Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, December 10, 1918, Image 1
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BY AMERICAN VALOR
General Pershing Makes Report of
Campaign
DEEDS OF IMPERISHABLE GLORY
Story In Detail of What the Overseas
Forces Did and How They Did It?
Aviators and Tanks Are Especially
Praised.
Tin- r? |iOit ol General John J. i'orshitiK
fivinK account of his stewardship
as eoiiiiiuuider of the American ?xiieditionarv
forces in France, was made
public l?> Secretary of War Ifaker to-l
night. H covers operations up to Nov-I
mils i alter tin signing ot the armistice.
In the ro|?oit he refers to those
\vh<? .served under hiin in these words:
When I think of their heroism, their
( alienee under hardships, their untluiehing
spirit of offensive action, 1
am tilled with emotion which I am unable
to express. Their deeds are immortal
and they have earned the eternal
gratitude of their country."
liein ral Pershing made s|scial mention
of the American aviators as having
few equals ill skill and prowess,
with a record of courageous deeds that
will adorn a hrillinnt pa ice in the annals
of the war. He also mentioned
the tank corps as having rcspond"d
gallantly in every occasion with courage
of the highest order.
The rejtort begins with tleneral
Pershing's departure for Prance to
pave the way for the American army,
and one ot its striking features is the
story of the lighting. He says: "The
warmth of our reception iti Kngland
and Prance was only equaled by the
readiness of (In- commander-in-chief 1
of llu' veteran armies of the Allies and
their start's to place their experience
at our disposal." '<
ili'iii'iiil Pershing reviews the early I
nroiititers this year in which American
troops participated, as a istrt of i
their training and dismisses them l
hrielly. (?n Match L'l the great f.Jerman
offensive was launched and a cru- i
ctal situation developed in the Allied <
lines calling for the prompt use of four l
American divisions. ?
Combats in Training Period.
"During our |M-riods of training in
the treaches some of our divisions had <
engaged the enemy in local comhats.
the most ini|Mirtant of which was Sei- |
cheprev hy the Twenty-sixth on April I
20 in the Toul sis-tor. but none had
imrticipatvd in action as a unit. The
l-'irst Division, which had passed
" ' ,,w- oei-liitiinnrv si a ires of
training, luid ;nnr to the trenches for >
its llrst period of instruction at the
t-ml of October an<l l>y March ?1. when i
the German offensive in I Meanly beRan,
we had four divisions with experlence
in the trenches, all of which
wore equoi to any- demands of bailie :
action. The crista' which "tKttT ofPffP1 1
atve developed was such that our occii|?ation
of an American sector must
bo jiostponed. *
"On March I's I placed at the disposal
of Marshal Koch, who had been
agreed u|K>n as commander-In-chiefof
the Allied forces, all of our forces to
be used as he micht decide. At his request
the First Division was transferred
from the Toul sector to a position
in reserve at Ohuuniont-en-Yuux. As
German superiority in numbers required
prompt action, an averment
was reached at the Abbeville
conference of the Allied premiers and
commanders and myself on May 1
- by which British shipping was
to transport ten American divisions to
the Itritlsh army area, where they
were to be trained anil equipped, an
additional British shipping was to be
provided for as many divisions as possible
for use elsewhere.
"On April .'?> the First Division had
Hone Into the line in the Montdidier
salient on the I Meanly battle front.
Tactics had been suddenly revolutionized
to those of open warfare, and our
men. confident of the results of their
train inc. were engaged for the test.
On the morning of May ?S this division
* * -' ? - e.inninti nn?.
aiiai-KfU I lit' iMiuiiiwmiiiB
it ion on its front, taking wit l? splendid
dash tho town of Cantipny and all
other objectives, which were orpaniz- i
ed and held steadfastly apninst vicious
counter-attacks and pallinp artillery
lire. Although local, this brilliant action
had an electrical effect, as it demonstrated
our fighting qualities under :
extreme battle conditions, and also i
that the enemy's troops wore not altopother
invincible.
The German's Aisne offensive, which
bepin on May -7, had advanced rapidly
toward the River Mame and Paris,
and the Allies faced a crisis equally as
Kraveas that of the Picardy offensive
in March. A pa in every available man
was placed at Marshal Koch's disposal,
and the Third Division which had
just conic from its preliminary traininp
in the trenches, was hurried to the
Marne. Its motorized machine pun
battalion preceded the other and suc
.. "--.I l.-l.l.?
CCSSIUIIV m-III nil- uinitviivau ... ....
Marno. opposite Chateau-Thierry. The
Second Division, in reserve near Montdidier,
was sent >?y motortrucks and
other available transport to check the
progress of the enemy toward Paris.
The division attacked and retook the
town and railroad station nt Ron reaches
and sturdily held its ground
against the enemy's best guard divisions.
In the battle of Relleau Wood,
which fallowed, our men proved their
superiority and gained a strong tactical
position, with far greater loss to
the enemy than to ourselves. On
July 1. befoiv the Second was relieved,
it captured the village of Vaux with
most splendid precision.
"Meanwhile our Second Corps, under
Major General George W. Read, had
boon organized for the command of
our division with the Rrittsh. which
were held back In training areas or
assigned to second-line aeienses. rue
of the ten divisions were withdrawn
front the Itritish area In June, three
to relieve divisions in Lorraine and
the Vosffes and two to the Paris area to
Join the group of American divisions
which stood between the city and any
farther advance of the enemy In that
direction.
Rheims Offensive In July.
