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FOKTIETH YEAR NO. 277 , SALEM, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1917 PRICE TWO CENTS wa"c
VISIT TO FRONT
LINE TRENCHES OF
; THE UJ. ARMY
United Press Correspondent
Tells How Sammies Guard
Their Line
SNIPING AND ARTILLERY
FIRING OCCUPIES TIME
Good Duck Pond Lies Midway
Acr6ss No Man's Land
Before Them
By J. W. Pegltr
(United Press Etiiff correspondent)
With the AnuHJan (battalions in
the Front Line. Trenches, France, Nov.
21. A zig-zagging trench, walled' iu
vith hand woven twigs, khaki clad
Sammies standing on the firing step
this is America's first line.
It winds like a brown scar across the
faeo of the hill. Sammies, peering cau
tiously over the parapet, have au un
obstructed view across a valley to
where the Bocho is sulking in his own
front lino trenches.
America's; ifront line in the land
branch of tho battle for democracy
nil x just; a plain uiten. to the unini
tiated" it is a labyrinth of Ovists and
turns and holes and mounds. Hut to
Kaimmy it is as simple as "Main street
back homo." He knows every dugout,
every traverse, every listening post.
.Standing on the fire step at one
place in the trench beside a Nebraska
soldier, I strained my eyes across
iJenth Valley, where the enemy holds
forth. It was a dank, tangled tarn.
Weeds run wild for three years lux
uriated there.
A battered village stands midway,
awaiting the day of reclamation. In
front of a -smashed 'farmhouse one
(Continued on nage six.)
PAUL RIKGLE WRITES
I LOI
Salem Boy Likes Climate
Better As He Gets Ac
customed To It
Phil Kingle is one of the boys of
Company M at Camp Mills,' who are
learning a lot about the real eastern
climate on Long Island. He writes
in ipart to his folks in Salem as follows:
"it is -somewhat warmer here and
we arc getting somewhat acclimated
so that wo feel much better than when
we first arrived. So far I have not
beea able to go to New York City
which is only 24 miles away, but I
sure am going if I get a chance.
"The San Diego is in the harbor
now and there are a lot of Salem bovs
n it. Henry Radcliffe, Clifford Smart.
Ioc Mercer's son Ralph Mercer and
the two Hitchcock boys who used to
live in North Salem i got to see as
they came down to the camp. They are
all fino and expect to convoy troops
across in several days.
''There is a Pingle in a company from
'McMinnville and 1 can't help but
think he is some relation of ours. They
tell me he is a Moose but so far I have
not looked him up.
"Yes, I would like vorv much to get
the Capital Jonrnal and I know the
boys would surely enjoy it. I have re
ceived a promotion to that of private
of the first class and I will draw $3 a
month more jand get to h.we charge of
the squad once in a while when the
corporal i-s away. You .must address
my letters as "private" as it is a
rooky stunt to have "private first
class" smeared on the envelope.
''I am going to try and land a eor
poralship sometime, but the captain
likes to have them over twenty so it
will be pretty hard.
"Sergeant Melnturff, Sergeant AI
ford and Sergeant Wallace were all pro
moted to lieutenants and they will be
fine offjre-ra. We -will have six of
. ficers now instead of three one cap
tain, two first lieutenants and three
cecond lieutenants for a company of
."0 men.
"We are sure doing some tall drilling
vow from 7 until 11:30 and from 1 un
til 4:."!0. ard we are on the go all the
time vta can bet."
RUSSIAN MOVE
TOWARD GERMAN
PEACEJS BEGUN
Notice Sent to Socialist Con
vention In Session at
Dresden
TANGLE AT PETROGRAD
IS WORSE THAN EVER
Socialists Refuse to Help
Form Government For Ex
tremist Faction
Amsterdam, Nov. 21. Formal propos
als oi an international peace among
warring nations were made by the Rus
sian Bolsheviki representative! at
Stockholm in greetings sent a socialist
mass meeting in Dresden, aecordinj to
word, received here today.
' ' The Kusisan workmen 's and soldiers
council snatched power from those who
have been permitting peace revolutions
and social aims to lapse," the message
asserted.
' ' We now propose immediate negotia
tions for a peace without annexations
and without indemnities, on the basis
or tiie rignt ol nations to decide their
own destiny.
' ' However, Russian capitalistic for
ces will oppose an international peace.
