Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE WAR LAST WEEK Demlrhigsar and a good metal road river more nearly up ItTTfiK edWT beyond; second, the line of the Var-i of the river, and, by this opentlon, dar, which ^as a good railroad has brought one step nearer the throughout; third, the line of'the time when they can begln'a flank- Cherna River, wrhlch has no railroad ing movement against Peronne. suns- TO BETTER POSITIONS RUSSIANS HAVE HALTED Week Sees Teutons Temporarily Holding Initiative in East—^Allies Make Small Gain in West, But German Line is too Strong to be . Broken, Says New York Times Expert, The most interesting development of the week in the various theatres of war has been the beginning, ap parently on a considerable scale, of ^activity about Saloniki. As matters stand, this particular theatre Is in teresting, not so much for what has happened up to the present time but for the potentialities of the situa- - -tion international nolitics and military possibilities, matters have crystal lized quickly, and in the process have become exceedingly complicat- * ed. r At present all of the Entente Powers are represented in the army which apparently is about to begin a drive northward. All of the Central Powers are repre sented in the army which is So resist this drive. It is the first time since the beginning of the war that this situation has exist- 4. hat it should exist so near to umania at a time when this te is trembling in the balance tween peace and war is highly .Important, Inasmuch as it Injects an entirely new problem Into Ger man., diplomacy. The arrival of the^ Hans “wW»*—>hi hss bring matters In Rumania to a ; but a fair dirt road following the iARS TAKE EARLY STEPS river course up the valley, arid, fin ally, the route from Monastor, north of which dependence must also be placed on dirt roads. Naturally, all of these routes do not offer the samd advantages. The country east of the Vardar is such as to make a great difference in the elements entering into an offensive movement from this section, com pared to those Involved in a move ment west of the river. East of the Vardar there is a heavy maze of steep, bare moun tains, the principal chain extending almost due east and west from the Struiha to the Vardar- This chain is directly across the front of the Allied forces and Is a barrLr that cannot be scaled. The Struma Itself passes through this mountain wall down a valley, the southern mouth of which is almost a gorge, but which, after a short distance, broadens out until it has a width of several miles. It is, therefore, a line that Is easy to defend. The line of the Vardar Is essen tially different. In the first place. It is favored with a railroad for its entire length. This in itself makes From-the. standpoint of JlQthll^ an attractive line along which to itional nolitics and milltarv I ^ttatk.*~Tn the seO'Wid --place—Aha mountains which line its banks are not nearly so high as those along the Btruma, nor are the sides so pfe- cipitous. It is consequently much more dif ficult to defend and whA is more important leads directly to much more important points. It would not be surprising then, when the Allied effort is made, and it has not yet been made, that it should be concentrated along the line of the Vardar Valley. From the Teutonic point of view, which in this case is the defensive point of view, the problem is limit ed to that of the defense of one or all of these lines of possible ad vance. The problem in its initial phases is apt to prove a simple one, the solution of which, at least for the time being, has already been unt.^ ... 74 is, apA4_rgljr_s. plies previously accumulated. When this supply has been reduced the dif ficulty of. replenishment will be great. The advantage, will then be with the Allies, who have an excel lent base at Saloniki, a short line of communications, and excellent means of transportation to that, base from the more Important bases at home. As to the fighting which has so far takei) place, it Is entirely unim portant and has no bearing on the general situation. There is no evi dence that the Allies have begun a really serious effort. In fact, it seems as though they were not ready for an advance movement at all. Most of the fighting has been done by tbe Bulgarians,- who bold the flanks of the Teuton line. Al though the Bulgarians have made considerable advances on the flanks It does not seem as though they have been met with any material resistance. The Allies are evidently content with the aituation on their flanks and are going to make their main effort, when the time ia ripe, nearer the centre. What Bulgaria hopes to attain ia a military way from her operations is not apparent. More than one de feat has been courted