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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1917)
M'ElTirETr Maximum yestcriTay, 100; minimum foHav, '47. FORECAST Tonighf ami tomorrow, fair. r ! edford Mail Tribune Forty-seventh Tear. Dally Twelfth Year. MEDFORD. OKKflON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2. 1917 NO. 113 ALII ES-MAKE GOOD GAI MS DURING STORM LOSTBROUND RUSSIA PLEDGES the Russian front-for DEMocRAcv! PRISONERS SHOW SHIPPING BOARD BfTAKPB im FAITH TO WAGE MHLMiHMLari LOSS OF MORALE TO COMMANDEER l n l in u An m nmnv mmmmemmmmmmsimm AiiniinTniTfuiPi mi n o o imo 9 Anglo-French Forces Only Awaiting Clearing Conditions to Blast Way Further Into German Positions Unable to Use Big Guns or Air shipsTeutons Battling With Un- . paralleled Desperation to Hold Lines Counter Attack by British. Associated Press Kiimmnry. Germany Is battling with a desper ation probably unparalelled in the war to hold her lines In Flanders against the combined Anglo-French attack. Notwithstanding the heavy handi ejn which the atrocious weather has Imposed on them, however, the en te forces have made good their most important gains and apparently are only awaiting clearing conditions to blast their way further into the Teutonic front. ' The boasts of successful resistance to the entente thrust that have come from the Berlin war office wore based, as usual, on the unwarranted assump tion that.un attempt ImdJjpnn.njJW'o in. break thru and upon tho fact, that at on or two points the German reac tion resulted in soino of Ihe far ad vanced forces of tho allies being pushed back. Line Is lle-ostnldislicil. Today, however, comes the an nouncement from London that despite the hampering ruin fall, the British have negatived the results of one German counter-thrust, completely re-establishing their line in the neigh borhood of the Rouellers-Yprcs rail road as the outcome of a night attack. Whether there may ho some Inclin ation on the part of lay critics to re gard with some misgivings stress laid jon the bad weather by the official report that indicates a hold up of the allied advance, military observers at the front apparently are in entire agreement with the seriousness of this handicap. The allies had established air su periority and the Btorm has prevented observation altogether, entailing in activity upon the big guns that are relied upon to blast a path for the ad vancing Infantry. To the low visibil ity, also, has been attributed such success as the Germans were able to gain In their counter-attacks, the poor sighting conditions preventing the en tente gunners from massing their fire effectively to break up the enemy concentrations. i Fruitless Assaults Made. Despite the hard fighting in Flan ders, the Germans are continuing their pronounced activities on the French front. Paris reports two at tacks on the French lines cast and southeast of Rhelms and nssaults In fflo Avocourt wood sector In the Ver dun region and In the Apreinont for est southeast of St. Mlhlcl. All these were fruitless for the Germans. Some important movement appar ently Is under way on the Russian northern front which has been hold ing entirely firm, whllo the southern end of the line was falling hark. Now, however, the Russians are reported to have evacuated tho I'skull bridgehead 15 miles southeast of Riga, the Ger- ( Continued on l ags Two.) NO DISASTERS 10 IB WASHINGTON", Aug. 2. Un traceable rumor lh.it Mime disaster had been mot by Hie American fonc hroiight from Secretary Baker today a denial and reiteration of the prom ise Unit news of im v misfortune would not be withheld from the pub lie. . . nriiv DAIM 1IUI" mmmm V hll u. o. onin HrliliV nil N tmmmmmQmmmMmm I , 1 1 Lit I I linill reign Minister Details Difficulties i&9fe& More Than 4000 Taken by British of Reorganizing Both Government ; , A,one , Ypres Salient-Scarcity and Army, But Declares That All ' of Veterans-Many Raw Recruits Difficulties Will Be Surmounted . J'ifMM M of Class of -1918 All Suffering by Unity of Russian Citizens. j J" 'jMfS From Exposure and Hunger.. PF.TUOGR AD, Aug. 2. Foreign Minister Tcrestchenko has sent the following telegram to Russian diplo matists accredited to the allied pow ers: "At a moment when new and grave misfortunes are threatening Russia, we consider it our duty to give to our allies who have shared with us the burden of trials in the past, a firm and definite explanation of our point of view regarding the conduct of the war. Tho grcalness of the task of the Russian revolution corresponds to the magnitude which it causes In the life of the state. Re-organization in the face of the enemy of tho entire gov ernmental systems had not been con templated. Nevertheless Russia, con vinced