Fort Mill times. (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, May 23, 1918, Image 1
L '
Established in 1801.
L3MHKK&; "
WHITTOIEN"
! GOING AVER THERE
EVERY SHIP THAT SAILS WILL
TAKE FIGHTII^G MEN AND
THEIR SUPPLIE8.
{ MORE THAN FIVE MILLION ?
President Tells Great New York Gathering
That Every Eenergy and
Every Resource Must Be Concentrated
to Crush the Horrible Hun.
r> i.i 1- ?? ?-- ?
ma ^ laaiueum syuevu iu lull iuilows:
"Mr. chairman and fellow countrymen:
I should bo very sorry to think
that Mr. Davison In any degree curtailed
his exceedlnly interesting j
speech for fear that he was postponing
mine, because I am sure you listened
with the same Intent and intimate
interest with which I listened to
the extraordinarily vivid account he
gave of the things which he had realized
because he had come in contact
with them on the other side of the
waters.
"There are two duties with which
we are face to face. The hrst duty is
to win the war. And the second duty,
that goes hand in hand with it, is to
win it greatly and worthily, showing
the real quality of our power not oiUy,
but the real quality of our purpose
and of ourselves,
v First Duty is to Win.
"Of course, the first duty, the duty I
that we must keep in the foreground I
of our thought until it is accomplished,
is to win the war. I have heard I
gentlemen recently say that we must j
get five million men ready. Why
limit It to Ave million?
"I have asked the Congress of the
United States to T^ime no limit because
the Congress intends, I am sure,
as we all Intend, that every ship that
can carry men or supplies shall go
laden upon every voyage with every
man and every supply she can carry.
"And, we are not to be diverted
from the grim purpose of winning the
war by any insincere approaches upon
^ the subject of peace. I can say with
a clear conscience that I have tested
those intimations and have found
them insincere. I now recognize them
for what they are, an opportunity to
have a free hand, particularly in the
east, to carry out purposes of conquest
and exploitation.
To Stand by Russia.
"Every proposal with regard to accommodation
in the west involves a
reservation with regard to the east.
Now, as far as I am concerned. I intend
to stand by Russia as well as
France."
A voice from the audience interrupted
with:
"God bless you."
"The helpless and the friendless are
the very ones that need friends and
succor; and if any man in Germany
thinks we are going to sacrifice anybody
for our own sake, I tell them
now they are mistaken.
"For the glory of this war, my fellow
citizens, in so far as wo are concerned
,1s that it is, perhaps for the
first time in history, an unselfish war.
i could not be proud to fight for a
elfish purpose, but I can be proud to 1
fight for mankind. If they wish peace,
let them come forward throu<*^ accredited
representatives and lay vhelr
terms on the table. We have laid
ours, and they know what they are.
Force <o the Utmost.
"But behind all this grim purpose,
my friends, lies the opportunity to
demonstrate not only force which will
be demonstrated to the utmost, but
the opportunity to demonstrate char- |
acter, and it is that opportunity that
we have most conspicuously In the
work of the Rod Cross. Not that our
men In arms do not represent our
character, for they do, and it Is a
character which those who see and
realize appreciate and admire; but
their duty is the duty of force. The
duty of tho Red Cross is the duty of
mercy and succor and friendship
"Have you formed a picture in your
imagination of what this wur is doing
for us and for the world? In my
own mind I am convinced that not a
hundred years of peace could have j
knitted this nation together as this
ingle year of war has knitted it together;
and better even than that, if
possible, it Is knitting the world together.
"Look at the picture. In the center
of the scene, four nations engaged
I, against the world, and nt every point
of vantage, showing that tt.ey are
seeking selfish aggrandizement; and,
against the 23 governments representing
the greater part of the population |
of the world drawn together in a new
cnae of community of purpose, a new
sense of unity of life.
Great Day of Duty.
"My friends, a great day of duty
has come, and duty finds a man's soul
as no kind of work can ever find it.
"May I say this? The duty that
faces us &U now is to serve one another.
and no man can afford to make
a fortune out of this war. There are
men amongst us who have forgotten
that, if thev over saw it
s *? MVU1Q VI
you are old enough?I am old enough
?to remember men who made fortunes
out of the clTll war, and you
know how they were regarded by
their follow citizens. That was a war
to save one country?this Is a war to
/ V- 1
The
v .
save the woria.