There is still a long struggle, which can
only end victoriously by joint interna
tional action of the proletariat."
Angling For Peace.
London, Nov. 21. Russia may be ang
ling for peace, according to dispatches
received today from Scandinavian sour
ces. They reported the "Bolsheviki Max
amilists, Minimalist, socialist and mod
erate parties of the nation almost united
in the belief that only complete with
drawal from the war and concentration
of all efforts on internal affairs can re
store order in Russia.
The tangle still continued at Petro
grad, according to latest advices. All
endeavors for a compromise or coalition
government have failed. Kerensky's
whereabouts are still unknown.
Scores of reports were received at
Swedish cities about him one that he
had committed suicide. None was auth
enticated. "
Control Second Army.
Petrograd, Nov. 21. The Soviet's
revolutionary committee today pro
claimed its "control over the Russian
second army."
The Russian second army was last
reported in the great Russian retreat
from around Taruopol last summer. Its
panic and the wholesale desertions of
its soldiers started the retreat in this
section.
Socialists Disagree.
Petrograd, Nov. 21. Maximalist lead
ers today announced the rupture of ne
gotiations with the moderate socialists
party. It was reported a compromise
government was being negotiated be
tween the Bolsheviki and the socialist
revolutionaries of the left wing.
50c sjc sfc Jc jc sc jc sfc sfc sfc sfc sfc
ABE MARTIN I
Tlier's a lot o' girls eittin' bv in
short skirts that were given up as hope
les" a eouple o' vears aeo. Th' best sub
stitute fer coal is th' five-cent the ater.
slit IT
Arthur Henderson, Former
Labor Member of Cabinet
Tells War Aims of British
Note In tho following remarkable
interview, sotting forth British war
aims, Arthur Henderson, former labor
member of the Lloyd George cabinet,
and spokesman for British trades un
ionism, emphasized a point generally
overlooked in this, country. He reveals
the importance attaching in Europe
to the secondary offensive tho polit
ical offonsive launched by President
Wilson against Hohenzollernisra in his
war declaration speech. Dispatches
from France during the past few days
have revealed the extent to which the
campaign for the " domocratizatfbn of
Germany is being pushed from that
angle and through Switzerland.
(Signed) THE EDITOR.
By Lowell Mellett j
(United Press staff correspondent) i
London, Nov. 21. Tho allies shoulfl
not abandon their political offensive j
against Germany, according to ArYiur
endorson, bocause in many respect
it is the most dangerous offensive the
house of Hohenzollein has to face.
Henderson, as leader of the labor par- J
ty, has aligned with him some tour :
and a half million voters, through the
new coalition of his party and the co
operative movement.
"Look at this item in tho paper,"
said tho labor leader.
The item reported the address of
the crown prince to the latest batch of
German boys brought -to the western
front to join their fathers and broth
ers. t. :
"There are powers at work attempt
ing to sow discord botwecn the Gor
man people' and their soverign, know
ing Germany otherwise is invincible,"
said the crown prince. "It is your
work also to prevent this," and more
of the same. .
"Of course. ' Germany is not 'oth
erwise invincible,' " said Henderson.
"The crown prince protends not to
fear the allies' military efforts, but
he shows a great concern regarding
their ability to make a wide breach by
other means between the kaiser and
his people. The real position is 'fhat
the German kaiser and his high com
mand realize that their military plans
have failed. They are now at pains to
prevent their military failure leading
to a political upheaval at home.
'Military victory is not the tinal
aim of the allies. It is a means toMfn
end. It is ought in order to enable"
ITALIANS HOLDING
PiAVE LINE BUT MAY
BE FORCED BACK
French and British Forces
Have Not Yet Been Brought
Into Action
By John H. Hearley
(United Press staff correspondent)
Rome, Nov. 21. Bocause of the dis
advantageous battle ground offered
along the Piave river, a further strate
gic retirement of Italian forces may
be necessary, according to reliable in
formation today.
As yet none of the French and Brit
ish reinforcements have gone into ac
tion. The Italian troops single hand
edly are bearing the full burden of the
Teutonic assault. They .are holding
tinn are holding firm and mtlicting
terrible casualties on the enemy. Their
morale is the best probably it has ever
been.
So also is tho spirit here in Rome.
