Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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N THt PAGELAND JOURNAL Vol.7 NO. 31 PAGELAND, S. C., WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 25, 1917 $1.00 per year American Genius Produces Weapon Which May .Decide World War , New York, April 21,?In the torpedoplane, a war instrument just invented by Admiral Brad lev A. Fisbe, U. S. N., America may have the long-sought invention that will decide the world war. Victory, it is claimed, will go ' to the side which brings forth the most formidable new engines of destruction. It is claim ed this new weapon will make I a $20,000,000 battle cruiser. \\7 ... it-. .1- _ wai caucus a^iw urai me war could be decided in short order if the Allies could put out of commission the German fleet which is bottled up in the Kiel Canal, and enter Germany by land from the north. The wonderful British Navy, which has the German fleet bot tied up, cannot enter the Kiel Canal because of the thousands of mines laid by the Germans. It is argued that the only way to destroy the German fleet is by attack from the air, beyond the reach of mines, and this means is furnished by Admiral Fiske with his scheme of launching torpedoes, like those used by by destroyers, from aeroplanes. Describing his invention. Ad miral Fiske says: "That the torpedoplane will become an important factor in naval warfare in the near future many people have no doubt. It enables the regular Whitehead auto torpedo to be launched from an aeroplane as effectively as from a destroyer. "The aviator approaches an enemv ship from a ereat distance and high up in the air; and when about six or seven miles away he volplanes toward the water, runs above the sur face a short- distance, heading for his target. "When ready he pulls a lever, the action of which releases the torpedo, which is rigidly held under the aeroplane, and at the same time throws back the starting lever. The result is that the torpedo takes to the water in exactly the same way as if it had been dropped from a destroyer. "Naval officers agree it would be difficult for the guns of a ship to hit a torpedoplane. Accurate firing from a rolling ship at an aeroplane, especially if that aeroplane is neither over head nor on the surface of the water, is almost impossible. "The difficulty is to find the range. A rapidly approaching ill-defined aeroplane makes an elusive target. The sudden changes in the height of torpedo plane as she would swoop down would increase the difficulty." A Creed for Americans "We believe in our country? the United States of America. We believe in her Constitution, her laws, her institutions, and the principles for which she stands. We believe in her fu line?me nasi is secure, we believe in her vast resources, her great possibilities?yes. more, her wonderful certainties. We believe in the American people, their genius, their brain, and their brawn. We believe in their honesty, their generosity and dependability. " We believe that nothing can stand in the wav of their commercial advancement and prosperity. We -believe that what are termed "times of business depression" are but periods of preparation for greater and more pronounced commercial successes. And we believe that in our country are now being worked out great problems the solution of which will be tor the benefit ol all mankind " Explanation of Army Bill Made L By President Washington, April 19,?President Wilson today sent a letter w to Representee Helvering, of A Kansas, explaining and strongly G supporting the Administration's Army bill, with its selective conri scription plan. The letter indicated the purpose of the Admin- ^ istration to insist upon enact- ri ment of the measure vigorously, st It says: ai "I welcome the inquiry of ^ your letter of April 19, because I rj have realized the truth of what jz vou say from my own observa- b tions, namely, that what is meant to be understood by the select t< ive draft is not generally under- G stood throughout the country. al "1 took occasion the other day ei in an address to the people of ai the country to point out the n many forms of patriotic service a that were open to them, and to si emphasize the fact that the mili fi tary part of the service was by no means the only part, and per- ti haps, all things considered, not si the most vital part. Our object si is a mobilization of all the pro- p ductive and active forces of the tl Nation and their development f< to the highest point of co-opera- G tion and efficiency, and the idea U of the selective draft is that those f< should be chosen for service in tl the army who can be most read t\ ily spared from the prosecution ii of the other activities which the country must engage in and to tl which it must devote a