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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1917)
UD!"erstty f Crrjcn Liiwary WEATIIER Maximum yesterday; 63; minimum today, i '4; precipitation, .23. FORECAST Tonight and tomorro w, showers, cooler tonight sbfoiib Mail Tribun Forty-seventh Year. Dally Twelfth Year. MEDPORD OREGON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1917. NO. 17. FLIES.BATTLE Stars and Stripes Leads Allies New Offensive At Arras Raised by Americans With Canadians and French British Continue Gains All Along Extended Front Ger mans In Danger of Being Out flanked in North. OTTAWA, Onh, April 11. The Stars and Stripes went into buttle for the first time during the world war in the recent entente storming of Vimy ridge, in France, according to an unofficial dispatch received here today from Canadian headquarters in Europe. PARIS, April 11. It was decided today that the La Fayette flying squadron composed of Americans, who have distinguished themselves at the front, will change from the French to the American military uni form and hereafter carry the Ameri can flag at tho French front. British Still Advance. LONDON, April 11. Tho British have captured the village and heights of Monehy le Preux eurly this morn ing, according to the British official statement. The village of La Ber gcre was also captured and satisfac tory progress is reported being made on other parts of tho battle front. LONDON, April 11 British troops yesterday "advanced north of the village of Louveral, in the direction of Cnmbrai, to the extent of a quar ter of a mile along a front of 2000 yards and consolidated this gain during tho night, telegraphs Renter's correspondent from the British army headquarters in France. ' Outflunkiiig Enemy. "The splendid success of our of fensive lias created a most interest ing situation and one which is fraught with tremendous possibilities. The enemy lias been forced back upon the pivot of his previous retreat in VMY ' a manner which creates a dangerously sharp salient at this spot. "Indeed, a glance at the map sug- gests that thero is a distinct out flanking of the German northern pivot as it existed before the present fighting." Speed Disconcerting. - BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN FRANCE, April 11. The speed and power of the British assault, in what will probably be known in history as the battle of Arras, seem to have thoroughly surprised the Germans. So much so in fact that their usual retaliatory tn-rtlllcrv H'ire has be absolutely negligible in the last two days. This is partly due of course to the number of guns captured, t which must he added the number knocked out by the British artillery before the actual assault began. It is also due to the fact that the Ger mans have been too busy trying to get their remaining guns away from immediate danger to bother firing 'fi them at the enemy. In n Germnn ar tillery position east of Arras, known ns Battery alley, could be seen the remains of 24 field pieces todny. Dugouts Mattered Up. A trip over the newly taken lines revealed a condition of trenches closely approximating those recently evacuated by the Germans m the val ley of the Somme. Jinny dugouts re (Continued on page six.) NASHVILLE, Tomi., April It Bankers, railroad men, agricultural experts, editors, manufacturers, edu cntors and fanners from nil ove Tennessee contcrrcd here today on food preparedness. Agricultural an thoritics declared that less than ran acre of potatoes to the farm ha been planted in Tennessee. In th face of increased demand in pros Hct the slate has suffered from uu seasonable weather. BRAZIL BREAKS OFF RELATIONS FROM EXPLOSION WITH GERMANY DUE TO PLOTTERS Spain Takes Charge of German In terestsArgentine to Follow Same Course as Will Chile and Peru Chili, Mexico and Ecuador to Re main Neutral. LONDON, April 11. The Brazil ian minister to Germany will demand his passports tomorrow .and leave Germany by way of Switzerland, France and Spain, according to a dis patch from Cologne forwarded by the Exchange Telegraph correspondent at Amtserdam. Argentine Also to Uroaki RIO JANEIRO, April 11 Pro- ally demonstrations are growing in volume throughout the city. The flags of the entente are visible every where and tho streets are thronged with pnraders cheering for France and England and shouting "down with Germany." The crowds gather in front of German establishments and