The public supports the war as never
before. All fruits of Italy's two years
of strife have now been swept away;
a dread enemy reaches ever forward
seeking her most treasured possessions
of art and industry. But the internal
dissension which Germany craftily
hoped to start has never appeared.
The enemy won his first blow by
treachery in the army and in the civ
ilian ,iopulation, then the audtfou
overwhelming spectacle of the perfect
ly equipped Teutonic armies made tHo
Italian officers lose their heads- Ger
many played for a revolution in .Italy
like that she aided in Russia. She will
never attain that hope.
Germans Attack in Masses
With the Italian Armies, Nov. 21.
All pre-cenceived ideas that the Teu
tons are husbanding their resources of
manpower are refuted in the great bat
tle along the Piave river.
The same tactics of seeking to smotb
er their objectives iB a flood of pack
ed humanity, which Germany used ear
ly in the war, are those which the Ger-
(Continued on page three)
them to achiove the sort of peace;
which theyconceive to be essential to
prevent any future recurrence of the
present awful struggle and to securo
tho end of the war for all time; a
peace which will recognize the rights
of peoples to dispose of themselves as
they think best, and will make the
world safe) for djomocraey, 1a peace
which will solve all old grievances with
out creating new ones and which will
'securo just recompense for the innr.:
'cent victims of the foul wrongs per
jpctrated by German militarism during
Ithe war.
Those are, broadly, the aims of the
allies, and it seems to me that to sup
plement military effort by the politic
al weapon in order more quickly to
achieve such an honorable and lasting
peace would not weaken the allios' po
sition, but would strengthen it.
" Wo are afr war with the kaiser and
kaiserism and personally I do not
want to see any peace made with kais
erism. If the peace settlement is to
have any irosp((ct( cjf durability "it
must be made witn the German people
and not with the kaiser.
"President Wilson, who has a pro
found knowledge of real politics, and
whose utterances come nearer to the
ideals ct' democracy than those of any
oilier allied statesman, has seen the
possibilities of the use of the political
weapon in this war apd ho has cour
ageously defined . important diiicr
ence between the Gerloian peoplo and
its autocratic rulers. In this differen
tiation, I fully concur with President
Wilson and I strongly advocate a po
litical offensive in order to1 widen the
breach between 'kaisctvsm: and . the
German people.
','By a 'political offensive;, ' I do not
mean that Groat- Britain should resort
to the use of unscrupulous diplomatia
prastices, as Germany has done. Tho
British people would not tolerate them
But. I do sav that they should make a
wise and discriminate use of legiti
mate political methods, which are open
and above beard and which mean elim
ination of secret diplomacy."
"At present," he continued, "tho
allies are negotiating with the kaiser's
servants. All the speeches made by the
German chancellor tfnd replied to by
ployment or' open political means to
bring about a settlement of the war.
(Continued on pag' two.)
HALO'S LAST BLOW
GREATEST SURPRISE
WORLD WAR BATTLES
Has Cambrai, Great German
Communication Centre Al
most Within Grasp
By Perry Arnold
(United Press Staff Correspondent)
New York, Nov. 21. The greatest
surprise stroke of the war, one of the
greatest single strategic achievements 00n ? " m""on n'cn cnu ue
of the struggle and possibly the start Vei m France. -of
a victory equal in importance to the I. Th9 P' ne a11'.':8 nc
Marne, is Field Marshal Haig's break-, m aoropJar.es, food and supplies and
ing of the Hindenburg line, reported to- .reiterated the necessity for closest co
a. oil operation in the war-
Between the two north and south!. . ,
points mentioned in today 's official re-
port, there is a distance
Ul llll ICC U
miles. Over this whole section the
British had made an average of four
miles.
Haig's troops are now literally on the
' threshold of Cambrai, the vital spot
in the German communications line.
i The biggest town eapiurea m inei
drive was Marcoing five miles south- j . -b,ows from a revoivcr two men
west of Cambrai. With Anneux and who Bme ta tho aid of tho ck.rkg and
Graincourt also in British hands, the cw,ape(1 witn between $40,000 and $50,
Britis already have a segment approxi- 000 worth 0f diamonds and 212 in
mately four miles wide in its arc, shov-lcash
ed around the depot city of the German Kmployoa of the jewelry firm and an
communications artery. 'optical firm adjoining were forced in-
i Lavecquerc lies a little farther to the to a sman room at the back of the
south of Cambrai, at the junction of jewelry store, while we bandits work
two roads from Le Catellet and Fins e(j on the safe. Robert Bettner, porter,
to Cambrai. i entering the store with two pails of
Flesquires is a bare five miles dis-:water, looked down the barrel of two
tant from Cambrai, lying just beyond gn nn,i stuck 'em up" so quickly
Havrincourt, which was also stormed that the room was covered with water
and captured. from the pails. The bandits refused to
' The British drive must have been an touch a tray of valuable sapphires, be
overwhelming surprise to the Germans. cause they called them "phoney
Ever since September 21, the British 'stuff."