"And your relation to ^e Red
Cross is one of the relations wblfcb
will relieve you of the stigma. You
can't give anything to the government
of the United States; it won't accept
it. There is a lair of Congrats
against accepting even services without
pay. The only thing that the government
will accept is a loan, and duties
performed: but It is a great deal
better to give than to lend or to pay,
and your great channel tor giving is
to the American Red Cross.
"Down in your hearts you can lake
very much satisfaction, in the last
analysis, in lending money to the
government of the United States, because
the interest which you diaw
wil burn in your pockets; It is a commercial
transaction, and some men
have even dared to cavil at tho rufre
of interest, not knowing the incidental
commentary that constitutes upon
their attitude.
"iJut when you give, something of
your heart, something of your soul,
something of yourself goes with the
gift, particularly when it is given in
such form that it never can come back
by way of direct benefit to yourself.
You know ther* is the old cynical definition
of grat'.tude, as 'The lively expectation
of favors to come..'
"Well, there is no expectation of
favors to come in this kind of giving.
These things are bestowe 1 in order
that the world may be restored; that
suffering may be relieved; that the
face of the earth may have the blight
of destruction taken away from it and
that wherever force goes, thore shall
go mercy and helpfulness.
Give to the Limit.
"And when you give, give absolutely
all that you can spare, and
don't consider yourself liberal in the
giving. If you give with self-adulation,
you are not giving at all, you
are giving to your own vanity; but if
you give until it hurts .then your
heart blood goes into it.
"And think what we have here.
We call it the American Red Cross,
but it is merely a branch of a great
international organization, which is
not only recognized by the statutes of
each of the civilized governments of
me worif. out it Is recognized by international
agreement and treaty aa
the recognized and accepted instrumentality
of mercy and succor. And
one of the deepest stains that rests
upon the reputation of the German
army Is that they have not respected
the Red Cross.
"That goes to the root of the matter.
They have not respected the Instrumentality
they themselves participated
In setting up as the thing
which no man was to touch, because
it wus the expession of common humanity.
"We are members, by being members
of the American Hod Cross, of a
great fraternity and comradeship
which extends all over the world, and
this cross which these lads bore today
is an emblem of'Christianity itself.
"It fills my imagination, ladies and
gentlemen, to think of the women all
over this country who are busy tonight
and are busy every night and
every day doing the work of the Red
Cross, busy with a great eagerness to
find out the most serviceable thing
to do, busy with a foregetfulness of
all the old frivolities of their social
relationships ready to curtail the duties
of the household in order t<eat?<
they may contribute to this common
work that all their haarts are engaged
in, and in doing which their hearts become
acquainted with each other.
"And you have, then, thiB noble picture
of justice and mercy as the two
servants of liberty, or only where
men are free do they think the
thoughts of comradeship; only where
they are free do they think the
thoughts of sympathy; only where
they are free are they mutually helpful;
only where they are free do they
realize their dependence upon one an
other and their comradeship in a common
interest and common necessity.
"I heard a story told the other dav
that was ridiculous, but It Is worth ;
repeating, because It contains the
germ of truth. An Indian was enlist
ed In the army. He returned to the I
reservation on a furlough. He was
asked what he thought of it.
"He said: 'No much good; too
much salute; not much shoot.' Then
he was asked: 'Are y6u going back?' j
'Yes.' 'Well, do you know what you
are fighting for?' 'Yes, me know;
tight to make whole damn world democratic
party.
"He had evidently misunderstood
some inocent sense of my own. But
after all, although there is no party
purpose in it, he got it right as far as
the word 'party'; to make the whole
world democratic In the sense of community
of interest and of purpose.
ana ir vou ladies and gentlemen could
read some of the touching dispatches
which come through ofi.cial channels,
for even through thest channels thers
come voices of humanity that are infinitely
pathetic; If you could catch
seme of those voices that speak the
ut;er longing of oppresssed and helpless
peoples all over the world to hear
something like the Rattle Hymn of the
Republic, to hear the feet of the great
hosts of liberty going to set them free
to set their minds free, set their lives
free, set their children free, you
would know what comes into the
heart of those who ar? trying to contribute
all the hralns and power they
have to this great enterprise of lib
erty. I summon you to the comrade
ship. I summon you in this next week
to say how much and how sincerely
and how unanimously you sustain the
heart of the world."