there is no other means of safety, has stood In accord with the allies' common action on the front. Reconstructing Nation. "Fully conscious of the difficulties of the task Russia has taken up the burden of conducting active military operations during reconstruction of the' army and the government. The offensive of our armlos, which was necessitated by a strategical situation encountered Insurmountable obstacles on both fronts and in tho Interior of tho country. Tho criminal propagan da of Irresponsible elements was used by enemy agents and provoked a rev olution in Petrograd. At tho same time part of the troops on the front were deduced by the same propagan da, forgot their duty to the country and facilitated the enemy's piercing our front. 'The Russian people have been stir red by these events. Thru the gov ernment created, by. the revolution and an unshakeable will, the revolt was crushed and its originators were brought to justice. All necessary steps have) been taken at the front for re storing the combative strength of the armies. To Successful Knd. "The government Intends bringing to a successful end the task of estab lishing an administration capable of meeting all dangers and guiding the country In the path of revolutionary regeneration. Russia will not suffer herself to bo deterred by any dlfflcul ty In carryir.,5 out the irrevocable de cision to continue the war to a final triumph of the principles proclaimed by tho Russian revolution. "In the presence of an enemy men aco the country and tho army will continue with renewed courage the work of reconstruction as well as the preparation on tho threshold of the fourth years of the war for the com ing campaign. We firmly believe thnt Russian citizens will combine all ef forts to fulfil the sacred task of de fending the beloved country and that the enthusiasm which lighted In their breast a flame of faith In the triumph of liberty will direct the wholo Invin cible force of revolution against the enemy who threatens the country." WASHINGTON', Aim. 2. Drastic dealing wilh alien slackers is pro posed by n hill agreed on today by the house immigration committee ami slated for pushing in the house. Alien slackers who do not wish to lake military service in Hie Aincr rnn lor es would he deported ; the entry of others to the country wt-irid be prohibited. Any H-rson who claims exemption from militar,' dirty on (lie ground that he is an nlin never could become a naturalized citicn. Alien of any class could he dri fl ed for work on farms, in industrial plants anil for oilier home duty. WITH MNSIACKERS PROfECTION F0R . 11 '3: . "J( Is superstition t Im,! there Is such n tiling as 'woman's work.' It is the man mid woman, to serve niiiiiKinil." Russia's greatost writer, Leo Tolstoy. TO FORM GREAT PETROGR'AD, Aug. 2. As the re sult of the heroic conduct at the front of Miss Vera Butchmareft's female battalion, the movement for the cre ation of a great army of women Is progressing thruout Russia like wild fire. Already Petrograd, Moscow and Kiev have formed recruiting bureaus and established bnrracks1 under the ordinary system of army administra tion. The government has issued arms and complete equipment to tho wo men and has anointed male command ers and instructors and In view of the spread of the movement it Is planning a more suitable uniform for the women fighters. In Petrograd a new battalion Is being raised, 700 girls and women are already In uniform out of 1200 so far enrolled. For the romalnlng places In the battalion there are 1500 applicants. In tlie barracks today there was gathered a group of new recruits whose ordinary feminine attire, long huir and soft features, eontrasled sharply wilh the croped heads and masculine bearing of the girls al ready in uniform. The girls are for the most part be tween 18 and :i() years old. Some of the force lire married women with children and a few are of middle age, however. Sixty per cent of Ihe members are peasant working girls. tllUlT, Ariz., A nc 2. Lieutenant Colonel (leorge P. White, command ing the United Stales cavalry in the Globe-Miami district, issued u proc lamation last night stating that all miners and other workers desiring lo return to work would have the protection of tinned forces at his command. Colonel White said lie look tins action "in view of tlie con ciliatory altitude recently adopted by (ho mine operators and the Western federation of Miners." LONDON, Aug. 2. "Looking from the broadest aspect at the events of the past fortnight In Russia," said Major-General Frederick B. Maurice, chief director of military operations at the war offlco, In his weekly talk today to the Associated Press, "It will necessarily mean a prolongation of the war. We cannot