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About Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1903-1919 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1917)
TCDArS WEATHER Oregon: Tonight and Thursday ' fair; Warmer Thursday; killing t Thursday morn ing; light north erly, winds. 4,400 SUBSCRIBERS (22,000 READERS) DAILY Only Circulation in Salem Guar anteed by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, FULL LEASED WIRE DISPATCHES SPECIAL WILLAMETTE VAL LEY NEWS SERVICE FORTIETH YEAR NO. 247 SALEM, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1917 PRICE TWO CENTS ON TRAINS AND NEW STANDS FIVE CENTS GtR NUB WORK HARD -TO. BLOCK- ADVANCE nnniM . . Dam Above Niecport Is Being Feverishly Rushed to Comple tion by Day and Night Shifts-Object Is To Interpose Barrier of Water Beyond Passchendaele Ridge-German Defense Is Weaker and Offensive Efforts Lack Old-Time Vigor-British Gas Is Now Working Havoc With the Enemy In Tpres Sector"" By William Philip Simms, (United Press Staff Correspondent.) With the British Armies in Flanders, Oct. 17. While Haig's guns and men break the German hold on Passchen daele ridge, the Germans are striving desperately to throw against the ever oncroachiug advance the barrier which the Belgians successfully invoked to stop the Teutonic hordes of 1914. The enemy is working night and day rushing to completion a dam two miles shove Nieuport, by which they hope to flood the ground beyond Passchendaele ridge. The very desperation - with which they are carrying out this plan, coupled with extreme "jumpincss," which the Boche shows every hour of the day, is due to the knowledge that the Gorman troops cannot hold Passchendaele ridge much longer if the British continue their push. Prisonered German offieors, exam ined today, admitted as .much. One fiid, however, that plans had been laid so that if the Germans were forced to relinquish the high ground, they would retreat five miles further to prepared positions. , - - - ; ! One evidence of haw the enemy. is j "rattled" comes in the failure of his favorite mode . of defense counter-attacks. They have been, few and farj between and have been absurdly weak, . One of many proofs that the German artillery is disorganized was furnished on One sector, full report of which was roceived today. 'There a German bom bardment which lasted 36 hours did not cost the British a single casualty. I saw this bombardment. At least forty thousand shots must have been fired at a cost of $1,250,000 not including wear end tear on German guns. This latter item, as United Press dispatches have heretofore detailed, is not inconsider able, with Germany as short of metal as she is now. - . By a strange twist of fate the British gas is now working havoc with the enemy throughout all this "Ypres sec tor" exactly the same portion of the great western battle front where the Germans first used this devilish con trivance of war. 'TIDE HAS TURNED" MEDILL By W. S. Foprest, (United Press Staff Correspondent.) Paris, Oct. 17. '"The tide has turned; there will be more atrocities; there will be terrible battles, but despite events in Russia tho Austro-. Germans everywhere are being driven back and from the Carso to the1 chan nel hey are no longer able to attack." This was the estimate of the war to day by Representative Medill McCor inick of Illinois, presented to guests at a luncheon at the Palais Dorsay. Mc- . ABE MARTIN What gits ns is how a foot ball play er is goin' t' explain why he haint in th army. "The hardest thing," said J-i-s. nud t'day, "is t' think o' snniethin fer supper your husband did n't have fer lunch."' G PLAINS Cormick was the guest of honor, the luncheon marking his farewell. McCormick emphasized the impres sion ho had obtained throughout his travels in France, England and Italy of the democratic solidarity of the allies. He assured France of the determina tion of the entire American nation to fight with all its power to a victory. "In speaking of the entire American nation," he advised, "I include the splendid loyalty of a majority of the Amoricans of German blood, who are no less patriotic than those of other ex traction. From the lips of American of ficers with names as German as that of Hindenburg, I have heard described with loathing and bitter anger the de liberate killing of heroic nurses by the German aircraft. "These