4'* 'f ' [
For
FOET MI
CAPTAIN KOENIQ
Captain Koenig, late commander of
an interned German merchantman and
a reserve officer in the imperial German
navy, has been put to work by
Uncle Sam. He Is one of a gang of
prisoners who are "making little ones
out of big ones." Under heavy guard
the men are busy breaking stones and
building dams.
tXPLAINb IHt blXlUb LtllEH
NO FAIR AND HONORABLE PEACE
HAS YET BEEN PR0PPO8ED,
SAYS SECY BALFOUR.
President Wilson May Soon Comment
on Balfour's Statement In
This Connection.
London.?The British secretary for
foreign affairs. Arthur J. Balfour, in
giving explanations in the house of
] commons in connection with Emperor
| Charles' letter to Prince Sixtus of
' Bourdon, recently made public by the
; President of the French republic, declared
that no efTort at conversations
has ever been made by the central
powers in the interest of a fair and
honorable peace, and he added:
"If any representative of any belligerent
country desires seriously to
lay before us any proposals, we are
ready to listen to them."
The letter in question had been examined
by a committee of the French
i Chamber, said Mr. Balfour, and the
i cuuL-iu.iiun reatnea was inai 11 aia
not provide an adequate or satisfactory
basis for an honorable peace.
I.i*. Balfour in his explanations was
| replying to questions submitted by
1 the Rt. Hon. Walter Runciman, for!
mor president of the board of trade,
I who asked whether, when Emperor
Charles' letter was communicated to
I the French government, and by the
i French government to the British
prime minister, it was communicated
to any other of the allies; had the
American government any informuI
tion as to what was passing? t)id the
prime minister inform the foreign
office at the time of the fact that the
communication had been shown to
him? Why were the negotiations
dropped?was it on purely territorial
kjuuihih, was 11 ui'cause a uemann |
was made by France not only for
Alsace-Lorraine but for the 1S14 line,
or even the 1790 line?
Mr. Balfour explained that he had
no secrets from Piesident Wilson. Ho
was in America at the time and had
not gone very thorpughly into the
matter. The letter, however, had
been conveyed by Prince SIxtus to
President Poincare and the French
premier under seal of the strictest
secrecy. Only the British sovereign
and premier were to see it. Therefore.
it was not communicated to the
President of the United States and the
American government was at the
time no better informed of the facts
regarding the letter than he was
Washington.?Either through a public
address or a diplomatic note President
Wilson in the near future may
take occasion to comment upon and
j supplement the statement made by
Foreign Minister Palfour in the Brit!
ish house of commons in connection
with the Austrian peace feelers
through Prince Sixtus of Bourbon.
"SUPER-WHEAT" HAS BEEN
EVOLVED BY L. BURANK
Santa Rosa, Cal.?A "super-wheat."
: containing 14 per cent gluten, has I
# I
boen evolved by Luther Burbank, the
California horticulturist, after experiments
extending over 1 1 vnars If was
announced here.
The wheat may be grown from
Hudson Bay to Patagonia. The new j
wheat is said to be of the winter variety.
hardy and producing a white
flour.
TO INCREASE PROGRAM OF
CONCRETE SHIPBUILDING
Washington.?The shipping board
has decided to proceed immediately
on a largo scale with the building 1
of concrete ships and will increaso
tho program out of the appropriation
out of two and one-quarter billion dollars
which has ben asked for the next
fiscal year. <
iiKiiiorii tuuirfu! snips aggregating
117,600 tons have been contracted for 1
anad it was announced that 68 other
reisols will bo ordered.
T Ml
XL, S. 0., THURSDAY, MAY
56 KNOWN DEAD
31 ARE MISSING
AS A RESULT OF NINE EVPLOSION8
THAT WRECKED CHEMICAL
PLANT.
