6f 23 cents for a three-minute conversation and 10 cena fof each additional minute will prevail between Salem and Portland. This was suggested to the company by -the commission as one step to eliminate d incriminatory rfltes. Sim ilar suggestions were made and ac cepted relative to some otfier cities and towns. By the. new airline rates that went Into effect the first of the year the rate between Salem and Portland was raised from 23 cents to 30 cents on this kind of call and .fbr particu lar person calls the rate was raised from 25 cents to 33 cents for the first minute. 1 AMERICANS AT MERCY OF United States Officers at Front Urge Speedy Ap pearance of Large Numbers of Airplanes for Quick Use BOCHE FLIGHTS MADE LIKE PLEASURE TOURS Altitude Too High for. Effec tive vDefense by Anti Aircraft Guns WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE, Feb. 20. Control of the air In the American sector belongs to theienemy. Any officer at the front will make this declaration all have made It. The control Is obvious. German arplanes come and go over the American lines almost at will. Every time the Germans come over their path , the sky is , specked by fleecy shrapnel puffs but the chances of hitting an airplane with anti-aii-craf t shells are so remote that the enemy aviators calmly fly. along ai If on a pleasure tour. Every now and then airplanes of this side attack the enemy. They always do this when the get a chance. But the boche Is clever while flying and manages to come over and take pictures, make observations and do whatever else he desires and then calmly sail home without interruption. Nearly always he is at an altitude of about 3000 meters, where he Is comparatively safe from anti-aircraft fire and knows It. ' ' It Is not permitted to name any, of ficers of the American expeditionary force. It is not permitted to quote them If both were allowed it would be possible to carry a message frpm virtually every officer at .the frnt urging a speedy appearance of large numbers of American airplanes with American pilots. V : There Is only one way to wrest control of the air from the enemy, that Is to fight him for it in the sky and relieve him of it by force of overwhelming numbers.. Right now if the Germans knew American airplanes were waiting tor them every time they came over the line, their trips would be less fre quent. Neither would they dare to attempt such a bold piece of work .as when they recently flew oyer the line In an airplane disguised with the al lied red, white and blue bull's eye marking and cut loose With a ma chine gun on American soldiers In tho trenches. If there had been American planes near by the chances of the German getting back home after such a trick would be small. And It Is extremely doubtful, officers say If they ever would have tried It. An officer also will say that the safely of individual soldiers depends on keeping -the enemey ' from doing as he pleases overhead. For days the Germans have been flying over cer tain towns where American troops have been resting after periods in the trenches. One or twice these daylight observation tours have been followed the same night by visits by enemy bombing planes. I So free and unrestricted are the German airmen taht in some towns the commands are lender strict orders to disappear under cpver the moment a German airplane is sighted. Moreover, ; officers say, more and more German planes are appearing in- the sky and in various quarters there Is a growing belief that these are the first machines that the Ger mans have been building feverishly to offset -he large number of ex pected American airplanes In accord ance with plans announced in the United States. Whether this belief is true or not, f Continued on page 6.) Because' of necessary readmit nienfs to be made the commission rescinded the new airline rates early this month for purposes of further investigation and the hearing yester day was on the basis of the Investi gations that followed. .Several rises of inequality were found la the; In vestigation. Some of . these are fem cdled by the agreements entered Into yesterday while others arc yet ynder advisement. 1 I i T. llu!elle, consulting engineer of "the public service ff-omftnasion, who has moved his offices lato the Masonic temple, returned from Port land lost night after attending the hearing. He reports that ths sepslon was exceedingly torrid at times. Commissioner Buchtel flayef.the tel ephone company severely fo the sys tem used in timing conversions. HUNS1M BRITISH SUCCESS IN AIR SETBACK TO HUN PRELUDE Scouting Before Great Offen sive Remarkably Hamper- 0 fd Is Keport MAURICE HAS COMMENT German Move ta Give Up Poisonous Gas Interests Entente Allies LONDON. Feb. 20. Major Gen eral Frederick B. Maurice, chief di rector of military operations at .the British war office, said today there had been no developments on th west front during tke past fortnlhs't io indicate teat the German offen sive was near. One of the rnont satisfactory features of the work of me iwo weeks in the west had been; the continued British successes in the air, which had great importance as the preliminary to any battle oeneral - Maurice added that LLiriusn air predominance hampered me enemy tremendously In eainlnz Information which was required by uim oerore any important battle. With regard to Palestine Gerferal Maurice said the develonments of the past week offered a promising field for further development.! "General Allenby." h'e added, "ha advanced in the direction of Jeri cho and now stands on the last main ridge overlooking the valley of tho nyecjpiraan. , i 'Since January 1, General Maurice said, the i Germans have carried out five air raids on England, of . which two were abortive. During the same period the British carried out thir teen raids Into Germany all of which naa denmte results.- -: . Discussing the efforts of the Ger f mans to have the Geneva convention arrange for a discontinuance of the use of poisonous gas. General Mau rice asserted that the entente would be glad to give up tbia gas If It were possible to. get any guarantee that Germany would be bound by any promise or agreement to do like wise. - General Maurice, speaking of -thai poisonous gases, said: 1 "It was In April. 