are bad tidings for the kaiser. "The morale of the German officer prisoners is now lower than it was two months ago." British Air Reprisals. London, Oct. 17. Indications that England's determination to exact. full measure of retaliation for German air raids has already -caused lively appre hension in German cities, were noted in Holland dispatches today. For 16 days now not one German air raider has ventured over England. In the eight days immediately before that the Teutonic "baby killers" made si air attacks and killed 51 persons, wounding 254. It was this sudden con centration' of Hun aerial ruthlessncss that resulted in a national demand for reprisals which was answered by the government yesterday in Chancellor of the Exchequer Bonar Law 's formal an nouncement in commons that reprisals were planned. Bonar Law stated that a bill creat ing an air ministry would shortly be presented to parliament. Unofficially, it was learned today, the government plans to do away, if possible, with the dual control of aerial warfare as ex emplified at present in the royal naval air service and the (army) royal flying corps. Tho Munich Post was quoted in Hol land dispatches today as depreciating all aerial raids over open cities. Anriouncemcnt by Bonar Law that an air ministry is planned, confirms ex clusive United Press dispatches of two weeks ago, which detailed the govern ment's determination to recognize the increasing importance of aerial war fare by creating a ministerial post to administer it. Russia Fights Hard- London, Oct. 17.- Ruasia is making desperate resistance to the German naval encroachments in the Baltic and has already taken toll of at least six German naval vessels, according to Petrograd dispatches today. A continuous battle around the group of islands at the head of the gulf of Riga was reported, with the Germans slowly making progress. They were re ported today in control of practically all of Oesel island and in complete com mand of Runo and Abro islands. Petrograd reported the sinking of the Russian destroyer "Grom in" a running fight Sunday between a German dread naught and a convoy of destroyers and various Russian naval forces. The German fleet later retired. Berlin claims weTe that the whole island of Oesel had been occupied, but it was added that a small portion of the enemy in the Sworbe peninsula was still opposing the eompUte subjuga tion of the island.. The official state ment also announced a naval engage ment with Russian destroyers and gun boats, which resulted favorably to the German forces." Petrograd related the injury to a German dreadnaught By mines and ad mitted that RusBian main forces had completely lost touch with troops on Oesel. Late in the afternoon another statement said' the enemy "continued to develop his success," pressing back our troops covering the mole." All land communication had been in terrupted, it was sfated. British Artillery Active. fVt. 17. Resumntion of heavy British artillery, coincident with clearing weather, added to the public's belief today that the British command- (Continued on page three) OPPOSITION LIBERTY.LOAN BY SOME PRO GERMA! This Accusation Comes From Banks In Southwest Section GERMAN-BORN FARMERS IN MINNESOTA BUY BONDS Fifth of Loan Is Subscribed and Only Hard Work Will Win TODAY'S LIBERTY LOAN SUBSCRIPTIONS. Today's Subscrintinna Total New York $20,627,000 $347,628,950 tuuota si.auu.uuu.uuo) Chicago .... 20,000,000 78,000,000 (Quota $180,950,000) Buffalo .... 2,100,150 19,494,100 (Quota $55,600,500) S. 'Frisco 1,600,000 33,300,000 (Quota $55,000,000) Seattle .... 667,200 4,840,000 (Quota $13,000,000) Tacoma .... 69,700 819,750 (Quota $3,300,000) Portland, Or. 373,050 4,677,740 (Quota $16,500,00) Washington, Oct. 17. An effort by pro-Germans in the southwest to intim idate banks aiding the second Liberty loan was reported to the treasury de partment today. This was met with a threat to remove government funds from banks not given their hearty co- j operation to the bond sales. At the same time a direct drive lor subscription ; from the German element is under way. ' Minneapolis reported that German- f oorn lurmers arts ouying oonus ana one Texas bank stated a recently natural ized Teuton doubled his $1,000 subscrip tion following a shower of congratula tions. The Liberty loan situation is criti cal today, the treasury department feels. With