longer count on any great material assistance from Russia. This means a greator burden on the other entente allies and for tho United States It means that she must come Into the field as soon as possible and with two greatest pos sible force." Control of Sen. LONDON, Aug. 2. "Tho British navy'B control of the nervo system of maritime communications of tho world at this Juncture Is more com plete that the control exercised by the army of the control powors on land," said Admiral Sir John ..lolllcoo, first sea lord and chief of the naval stuff, In an Interview with tho Associated Press. Regarding tho destroyer and sub marine bases on the Belgian coast, which are In the occupation of the Germans, he said: "One is Ostein! ; tho othor Is Zce brugge. The Germans have applied to this length of sand fringed const the same principles of Intensive for tification adopted higher up on the North sea and the Island of Heligo land. The coast line Is studded with heavy guns which In themselves con stitute Infinitesimal targets at a range of more than 20,(100 yards on which any bombordmeiit could bo carried out. Small Target Offered, "Moreover, the enemy has not been slow to make fullest use of aircraft and smoke screens by way of protec tion. Ostend offers tho best target hut It can only be attacked at rare Intervals when a favorable combina tion of wind, weather and cea con ditions can be attained. Zoebrngge In the real tense of the word Is not a naval base, but merely an exit from the Inland port of Bruges, with which It Is connected by a wide, deep water canal r......WM-' destiny of every creature, both I.OWDKN, la., Aug. 2. Four eili zens of this community, three of them past (id years of age, were ar rested by federal officers today anil charged with treason and resisting the government. Tile action follow ed mi outbreak that approached a not between loyal citizens uiid pro (iermans lust night. The prisoners are: Albeit Seliaefer, retired farmer William - Rifhiniiu, furniture jlcuicr F.rncst Meier, retired farmer, and Carl (lerlil, fanner. All me wealthy. I'liilcd Slates Marshal Moore and Deputy llcaly arrived here from Ce dar Hupids after Ihcy hud been in formed that this town of 700 popu lutioii was a liothed of sedition, Itiehinan has u son who enlisted ill the iti'iny, and lie is reported to hiive suid he would rather see the boy dead than bearing nrms nimiust Germany The charges ngiiiust the other men have not been muile public in dela CIODAH UAI'IDS, In., Ana-. 2. An outbreak which resulted from tho ar rest of tlie llev. John Reiehert, pas tor of the fiennan Kvangeliciil church at Lowden, la., cm a charge of mak ing treasonable utterances, is being investigated by United States mar shals today. A mob is reported to have threatened to lynch Daniel Mc (lillvray, an nttorney, who gave the information which led lo Ihe Itcv, Mr. Hcichert's arrest. TUESDAY TO BE BEEFLESS DAY WASHINGTON, Aug. 2. Resolu tions to make every Tuesday a beef less day and to iiiaucuriite system atic measures to curtail constimiition of wheat, bread, butter, sugar mid young niniiiiil meat have been adopt ed by the food adiiiiiiistriilion's hotel u ndrestaiirant committee whose. membership includes the proprietors o many ol the country s lending ho tels and restuuruuts. BRITISH. FRONT IN FRANCE AND HKI.G1UM, Aug. 2 (by the As sociated Prass). "The situation virtually unchanged." This sums up the day's news from the wido zone along which the British and French yesterdny hurled Prince Hupprecht's forces hack to t he supporting de fenscs at u depth varying between one mid three miles. Artillery aetiv ities continued with great intensity, the British pouring a steady stream of high explosive shells into posi tions which the Oennans now hold, but there was comparatively little in fnntry fighting.. Tho allies were today busy con solidating Hie positions they captur ed yesterday. Heavy Oennau coun ter-attacks had been looked for, hut outside of a few local attempts to re gain positions these did not material ize. This was perhnps due partly to tho heavy rain which continued with out cessation since hist night, fill ing shell holes witli water and turn ing t lie ground into.n deep mud over which if is difficult to fight. Itoinbardnient Krratlc. The rierimiii guns, however, ninny of which had been withdrawn to pos itions further back before the ruin begun, have been currying on -steady bombardment, especially against the territory captured by the allies on thu northern side of the Ypres salient, but their firing hat- been more or less erratic because of the storm which blocked the work of the observation officers. As usual the (icrmnns are employing great quantities of gas shells. Due to the complete