1915, that tie Germans made a surprise attack on the- French and British at Ypres with gas which hitherto was a pro hibited weapon in war. Naturally we had no defense ready against it. The French had to retire and a Ca nadian division only saved fpres by desperate and costly flghtSig. "Afterwards the Germtfis .repeat ed their gas attack at varfous times, but our defensive measures were rapidly developed and these attacks were less effective. , "Meanwhile, we bejn to develop the use of gas on ourl,de a-s.a coun ter measure. Our chemists got to work and did to we1 that today we have attained distinct superiority over the Germans, both In the dead liness of our ga on -the offensive and its effect In cur defensive ass ures.' It was nof untiUwe won this superiority that .they started a pro paganda for 4hi discontinuance of GLENN'UNRUH IS CANDIDATE ' ' ' ' 't ' - . ; -if-'' ' ' " Attorney Announces That He WiV Make Run for Jus tice of the Peace Glevn E t'nruh. member of -the law f frm of Unruh & Macy, yester day rpade announcement of his can didacy for Justice of the peace for the falem district. Mr. Macy Is a Republican and will go before the votrs for nomination at the pn maies in May. Aside from a seat In ihe city coincil of which he is now a mem brr, Mr. Vnruh has never held pub lic office. He has practiced-Jaw in Bllem for eight years.. He Is a grad uate of the law college of Wlllant- Mtte university and has the bachelor Fof arts degree from the Williamette university college of liberal arts. V 'Boats Stnk Fifteen ' British Merchantmen LONDON. Feb. 20. British mer chantmen sunk by mine or submarine in the past week numbered fifteen. according to an admiralty statement Issued tonight. Of these twelve were of 1600 tons or over, and three were under that tonnage. One fishing craft was also, sunk Tho arrivals at ports in the United Kingdom for the week numbered 2322; sailing 2293. Eleht vessels were unsuccessfully attacked. The sinkings for the past week show a slight diminution from the previous week, when nineteen mer chantmen were suuk, -thirteen of J which were of tnoro than 1600 tons and six under that tonnage,- I - . HUM ADVANCE INTO RUSSIA NOT CHECKED Teutons Enter Southern Es thonia, Take Prisoners, Guns, and Roll up Vast Quantities of Booty SLAV PEACE DESIRE i WHOLLY OVERLOOKED Hostilities Disappoint Aus trian Populaces-Russian Chaos Bloody (Bu Th Awociated I'mi) The German -invasion of Russia continued unimpeded. , Apparently there Is to be no ces sation In the eastward-march of the ebemy until the Russian Bolshevik government entirely slakes tho thirst of the Teutons for a peace "which corresponds with our inter ests," as expressed hy the German foreign minister. Southern Esthonla ..has been en tered by troops, from German war ships', in the Oulf of Rijta' or frour Moon or Deuel island, lyjng off tho shore, and a base established, from which -operations may be carried on against Reval. an important port on the Gulf of Finland.' northeast and east of Ovinsk the penetration along the railroaJ lines - leading to Petrbgrad. and Smolensk, at last ac counts ' had reached more than twelve miles, end thence southward to Southern folhvnla, the invasion -was jn - progress over wide areas, with the 0' takln; prisoners and" guns.-rolling stock and other booty In apge Quantities. The line over which the Germans are ope rating, from Southern Esthonla to Lutsk. Is more than 500 miles In length. ;.: , Jeoe IeIre OrrlookeI.' 0- cant heed has been taken by the military authorities of .Cermany of tae-frantic announcement of a desire n the part of the Bolshevik govern ment for a peace on Germany's terms. In the relchstag the German for eign minister has volubly announced his distrust In Russia's pacific In tentions andN declared that Germanr herself must see to It that peace and order prevail in the occupied re gions of her eastern frontier. As a sonr to those of the Donhlarn of Germany who are opposed to Ger many making, further war against Russian howetrer.Lthe forelan minis ter said Germany still was ready for a peace Jn the east which would protect German interests. Not alone in Germany but alnn In Austria-Hungary the recent recom mencement of hostilities is unpopu lar with the nurses, who, tired of the war, had honed that with the debacle in Russia a general peace was nearer. Prominent newspapers' In both Cermanv 'and in Austria Hungary evince dlsapoplntment over the new phase In the situation and eeveral of the most, influential Jour nals desire to know, who was respon slble.fr it. The newspapers In tho dual monarchy are unanimous against their country making further war against Russia. Rossi CJHppel by Teutons. Nevertheless for the nresent at least all seems dark so far as Russia being able to loose herself from the rlp of the invader is concerned. Meantime she is still In the throws ' of civil war, and. a3ded to that.Jias another widespread - ahti-Semltlc movement ta contend with. Swedish advices are to the effect that there has been a return to, the old-time practice of carrying out massacres against the Jews. Bloody pogroms. are declared to have been commit ted In uublln JlaspWoff. Tiraspol and other totrrs. On the battlefront no hi engage ments have been fonaht. although in Palestine the British operating against the Turks have pushed for ward tlf lr lines on a front of fif teen miles east of Jerusalem and se cured much desired positions. The advance was to a depth of two miles. On the' fronts In France Belgium and Italy, only bonjhardments an.! minor Infantry operations are in prORrens. - ' - --'British- airmen - are continuing thelrjjntenslve operations against Germ-in positions behind the battle Aiacp. Naval airmen- attain have boiybed submarine bases, airplane cairips. docks and other military works of the Germans along tbti North sea coast. ... .- Original Peace Message Kent. Petrograd, Feb. 20,. A Russian official statement aays that a mes senger from Petrograd Is being sent to Dvlnsk today with 'the original peace message which' was slg-ned by Premier Lentne and Foreign Minister Trotzky. ' The statement reads: "Tod'ay.Ttuesday, at 7 p. m., a reply has been received by the Tnarskoe-Selo station from Geenrsl Hoffman to the wireless mesnace -f the council of ( peoples' commlssarlc-!. which says: - , "To. the ronncil of peoples'; coih missaries: A 'wirtless tnet&KZ'! J Continue 4 ca 2 J '1