hoot. WASHINGTON, April 11. Unof ficial advices announcing that Brazil had decided to break off diplomatic relations with Germany and that Ar gentine would support . the United States were received here early to day. The action of Brazil clears up much of the doubt here as to the attitude of Latin-American countries in tho wnr. Definite advices have been received that Chile and Mexico and Ecuador would remain neutral and indications increased that Guatemala and Peru would join Cuba and Panama on the side of Hie United States. The action of Brazil and Argen tina is expected to have a tremen dous influence on other South Amer ican 'republics. Oilier Mil I. ins Follow. RIO JANEIRO, April 11. It is ex pected in diplomatic circles here that other South American nations will soon follow the example of Brazil in severing relations with Germany. The "Chilean minister is continuing his con ferences with Dr. Lanro JIullcr, the Brazilian foreign minister. Dr. JIullcr today received Arthur Peel, the British minister, who sub sequcntly conferred with President lirnz. Spain will take charge of German interests in Brazil. MONTEVIDEO, April 11. The L'rugian government todny issued a decree of neutrality m the war be tween the United States and Ger !E SOUGH! AT ONCE WASHINGTON, April 11. Secre tary Baker, concluding his testimony before the house military comnilttr.o today announced that hi had decided after consultation with army officers to take Immediate chantage of the authority to Increase tho regular army by all the Increments authorized. Under the present plan the war de partment will Immediately Increase the regular army to Its full comple ment of 287,000 men lnetsad of 203, 000 as was contemplated. This in crease Is wholly apart from the new army to be authorized by selective conscription. SAFE WRECK STORE PORTLAND, Ore., April 11 Hurglars used so much nitro-glyccr- ine here early today in blowing open a safe in the suburban jewelry slort of J. WotTe that the store was wreck ed nnd the safe door blown onto the car tracks in the street in front, where it came near wrecking an owl car whose motonnan did not see it in the darkness until a few feet nwav. Wolfe claims the burglars made away with jewelry valued lit $2,iili0. Police say they escaped in an automobile. DEATH OF 122 Between 125. and 150 Injured, Maj ority Girls, In Munition Plant Blow-Up at Chester Officials As sert Unahle to Account for Explo sion Except by Incendiarism. CHESTER, Pa., April 11. That the explosion at the Eadystone am munition plant yesterday which cost 11B lives was the result "of a diabo lical plot conceived in the degenerate mind of a demon in human guise," was the assertion of a high official of the corporation today. This official said that investigation concluded this afternoon had shown that a bomb manufactured from a shell in the plant by one of the em ployes had caused the disaster. CHESTER, Pa., April 11. With 122 dead and between 125 and 150 injured, the majority girls and young women, the authorities today turned their efforts toward placing the blame for tho explosion yesterday at the plant of the Eddystone Ammu nition corporation. The signed statement of Samuel M. Vauclain, head of the munition com pany, says: 'We are unable to account for the explosion in any other way than ns the act of some maliciously inclined person or persons. " Two Swspocts Arrested. While the police refused to dis cuss the case of two suspects arrest ed hero late last night after an in vestigation it was intimated that val liable information was secured from papers found on one of the prisoners. The men under arrest, father and son, tho latter giving a Philadelphia address, are said to he aliens. Although police and company of ficiuls worked through the night at tempting to establish identity of the deiid they were hampered by tho con dition of the bodies. Some of the victims, company officials believe, were blown into tho Delaware river, so that an exact calculation of the death list may never be possible. Plottera Caused Disaster. President Alba B. Johnson, of the Hii hi win locomotive works, agrees with Samuel M. Vauclain, president of the Eddystone ammunition corpor ation, that plotters, caused tiio ex plosion. "Although wo have only circum stantial evidence," Mr. Johnson said "it looks as if someone touched off a bomb or a timo clock with an ex plosive attached. I am convinced. after a talk with the