"The great June-July troop movement
from the states was well under
way. and although these troops were
to be given some preliminary training
before being put into action, their
very presence warranted the use of all
the older divisions in the conference
that we did not lack reserves. Elements
of the Forty-second Division were in
th" line east of Rhcims against the
decnian offensive of July 13. and held
their ground unflinchingly. On the
right flank of this division four com- i
l?ni!ios of the Twenty-eighth Division
w< r< in position in face of the ad vane- j
ing waves of the flerm.'in infantry. '
The Third Division was holding the j
I auk of the Morne from the hend east <
of the mouth of the Surmelin to the (
west of Mez.v. opposite f'hateau-Thierry.
where a large force of flerman in- |
fan try sought to force a passage under
fkopi>ort of powerful artillery concen- i
tmtlons :ind under cover of smoke seivens.
A single regiment of the ,
Third wrote one of the most brilliant |
annals tin this occasion. It prevented (
tiie crossing at certain |N>inls on its ;
front while. on either llank. the Her- (
mans, who had gained a footing, press- |
c-il forward- '?ur men. firing in three di- ,
notions. met the flerman attacks with
counterattacks at critical points and ]
succeeded in throwing two Herman di- .
visions into complete confusion, cap- |
turing Ooo prisoners. <
"The great fyrce of the Herman ,
t*hateau-Thicrr> offensive established i
tiie deep Marne salient, hut the enemy <
was taking charge, and the vulnora- |
hllity of this pocket to attack might he .
turned to his disadvantage. Seizing ,
this opportunity to support my con- .
viction. every division with any sort \
of training was made available for use ,
in a counter-offensive. The place of ,
honor in the thrust toward Solssons |
on July !*? was given to our First and
Second Divisions in company with
chosen French divisions. Without the
usual brief warning1 of a preliminary
bombardment, the massed French and
American artillery, firing l?y the map,
laid down their rolling barrage at dawn
while the infantry began its charge.
The tactical handling of our troops under
these trying conditions was excellent
throughout the action. The enemy
brought tip it large number of reserves
ind made it stubborn defense both with
inaehme cutis and artillery, but through
live days' lighting the First Division
continued to advance until it hud gained
the heights above Soissons ami captured
the villas-> of Herzy-ie-sec. The
Second Division took Beau Ucpuire
farm and Vierzy in a very rapid advance
and reached a jtositlon in front
uf Tignv at the end of the second day.
These two divisions captured 7,000
prisoners and over 1.000 pieces of artillery.
Success at St. Mihiel.
The tv(tort describes in detail the
work of completing the reduction of
tin-salient. mentioning w oi*craiiwn? (
of the Twenty-sixth, Third, Fourth, j
Forty-second. Thirty-second and Twrnty-eighth
Divisions. Witti the situation
thus relieved. General Pershing {
writes, tie could turn to the organization
of the First American army and
the reduction of tho St. Mit^l salient,
roflf-pTfffftM its The' pitrW ftilttnf
American enterprise.
A troop concentration aided by generous
contributions of artillery and air :
unites l>y the French, began, involving
the movements mostly at night of
ittio.OOO tnen, A sector reaching from '
Fort stir Seille, east of the Moselle, <
westward through St. Mihiel to Ver- t
dun. and later enlarged to carry it to
the edge of Argonne. was taken over, <
the Second Colonial French holding
the tip of the salient opposite St. I
Mihn I and the French Seventeenth t
Corps on the heights above Verdun be- i
itig transferred to General Pershing's t
command. 1
General Pershing gives the following t
according to the reduction of the St. I
Mihiel salient: i
"After four hours' artillery prepara- ?
lion, the seven American divisions in
the front line advanced at 5 a. in., on i
September 12. assisted by a limited :
number of tanks manned partly by I
American and partly by French. These t
divisions, accompanied by groups of .
wire cutters and others armed with I
bangalore torpedoes, went through the :
successive bands of barbed wire that
protected the enemy's front line and I
support trenches in irresistible waves t
on schedule time. meaning uv?u .... ,
defense of an enemy demoralized by .
the treat volume of our artillery tire j
and our sudden approach out of the (
fog. t
Our First Corps advanced to Thiau- |
court, while our Fourth Corps curved j
back to the southwest through Xon- <
sard. The Second Colonial French s
Corps made the slight advance requir- j
ed of it on very difficult ground, and t
the Fifth Corps took its three ridges |
and repulsed a counter-attack. A rap- .<
id march brought reserve regiments of \
a division of the Fifth Corps into Vigneulles
in the early morning, where it (
linked up with patrols of our Fourth l
Corps, closing the salient and forming <
it new line west of Thiaueourt to Vig- f
nculles and beyond Fresnes-rn-Woe- t
\tc. At the cost of 7.000 casualties. .<
mostly light, we had taken 16.000 pris- <
oners and 443 guns, a great quantity t
of material, released the inhabitants of ?
many villages from enemy domination i
and established our lines in a position i
to threaten Met/.. This signal success j
of the American First Army in its lirst t
offensive was of prime importance. The ]
Allies found they had a formidable (
army to aid them, and the enemy <
learned finally that he had one to reck- i
on with." i
Cleared Way for Victory. j
The report shows for the first time (
officially that with the brilliantly exe- j
cuted coup General Pershing's men i
had cleared the way for the great ef- <
fort of the Allied and American forces |
to win a conclusive victory. The Amor- i
ican army moved at once toward the
crowning achievement, the battle of
t he Meuso. I
The general tells a story of this bat- j
tic in three distinct phases, beginning
on the night of September 27. when
Americans took the places of the
French on the thinly hold line of this
long-quiet sector. The attack oi>ened
on September 26. and the Americans
drove through entanglements across
No Man's Land to take the enemy's
tirst line positions.