only a fifth of the five billion ' dollar goal subscribed, only "the hard-1 est kind of work," it was officially, stated, can bring success in the remain-1 in g ten days of the campaign. - j The nation must now subscribe at tho rate $400,000,000 a day to reach the goal. So far the average uaily sales (Continued on page six) "WE'LL AMERICAN ESCAPES FROM GERMAN CAMP AND REACHES SWEDEN (By William G. Shepherd) (United Press Staff Correspondent) Stockholm, Oct. 17. The first Am erican to. escape from a German prison camp housing prisoners taken by the German raider Meewe, reached here to day after six waterless days conceited in the hold of a ship arriving from Kiel. He was Willet Charles Smith of Nor walk, Conn. "None of the American prisonors at Lubeck have died," Smith deelarod, "but their Uvea were only saved by packages sent from kind hearted Brit ishers via Gerne. "Our guards at Lubeck weren't for the war. They would say 'to hell with the kaiser. This is a rich man's war in Germany. Wo want it ended. ' " Smith was the .happiest man iu the world when he reached Stockholm and freedom. , "You can tell the folks back home," he told the United Press, "that Barney Boyle of Des Moines, Bill Fitzgerah of New York, Oscar Bird, of Charles ton, W. Va., and Walter and Harry Mason, both of Baltimore, are still in Edgar E Rowland Writes to: Folks In Salem Edgar M. Rowland, a Salem boy who now stationed at Camp Greene, near Charlotte, N. C, writes home as fel lows: "The camp hero is so large that on: can easily get lost .in it. Today is Sun day and I am doing bunk fatigue. Have n't had any straw for my tick nn'il today I got desperate and went to the stables and go: it. "The nights are pretty cool here and we have our stoves up and in the even ii'gs you will always find a fire in them. "The people here were at first rather afraid of the western boys and expect ed them to be wild and wooly and to do things in a cowboy like style. But now they like us a4 think we are pret ty ime. 1 - "I am going to church Sunday. The people are very kind and always invite the soldiers for dinner on Sundays. There is no place to drill only in the company streets Our work of training win Degm soon. "On our trip down we saw mostly desert until we came near . New Or If.iLi into the sugar cane country and miles and miles of cotton. Saw lots of .Mizieans through Texas, and then came tho i-egrots. At El Paso the ladies ot t'l-) Red Oos gave us our breakfast. " W j arrived. at camp at noone of Oc tober 3 Ai. erto truck company moved us nr..; they had to do it in a hurry a thurc was nine other trains to be unleaded. W. have 12 bands here r.nd lot.i of mm! and eight Y. M. C. A.b and a'l c.owaed full on Sunday.. On week dnys they are full of boys writing letter? hi inc." KEEP THE FAITH WITH lfei BROTHERS fairly well, all things considered." Fed up with all the good things fel low Americans could offer him here after all the lena-near-starvation days of his prison camp fare and six very, very meager days of Spartan-like ra tions without water while he hid the utter darkness of the vessel which brought him here, Smith blossomed out today into the world's greatest expon ent ot happiness. He laughed away his tribulations and hardships in the camp and in escaping. How did we come to land in a Ger man prison! Well, we that is the bunch I've just mentioned all met in Bal timore last winter. We had a good many drinks one day and in wandering around we saw a sign 'men wanted to ship to Liverpool on a British steam er.' On the spur ot the moment and the inspired daro-levll spirit, we join ed. "Our outbound trip wag fine busi ness. But coming home our ship was captured by the Uerman cruiser Moewe. We were all herded aboard her and taken to Kiel. There we wore put ashore with 500 others. '.'Later we were transferred to a pri son camp." Smith stopped to chuckle reminis cently. "I spent fourteen days in a dark cell for one previous unsuccessful attempt to escape, "ho remarked. And he laughed again, louder than ever. ' ' You know, our gang of fellows who joined up that winter day in Baltimore often wished in camp that Baltimore had gone dry last November. "I was loading a German ship with fertilizer when my chance came to es cape," said Smith. "I hid myself in the smelly hold and here I am. I didn 't have any water for six days but I'm here." Big Reward Offered