Eddystone of ficials that tho icatastropho could not have occurred through an acci dent." The Chester police have released two suspects, father and son, named Cohen, arrested last night. Ih Chester police say that if the explo sion was tho work ot plotters, who ever caused it must have died with the rest. NEW YORK, April 11. New ratOB on policies containing war clauses have been anonunccd thus far by eleven of the great life Insurances companies. In most cases military service within continental United States entails no extra premiums, r'or service abroad all payments are sus pended unless policy holders agree to pay extra premiums amounting to an average of ten per cent of the face value of the policy. MADISON, Wis., April 11. The raising of an army by conscription is not favored by Governor E. L. Phillip, who last night sent a tele gram to President Wilson in which he said that such n plan was unnec essary nnd unwise nt present. Wis consin, ho said, could recruit its full war strength quota of guardsmen promptly and any additional force required without a compulsory act. HOOVER TO HEAD FOR UNITED STATES MEtt-BER-T O. HOOVER. LONDON, April 11. Herbert C. Hoover, head of the American com mission for relief in Belgium, after consultation with his colleagues on the commission, has accepted the chairmanship offered him by tho na tional defense council of the new food bonrd in the United tSates. Mr. Hoover expects to leave short ly for America. Meanwhile he has ini tialed a wide inquiry in France, Eng land nnd Italy regarding the existing food situation. The inquiry includes examination of the prospects of tho 1017 crops. L WASHINGTON, April 11. Sink ing of the Wilson liner Snlmo, having aboard one American, who was sav ed, was reported to tho state depart ment- today by Consul Frost at Queenstown. His dispatch follows: Wilson liner Snlmo, 1095 tons, Oporto to Liverpool, sunk by explos ion ndmidships in ten minutes 12:110 m. April 7; 150 miles west Mus kets.' Norwegian fireman lost; chief engineer fatally scalded. No sub marine or torpedo seen. Weather qually, heavy swells, low lemper- nture. Captain's boat rescued by tanker Konakry, Port Arthur to Queenstown, 5 p. in. the eighth. Af ter 28 hours in heavy weather land ed Queenstown. Other boat believe landed Valentin. Sole American on bonrd, Michael Piorun, Philadelphia, fireman, saved, now nt Queenstown. Have affidavit Piorun, nlso master. WASHINGTON, April 11 Oscar 1. Crosby of Warren ton, Va., was to day appointed assistant secretary of the treasury. .Mr. Crosby recently was connected with the American commission for relief of Helgiuin and in charge of the work in Belgium and northern France. W. H. Smith of El Paso, Tex., was nominated today by the president to be tinted Stales district judge for the western district of Texas. President Wilson today nominated the following as poslinnstcrs : Maurice Connelly, Dubuque, Town; Guy U. Shoemaker, Laramie, Wyom ing. PAHIS, April 11. "Active nrtil lery fighting continues between III Somme and the Disc," says today', of tifiul comma mention. "South of the Oise n German at tack cast of Coney was broken up. Near Maisons ilc Champagne then1 was severe grenade fighting. In Le Petre forest Ihc artillery fighting was rather violent. North of Arrnseourt our patrols brought back prisoners, In Ihc region of I'nn-do-Snpt wo in flicted losses on lite enemy in I course of an incursion into his lines north of 1'ontcncllo." ft?. aTUihiiiMWi""1"1''' WHU WILL RUN SWINHLiNG PAIR FIVE BILLION WARFORNATION CAUGHT IN 10 mm qq r fIS MAIN ISSUE SISKIYOU GRADE Who Is to Exercise War Making Power, Determine Questions of Strategy and Policy? Is It to Be Congress, the President, a Board or the Newspapers? BY OILSON GAKDNER. WASHINGTON, April 11. Who is to exercise the wnr-making power? Who is to detcrmino questions of strategy and general war policy? Ill a word, who is to wage the war? Is it to be congress, the president, a board or the newspapers? I'resulenl w ilson is nominnllv eom-mander-in-hief of the army and navy. Hut the president is not a military man, and besides, he has considerable to do being president. Hoard of Strategy? Will there bo a board of strategy? Will the president and his cabinet become automatically a board ot strategy? Will the power be taken over by tho general staff of the army? Will tho real responsibility be divided between Secretary of War Newton ). linker and Secretary