Closing this chapter. General Pershing
says:
"On the 6th a division of the First
Corps reached a point on the Meuse
opposite Sedan, twenty-five miles from
our line of departure. The strategical
goal which was our highest hope was
gained. We had cut the enemy's main
line of communications, and nothing
but surrender or an armistice could
save his army from complete disaster.
"In all forty enemy divisions had
been used against us In the Meuse-Argonne
battle. Between September 26
and November 6 we took 26,059 prisoners
and 46S guns on this front. Our
divisions engaged were the First, Second.
Third, Fourth. Fifth. Twentysixth,
Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth,
rhirty-second. Thirty-third, Thirtyfifth.
Thirty-seventh, Forty-second.
Seventy-seventh. Seventy-eighth, Seventy-ninth,
Eightieth, Eighty-second.
Eighty-ninth, Ninetieth and Ninety-1
first. Many of our divisions remained
in line for a length of time that required
nerves of steel, while others
were sent in again after only a few
Jays of rest. The First, Fifth. Twenly-sixth.
Forty-second, Seventy-sev
nth Hiirhtipth Eitfhtv-nlnth. and the
Ninetieth were in line twice. Although
some of the divisions were
fighting their first battle, they soon became
equal to the best."
The commander-in-chief does not
tosti sight of the divisions operating
with French or British armies during
this time. He tells of the work of the
Second Corps, comprising the Twentyseventh
and Thirtieth Divisions, in the
British assault on the Hindenburg line
where the St. Quentin canal passes
through a tunnel; of how the Second
ind Thirty-sixth Divisions got their
trhance in October by being assigned to
nd the French in the drive from
Rheims and of the splendid fighting of
the Thirty-seventh and Ninety-first Divisions
sent to join the French urmy in
Belgium.
At this point General Pershing mentions
the co-operation of the Allies, in
the following passage:
'o-operation among the Allies has
it all times been most cordial. A far
greater effort has been put forth by
he Allied armies and staffs to assist us
han could have been expected. Tho
( Tench government and army have always
stood ready to furnish us with
supplies, equipment and transportation
ind to aid us in every way. In the
owns anil hamlets wherever our troops
nave been stationed or billeted the
French people have everywhere re eiveil
them more as relatives and inimate
friends than as soldier of a
foreign army. For these things words
ire quite inadequate to express our
jratitude. There can be no doubt that
lie relations growing out of our asso
iations here assure a permanent
riendship between the two peoples\lthough
we have not been intimately
associated with the people of Great
trituin, yet their troops and ours when
brown toother have always warmly
ratcrnized. The reception of those of
?ur forces who have passed through
England and of those who have been
stationed there has always been enthusiastic.
Altogether it has been deeply
mprosscd upon us that the ties of language
and blood bind the British and
>urselves together completely and in(estamWJftil.
a - - ?
Developing a Winning Army.
On training and organization of the
irmy General Pershing says:
"After a thorough consideration of
Mlied organizations it was decided
hat our combat division should consist
>f four regiments of infantry of 3,000
ncn, with three battalions to a reginent
and four companies of 250 men
ach to a battalion, and of an artillery
irigado of three regiments, a machine
tun battalion, an engineer regiment, a
rench-mortar battery, a signal battalon,
wagon trains, and the hoadnuarers
staffs and military police. These,
,vith medical and other units, made a
otal of 28,000 men, or virtually double
the size of a French or German di
vision. Each corps would normally
onsist of six divisions?four combat
ind one depot and one replacement division?and
also two regiments of cavilry,
and each army of from three to
Ive corps. With four divisions fully
rained, a corps could take over an
Vmcrican sector with two divisions in
ine and two in reserve, with the depot
tnd replacement divisions prepared to
"Our purpose was to prepare an inill
the gaps in the ranks.
:egral American force which should be
tble to take the offensive in every respect.
Accordingly the development of
i self-reliant infantry by thorough
Irill in the use of the rifle and in the
actics of open warfare was always uppermost.
The plan of training after
irrlval in France allowed a division
>no month for acclimatization and in
it ruction in small units from battalons
down, a second month in quiet
rench sectors, and a third month after
t came out of the trenches when it
;hould be trained as a complete division
in war of movement.
"Very early a system of schools was
outlined and started, which should
Pave the advantage of instruction by
officers direct from the front. At the
treat school centre at Langros, one of
he flrst to be organized, was the staff
school, where the principles of general
staff work, as laid down in our own or;anizations.
were taught to carefully
selected officers. Men in the ranks.
,vho had shown qualities of leadership,
were sent to the school of candidates
ror commissions. A school of the line
aught young officers the principles of
leadership, tactics, and the use of the
lifferent weapons. In the artillery
ichool at Saumur, young officers were
taught the fundamental principles of
modern artillery; while at issoudun an
immense plant was built for training
rndcts in aviation. These and other
schools, with their well-considered eurriculurns
for training in every' branch
of our organization, were co-ordinated
In a manner best to develop an efficient
army out of willing and industrious
young men. many of whom had
not before known the rudiments of
military technique. Both Marshal Haig
and General Petain placed officers and
men at our disposal for instructional
purposes and we are deeply indebted
#? oivon In npnflt hv
iur nit* u^cvituiiiiivii e.'v.. -~ r
their veteran experience.
