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FORTIETH YEAR NO. 295
SALEM, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1917
PRTTTP! TWA rTTTsTTQ n?T TRAINS AND NEWS
" v STANDS FIVE CENTS
MTU . sn crl
0
jr-
rusTah civil
war opei with
hard fighting
Bolsheviki Forces and tf?
sack Rebels In Conflicts
Around Tamunooka
ARMISTICE TERMS
GERMANS WERE DRASTIC
Demanded Evacuation of Pe
trograd and Disarming of
Baltic Fleet
London, Dec, 12. Russia's civil war
lius apparently begun.
Dispatches toduy all greatly delay
el reported the first actual clash be
tween, the. Bolsheviki and the Cossack
Tcbels around Tamanovka, about cith
' teen miles from Bielgorod. The Cos-tia-ckg
were part of a force commanded
by General Korniloff, well furuislied
with arms, machine guns and ammuni
tion. The-sizo of the Bolsheviki army
was not specified. No details were re
ceived as to the result of the fighting.
Dispatches from Petrograd dated
Monday night and not received hero
until today reported uneasiness at the
capital lest there might be riotous
scene Tuesday. Tho military revolu
tionary committee was exhorting all
soldiers to join a demonstration against
tlie cadet anil other moderate partko,
s well as against Korniloff and Kale
ilines. It was reported from Petrograd to-.,
day that the terms of the German ar
mistice proposal were that the Russians
evacuate Petrograd "until peace came'
It was not stated whether the Germany
would occupy the capital under such a
si'heme. Other (points on whifh ttho
Germans insisted were disarmament of
the Baltic fleet' and the cession Of
Ukrania to Ausriai including north
shores of the Black sea. 9
One dispatch from Swedish sources
today declared General Korniloff 'e
forces had been defeated in their first
clash with the Bolsheviki near Biel
gorod, according to officials of the Rua i
sian railway union, lvalenines was stat
ed to be rushing reinforcements to
Korniloff. The battle, according to this
information, started last Friday evcu
iiijjf and was in progreSs all day Sun
day. Arrested Envoy
t etrograd, Dec. 12 General ' Kalc
diiK'S promptly arrested one of a com
mittee of Bolsheviki naval represent;
(Continued on page two)
CONGRESS WOMAN IS
ACTIVE IN BEHALF
OF LITTLE DAN CUPID
By George Martin
(United Press Stuff Correspondent)
Washington, Dec. 12. Cupid has a
champion in congress for the first time
in history today.
Jeannette Rankin, representing the
states of -Montana and matrimony,
though she herself is a" spinster, took
lip the cudgel for the chubby little
heart-hunting chap she says has Jueen
abused by the law makers.
Her first move on Dan's behalf was
the introduction of a bill to repeal tho
law compelling American women who
marry aliens to relinquish their Ameri
can citizenship and marry a fnreign
country also. This law, Miss Rankin
said, has almost ruined Cupid 's business
in some parts of the country.
"In my state of Montana, for in
stance," she said, "many girls along
the border near Canada love Canadian
boys and cannot marry them without
losing their American citizenship and,
therefore, also their Montana home
steads. A most unhappy situation."
It was while campaigning for election
that Miss Rankin promised these love
lorn lassies that if elected she'd try to
get them the right to do as they pleased
American Engineers
Suffered Severe Loss
-JL.
London, Dec. 12. Because
so many American army engin
eers were killed and wounded in
the fighting around C'ambrai on
November A, it has been decid
ed to recommend in the future
that all such auxiliary forces be
armed, according to a Reuter
di.-pateh received this afternoon
The recommendation, it was
stated, would cover all auxiliary
fWees, non-combatant or other
wise, who operate near the fir
ing Use.
EXPLOSION OCCURRED
III LOADING ROOM
OF MUNITIONS PLANT
Only Five Workmen Injured,
However, and Property
Damage Not Great
Vilmington, Del., Dec. 12. An explo-
in a loading room of one of the
'igs of the Bethlehem Steel com-
18 ..ilea away, set fire to a portion of
tho establishment early today and
threatened to cause heavy damage.