CHINA GROVE N.G. MAN KILLED
Remnants of H\iman Bodies Brought
Out From the Debris Throughout
Day After Explosion.
Pittsburg. ? Fifty-six men are
known to be dead, 94 injured in hospitals
and 31 employes of me Aetna
Chemical Company, are missing as a
result of the nine explosions that
wrecked this company's explosive
manufacturing plant at Oaxdale, 16
miles from this city. This report is
the result of the day's Investigation by
state, federal, county and city officials
and of the work of scores of men un
der the direction of Coroner Samuel
C. Jamieson.
Throughout the night and all day
men were extinguishing small fires in
the debris and were bringing out remnants
of human bodies, legs and arms
hands with finger rings on them and,
In some instances, only the incinerated
torsos fere found. In most cases there
was nothing to indicate the identity of
the victim. These gruesome recoveries
were carried to the temporary morgue
where opportunity to view them
was given any one that might have
lost friend or relative in the disaster.
While earlier explosions wrecked
the plant, the last one. about 6:20.
scattered debris over more acreage
than before and blackening every
piece of metal or timber as well ?s
anything human beyond recogniton.
All day a blue-brown smoke continued
to hang over the ruins considerably
impeding the work of the
searchers. Its deadly fumes are feared
by the residents of the community
and only when a slight breeze would
lift the smoke would searchers be able
to got close to the various piles of debris.
For a time the work was impeded
further by the thousands of sightseers
that (locked to the scene from
tha cnrroim<Hn cv AAtml ev A n?
vuv ouiswuiiuuig cuuiiii j . rv tuui^nj
Of the state constabulary was rushed
in automobiles from Greenaburg to
establish a greater cordoA about the
scene of the disaster. The crowds and
automobiles were turned back when
they had eached within five milea of
Oakdale. Only those having business
or the officials were admitted past thh
guards.
Thousands of persons streamed into
the temporary morgue all day to view
the gruesome finds from the ruins and
it tok a special detail of police to
keep this morbid element in check.
ouuiD lucuiiiiiaiiuiis were maae. flllful,
sad scenes were on every hand.
POSTMASTER GENERAL SAYS
TEDDY WAS MISLEADING.
Washington. ? Postmaster General
Burleson Issued a statement asserting
that Colonel Roosevelt evaded the
Issue and was misleading in his "preliminary"
reply to the demand that
he prove his charge that the administration
was punishing publications
which upheld the war but told the
truth about administration failures,
while it failed to proceed against
those who opposed the war or attacked
the allies but defended inefficiency.
"Mr. Roosevelt's reply of May 11
which he then termed 'preliminary',"
said Mr. Burleson, "in the main
evades the issue presented and is
throughly misleading. He names The
New York Tribune, Collier's and The
Metropolitan Magazine In a way
which creates the impression that
these publications have been the objects
of improper discrimination by
the postoffice department.
"This department has taken no action
against Collier's.
"This department has taken no action
against The Tribune.
"The department has taken no ac-1
tlon against The Metrpolitan Mag a-'
zine.
NAMES 13 MORE NEW
TORPEDOBOAT DESTROYER8.
Wash.ngton.?Secretary Daniels announced
that he had named 13 more
new torpedoboat destroyers in memory
of men of the navy who won distinction
through heroic conduct.
Among them the Anthony Is named in
memory of Sergeant Major William
Anthony, of the marine corps, who
distinguished himself when the Maine
was blown up in Havan harbor and
the Edwards for Midshipman W. F.
Ed .vards. of Petersburg, Va.
? I
SILENT TRIBUTE PAID
CAPTAIN JAMES N. HALL.
The airplane driven by Capt. James
N. Hall, which fell while flying within
the German lines a few days ago, bore
the number "17." Now a new "No.
17" has appeared on the American
front northwest of Toul.
Immediately under the pilot's seat, :
on ach side, has been placed the inscription
"Old Jimmy." It is a silent ,
tribute to Captain Hall.
The American flyer* have adopted
for a miscot a jackasi.
i
I
LL T
,23, 1918
I LIEUT. GEORGES FLACMAIRF I 4
I HIIWllllMlb 1
e8SBEBmK7 /wiSi b> r^ J?