great n deal of its best energy and ca- e; pacity. tl "The volunteer system does tr not do this. When men choose tl themselves, they sometimes fi choose without due regard to tl their other responsibilities. Men a< may come from the farms or a from the mines or from the fac- va tories or centers of business who w ought not to come, but ought si to stand back of the armies in si the field and see that they get everything that they need, and tl that the people of the countiy d are sustained in the meantime. b "The principle of the selective A draft, in short, has at its heart r< this idea, that there is a univer d sal obligation to serve, and that tl a public authority should choose c< ...1 .L- -M liiuoc u^uii wnuin me ODiigauon i* of military service shall rest, and R also in a sense choose those who h shall do tne rest of the Nation's b work. The bill, if adopted, will do more, I believe, than anv C other single instrumentality to create the universal service in the Army and out of it, and if p properlv administered, will be a h great source of stimulation. a, "Those who feel that we are si turning away altogether from c? the voluntary principle seem to g torget that some 600,000 men c< will be needed to fill the ranks of the regular Army and the q National Guard, and that a very ai great field ot individual enthusi- f? asm lies there wide open " L rt Catts C( Philadelphia Record. Florida has a queer preacher Governor named Calls, who has ir informed Attorney General tl Gregory that if President Wilson sj refuses a pardon to some con- st vict he is interested in "I will ti run for President and get it and c< turn you out," Happily forth.* ti: country this cannot happen be fore 1921, and bv that time the in President will doubtless be will- pi ing to make way for someone else. Still we hardly imagine ir that his successor will be Catts. m Florida may prefer that style of la patriot, but the country is likely | to be somewhat more particular m in its choice. 1 tc A oss of Vimy Ridge Most Seri- I ous Blow Since War Began From a staff correspondent ith the British Aimy in France, i pril 19.? Via London.? A I erman officer captured Tues-,| ay frankly stated that the Ger tans regard the loss of Vimy dge as the biggest defeat they ave suffered since the war bean. This officer knows the dge thoroughly, having been i ationed on it all last Summer, , ad said he could not understand ow any troops could fail to old if. In his opinion, the gar ' son must have been demoral 1 ;ed before the British attack egan. i The latter statement is thought < ) be true, for other captured < lermans have testified to demorlization in their ranks after sevral days of the British intensive rtillerv fire. The Gerlans continue highly nervous 11 along the front, the lightest increase in the British re calling up distress signals. The German infantry are getng German artillery support nee the battle of Arras, as a re ill or tne bitterlv worded reorts made regarding: the lack of lis support previously. The ieling is so intense between the ierman infantrymen and artil jrymen that the British have >und it necessary to separate le prisoners belonging to the vo services, to prevent fighting iside the cages. The newly called up troops irown into the western line adlit that the artillery fire bewild red them. This also is true of le German troops recently ansferred trom the eastern to le western fronts. Prisoners om the latter forces say that ley had no idea what war was t ctually like until recently, and 11 became much depressed rhen they saw the trenches they rere supposed to occupy all < Hashed and torn by the British < Sell fire. Prisoners taken in the last i iree days tell of the spread of iscontent in the German Army ecause of reduced rations since :i t r i-* ? lpru id. r>acn man tormerlv ecevied a half loaf of bread ( aily. Now he has only onelird of a loaf. The reduction, ( oming after the Somme retreat, ( le defeat at Arras and the beinning of the great French of- , jnsive, has caused much grum ling among the troops. . ? Catawba College Sues Lenoir J College Mewton, April 19.?Without ji recedent, perhaps, in intercoi i igiate baseball affairs, is the!