In the military history of the world by an over-ex- tentlon of the flanks of an army at the expense of the centre, and it is barely possible that this Is what the Allies are waiting for. Then, when the time comes, a blow which would Immediately throw the flanks into serious danger of being defeated in detail Absolutely nothing that ttfe All Ids have done so far gives the slightest clue to their future movements. It is at present apparent that they will select either the Struma or the Var dar lines as the location of their main effort. This is indicated by the fact that they have advanced in the centre and taken the railroad station at Doiran, from which point they are admirably situated to move in either directfon^ The week on the western front has been signalized principally by two attacks, one by the British against Tiepval, the other by the French against Maurepas. In, the British attack, the movement wae over a front of but little more than two miles, and - was directed both against the lines east of the town and directly south of it. The result has been to add mate rially to the difficulty of the Ger mans in holding the position, due to the fact that it has been driven more deeply than ever into a pocket. It Is gradually being surrounded, in fact Is all but enclosed on three sides by the British line. No point in this section of the front is deemed more important than this little village. All of the British effort north and west of Pozleres has had Thlepval as Its ab ject. The Germans have counter at tacked more vigorously and with more determination here than at any other point. The reason is that Thlepval is important to both. Judging by 'the effectiveness of this position in driving the British back in the first days of tbe British assault, it is one of the most strong ly held points in the entire salient. Indeed, It is tbe point on which the entire German line east to Ginchy seems to hang. The British are now reasonably sure of taking it. Their advance,, while slow, has been al ' most uninterrupted and 4here is nothing to indicate that the Gar mans have the power to resist it. «-f On the French front north df the Somme material progress has also been made. The town of Maurepas has been taken, and the French lines eeUbllsbed some hundreds of yards to the east. In the last operation here the French also took numerous prisoners, which In iteelf !• an thdl- caflon that the' Germans put for ward a strong effort to hold tbe vil lage. •-'** There la no Immediate advantage. They have also advanced to with in a mile of the village of Con bies, which is the most important of the small towns north of the river. Tho British and French, by co-operating in their movements, have linked up their lines more effectively and £ave forced the entire German line north of the river to face both south and west. ' \ It is somewhat surprising that an English attack has not broken out south of Arras against the northern edge of the Albert salient. Their large guns can now reach the rear of the German lines holding the northern flank of the salient, so that the line would be under fire both from the front and rear. If by a' sudden smashing attack here they could drive forward the same dis tance they did in their first attack from Albert, the Germans would be so pinched between that retirement would be necessary. It need not be expected that the German line in the west will ever be broken as that word is under- • stood in military circles. The Ger man defensive is too strong in the first place, and, in the second, is organized too far ia the rear of the first line trenches. The Allies must make up their minds that the process will be a gradual bending one, rather than a breaking process. If the onward creep which the Germans have so far not been able to stop can con tinue, and there is every evidence that it can, sooner or later some Important supply line will be reach ed and a considerable section of the German front will be affected. But td continue the present oper ations with the view of pushing the Germans out of France and Belgium would be almost suicidal, as the loss would be so great as to be almost totally destructive. On the Russian front the week has been occupied almost entirely by Teuton counter attacks against the advanced positions the Russians have taken on the western side of the Btokhod river. Neither side is head. Both nations speak the same Latin tongue. Rumania ia proud of it, and of her Latiii blood. The in terests of Rumania are not in con flict with those of Italy, and there fore it is but natural that her sym pathy should be with the Italian cause. Whether her sympathy will lead her to declaration of war on the side of the Entente is an entirely different matter. She may come