V v. wl I HH
:< >. 1L : BU^HngOn|
M?2nn^9Vfl^^ '1RSk^?
H VL MjM ll^^BRi
Lieut. Georges Fiachaire (left), a '
French "ace" with aeven German I
olanes to hla credit, and MaJ. Gen. (
George O. Squier in Potomac park, i
Washington. Lieutenant Fiachaire,
who has had an experience of two and >
a half years at the front, has been '
showing the capital tho paces of a one- i
passenger battleplane, whose normal (
speed is 150 miles an hour. I
I
GEN. FOGH STILL SUPREME:
1
1
attlied troops, as process of !
brigading on we8t front
l
proceeds. i
When Americans Predominate In Brigaded
Divisions, Pershing Will
Command Them.
t
(
Washington. ? General Pershing t
] probably soon will be commanding '
j French and British troops as the pro- j
cess of brigading American units with f
the allies on the western front goes ]
forward. 1
As if exemplifying the unity of command
and action into which the Unl- t
I ted States and its co-belligerents have t
ontered, it became known here that ?
[ whenever American troops predomi- j
, nate in the brigaded divisions as the f
t.ocess goes on. these divisions, un- l
j der present plans, will be turned t
eve- to Gonoral Pershing's command, i ^
This plan.would accomplish several f
things which the military authorities 1
j consulting upon It regard as very de- 1
sirablc. It would rapidly Increase the j 1
size of the American fighting com- J 1
mand on the hattleline, it would con- i s
tribute tremendously to the spirit of i (
unity and concerted effort, and at the |
same tlmo instead of holding large , 1
numbers of Amreican troops behind ; 1
the line while training, would sur- , 1
round them with seasoned veterans | 2
and under actual battle conditions | 1
school them to be re-brigaded later j <
with fresh American troops coming to i f
France. In this way, the efficiency of !
i the British and French forces Is ex- J f
! peeled to be increased and the work j ?
1 of building up a great, fully trained 1
I and completely equipped fighting force { t
In fnn \ ?
i ?u i i aiu c itaslCUCU.
In addition to this, as illustrtaive of
the unity of command under- which
Generalissimo Foch directs all the al-1 *
, lied armies, it was stated officially <
j here that Foch commands the Italian <
j troops in Italy as fully as he does the f
American, British and French troops (
I in France and Belgium. There has 8
, been no question that Foch command- i d
' ed the Italian troopR in France and it I
had been supposed that, considering d
the Italian front as part of the west- ' fl
ern battlcfront under a decision reach- 1
ed at the Versailles conference, the '
generalissimo's authority oxtended (
I there. I d
I d
For the first time, however, it was t
stated unreservedly that General j
Foch's supreme command exteuded r
to Italy.
I
3.X. NEGRO SOLDIER
CHARGED WITH MURDER
New York.?Private James I.ayton, , *
a negro soldier who was drafted from (1
c
Rion, S. C., in training at Camp Up- ^
ton. was locked up in the Tombs ^
cnargea with the murder of Private j,
Michael Maloney and Mrs. J Ilarrity t
of Brooklyn at the cantonment on 0
May 5. The police say Layton has ^
confessed he killed Maloney when he
came to the rescue of Mrs. Ilarrity.
wlum the negro had attacked. ' .
EMPERORS DISCUSS THE
"MITTEL EUROPA PLAN" ^
Washington.?According to a dis- ^
patch from Switzerland, the Berlin j,
newspapers indicate that the basis of r
a new treaty of alliance agreed upon , t
at the recent conference between the : ^
German and Austrian emperors contemplates
fixing 25 years as the period p
for the duration of the alliance, the
Imposition of stricter military obllga- n
tions upon each Ration and the regu- u
lation of economic relations so as to
realize the Mittel Europa plan
1
TMITft
STARS AND STRIPES'
TOW IN FLANDERS
AMERICAN TROOPS ARE BRIGADED
WITH BRITISH ON THI8
MOST IMPORTANT SECTOR.
IETWEEN HUN AND THE PORTS
.ess Than Two Months Required to
Get Them Across and Into
Position.