* ction of Catawba College in jing Lenoir College for SO per ent of the gate receigls of a ball ame played between the two l olleges at Hickory March 31 rhen, because Catawba's team uit the game in the seventh on ccount of an alleged grossly un I lir decission of the umpire, the t enoir managers declined to surmder a cent of the gate re < eipts, i A few years ago, while watch ! i lg a parade in Boston, in which < ie Stars and Stripes were con- i Hcuous, a fair foreigner vvitli rong anti American proclivi es turned to a companion and, ' ammenting on the display, pet- i shly remarked: 'That American Hag makes I ie sick. It looks just like a I iece ot checkerberry candy." i Senator Lodge, who was stand- i ig near bv, overheard the re s lark and, turning to the young j i dy, said: "Yes, miss, it does. And it ! takes everyone sick who tries I' > lick it." 1 Grants Railway Appeal for In- t creases in Rates Washington, April 19.?The interstate commerce commission ' today issued a tentative order 5 permitting the railroads to file ' supplemental tariffs increasing , freight rates 15 per cent, as ap- . plied for, effective June 1 next. The commission's order was made tentative, so that shippers and other interested organizations might state their views upon it at a hearing beginning here tomorrow. At the close of the hearing, should the commission deem it desirable to adopt another method in dealing with the application for a general increase, the tentative order will be withdrawn, leaving the situation as it was before the order was issued. All commodities, with the ex-, ception of bituminous coal and coke and ore, upon which ad vances have already have been made, are included in the com mission's order. In this manner the commission disposed of the question of procedure in dealing with the appli cation of the roads in every section for general increases. Two courses had been open? to permit the filing of such tariffs and investigating their reasonableness prior to the date they should go into effect or to permit the filing of tariffs effective immediately and suspend them during the period of the investigation. Shippers from virtually all pfiris of the country have signified their intention of opposing , the granting of so large an in , crease as 15 per cent., which the , railroads claims is imperatively necessary if they are to continue \ to operate profitably in the face | of the soaring cost of supplies, , equipment and fuel, and general wage advances under the Adamson law and otherwise. I Newly Married Men Wont Es- , cape Army ] Washington, April 19.?Men i of military age who have mar- ' ried since a state of war against ( Germany was declared will not I escape military service under a war department policy formally ' announced today. The depart- I ment's statement follows: ' "The war department announ ces that all men married since 1 the outbreak of war will be ' treated upon the same basis as unmarried men in so far as their < military obligations are concern- '< ed. It is desired that the utmost < publicity be given by the press ' '<> this announcement." 1 The department was moved 1 to take this action in order that 1 all men should understand ex- s actly what is contemplated in < the organization of an army to { fight Germany. It was desired < that there should arise no ques 1 tion of slackers upon the score 1 r>l marriages contracted since ? the outbreak of war with the i possible construction that the marriage in any case was hasten i?d in order that military duty might be evaded. i I < Andrew Carnegie went to one ( >1 bis superintendents on a hot , summer day and said to him: "Bill, I am going to Kurope. , 1 can't stand this heat. I hate to j leave you in the midst of hot , metals here. But you have no ( idea, Bill, when I get on the ship, and out of sight of land, what a ( relief it is to me." j " * o," said Bill, who had : <nown Mr. Carnegie for years, , 'and you have no idea what a < relief it is to me, either." t Americans Fire Upon Mexicans El Paso, . April 19.?Snipers who fired at an American sentry stationed at the viaduct in the suberbs of this city were fired an in return by a squad of Uni ted States soldiers late today. One Mexican was seen to fall after the volley had been fired across the border. The sentry was patrolling his beat when two shots were fired from entrenchments on the Mexican side, according to the officials report received at military headquarters. The sentry returned the fire and called the members of his squad. They fired more ihan 20 shot across the line. When Mexican Consul Btavo reported the affair to Brig. Gen. George Bell, Jr., Gen. Bell informed the consul that the American sentry had been fired upon and had obeyed orders in returning the fire. Balfour Party Welcomed at Nation's Capital Washington, April 22.?The American Capital today extend 1~ * * vu u anu^ic uui iiearuen welcome to the British Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arthur Balfour and the other members of the British commission which has come to Washington, as Mr. Balfour himself expressed it, "to make cooperation easy and ef lective between those who are striving with all their power to bring about a lasting peace by the only means that can secure it, namely, a successful war." There was no music to greet the visitors, the original plan, including the presence of the Marine