"To build such a system there were
talented men in the regular army, but
more experts were necessary than the
army could furnish. Thanks to the patriotic
spirit of our people at home,
there came from civil life men trained
for every sort of work involved in
building and managing the organization
necessary to handle and transport
such an army and keep it supplied.
With such assistance the construction
and general development of our plans
have kept pace with the growth of the
forces, and the service and supply is
now able to discharge from shin fa
move 45,000 tons daily, besides trflki
porting troops and material in the ?on
duct of active operations."
On the strength of the America
army in France General Pershing sayj
"There are in Europe altogether, le
eluding a regiment and some sanitgr
units with the Italian army and th
organizations at Murmansk, also in
eluding those en route from the state
approximately 2.053.347 men. less ?u
losses, of this total there are i
France 1,338,169 combatant troopi
Forty divisions have arrived, of w^c!
the infantry personnel of ten hav
been used as replacements, leavin
thirty divisions now in France orgatilz
ed into three armies of three coir
each. (
"The losses of the Americans ujy1
November 18 are: Killed and woupd
ed. 36.145; died of disease. 14.811
deaths unclassified, 2,204; wounAc
179,625; prisoners. 2,163; missing,J,
i60. We have captured about 44,00
prisoners and 1,4 00 guns, howltaer
and trench mortars." ^
Early Deficiencies Overcome.
Referring to equipment. Genera
Pershing says that entrance into jth
war found the army with few of th
auxiliaries necessary for its conducf
He mentions among the most import
ant deficiencies, artillery, aviation an
tanks. He says the army accepted "ar
tlllery from the French governmini
His report on this situation says: .*
| "Our entry' Into the war found4u
with few of the auxiliaries necesAr;
for its conduct in the modern sense
Among our most important deflcienyie
in material were artillery, aviation, am
tanks. In order to meet our re<||re
mcpts as rapidly as possible, we ac
cepted the-offer of the Frenci govarn
ment to provide us with the necesAr;
artillery equipment of seventy-wet
one fifty-five millimeter howitzer,
one fifty-five G P F guns from t^tei
own factories for thirty divisions,
wisdom of this court is fully demon
strated by the fact that, although w
soon began the manufacture of thes<
classes of guns at home, there were n<
guns of the calibres mentioned manu
factured in America on our front at thi
date the armistice was signed. Th<
only guns of these types thus far re
ceived in France are 109 seventy-flvi
millimeter guns.
"In aviation we were in the sa?i
situation, and here again the Frcncl
government came to our aid until ou
own aviation programme should b<
under way. We obtained from thi
French the necessary planes for train
ing our personnel, and they have pro
vided us with a total of 2,676 pursuit
observation and bombing planes. ?hi
first airplanes received from homeVr
rived in May, and altogether we havi
received 1,379- The first Amerlcai
squadron completely equipped b;
American production, including
planes, crossed the German lines ?^i
French. Here, however, we were les.
fortunate, for the reason that th*
French production could barely mee
the requirements of their own armies
"It should be fully realized that thi
French government has alwayB takei
a most liberal attitude and has beei
most anxious to give us every possibli
assistance In meeting our deficiencie;
in these as well as other respects. Ou:
dependence upon France for artillery
aviation, and tanks was, of course, du<
to the fact that our industries had no
been exclusively devoted to militar;
production. All credit is due our owi
manufacturers for their efforts to mee
our requirements, as at the time thi
armistice was signed we were able ti
look forward to the early supply o
virtually all our necessities from ou
own factories.
"The welfare of the troops touche
my responsibility as commander-in
chief to the mothers and fathers am
kindred of the men who came t<
France in the impressionable period o
youth. They could not have the privi
lege accorded European soldiers dur
ing their periods of leave of visitinj
their families and renewing their hoim
ties. Fully realizing that the standari
of conduct that should be establishei
for them must have a permanent influ
ence in their lives and on the charac
ter of their future citizenship, the Rei
Cross, the Young Men's Christian asso
ciation. Knights of Columbus, the Sal
vation Army and the Jewish Welfar
board, as auxiliaries in this work, wer
encouraged in every possible way. Th
fact that our soldiers. In a land of dlf
ferent customs and language, hav
borne themselves in a manner in keep
ing with the cause for which the;
fought, is due not only to the efforts li
their behalf, but much more to othe
high ideals, their discipline, and the!
innate sense of self-respect. It shouli
be recorded, however, that the mem
bers of these welfare societies hav
been untiring in their desire to be o
real service to our officers and mer
The patriotic devotion of these repre
sentative men and women has given i
new significance to the golden rul?
and we owe them a debt of gratltud
that can never be repaid."
Will Hold Veterans Abroad.?Seem
tary Baker gave It as his persona
opinion last Thursday that none o
the veterans divisions of the America
army in France will return home be
fore peace formally is declared. H
indicated that the tried fighting me
would compose the bulk of the fore
to be kept in Europe for the preseni
Heretofore the understanding ha
been that the Rainbow division an
two or three other famous units woul
be brought home soon leaving the!
places to be filled by some of the ne^
companies.
Several of the divisions which hav
seen much hard fighting are assigne
to the American army of occupatio
which is marching Into German;
Army officers said that It was necea
sary to make up this army of trie
troops because there was no sayln
what eventually might come to pas.
Recent dispatches from France hav
said that an American army of 1,250,
000 was to remain In Europe for dut
until after the proclamation of peac
and some veteran divisions In addl
tion to those now marching Into Gei
many probably will be Included In thi
force.