in within the next ten days; she may maintain her neutrality until the war Is over. But the war party in Ktimanlti. which is quite strong, has been made much stronger by the situation which the advent of the Italians has created. Shortly after the Italians landed, a strong contingent of Russian troops made their appearance. This brought in still another complica tion. Tho Bulgarians have been and ought to be sympathetic to the Ruasians. Moreover, the Bulgar ians are, or claim to be, Slava, and the Instinct of cohesion is very strong among all of the Slavonic people. For political or economic consid erations, however, tbe Bulgarian King declared war on the Entente, and, while this war was none too popular at home, there was no sign of domestic disturbance. The Bul garians, however, are now for the first time faced on the field of bat tle with soldiers of the Hue si an Czar. What the effect, will be no one can foretell. The loyalty of the Bulgarians to the Teuton cause, however, will be seriously tested, particularly if. the Allies give definite evidence of fu ture success. The political develop ments will therefore be watched even more closely than the military, as more may accrue from them to e side or the other, s the immediate future of the tary events, of the Saloniki en- prise may be productive of mat ters of great importance, it may not be apiisB to analyze the principal elements of the problems which confront fcoth the Teutons and the Allies in their respective roles. To consider the Allies first their particular problems must be re garded, of course, from the stand point of an offensive. They are now walled In behind the high mountains of Northern Greece, Southern Bulgaria, and Serbia. As these mountains are for military purposes impassable, and as roads In this country are few and far be tween, the problem is narrowed down to available supply lines. The entire system of Supplies in this whole district, In so far as it re lates to the Allied operations to- wartJ the north, centres in Saloniki. This town is the railroad centre of all this country. From It radiates every railroad which penetrates the country. First, there is the road )gom Saloniki to Monastir through Vo^ dena, which, after numerous wind ings, passes along the Ipw country^ north and w.est of Lake Ostrovo, then through Benica and Fiorina and thance to Monastir. Here It ter minates, and the communications with the north of Serbia are by means of a good metal road as tar ns Ufikub, where,, again, good rail road lines are found. Then there is the road from Sa loniki up the valley of the Vardar River, which runs direct to Uskub, where it meets the metal road from Monastir. This road is also reach ed by other- good highways, one branching 6ff from the Monastir- Uskub road at Pyilep and passing on o Ishtlb, while another leaves at tlb. and running due west, strikes .be railroad at Koprulu. Finally, there U the road from Saloaikl to Doiran, which, on reach ing the lake, branches off to the north and east through Demlrhissar. Seres, sad Drama These are all the railroads la the entire war area. Kern hastily left not a | the f5om i mad '• For several minutes he talked tloa at stake ta tbe ] with the piresident in the hall, but woald be left —■ • later they walked upstairs to the “These in brief,” continued his __ president’s room after a Janitor -had statement, “are the reasons why the WILSON TO ASK CONGRESS TO beeD found to turn on the lights, heads of the railroads, with a fall The conference concluded, the presi- appreciation of the solemn and dent left without consulting other weighty responsibility on Democratic leaders. them, as well as of their duty to the “I cannot discuss the subject of public and to their^ shareholders, the president’! visit,”' eaid Senator Kern, “further than to say that It concerned the railroad situation, i The affair fs so complicated, one possible development depending up- SELF PREVENT DISASTER BOTH SIDES STAND FIRM President Sees Leaders and Plans have been forced to the conclusion that It Is better to face the alterna tive of a strike than to surrender.” Mr. Rea went on to point oqt the . history of the struggles between rati on anvther, that 1 cannot disclose roads and their employees, spoke of what is in the president’s mind. Of course. If the negotiations to settle the strike fail, con^EeM^must en- tion’s Activity—Workers Go Home (leaver to solve the difficulty.” 