One man was killed. Chief of Police
Jacobson of the plant was carrying a
blazing case of shells from the build
ing when they exploded. His head was
blown off. No one else was injured.
The explosion followed a fire in the
melting room of the projectile loading
house. Only ten men were working there
at the time and they fled from behind
their protecting barriers to safety. The
flames exploded hundreds of loaded pro
jectiles stored in the room. For more
than an hour after 4he fire-started a
barrage of shell fragments and shrapnel
flew about the plant," driving firemen
and others a half mile away to safety
zones. ,
Some of tho shrapnol struck houses
in the Dobbinsville section, a mile dis
tant froih the plant. The flames spread
to one of the office buildings of the"
plant, but it was believed they would be
prevented from reaching the projectile
storage house or other mills.
Five workmen were slightly injured.
Because of blocked trolley cars, hun
dreds of men who usually are at work
at the hour of the explosion had not
arrived when the blow up occurred.
The flames were extinguished at noon
and an immeditto investigation was be
gun by Superintendent Parris.
Chester, Pa., which plainly felt of
tho first explosion,, is ' 18 miles from
New Castle. The Bethlehem plant at
New Castle was erected since the Euro
pean war began.
Empty projectiles are taken there
(Continued on pags two)
sjc Sc Sjc sj( 5fC 3C jc tfi sfc (c 5c
SHIPBUILDERS EXEMPT.
Portland, Or., Dec. 12 Tho
government considers shipbuild
ers as much in federal service
as soldiers or sailors, according
to a telegram received here to
day by Walter B. Beebe, vice
president of the Northwest Steel
company, from Admiral Boyles
of the emergency fleet corpora
tion. "We will exempt necessary
members in your organization
from draft, whether in office,
yards, or shops," the telegram
declared.
sic:!:
with their citizenship, their sweethearts
and their property.
ine situation is ridiculous," said
miss jfankiu. "Men are allowed to
clioose their own nations. Women should
be accorded the same right."
But the congresswomau s bill is aimed
at more than just a square deal for
Daniel.
"In Illinois," she said, "aliens can
not own property. An American born
friend of mine, married to an alien, had
property left her. She couldu't claim it
because her marriage made her an alien.
Her husband could not be naturalized
because he was a Chinese, a Chicago
University professor.
"This silly law also stands in the
w-ay of suffrage. American women mar
ried to aliens cannot vote in suffrage
states because they are classed as
aliens".
In addition, Miss Rankin pointed to
the hardships worked by this law on
that small army of American born wives
of German or Austrian husbands, ma
rooned in neutral -countries. They left
Germany because their hearts were with
America. They cannot come to America
because their citizenship is Teuton.
There are many of these in Switzer
land." President Makes Several
Important Appointments
Washington. Dec. 12. The president
today sent the following nominations
to the senate:
B. II. Meyer, Wisconsin, member in
torstatc commerce commission, seven
year term, expiring December 31, 1S21,
Te-appointment-
Chauneey D. Snow, Massachusetts, to
le chief of the bureau of foreign anJ
demc'tic commerce, department of com
i G. M. nones, of Ohio, to be assistant
'chief of bureau foreign and domesti:
'commerce, department of commerce.
W&, WW ' lip
p 1017, Th ButuriUtd Syndiota. t t n i
THAT LIBERTY MOTOR
WILL PROVE SUCCESS
Famous American War Avi
ator Asserts, However,
That Only Test Reliable
By W. S. Forrest
. (United Press Staff Correspondent)
With the French Armies in The Field,
Dec. 12 America's "liberty motor"
must be judged finally after months, of
hard usage in war service rather than in
the iirst tests, in the opinion of Lieu
tenant William Thaw of Pittsburgh.
aee" of the Lafayette escadrillo.
Thaw and his comrades in the fam
ous Lafayette squadron of American
flyers are vitally interested in the new
motor. Before long they are to be at-jin
tached to the United States army's
aviation corps and naturally are anxious j
that the United States lead all nations
in aerial equipment.