Lieut. Edward B. Wall, an aviatio
instructor, was killed by the falling <
his airplane at Mather Field, Callfoi
nia, Thursday.
t BRAND REPLIES TO CRITICS
Ln
Chairmen of Cotton Distribution
Board Gives His Side
} WHY ARMISTICE LOWERED PRICES
?.
r Statistical Position of Great American
n
, Staple Was Never Stronger and Re-J
:.._t 4 d..,.. R?i, will Rn
n | OUjU.UIISUl W.. ----
e Advantage to Prices?Europe Needs
g More Cotton Than Ever, and On Account
of Failure of Indian Crop Japan
Becomes Larger Customer of
o America.
Replying to criticisms leveled at the
* committee from many sources during
' the last few days because of the "bear"
ish" condition of the cotton market.
? with trouble threatened unless light
8 could be thrown upon the situation,
ajid the entire cotton world on the
anxious bench, C. J. Brand, chairman
' of the cotton distribution committee,
e recently appointed by President Wile
son, on Friday issued the following
' statement:
" The signing of the armistice autod
matically cut off any further demand
* for cotton goods on the part of the
government; in fact, some orders were
cancelled. This left the mills 'long' of
8 cotton bought to make government
>' goods or in anticipation of receiving
f- fresh orders. To avoid speculation
8 which would otherwise have resulted
* from this condition, some mills sold
- futures as a hedge against cotton in
* stock or manufactured goods which
* they had not sold.
V "The period of transition from a war
basis to a peace basis being short and
* abrupt the mills did not have time to
r arrange for immediate civilian trade
a *?!.? ?V?a nf tTAvnrn m pnt nr.
w iu lane uiv |?it*w wi BvvtffMiv... ?. ,
- ders, which they lost- Still due to un6
settled conditions, orders for civilian
e trade have been coming in slowly. It
0 may also be said that popularly the
- government was supposed to be taking
8 at least twice as great u proportion of
b cotton fabrics as was actually the case.
- While this information was erroneous.
? its temporary effect upon the trade was
almost as great as if it had been true,
e Mills in Europe have held off buying.
1 awaiting the determination of credits
r and tonnage that will be allocated to
b cotton and other questions directly afb
fecting their operation under peace
conditions.
"There was a generous feeling that all
; commodity prices, upon the ending of
b the war, would rapidly drop, and the
- cotton business, along with other lines
b of business, has chared this feeling and
a the consequent uncertainty prevailing
r has served as a limitation upon the
- volume of business. For a conslderal
ble period before the signing of the ar|
^nist^ce, there was a large volume of
b selling on th'e American future mars
kets from foreign countries, both as a
a speculation and as a straddle between
t the American and Liverpool markets,
i. Such foreign selling, whether it was in
e reality a speculative short sale, or
i whether is was a part of a straddle as
i indicated operated to help depress
e prices.
s . Efforts of Committee.
r "These conditions among others re;
suited in a weak and erratic market,
e which gradually sought lower levels,
t There is no doubt as to the intrinsic
y value and as to the ultimate increase
i in foreign requirements of cotton
t abroad, Lut temporary prices ape
proachcd levels which would have
a meant actual loss to producers. The
f committee on cotton distribution, recr
ognizing this fact, took steps to stabilize
the market, and to that end cons
ferred with all executive agencies of
- the government whose activities affect
i the cotton trade directly or indirectly,
d with the result that, in co-operation
f with the war trade board, the removal
- of license restrictions to England,
- France, Italy and Japan and the ma5
terial relaxations of restrictions in the
e issuing of licenses to Spain and other
i neutral countries has followed.
i "The committee was also in consul
tation with the railroad administration
- and secured the resumption of the isi
suance of through export bills of lad
ing for cotton.
"The committee has taken steps to
e counteract the effects of false and mlse
leading information, which was calcue
lated to depress cotton, by securing the
. facts and authentic denials of false ree
ports attributed to various govern
mental agencies.
y "The conditions existing at the
i signing of the armistice, as outlined
r above, having rendered the market
r very weak and nervous, the committee
j in order to prevent merely speculative
. selling on the future exchanges from
e taking advantage of temporary condit
Hons by depressing the price of cotton
i. to a point where it would be entirely
. out of line with its real value issued
a an order on November 13 prohibiting
(, speculative short selling on American
e future exchanges. The day before this
order was issued, prices had dropped
two cents per pound on the American
- exchanges, this being the limit of
il fluctuations in any one day, according
f to exchange rulings. Since this order
n has been in effect, prices have fluc
tuated within a range of about three
e cents per pound, and the market now
n appears to be In a more healthy cone
ditlon than at any time since the signt.
ing of the armistice.
s Bullish Aspects Apparent.
H "wmia the conditions at the signing
d of the armistice, as outlined above,
r presents a temporary bearish situation
* as a matter of fact a long range view
of cotton presents some exceedingly
e bullish aspects.
d "Four short crops have been grown,
n As a result, in spite of smaller consumption
than before the war. the
stocks of cotton in the world, of all
d kinds, have declined from 8,300,000
g bales, July 31. 1916, to 3,800,000 bales.
* July 31, 1918. This, however, does not
e tell the complete story, as stocks of
? cotton goods in America are greatly
y depleted and in all other parts of the
;e world have been reduced to the lowest
' figures since the Civil war.