American troops are awaiting the
ime when they will be thrown into
jattle on an entirely new part of thte ;
mttlrtfinlri In TTranno Thn .? ? I
...ra u..v;C- I
nen that the Stars and Stripes are
waving with the British Union Jack
ind the French Trl-Color on this bat- j
lefield and that the Americans were
'completing their training in the area
>ccupied by the troops which are :
docking the path of the Germans to
he channel ports," which may indicate
;hat somewfiere along the line from
VIerville to Ypres is the point where
general Pershing's men will once
nore strike the Germans.
This is the fifth section of the front
where Americans have been located.
The others are east of Luneville.
lorthwest of Toul. north of St. Miliiel
ind on the heights of the Meuse. and
n the Montdldier secto- of the Picirdy
battle area.
How many Americans are behind
he British front, when they arrived
ind the part of the United States
!rom which they came, are as yet uncnown.
It is probable chat they are
lot to be used as a separate unit but
will be brigaded with the British in
neeting the next stroke of the Germans
In the northern battlefield.
THIRD LIBBERTY LOAN
TOTAL IS $4,170,019,650
Washington.?The total of the
hlrd Liberty loan is $4,170,019,650. an
iver-8ub8crlption of 39 per cent above
ho $3,000,000,000 minimum sought.
The number of subscriptions was
ibout 17.000.000. Every federal relerve
district over-subscribed, the
'Jew York district to 124 per cent, beng
the lowest.
"This is the most successful loan
he United States has offered, both in
lumber of subscribers and in the
imount realized," said Secretary McVdoo
in a statement. "Every subicription
was made with the full
tnowlcdge that allotment in full was
o be expected, unlike the first loan,
vhon allotments were limited to $2,*00,000,000
and the second loan, when
illotments were limited to one-half
ho over-subscriptions. I congratulate
he country on this wonderful result
r.'liich is irrefutable evidence of the
itrengtli, patriotism and determination
>f the American people."
Total subscriptions to the second
oan were $4,016,000,000 and the
imount accepted was $.'5,808,000,000.
'ledges to the first loan ran above
5.000,000 000 but the loan was limited
o $2,000,000. Subscribers *o the sec- 1
>nd loan numbered about 9.500,000
ind to the first loan about 4.500.000.
The feat of the Atlantic district,
itanding fourth int he final percentigo
list, was the topic of favorable
lomment about the treasury.
VT NEW YORK T6~6PEN~~
BIG RED CROSS DRIVE
New York.?President Wilson came
o Npw York to rAvlow ihn (rroat
3ros8 parade and to open the Red
3roas drive for a $100,000,000 war
und. He was met at the station by
Colonel and Mra. Edward M. House
it whose home he and Mrs. Wilson
lined before going to a theater.
Although the time of the I'resllent'a
arrival was unannounced, thoulands
of persons at the station and on
he street leading to the hotel at
vhlch he stopped recognized htm and '
heered as he passed. Later In the !
lay crowds homeward bound from the
lowntown district gave him an ovaIon
when with Colonel House and
lira. Wilson he went to ra 15-minute
ide through the city.
5R. JOHNSON IS ON
TRIAL IN RICHMOND ! 1
Richmond, Va.?Following thi tesImony
of Miss Mildred Taylor, chum <
if Mrs. Alice Johnson, the girl bride
if I)r. Lemuel Johnson, Middlesex. '
J. C.? dontlst now on trial for the 1
nilP/lol* Af V, t n,l#A * A ?? i
..v...,*., <>1 uio n nc IIC1G IUSI lIBCCm*
er, Dr. J. M. Whitfield, city coroner,
estifled that he had made an analysts '
if the dead girl's stomach and found '
t to contain two-tenths of a grain of ''
loison.
AMERICAN SECTOR IS
HEAVILY BOMBARDED '
"he whole American sector on the !
Mcardy front was subjected to a
eavy bombardment early this morn- 1
ng. The ennnonade continued for 45
uinutes. There was much aerial ac- '
ivity yesterday and today, with a I
>rlght sun and little wind, but. there *
rore no further indications that the
nemy was preparing to renew tho 1
ffenslve. On this front troop movements
behind tho German lines are <
ormal. i
\
V*4 . " ' t '' .