' ' While there appears little doubt
that American engineers who designed
the liberty motor have assembled a won
derful piece of mechanism and an en
gine which will doubtless prove a real
factor in aerial construction," Thaw
explained to the United Press, "I think
it is well to remember that even the
best and most powerful of new motors
so far built during the war have been
Subject to constant changes and im
provements through months of heavy
war strain. In addition to all that, an
aeroplane motor is never perfect never
beyond improvement.'
"If the liberty motor can be con
structed in lots of thousands and will
stand up consistently to the terrific
treatment that war flying imposes on
motors, I, for. one, pronounce it one of
the greatest of all war inventions. I
earnestly hope American newspapers
have not been too enthusiastic."
Complaints About Oregon
Troops Will Be Heeded
Washington, Dec. 12. While
the war department had not re-
ceived Governor Withycombe 's
complain of shortage of blankets
for certain Oregon troops, it
was said this afternoon that if
any shortage existed it would
be immediately corrected.
It was suggested, however,
that some of the Oregon forces
when transferred east had sold
or lost a portion of their blank-
ets and complaints followed. The
issue was three blanKets per
man.
MOUNT LASSEN ERUPTS
Redding, Cal., Dec 12. A small
eruption of Mount Lawen was observ
ed here today, indicating a renewal of
the volcano's activity after several
months of auiet-
Smoke issued from the southern pa-ti proud t' work an 'sincedetaoinshrdlutaa
of the crater. . . ,j Iproud t' U-g an' too tired t'- work.
THE TRUCE OF THE BEAR
TEXAS GIRL MAKES
JIM FLIGHT
Flies From Saa Diego to Pre
sidio In 9 Hours and
10 Minutes
San Francisco, Doc. 12. "It may
seom silly for a mere slip of a girl
like me to say it, but I truly would
like to fly for Uncle Sara as an avia
tor in France. I should like, of course,
to have a commission, if I could get
it, but the outstanding idea of my am
bition is to do something for the coun
try in a military way by helping our
airmen at the front."
Miss Katherine Stinson, littlo Texas
aviatrix, made this comment to newspa
per men today on completion of her
1 non-stop flight from North Island, San
i Diego to the Presidio of San Francisco
9 hours and ten minutes. This is an
air line distance of 610 miles and
breaks the previous record for non-
stop flights by a woman which was set
by Miss Ruth Law, who flow from Chi
cage, to Hornell, N. Y., 512 miles.
"Now that I have completed this
feat," Miss Stinson continued, "I
would give everything to be back homo
and seo mother and father- I wish I
knew what they said and did when
they knew I had made the trip."
In accomplishing the feat, Miss Stin
son also attained the distinction of be
ing the only living aviator who ever
flew across the Tehachapi, Silas C'kris-
(Continued on page two)
Abe Martin
Sjc jfc ijc ijc C ijc 3C 3C l(C Sjf JS ifc j(c
Next t' th' Balgians th' war haint
hit nobuddy ar, hard as it 's hit th ' tight
wads. Ever' once in a while we meet
a feller that's too honest t' steal, too
it
LLOYD GEORGE AGAIN
POSTPONES PROMISED
STATEMENT ON WAR
Pledge Is Made to Commons,
However, That Premier Will
Speak Before Christmas
By Ed L. Keen
(United Press Staff Correspondent)
London, Dec. 12. Premier Lloyd-
Georgo will make a statement on tho
war before the Christmas adjournment
of parliament.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Bonar
Law made tho announcement in the
house of commons late today. It had
been expected that the premier himself
would speak and that ho would outline
very fully the war aims of England.
Winston Churchill, minister of Inuni
tions, discussed war aims at Bedford
yesterday and some newspaper comment
today remarked on significant passages
of that speech as hinting at the pos
sibility of a general election in England,
dhurchill declared "President Wilson'
statement of war aims is good enough
for me," and denounced, infercntially,
the supporters of the Lansdowne peace
without a victory adherents. .