" "As an example of improved condltions
which have almost Immediately
followed the conclusion of hostilities it
is interesting to note the situation with
n respect to Great Britain, which country
consumes normally about 3,000,000
bales of American cotton. Up to the
signing or ine armisucs, lununtc <muiI
ted for transportation of cotton to
England was sufficient to carry only
about 180,000 bales per month- However,
for the month of December tonnage
was alloted for 300,000 bales
of American cotton, that the allotment
of tonnage for January forwardings
will take care of about 330,000 bales.
At this rate of forwarding Great Britain
will take during the current season
in excess of 3,000,000 bales, as against
2,275,000 bales in the past season.
"The committee on cotton distribution
shortly after the signing of the
armistice stated that reports made to
them Indicated that the exportation of
* 1 ~ ? ? ??? fsvn Via oiiri'Lnt CiVl _
American tuiiun mi mr ...?
son under peace conditions would be
2.000,000 bales in excess of the exports
of the past season. This would bring
the exports for the current season to a
total of about 6,500,000 bales, which
does not seem unreasonable to expect
when it is considered that this figure is
still much under normal and is even
2,000,000 bales less than was exported
in the first year of the war.
"Another factor not popularly known
or appreciated is the shortage in the
Indian crop, the effect of which has
been to force Japan to enormously increase
her normal purchases of American
cotton during the current season
as against a normal taking of 400,000
bales."
COLUMBIA CANAL LITIGATION.
State Seek* Return of Very Valuable
Property It Rightfully Owns.
Columbia, December 5.?The first
step in what will undoubtedly be a
long drawn out lawsuit, involving millions
of dollars, was taken yesterday
afternoon when the Columbia Canal
commission, which was created by the
general assembly in 1917, had the
sheriff of Richlnnd county serve upon
the agents of the Columbia Railway,
Gas and Electric company, which
holds the canal, a subpoena requiring
the company to turn over to tne commission
certain records and data of the
company, its predecessors and subsidiary
interei.s dealing with the waterway.
This action is taken under authority
of an act of the legislature,
passed at the last session, which provides
that the canal commission can
require of the company "the production
of any and all books, papers or
other documents or writings which
may be relevant to any investigation."
The act provides that a failure to produce
the papers shall be deemed in
contempt of the commission and the
penalty may be imposed upon the
agents or officers of the company "upon
an order of the commission, in the
common Jail to be held until he or they
shall comply with the order of the said
commission"
i The commission in its subpoena requires
the production of various records,
a list of which is attached to the
order. The order directs C. M. Tew,
auditor of the company, to "produce
the records in the office of Attorney
General Peeples, chairman of the commission,
at 10.30 o'clock on the morning
of December 7. While they have
made no statement, it is understood
that the traction company people will
seek to resist the action directed by
the subpoena by going before the supreme
court, probably today, and asking
for an injunction restraining the
carrying out of the decree of the commission.
The Columbia Canal commission, as
defined in the act creating It. Is composed
of Thomas H. Peeples, attorney
general, as chairman; N'ells Christensen.
chairman of the finance committee
of the state senate; Huger Sinkler.
chairman of the senate Judiciary committee;
Junius T. Lyles, chairman of
the ways and means committee of the
house ofrepresentatives; and Jesse \V.
Boyd, chairman of the Judiciury committee
of house of representatives, as
members.
The Columbia canal, a waterway
paralleling Broad river for three miles
or more, and terminating at the foot of
Gervais street. In the city of Columbia,
was built by the state soon after the
war, and has been a source of legislative
dispute and court litigation almost
ever since. The state, after spending a
great deal of money on it, turned the
property over to the city of Columbia
in 1887, on condition, among other
things, that the city should complete
the canal to Rocky Branch, a small
stream emptying into the Congaree
river about three miles below the city.
The city in turn transferred the property
to the Columbia Water Power
company in 1892, and that company
transferred it to the Columbia Street
Railway company in 1905. That company,
in turn, transferred it to the
present owners, the Columbia Railway,
Gas and Electric company. Failure to
carry out the original contract Is alleged
by the Canal commission as the
cause of the present action. Some
time ago the Canal commission declared
that the property had reverted to
the state, and the latest move, to get
possession of the records of the company,
is due to the desire of the commission
to see Just what profits, arising
from the sale of waterpower developed
by the canal and its rental to other
concerns, are due the state.
Edwin W. Robertson of Columbia. Is
president of the local traction company.
the present holders of the canal
property, which has been estimated to
be valued at several million dollars.
The attorneys for the Canal commission
are J- Frazcr Lyon, former attorney
general, and B. L. Abney of Columbia.
ords and data demanded of the Columbia
Railway, Gas and Electric company,
Its predecessors and subsidiary
interests. Is the following: "That he
produce all agreements between the
company as present named, with the
Parr Shoals company, a corporation of
the state of South Carolina, or contracts
made with the Parr Shoals Power
company for the supplying of power
under former contracts held by the
Columbia Water Power company, or
the present company and Its predecessors,
and all transfers of power contracts
which were formerly made with
the company in its name or by its
present name, directly or by agreement,
and all contracts made for furnishing
of power to any Institution in
or near Columbia, railroads, mills, the
city of Columbia, state and any enterprises
in or near the city of Columbia."
I lit I wan I iu uu nunc
Soldiers of Sevier In Impatleo
Suspension
NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING DEFINITE
All Kinds of Constructive Work li
Suspended, and It Looks as If It
Should Be But a Short Time Before
the Boys Get Their Discharges.