For Seattle Slugger ' Seattle, aWsh., Oct, 17. An addition al reward of $1,000 was posted by Mayor Gill today for the arrest and conviction of tho woman Bluggcr who has been terrorizing this city by fiendish assaults on women In their homes during tho last few weeks. Rewards of $500 have been posted by Sheriff Stringer and the county com missioners. Women will hold a mass meeting this afternoon to discuss means of protec tion, and the mayor has advised the women to arm themselves and to bolt doors against strangers. The slugger has claimed nine victims in the last two weeks. All city firemon have been commis sioned special policemen and with vol unteer city patrols are co-operating with the police in nightly searches for the slugger. THE DEAD" Lubeck prison and all doing BAKER REPORTS PROGRESS OF WAf DliiGWEEKPAST Says Allies Are Driving Wedge In German Lines In Flanders SOONER OR LATER SPLIT WILL PERMIT FLANKING erations In' West Have Recently Been Retarded by Bad Weather (By Carl D. Groat) (United Press Staff Correspondent) Washington, Oct. 17. With a verit able typhoon of fire, the allies are driv ing a wedge into the German line in Flanders. Sooner or later, this wedge may split the Teuton line and permit of a ilanking move, instead of the unceasing frontal attacks, which up to recent date have meant only throwing men into the maelstrom of slaughtor without real tactical advantage. This significant fact developed today in Secretary of War Baker's weekly war summary. The "typhoon fire" raged on the Germans is causing him real concern; in fact, such deep worry that he has ben forced to "amend his tactical dispositions in an effort t. meet the shock of shell rained upon his lines." The front has been so ex tended with the French aiding that thr Flanders fighting is practically revo lutionary. .. "It is no longer to be considered a salient," says tho summary, but an ever extonding wedge progressively driven into the German lines." From a military standpoint this U one of the most significant develop mentB of the war, inasmuch as it marks a departure 'from the out-and-out iron- tar attack which tacticians have said is little more than continuous murder, With this wedge driven through, the whole west fighting would take on a changed character, with a chance for snolls and men, as the predominant ana determinant factor; Tlifl French are highly praised for their part along with the British. Secretary's Statement. The secretary's statement says: ' ' The allied offensives in Flanders continues methodically. " Assigned obiectives attained witB increasing regularity indicate efficient co-ordination of artillery preparation and infantry attacks. "The precision of the allied barrage is proved by the low casualties of the assaulting columns. ' ' The deadly effect or allied arrniery fire is confirmed to us by reports reach ing us rceardinz the concern of the Gnrman hiizh command at the new al lied 'typhoon fire' which is compell ing the enemy to amend his tactical dis positions in an effort to meet the shock of shell rained upon nis lines. French uarticipation in tho opoi-a- tinns in Flanders is tho outstanding fea ture of events during tho past week. The successes attained uy tne French forces operating north of the British sector, more particularly in the neighborhood of the Houthulst wood, have given the allied advance in Flan ders the needed elbow room. "The zone of operation in the Ypres salient, formery too narrow for the pro per disposition' of large masses of Brit ish troops, has now by the French co operation and their recent successful advance, so extended the line that fight ing in what was the Ypres salient has changed in character. It is no longer to be considered a salient, but an ever extending wedge, progressively driven into the German lines. "The operations of the French dur ing the past week are in fact comple mentary to the engagements which re sulted in the capture, of Messines by the British last June. "During the engagements of the week the French everywhere maintained their positions won in the face of repeated onslaughts. - - - "Strong German detachments were ordered to dislodge the French, who now hold the advance positions between the Victoire and Pategeout farms, east of Dracbank. These were repulsed. Bad Weather Hampers. "A was to be expected at this sea son, bad weather has somewhat