of the Navy Joscphus Daniels? Will the office of udjutunt gen ernl become the center of power and influence as when Corbin reigned during the Spanish-American war? Who will decide such questions us : Shall a division of the regular army be sent to France nt once or shall no soldiers go until a million men are trained? Shall the navy act on the defon sive atone or cooperate with the British navy? Foreign Alliances? Shall the volunteer plan bo tried betore conscription is enforced? Shall the United Stales imiko an alliance with the entente powers and agree to go through to tho end or shall wo wage a war on our own? Shall a minister of munitions be created or coordinate the munitions business or shall it be left to the dif ferent bureaus of the war and navy departments? Shall the food situation bo left to drift or shall the government grapple with it and handle it as other warring powers have done? Shall tho railroads be taken over by the government or shall they be permitted to muddle along as at pros cut? These are a few of tho problems which onen at tho beginning of the war. WASHINGTON, April 11. The army appropriation bill carrying 278,000,000 for the existing regular army was passed today by the sen ate, amended so that it becomes ilil mediately uvailable. The bill has passed the house, but sight changes made by the senate make n conference necessary. Ef forts to attach to its amendments to increase the. pay of private soldiers; to direct the president to call for 500,000 volunteers and to abolish the rank of brigadier general were eliminated before passage. One amendment enlarging the general stuff of the army to nincty-ono was accepted. Immediately after its passage the senate passed without debato the military academy appropriation bill carrying about $l,:t00,000. WASHINGTON, April 1 1. Secre tary Lansing this afternoon confirmed a report that Arthur J. Balfour, Brit ish foreign minister, will arrive In this country shortly nt tho head of a commission of British Internation al experts. No details of the personnel or date of departure wero given out. Young Couple Who Fleeced Mer- Merchants With Bogus Checks and Purchased Auto With Same Cur rency Brought to Prison by Sheriff Caught in Stolen Auto. Red-eyed, weary looking nnd mud- bedraggled, tho young couple known as Mr. and Mrs. E. Cravendore of Portland, who passed several worth less checks on Medford business men 111 tho past few days, and who wore caught In their stolon nutomobilo by Sheriff Jennings on the other side ot the SIsklyous Tuesday night, wore arraigned before Justice Taylor Wed nesday. Each waived examination on tho charge of obtaining money by false pretenses, and was held to the grand jury, Cravendore In the sum of $1000 and the young woman In the sum of $200. The hitter's name ap pears In the arrest warrant as Nan Cravendore. Tho amount ot the pec ulations of the young couple may foot up as high as $1000. Ilius Mcilrord ltelilllves. The young woman, who has been weeping most of thetime sinco her arrest, claims to be related to several prominent Medford residents, Includ ing the Talents and Hendricks. She resided much of the time here with her grandmother she Bays, and at tended the Medford public schools. Three years ago she went to Portland to live. She says her father Is Chas, Smith ot Tacoma, and that she has a slep-inother. Sho and Cravepdoro look to bo about 2CL years old. They claim they wero mnrriod in Portland about four months ago. They are a rather nice appearing and acting couple, and this fact to gether with their seeming simplicity nnd the girl's pretended friendship and acquaintance with prominent res idents of Medford and vicinity, cntiB od Medford business men to fall easy proy. Plot Is Oovolopcd. The couplo first appeared In tho city a week ago nnd began laying plans for a crooked clean-up. They registered at tho Medford hotel from Portland and began to give out state ments around town that they wore hero to buy a ranch and locate per manently. doing on the principle that tho big ger fey are tho easier they fall thoy looked around for a high spot. Mayor Gates was selected to begin work on. They visited the dates salesrooms to purchase nn automobile, announcing at tho same time, just as a matter of course In an off-hand way just like that that they jvore I'olng to purchuso a ranch, too.. Hays an Automobile. Cravendore bought an Oakland au tomobile, making a down payment