'Correspondence of The Yorkville Enquirer
Camp Sevier. Dec. 5?"Home, heaven
or hell by Christina*." the famous slogan
of the hoys of the trenches for the
past couple of months, won't be lived
up to by the majority of them despite
the fact that the war is over and their
return to their country is already in
progress. Neither will the majority
of we fellows here at Camp Sevier and
in other camps over the country tie
home by Christmas and as for the
other two places?well, none of us are
counting strong on having residence in
either Christmas, though of course one
can never tell. Discharge of men in
this camp continues daily, though not
on any very extensive scale and while
persistent rumor has it that they
are to be turned out in large bunches
within a few- days, it appears to the
writer that there's nothing to it.
"I've got It dead to rights." ijuoth a
bflck private yesterday, "that the
whole of Camp Sevier, men. baggage,
buildings, the whole Idatne works, will
be out of here by January 1st. 1 know
it's right because I got the dope from
a fellow who's on the inside."
The eyes of three or four fellows in
the party opened wide and they appeared
to gulp it down without a Idt
of seasoning. The fellow who started
the "dope." seeing that they were falling
for it proceeded: "Why it's cinch
it's so. Here the president will be in
franco away In fore Christinas. He'll
have a treaty of peace signed in a
couple of days after he get's there: we
fellows are only signed up for the |ktiod
of emergency: the emergency is
over when the treaty of peace is
signed and it's a cinch they'll have
to turn us all go."
A littli corporal who was among
the listeners and who Is as anxious to
get from out and tinder as the rest
of us, and more so than some, looked
the "bull-slinger" over with an air of
disgust and cynicism and then, thrusting
his hand into his pocket, took out
ten $10 bills and said: "I'll bet you the
whole works to $5. that we are not
out by Christmas, and furthermore.
I'll bet you the works to a fiver, that
you believe yourself you're a liar."
Thus ended another hot air story
about going home.
Within ten days or two weeks at
most, though, the great majority of the
troops now here will have been transferred
to other camps. They wpn't be
out of the service, understand; hut
they will be away from here. At this
writing the 50th, 18th and 90th regiments
of Infantry are making arrangements
to move elsewhere by the lost
of next week, according to present
plans they will be out and away. A
few companies will go to Camp
Greene at Charlotte, others will go to
Camp Dix, New Jersey, some to Camp
Wndsworth at Spartanburg and others
I.tcl/oAn nt PnllimhlfK It is DTP
siimed that they will be used In these
respective ramps for the doing of guard
duty anil a few of them will remain
here for the same purpose. According
to orders recently received from
Washington. as published in the daily
press, nil tented camps are to be disbanded
at once. Sevier is one of the
largest tented camps in the Southeastern
department, there being something
like 7.000 perambular tents pitched
here. (I think I'll have to try to steal
one when I get my own walking papers
liecause It will take me a long while
to get used to sleeping In a house
again).
Another indication of the fact that
Camp Sevier's days are numbered as
a military post is that all construction
work with the exception of the building
of a few concrete roads, has been
stopped. Just before the armistice
was signed, construction of a laundry
plant to cost something like $125,000
had been begun and barracks that
would cost at least several hundred
thousand dollars before all the work
was over were in course of erection. But
it is all off and civilian labor Isn't
drawing big wages here any more.
Several commanding officers who have
tried to get appropriations for the
building of this little shack or that,
say that it is easier for a shad to get
out of the skillet than It is to get an
appropriation for as much as a nickel
since the armistice came about. Those
same C. O.'s gave It as their opinion
that we would all be out bag and bag
gage in snori oraer. mm, m?:j u?m ..
know any more about that than I do
and I don't know anything. The first
thing I learned after the salute and
that 5.45 a. m. was about ten hours
earlier than 8. a. m., was to learn that
you never know what's coming next in
the army. One of the most surprising
facts to me is that those scores of fellows
who have been in the game as
long or longer than I. haven't learned
the same lesson.
Paris pirates piratical practices so
far as the plundering of foolish Camp
Sevier rookies of their respective
thirties' per. has about come to a
show-down. A restaurant keeper in
the hold-up village that thrives in the
midst of this camp was telling me only
yesterday that he was figuring the
"good pickings" had about come to
an end and that another three months
would witness the reversion of Paris
back to its size before the war?to-wit:
one house or two at most; a one-lung
car station and lots of loneliness.
I wanted to hit him when the greedy
devil, after telling me that he had
made several thousand dollars out ol
the camp on a capital of >300 to start
had the nerve to say that he was sorry
to see the boys leave. If I thought I
could have soaked him one or twc
without the possibility of getting sixty
days or so in the Sevier (severe) stockade
for the pleasure, I surely woulc
have done so. He tried to knock hh
own boost of himself when he saw
didn't like it by saying that he hat
paid out over $1,600 in rent during thi
past year for the little soap box ii
which he sells rot-gut fish and stew
beef and soup and other junk and tha
supplies. I was thinking of his pro.
tits because he had just charged nto
50 cents for an order of brains and
I epgrs. The ojrgs wvi-e canned and so
worv the brains and 1 know from past
experience that ho was cleaning at
least thirty cents on the dish.
; Yes. they have all made money, those
" Paris pirates have. They have made
big: money, some of them. I know one
i firm who in the past year has cleaned
up somewhere between fifteen and
twentx thousand dollars by selling: the
soldiers here all kinds of cheap junk at
bis prices. There are a number who
I have made several thousand dollars
One duck a lew months ago was so
hopeful and so sure that Camp Sevier
was to l>o in this community for at
least :i to n years that he en rtrd a
beautiful, two-story hrick building in
the hurg at a cost of Ui.OoO or #l.*?.iHii>.