At the same time, Former Premier
Acquith, speaking at Birmingham, em
phatically endorsed President Wilson's
re-statement of war aims as those for
which the allies as a whole were fight
ing. He insisted much criticism of the
Lansdowne letter had been based on an
erroneous reading of it.
Today's London newspapers regard
Asquith's speech as a precise endorse-1
ment of President Wilson 's war aims.
"The eist of Asauith's and Wilson's
J policy is that the German people must
be taught that militarism does not
pay," declared the Times.
"Any other interpretation of the
Lansdowne letter waS unwarranted. As
f)uith's attitude to the war is not ia
accord with the main idea of the let
ter." '
"Asquith re-affirmed what President
Wilson has voiced in the past year,"
the Chronicle declared.
The News glowingly praised Asquith.
"Asquith and President Wilson only
disagree wi!!i Lansdowne regarding the
nature of the guarantees," the editorial
asserted. "Asquith and Wilson insist on
peace sanctioned by a league of nations
and Lansdowne on peace by the old dip
lomacy." This is the second postponement of
a speech by Lloyd-George. He had been
scheduled to address Lawyers at Grays'
Inn last week, but the engagement wa
cancelled, owing to a severe cold which
the Welsh statesman suddenly develop
ed. Lloyd-George spent the week end t
his country home and his friends
brought word back to London early this
week that he, had been planning a
speech which would re-state Britain's
pirns in the war and which might be pre
liminary to their complete acquiescence
(Continued on rage two)
TROOPS RUSHED
TO GERMAN UilES
H GHOJHASSES
Long Lines of Transports Are
Literally Swarming With
Re-inforcements
ENEMY AIR FORCES ARE
UNUSUALLY ACTIVE
All Indications Point To'Great
German Offensive On
West Front
By William Philips Simnjl
(United Press Staff Correspondent)
With the British Armies in The Field,
Dec. 12. Long lines of transports lit
erally swarming with German reiuforce
monts were seen behind German lines
on the northern .British flank of the
Canibrai sector today.
Great flocks 'of German nlaues en
deavored unsuccessfully to prpvent Brit
ish' aviators from searching out just
such information.
Early this morning the Germans do-
voloped a very heavy trim fire on the
British northern flank. Their concentra
tion of air forces was the greatest the
Germans have yet disclosed.
British aviators reported seeing great
lines of motor lorries bringing up fresh
German troops.
Every detail of the above dispatch
gives information of military proceed
iugs which nearly always are prelimiu-
(Continued on pago two)
s(c fi 't fi fi fi H H
RUSHING TO ENLIST.
, . . ' . ' ,
Portland, Or., Dec. 12. Thou-
sands of men of draft ego are
enlisting in tho northwest, pre-
f erring a service of their own
.choice to the national army.
Approximately 350 men are
enlisting in the army daily in
Seattle, Spokane and Portland.
One hundred and forty men
passed the navy physical exam-
ination here yeserday, and the
number will probably bo exceed-
ed today.
The doors of the Spokane
navy recruiting station were
locked yesterday to hold back
tho crowds.
AMERICAN FRONT
MAY BE OBJECTIVE
OF GERMAN ASS A UL T
By J. W. T. Mason
(Written for the United Press)
New York, Dec 12. America's bat
tle front in France may be the mys
terious objective for which Germany is
massing new troops in the west.
No other irnrt of the allies' line from
the North sea to Switzerland presents
such strategic, possibilities to the Ger
mans. It is now known thnt tlie Ameri
can troops are facing the Germans
within artillery range of the Lorraine
border. At tho same time Sw itzerland 'g
exchange of communications with Am
erica concerning assurances that Amer
ican troops will not trespass on Swiss
territory, strongly suggests that Al
sace, bordering .Switzerland, is also
within the American war lines.
The Alsace-Lorraine front, therefore,
will probably bo afj.ro with some of
the most intense activity of tho war
when America's major offensive begins
This front is dangerously near German
territory in Lorraine and passes direct
ly into Germany in southern Alsace.