prepnration made for yesterday's assault, the British casiiallics have not been ex eessivc, hut tho condition of the but lie field and statements by prisoners indicute that the (lennan losses were exceedingly heavy. The Hritish medical corps has again evinced a most complete organization. At 8 o'clock last night nil British wounded hud been collected and brought back to emergency "Millions. More than 41100 prisoners wilh some sixty offi cers were taken by tlie Hritish in the Ypres salient alone. Prisoners Poor I.ot. Prussians, Bavarians and Saxons all have given of their number to swell the total ruptured, and no more dejected appearing men have been seen in Hritish prisons stations since tho beginning of the war. Particu larly noticeable was the scarcity of veteran noncommissioned officers and the largo number of troop, from tho 11)18 class, wlio are nothing more than raw recruits. One veteran of many battles freely expressed his contempt of this class, who, lie said, lacked slnminu to stnnil up under the hardships of war and could not be depended on in a tight place such as they found themselves fac ing yesterday, A majority of these prisoners wen a miserable, sorry-looking lot, till of them suffering from internal com plaints caused by exposure, and the majority from hunger. Few of them have any 1iohj of Germany winning the war ntul one officer ventured the opinion that the time of the father, hind's downfall was near. Tlie opin ion, largely on the scarcity of men and certainly boyish faces now in prison etiges, appears lo ho indicat ive of a lack of human material. LONDON, Aug. 2. It was reported at Iho Amorlcnn consulate hero today that 24 members of the crew of the American steamship Motano, which was sunk by a German submarine on July 31, lost their lives. Plans for Requisitioning Charters of All American Vessels to Be An nounced America and Britain Jointly to Control World's Ship pingOwners Can Operate. WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 Plans for taking over for operation nil American ocean-going merchant ships soon will he announced by the American shipping hoard. Charters will bo requisitioned under a recent net of congress authorizing the pres ident to eomnitindeer tonnage for government uses. The program is preliminary to putting into oeration nn agreement between tho American and British governments for joint control of the world's shipping. It will give the shipping board control of ocean freight rates charged by American ships and n rate basis being worked out will be used for building an in ternational rote schedule. . Aim of Seizure. The chief aim in commandeering charters is to get more ships ' into trans-Atlantic service. Many Amer iaen coastwise vessels and ships now engaged in the Pncifin and South American trade will be diverted to tiUns-Atliintic inns. "Their plitees will be taken to a largo extent by neutral ships and by Japanese ton nage. - ' . I The plan is to commandeer char ters and wherever advisable let the ship itself be operated by its owner under a government charter. In this way the government will direct oper ations and specify services in which ships shall ply and, at tho same time, avoid expenditure of tho vnst sum of money thnt would be required if the hulls themselves were taken over. Wherever operators fail to carry out. the shipping board's regulations, charters will be taken from them anil given to others. PARIS, Aug. 2. Sir Douglas Haig and General Pctaln, commanders of tho British and French armies, yester day exchanged telegrams of congratu lation at the Franco-British success In Flanders. The former paid a tribute to the offort of tho French troops under General Antolno. Ho nketche the Ir resistible dash wherewith the French not only gained the object set for them, but surpassed these objectives, thereby covoring and assuring the al lied flank and Inflicting heavy losses on the enemy while sustaining really "only very light losses." General Retain replied with thanks to tho felicitations to the British. Speaking for the French, he declared the success of the attack Illustrates anew the glory of the British flag and binds closer the two armlos. He con gratulated tho British troops In the name of all French armies. WASHINGTON", Aug. 2. Norway, facing starvation if the United States cuts off exports of food, is ready to release a million tons of her shipping In return for the privilege of import ing food principally from the United States. Ur. Frldljoff, Nanson, hend of tho Norwegian mission to the United States, declared unreservedly that Norway facod privation if the United States enforced an embargo against her. Norway also would give a guaran tee thnt none of tho food Imported would reach Germany.,