Band, having been amended to conform to the view expressed by President Wilson and Secretary Lansing that this was a grave and serious event in American history, and not to be lightly treated, or regarded as a social and festive affair. On the union Station piaza were gathered some 5,000 peo pie waiting patiently for a ?limDse at the Nation's guests, retained at a proper distance by hundreds of hlne.rnatod ? ? men and by two troops of the Second Cavalry commanded by Colonel Frenton, part of the garrison at nearby Fort Mver. Within the station lines had been drawn separating the traviling public from the space it the eastern end-of the course icross which the visiting party was to pass on the way from the train to the President's room. Ml of the police captains of the district had been ranged here in i double line as a guard of hon3r to keep back'intruders. Two ?core newspaper men, standing to the east of the concourse, were the only unofficial persons permitted in this section of the nation. Detectives swarmed iverv where through the crowds 'nd at various angles where any danger might lurk. Altogether, ihe precautions taken to insure the safety of the Nation's visitors ixceeded anything ever known n the history of the District. Falling Into Line I<Ar cmrnral ?oorc v? uv> VIKI J V/Ulll (lie J1IIII II ill ms refused to allow patent medi :ine advertisements in its colimns. One by one other papers ire adopting this policy. The atest one to come under our lotice is the Wadesboro Ansonon. The following appeared it the head of the editorial :olumn last week; "The Ansonian has recently deared its columns of several lundr^d dollars worth of ob ectionable patent medicine advertising. How do you like the change which gives us a vast imount more space for news?" l' Many Germans Being] Watche 1 Washington, April 20.?A, proximately 3,000 German residents of the United States ar^ under close surveillance. Department ol Justice official; announced today, because or their activities in behalf of the German Government before America's entry into the war of their pro German sympathies. The Department's field force of officers is keeping so close a watch upon the small army of suspects that it would be possible, it is authoritatively stated, to arrest virtually every man under suspicion within 21 hours. The suspects are located in every State of the Union. To meet the demands of the increasing watch upon these individuals, the Department's Bureau of Investigation has been j greatly enlarged. | In addition to the 500,000 civilian employes on the Governments's payroll in all departments, actively engaged in reporting information to the bureau, all sheriffs and their deputies throughout the country. Attorney General Gregory said tonight, are cooperating with the department. Patriotic organizations and many othei civilian societies also have offered their aid. Two Men Injured in Affray at Monroe Monroe, April 22.?John McCorkle, employed in a local market in Monroe, was badly cut across the back, on the throat and face tonight, and Chief of Police Crawford Griffin has two ugly # wounds on the im face, caused by a Iifck with brass knucks, as a result of an encounter between McCorkh, Paul Griffith, superintendent of streets, and John F. Thompson, of Cordele, Ga., employed in street improvement work in Monroe. The chief of police states that Griffith and McCorkle hernm.* involved in a quarrel, and, while he attempted to arrest them, Thompson struck him in the face with the knucks. McCorkle's wounds are bad, particularly the throat and back cuts. The extent of their seriousness cannot be determined tonight. He is the son of Mr. George McCorkle, of this place. The affrav occurred at (> o'clock on South Main street. Thompson came to Monroe several months ago. Griffith and Thompson were arrested by Policemen Griffin and Fowler. At a late hour tonight bond was being arranged for the dis missal from iail of both the young men. Attempt to Rob Tillman's Office Washington, April 19.?In an effort apparently to secure secrets of the United States government bearing on the war situation, an attempt was made some time last night to break into the offices of Senator Tillman, chairman of the senate commit tee on naval affairs. That the burglary was the work of a German spy on the hunt for naval infoimation of value to his govprnmcnt i? not !?? r.. sponsible officials and senators who learned the facts today. The spy escaped. The heavy mahogany doors of the committee room were badly splintered and damaged. The marks of the ji.nmy used in prying the doors are plainly discernible. So far as known the attempt to obtain naval secrets was unsuccessful. Nothing of value in a naval or mili tary sense was obtained: The office was left in orderly condition.