retard ed the allied advance. "Operations were hampered, owing to the fact that the well drained ground of the Passchendaele ridge once pass ed over, the advancing columns are eon- fronted with the water-logged, soggy Flanders plain, which stretches on to Koulers and beyond. "The infantry was further impeded by the fact that allied artillery prepar ation has so plowed up the ground that the terrain has Deen xurnea into of mud. - "Torrential rains and low-lying clouds rendered aircraft observation dif ficult and under ordinary circumstanoes would have caused a suspension. of of fensive operations, but the inclement weather has not prevented extension (Continued oa Pig Two.) SOCIALISTS WILL OPPOSEPROPOSED GERMANWARLOAII Government Will Ask Credit of Ten Billion Marks In December CllMEUORMCHAMSIS TO BE FORCED TO RESIGN Oa This Condition Only WEI Socialist Party Uphold Government Amsterdam, Oct. 1. German social ists will vote solidly against the war credit of ten billion marks at the next session of the reichstag, in December, unless Chancellor Michaelis resigns, ac cording to quotations from a German socialist daily reaching here today. 1 he decision of the socialists to hold ' their war credits vote as a club against Michaelis was reached at the congress of tho majority socialists now taking; place afc Wurzbnrg, Bavaria. A resolution urging the reunion of the two socialist factions in Germany for the purpose of conducting a mora concerted peace propaganda was adopt ed by the congress. Dr. David, in pleading fo the reunion of the Scheidemanii and Haase fac tions, justified ihe support of the war credits hitherto by the majority fac tion on the ground that failure to have done so would have played into tha hands of Germany's enemies. Dr. David delivered a scathing indictment of tho fatherlaud party and the propaganda of . the Pan-Germanists in general. Ha charged that the Fan-Germanista were about the only obstacle to peace and that they were more interested in war. In conclusion, he demanded that Ger many follow the example of Austria in formulating her peace aims, especially as regards Belgium. ' For some time there have been signs that the two socialist factions in Ger many, tho " majority led by Philip Scheidemann and the minority lod by Hugo Haase, one of the reichstag mem bers to be tried for alleged complicity in the recent naval revolt at Wilhelms haven, would reunite their forces for a common assault against the govern ment. The apparent plan of the governme-st to wreck the organization of the inde pendent socialists and the charges brot against Haase, Voghter and Dittmann, whom the kaiser has ordered to do tried, sceni to have played a decisive part in the probable reunion of the two socialist factions. 1FRIG1 CAPTAIN TRAPPEDTHE RAIDER Master of Sunken Schooner R. C. Slade Dave De sired "Information" San Francisco, Oct. 17. Captain Ba ilor Smith, master of tho American schooner R. C. Slade, armed with a knowledge of the vagaries of the South Pacific's currents, ended the career of the German commerce raider Seeadler. This was revealed today following tho arrival of Captain Smith, whose vessel was the first victim of the raider in Pscific waters. After tho Seeadler- had sunk tho Slade nnd tho schooners Manila and A. B. .lohnson, Count Luckner, the raid- em' commander, told Captain Smith the Socadlcr's crew had been at sea ror pi.rM months and he -wanted to land them for "n littlo shore leave" on seme Pacific atoll. Captain Smith told O'Mint Luckner how to make a landing oi Mocpha lslM'd. "Run cIohi irto shore," he said, anl the count did. Inside of 48 hours tho changing currents of the south seas had cist the Sncatller on the coral reer, a total loss. But Count Lticknei kept his promise of a "picnic" for his men. The hold of the Seeadler disgorged countless bot tles of champagne and kegs of beer, and theTC followed a drunken party the like of which Smith has never seen. After several days on the atoll, Luck ner, with a picked erew, set to sea in. a motor boat and later the remaining members of the raider's crew eaptured the French schooner Lutece. Smith left the island In a small sloop with some of his men and ten days after reached Pago-Pago. . Three-cent postage stamps November 2. the first since September 30, 1883. Will Uncle Sam change back to the old color, too! That was green, i you remember,