have been concentrating all their ef-j -forts
on the lines for to the north in ' fronts between Arras and St. Quentin.
the Flanders sector. . j That Haig should have been able to
Haig made some localized attacks mass sufficient troops and material be
there not more than three days ago. fore this German front to break the
The Germany evidently figured the Brit-1 Hindenburg line at various points
ish strategy -was to press this Fland-Jeven to sweep over portions of the sec
ers drive unceasingly. Their lines mnst'ond line defenses without the enemy
have been greatly depleted along the being aware of it, is almost a new
whole of the Wotan and Sicgfriedachievement in the great war.
Draft Violators Are
On Way to
Prison
Seattle, Wash., Nov. 21. "Dr."
Max Gorman and Mrs. Rose Leshen
were on their way to imprisonment to
day, for conspiracy to prevent execu
tion of the draft law. Gorman and his
agent, Mrs. Leshen, attempted to col
lect $3,000 from Joseph Gottstein, well
known business man, on the under
standing that ho would bo made Dhvs-
ically unfit for military service through
in operation on his throat.
Federal Judtro Jeremiah Neternr
sentenced Gorniun to spend ton years
in MciNen island federal penitentiary
And Mm T.putinn tn ir n Anfl flna nnA
go to Pierce county jail for six months.
ppeuring oeiore mo court late
Monday, both defendants personally
annealed fnr lonioncv. Hprlnrtnrr fhnv
carried out their plan to dctormine
wnetner or not tne ncn were gaining
exemptions through fraud.
Gottstein reported the conspiracy to
federal authorities and through his
testimony tho pair landed in the fed
eral net.
FIRST MILLION MErf
FROM UNITED STATES
AWAITEDANX!OUSLY
Additional Shipping Promised
Will Also Be Appreciated
By Our Allies
London, Nov. 21. ( England lpoks
anxiously for the day whon America's
"first million men'' shall bo in
France and when America's first (5,-
000,000 tons of shipping shall sail tho
seas, bringing more men, more muni
tions, more supplies, in the common
cause against autocracy.
The hope of an early realization of
these plans, as expressed by Premier
Lloyd Georgo in his speech opening tho
British-American war conference, was
re-echoed throughout England today.
It served again to omphasizo the Brit
ish public's realization of the vast im-
petus which America will give to the
allied war machine and to tho Ameri
cans here, at least, it also served as
a reminder of the gigantic task to
which ho United States has set itself.
With Lloyd George's speech open
ing the conference, the representatives
of the tiwo governments bent to work
to speed up the realization of the pre
mier's hopes and aspirations.
Foremost under discussion was the
British plea for acceleration of Am
erica's concentration of fighting men
at the front. From Lloyd George 's
words, it was evident England hopes
for all speed in this mobilization..
"Like Britain," the premier said,
"the United States is a pacific power
and she, therefore, has had to build
up a- war organization from the start.
In doing so she can learn from many
mistakes which Britain made. Two of
the most urgent matters today are man
power at the fronts and shipping.
"The collapse of Russia and the re
verses of Italy make it even more im
iperative than before that the United
States should send as many troops as
possible across the Atlantic as early
as possible. I am anxious to know how
Jiim3?aD0!lS KODDerS
I - W I f f M m
wake men nam ioaay
-Minneapolis, Minn., Nov. 21. Three
unmasked men today entered Harry
Green's jewelry store, in the heart of
the downtown district, held two clerks
A. . . t -..i,..r. -n.
Front of About Eighteen Miles Gives Way Before Surprise
Attack and Thousands of Prisoners With Vast Qjianliiies
of Munitions Are Captured Cambrai, Great Railroad
Center Almost Within Grasp of British GeneralThird
Army Under General Sir Man Byng Breaks lEsdecbsrg
Line Tanks Prepare Way for Advancing Infantry
By Ed L. Keen,
. (United Press Staff Correspondent)
London, Nov. 21. Field Marshal Haig has broken the
Hindenburg line.