.
i*
- ?
$1.25 Per Year.
WILSON BEGINS
READJUSTMENT
PRESIDENT COMPLETES REOR<
ZATION OF Th|E AIR
SERVICE OF ARMY.
UNDER THE OVERMAN ACT
Executive Order Directs# That Air
Service Be Wholly Divorced
From Signal Corpa.
Washington.?Reorganization of th? '
army air service has been completed
by President Wrtson as his Uvat act
under the new law permitting him to
readjust government departments for
the war. In an executive order, he
directed that the air service be wholly
divorced from the signal corps and
also that the functions of producing
and operating aircraft of all kinds in
the military service bo separated.
The order formally creates a bureau
of aircraft production, described
as an executive agency which thai!
exercise full, complete and exclusive
jurisdiction and control over the production
of airplanes, airplane engines
and aircraft equipment for the use of
the army." undfer a director of aircraft
production who shall a'so be chairman
of the aircraft board. This gives
full legal status and power to John
D. Ryan, recently appointed director
of aircraft production who shall also
bo chairman of ;he aircraft board,
and the order transfers to him all
funds, lands, buildings and personnel
of the signal corps having to do with
aircraft production.
Similarly, the position of director of
military aeronautics now held by Major
General William L. Kenly is formally
established and all funds, duties,
equipment and personnel of the
signal corps connected with the operation
of aircraft and balloons and with
the training of aviators placed undei
his direction. The signal corps roverts
to Its old functions liavftig to
do only with army signalling and the
transmission of military information.
In connection with the reorgan'zation,
made at a time when the department
of justice Is undertaking at
the direction of the President an investigation
of charges brought against
the honesty and loyalty of me.t heretofore
In full control of the a'r program,
Secretary Raker directol that
Cols. R. L. Montgomery, E. A. Deeds
and S. D. Waldon, of, the signal corps
be detached from all other duties and
assigned to assist/the attorney general
in his Inquiry. As the men are dlroctly
In charge of production, the three
officers have personal knowledge of
every phase of the subject.
GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED
PRESS ALSO PESSIMISTIC
"Washington. ? Announcement that
the bread ration is to be reduced on
June 15 has caused grave apprehension
throughout Germany. An official
dispatch from Switzerland says that
even the governmental press has
adopted a tone no less pessimistic
than that of the socialist papers,
which foresee a great diminishing of
the physical and general force which
helps in supporting the hardships of
the fourth year of the war.
Kven more critical than the German
food situation is that in Austria. An official
dispatch from France quotes
Austro-German newspapers as saying
that at a recent conference in Vienna
on tlia situation it developed that
food supplies to be requisitioned were
sufficient only to feed Hungary anrd
the army and that Austria could export
nothing but its own harvest.
Germany's purpose in anonuncing to
the world through its official wireless
the reduction of tho bread ration for
its population was widely discussed
here. Some ofTcials conclude that the
German government, knowing that
eventually tho news would reach its
enemieH. decided to anticipate it with
the purpose of showing the willingness
of the German people to make any sacrifices
to win the war.
SINN FEIN DELEGATE
ASSAILS AMERICANS
Dublin.?A Sinn Fein dolegate called
on the American mission, representing
tho Amoricnn labor delegation now
In England. endeav<*-ed to create a
jcene in the hotel lobby by declaring
loudly that Americans were not treating
the Sinn Foln fairly. The members
of the American mission replied
hat they would be glad to listen to
ill sides and that they proposed to
riew the Irish quostlon without projulice.
2ITY OF WILMINGTON
DESTROYED BY ACCIDENT
Norfolk. Va.?The explosfon and fire
which destroyed the oil tank City of
Wilmington at sea on April 8 was eni
rn 1 ir a r*n Irlani ul rt rt *? -
uoiiaicu n. V/. nn:Ilvaine,
first assls'ant engineer, who
irived In Norfolk with his brother, O.
Mrllvalne. third engineer, both of
whom were survivors of the disaster,
rhey declared they were present when
he oil explosion that was folowed by
:re occurred. They told an interestug
story of hardships. endured.