He's stuck and stuck good on the
deal. No soldier is shedding any crocodile
tears over Ins hard luck, you can
hot.
It is <|iiite likely that a mimher oi
these hirds will get stuck even yet.
ltoth they and Civenville merchants
that is some of them still have thousands
of dollars worth of military too.Is
on hand?hats, shoes, uniforms, etc.,
and there is mighty little demand for
that kind of stuff now. I'ractieallv all
of them an1 offering all of tins stuff
and almost hogging the men to hny it
at a discount of thirty-three and on.
third per cent. Kveti at that they are
making a hig profit on it and tIn- soldiers
know it. Helieve me soldiers
have learned a lot ahout money in the
last twelve months; what n will do
and what it should do.
[tut of course these sharks are sorry
the camp Is ahout to go. So are a lew
oflh em and even some privates who
are riding the surest meal-ticket they
have ever had or ever will haw.
Thai keen Iil11?- .soli}; "I want to m>
homi-," mows mort- popular ?-very day.
Personally I indorse tin- sentiment of a
friend of mine who said jnsi this moraine:
"Just eive tin* my blue slip and I
won't bother "em ahoiit no i-ailroad
fare and the tinal trinunines. Ii n<-.-.
cssary, I'd ph-dKe inyself to hop on one
foot every step of the way home, and
I'd root a few |K>tutnes alone the road
for ehow," .las. I). Crist.
MURDER OF THE CZAR
How the Bolsheviki Brute Disposed of
Family of Former Emperor.
A Berlin newspa|ier <|iiotes from the
I'kniiuiati newspaper, tSolas Kiewe,
details of the murder of cx-t'zar
Nicholas, the ex-czarina. Brand Puke
Alexis, their son, and their four
daughters.
Various members of the suite of the * former
czar's family were murdered,
hut the former czarina's nuin servant
had been imprisoned by the Bolsheviki
shortly before, and thereby escaped . t
the fate cf the czar's family. lie,tic
gained Ids freedom ar.-l niji|f'' portafH
u^amUcr."following
is taken about the occurrence:
In the last weeks before their murder
the whole of the ex-czar's family
was locked up in one room, where only
one bed was at their dis|>os;tJ. The
ex-czarinc.slept in this bed, the other
-members of the family lw-ine compelled
to lie on the bare lloor.
A sentry of the Bed Cuard was in
the room day and night. Tin members
of the ex-czar's family were no'
left one moment without supervision.
They were exposed to unspeakable insults.
They were frequently awakened
In the middle of the night and compelled
to answer the most brutal and
shameless questions. The grand duchesses
were exposed to cross insults.
The man servant who cave this evidence
before a commission of inquiry
said death was a deliverance to the
wnoic iaiiui>.
Tho execution occurred nn tin- night
of July 17. An agent named An<l? jeff
informed the prisoners they were
to he shot, whereupon they were taken
to the cellar, placed against the wall
and shot. By the ex-czar's last request
he was shot dead with his exhausted
heir in his arms. Grand
Duchess Tatiana wounded first hy several
bullets, was dispatched with blows
of the butt end of rifles.
The bodies were taken the same
night from Ekaterinburg, and burned
forty versts from the city. The manservant
found among the ashes diamonds
which belonged to Grand Duchess
Olga, which she had sewn in her
underclothing.
Further details were established by
the commission of inquiry appointed
by the Siberian government. Two
professors of Tomsk University, members
of the Tomsk-Ekaterinburg Judicial
bench, were upon the commission.
The Bolshevikl announced the murder
of the ex-czar the next dny. but
kept secret that other members of the
family had also been killed. Traces
of blood in the cellar were removed.
Grand Dukes John and Igor Constantlnovitch
ami Serge Michatlowltch were
murdered at Wolopajewsk and 1'errn.
Humors are current that Grand Duchess
Elizabeth Feodorowna is alive and
staying in the t'rrls.
^ r?nppmJior 3: An alter
cation occurred in a restaurant hero
yestoray afternoon when Phillip Zanetos.
proprietor of a Greek restaurant,
ordered Boyd Westmoreland of Victor,
out of the restaurant. Westmoreland
refused to Ko and attacked Zanetos
with a large knife, inflicting a had
wound in his head. The proprietor of
the restaurant th?-n used a pistol, the
bullet striking Westmoreland in the
face and glancing, struck Sergt. Warren
Hill, from Camp Sevier, an Innocent
bystander. entering the lung of
Hill. The wounded soldier was carried
immediately to the base hospital at
i Camp Sevier- It is feared his wounds
are quite serious. Sergeant Hill is from
Edgefield, is a brother of Mrs. Arthur
' Childress of Greers and spends most of
his time when away from camp with
his sister here. The sheriff was notified
at once of the trouble. *
The Russian government has refused ^
' to admit 1,500,000 Russian soldiers
r who have been prisoners In Germany
[ and has turned them back at the frort *?*?"
ft/taafhlnot #a a Pftrlin flisnAtrh to
the London Express, under date of iast
' Monday. The incident is serious for
Germany, because of the necessity of
I feeding these men. It is reported that
the Russian prisoners have seized four
ships at Danzig, West Prussia, which
f the British Red Cross had obtained v
I from the Germans for the purpose of
s housing British prisoners.
1 JS
The Duke of Grafton, a retired gen- - jA
eral of the British army, is dead at we
1 age of 97 years.