of $500 In the shapo of a personal check on tho Lumbermen's National Hank of Portland, nnd signing up a con tract for tho rest of tho purchase price. Then "Pop" dates, who had cash ed two personal chocks for $12, ad vlKod tho couplo to deal with Iirown Continued on Pago Six.) GKNKVA, April 11. The Journal do Geneve, commenting on the report that several of tho South American republics will follow the loud of the United States In breaking with Gor many, says: "Tho essential factor Is In the pro gressive expulsion of Germany from all continents today. Hvcn If tho llrltlsh fleet did not exist the Ger man would not have a port of call outsldo of K-uropo, except. In Slam l''or nn over-populated and over-pro. ductlvo country which lives by cxpor- tatlons and which would die If forced to fall back on Itself, the loss of South America, coming after that of China, Is a genuine catastrophe. "It hns often been said, 'In war vic tory alone counts.' but It Is no longer true. The future counts more, Ger many Is victorious In Europe but shut out of tho rest of tho world," iriOUIMLOO Administration War Measure Calling for Three Billion Loan to Allies and Two Billion for Army Laid Before House With Approval of Ways and Means Committee Will Be Called Up for Action Friday and Passage Seems Assured. WASHINGTON, April 11. The ad ministration bill authorizing a 15, 000,000,000 bond Issue of which $3, 000,000 will be loaned to the entente allies, was laid before the house to day as approved by the ways and means committee with prospects of prompt approval by congress. The bill also contains a provision giving the secretary of the treasury power to Issue as neded $2,000,000, 000 in one year treasury notes to an ticipate the tax receipts which will result from the war revenue bill. Tho bond issue bill will be taken up in the house tomorrow probably without a rule limiting debate and it Is expected It will be approved by Friday night. Chairman Kitchln Introducing and reporting the bill to the house an nounced that It would be called up Friday for action. Five llllllon Issue. The bill authorizes a bond Issue of $n, 000, 000, 000 provldos that not to exceed $3,000,000,000 of the pro ceeds of tho bonds may be authorized -in extending credits to foreign gov ernments. The remaining $2, 000, 000,000 Is to be used at home. It also authorizes an additional tiond Issue not to exceed $(1.1,0-15,400 to redeem tho three per cont loan of 1908 ma turing August 1, 1918. It takes in provision for othor bonds already authorized by law and authorizes 12,- 000,000,000 worth of certificates ot Indebtedness to run one year. The report on the bill states that the committee deems It advisable to authorize the $5,000,000,000 bond issue at this timo in order to enable our government to extend liberal credits and In order to provide Im mediately ample funds to meet such expenditures are are authorized for tho national seclurty and defense.. lntemst Is Tw, Interest Is not to exceed three and one half per cont and the bill leaves tho denominations to the discretion of the secretary of the treasury. It at any time prior to December 81, 1918, a subsequent series of bonds aro Issued at a higher rate of lnter cts bonds Issued under authority ot tho act may bo convertible Into bonds bearing the higher rate. Representative Kitchln assured the president tho bond bill would be passed Friday without difficulty. The war department's plan for raising an army by selective conscrip tion was the principal subject dis cussed at the conference. Both Mr. Kitchln and Speaker Clark told the president of opposition In the house to conscription but said they did not know how strong It was. (Continuod on page six,) AMSTLUDAM, April 11. The rupture of diplomatic relations be tween Austria-Hungary and the Unit ed States is declared by the Vienna newspapers to bo a logical conse quence of the stalo of war botweoo the United States and Germany. Austria-Hungary and Germany are as one in all things, the newspapers in sist. In general the rupture of friendly relations which have lasted for more than a century between Austria- Hungary and America is regretted by the press of the Austrian cnpitul, which incidentally expresses the view Hint the Austro-llungarian nide me moire which followed tho American impiirics regarding Austria's position on submarine warfare contained man) hints for tho maintenance of pouei AUSTRIA REGRETS AMERICAN BREAK