There can be little doubt of the de
pression to German morale that would
result from a quick advance by the
Americans through Lorraine and Al
sace toward t'io Rhine.
Anotlier American Soldier
Woasded In Action
Washington, Dec. 12. Another Am
erican soldier in France has Deen se
verely wounded in action and three
Imva fiin.1 from natural causes, the war
department announced today.
Wounrtea:
First Lieutenant Edgar W. Young,
i -,..- Vn mcdiiftl corns, attach
ed to fhe British forces.
Dead:
Corporal R. C. Evans, Palmyra, Tenn.
December 9.
Private I. M. Shaw, Columbia, Mo.,
December 29.
Private J. A. Morris, Fon Du lac,
Wis., drowned, December 4.
PROUG OF WAR
PROGRESS BEGUr
BY-COJIITTEE
Major General Crozier, Chief
of Ordinance Gives In
formation On Stand
TELS OF DELAYS CAUSED
BY LACK OF SYSTEM
ys This Country Has Profit
ed by mistakes ef Euro
pean Allies
Washington, Dec. 12. The snail-likw
paeo of congress, war department red
tape, bickering with contractors anI
tho labor situation were blamed today
by Major General Crozier, chief of ord
nance for "serious delay" in getting
.-xmuricu on a war looung.
General Crozier was the first witness
at tho senate military affairs commit-
too investigation into the whole mili
tary situation.
Inability to obtain appropriations
from congress qaickly cost much time
in getting started on artillery prourara
General Crozier stated.
"In September we had to get $35,-
000.000 from the $100,000,000 emergen
cy tuna granted the president to keep
contractors at work on many of our
orders," he said-
"We got one appropriation June 15
and no more until October. In the mean
time, we discovered that tho program
on which we had embarked at the bo
ginning of tho war was no program at
all, particularly as to artillery.
"Manufacturers refused to tak
risks of making contracts before con
gress had appropriated tho . money.
Work could not be begun; we wero
helpless."
Trouble in Board
Bickering of the munitions beard
over price also caused delay, Crozier
said. --
This board, since replaced by the
war industries board, several Itinies)
could not agree on a fair price for cer
tain equipment. Secretary of War Ba
ker on one occasion had to step in and
end the bickering.
"In spite of delays and obstacles,
aid granted by France and Great Bri
tain will make it possible to supply
the American forces abroad with plen
ty of artillery promptly," said Cra
zier, Labor Problem Hinders
"The constant moving about of la
bor has hampered war contractors. Men
(Continued on page three)
To attempt to prevent a maneuver of
this character, the Germans may bo
planning an early attack in Alsace nnd
Lorraine before the Americans are ful
ly ready. In reality such a move would
bo a defensive-offensive, designed to
throw back the present French lines
and compel the Americans to make .a
longer journey before reaching er
ninny. There is littlo reaon to believe, how
ever, that a Gcrmnn attack in Alsaca
nr I.nmiino would he more suecessf'il
than along any other part of the weif
em front. A second Verdun might well
ensue for . the German frown prince.
In fact, any offensive tactics employed
by the Germans in the west will prob
ably work to tho advantage of Ameri
ca's strategy by depleting still further
Germany's waning man power. Yet, if
the Germans can persuade the Austro
lluniarians to donate men for the men
for tho slaughter, Alsace Lorraine will
probably see Von Hindeuburg taking
a chance before tho winter is over. The
American trenches ure too near Ger
man soil for the kaiser's comfort.
Five Million for Belief '
London, Dec. 12 The British gov
ernment todar sent 1,000,000 pon'l
(about $.",000,000) to Halifax for re
lief work and rebuilding of the city.
FEW XMA3 FURLOUGHS.
Washington, Dec. 1.2. Christ
mas furlouyhj will not be grant
ed to any extent in the na
tional tinny or notional guards.
Secretary of War Baker said
this afternoon he had answered
all requests for widespread fnr
olughs in the negative. He
deems it unwise to burden the
railroads with troop movements
and upset the military disci
pline at this time.
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