At various points over a front of at least a score of
miles, the British commander-in-chief today reported his
troops had smashed their wav for a distance of between
four and five miles from the first defenses of the vaunted
Hindenburg line.
The second line more than a mile behind the prelim
inary defenses was also stormed by the victorious
Tommies: v
Tanks battered down the" German defenses, crumbled
away some of the artfully contrived German cement em
placements and ponderously drove forward in advance of
the artillery.
Cambrai is now almost in the hands of the British.
The importance of the victory ..cannot, as yet, be fully
estimated.
Not only has the Hindenburg line been penetrated and
at least two of its lines utterly destroyed, but the British
now directly menace the main German line of communica
tions Douai, Cambrai and St. Quentin.
The surprise of the British drive, coupled with its over
powering force, was so complete and the German demoral
ization so utter that official reports did not attempt to
estimate the number of prisoners taken nor the quantity
of guns, supplies and ammunition.
Field Marshal Haig departed from the custom of with
holding the names of generals immediately in charge of
operations in his statement today, giving General Sir
Julian Byng and his third army the credit of the brilliant
achievement.
HAIG'S POWERFUL STROKE
Field Marshal Haig's terrific
smash, breaking the Hinden
burg line, resulted in the cap
ture of four towns, two villages
a hamlet, an important ridge,
three woods, and the strong po
sitions along the road from' Ba
paume to Cambrai. He also sent
his troops across the Masniers
canal.
Marcoing, Havrincourt, Fle
squires, Lavecquerc, towns;
Graincourt and Anneux, villages,
and the hamlet of Bonaires are
now in British hands. The Welsh
ridge, formidably fortified, fell
and tho Soutellet wood, Neuf
wood succumbed to the British
advance
OVEE 5000 PEI30NEE3.
London, Nov. 21. Front dis
patches hero this afternoon said
more than 5,000 prisoners were
taken yesterday in Field Mar
shal Haig's great victory.
By William Philip Simms
(United Press Staff Correspondent)
With the British Armies in the Field
Nov. 21. The strangest battle in the
world's history was that by which the
British today smashed the Hindenburg
line.
There has been no other battle like
t in Mthe annals of warfare. Only
the wooden horso of Troy offers a com
parison with Haig 's blow in tactical or
iginality.
General Pcrshine. eommander-in-chief
of the American army in France, wit
nessed this most staggering of all the
blows which the British have launch
ed against the enemy.
At a moment when tne worm woe
saying that surprise attacks in this war
were no longer possible when the
Prussians were thinking the same thing
, and sleeping soundly in their comfort
ablo dugouts, without the faintest sus
picion that anything was brewing
j British army tanks, leading British in
i fantry, rose up from tho ground like
1 ground liko magic and swung to the at
! tack.
j There was no artillery preparation,
j The lumbering tanks diu tne pulveriz
ung of tho way. They blazed the trail,
their gigantically ponderous paths of
fering tree entrance to the infantry im
mediately behind. They crashed over
wire entanglements, over artfully con
cealed Chevaux do Fnse, over trenches
themselves and the walking Tommies
followed.
Britain's victory came after a pre
liminary advance Tuesday morning. It
was then, under black skies, that the
tanks lumbered forward as the new
barrage for the infantry. Wednesday
completed the triumph.
Prisoners pouring back of the lines
totlny were still dazed with the sur
prise of the attack.
Surprise Was Complete.
Ther are utterly flabbergasted. Not
'an officer-nor man had the slightest
: idea the British could possibly strike
on their quiet sector at a time when it
was supposed every ounce of Britain's
strength was conccut rated in Flanders.
Since the battle of Arras, the Cam
brai sector has dozed iu peace and quiet.
The lino seemed impregnable. The Ger
mans had heard that so often they were
certain of it. They were confident that
it would take weeks of high explosives
shell preparation and wire cutting ex
peditions, as well as unprecedented
barrages ,to do the trick.
So they dozed and slept and took
life eaay in the German lines. There
was practically no artillery fire felt
from the British side "the Engl'scher
sch wein" were too busy with their con
centrated guns at Passehendaole, and
besides they didn't have enough guns
to concentrate, go why worry f That
(Coutiauod on paga three)