1 Asked if arrangements for the Action to Avoid Tie-up of the Na- Leaving Committee and Orders for Strike are Sent Out, Subject to Telegraph Release. the depression which he said the railroads had experienced recently and said that now, since they were having their first real touch of pros perity for several yeans, they were Tentative plans for a Joint session of tbe Senate and House to hear President Wilson ask for legislation to prevent the threatened nation wide railroad strike were discussed not deny that such a joint session in the immediate future was in con templation. It may be called for Tuesday when a quorum of the House has been summoned to reach Washington. Following the president’s unprece dented night visit, the meeting of the by the president with Senator Kern, j finance committee Democrats was de- f * .... „ , , ..I viated 'rom the task of polishing up the Democratic leader, Sunday night ^jj e i. e y enue bU^ to a discussion of when it seemed virtually certain that prospects before congress relating to a break between the railroads and the railroad crisis. Among the sen- their employees must follow final ators present were Hoke Smith, conferences M .the White House. ] Stone, Williams, Hughes, Thomas Possibilities ,M " 1 ■ — 1 -- il - talked over by Senator Newands, chairman of the must abandon all idea of adjourn- interstate commerce commission and ment as long as It might be neces- presldent to address a joint session ! confronted with demands which of congress had been made, Senator! would mean when followed by like Kern said they had not, but h > would | demands from their other employees. an added burden of from two three hundred million dollars year. to a KILLED IRISH PRISONERS The Germans do not claim an advance, the Russians content themselves with claim of re sist Ing the German counter at tacks. The fact of the matter seems to be that the Initiative has, at least for the time being, passed frpm the Russians to tbe Germans. The Russians are across the Stok- hod River for almost its entire length from tbe Prlpet to lower Vol- hynia. They have not been able aa yet to take advantage of this fact, but are instead acting on the defen sive against German efforts to drive them back again to the east bank. On the 'Asia Minor front, how ever, the Ruasians, after suffering a severe defeat at the hands of the Tusks in the recapture of the impor tant towns of Muah and Bitlla early this month, have delivered a coun ter stroke which has deprived the Turks ef practically all that they had won aa a result of their attack. Massing a large force at the in significant town of Rachta, the Rus sians struck the Turkish army which bad captured Mueh, and, after se vere fighting, decisively defeated it, taking a large number of prisoners and recapturing Mush. The Turk ish object here was the outflanking of the Russian force which had taken Erzingan some time ago, and for this purpose the Turks had ap parently assembled all of their avail able troops In the entire Bltlis sec tion. The movement was evidently a surprise to the Hussions, who were taken completely unawares. The left wing of the Russians recovered Ita equilibrium, the right wing, operating toward Sivas from Erzin gan, is perfectly safe. Apparently the Turks are again tn full retreat; at least they have evac uated fUtlis. This movement in co operation with the movement of the Allies from Saloniki, Is destined, if successful, to be the swan song of Turkey. The Saloniki move has for one of its main objects the sever ance of tbe Testons from Turkey, by cutting the Orient*.! railroad. If this happens the rapid downfall of Turkey is assured. I Officer Later Court martial ed Proves to be Insane. An inquiry into the shooting with out trial of three men during the re bellion in Ireland last spring was , opened Tuesday in the Four Courts of legislation w4HT fBa-Sfflnmrarrctrati'iuah wf-the com at Dublin Jhe men ahpt were F. y the president with mittee. All agreed that congress ] Sheehy Skefflngton, Fred McIntyre, and Thomas Dickson. The men were put to death at the orders of Captain Bowen-Colthurst, *who was court- martialed and found guilty, but in sane. Sergeant Aldridge, who was pres ent at the shooting, testified that the prisoners were neither blindfolded nor pinioned. They had no time to say their prayers and to his knowl edge they did not know they were going to their death. The attorney general for Ireland who appeared, he explained, to “place the material facts, about which there ia no controversy, before the commission,’’ related Incidents of the week of the revolution and of the arrfeet of Skefflngton. After hla ar rest Skefflngton, the Attorney Gen eral asserted, said ha was not a‘Sinn AFUtnurrtont waa -ia sympathy with that TrrnanHn**tn 1 'W Ihst nlfM NAMES OF CONFEREES American and Mexican Commission ers are Now Named. Late Tuesday night Secretary of State Lansing announced the ap pointment of the American members of the International Joint Commis sion which is to consider the differ ences existing between the United States and the de facto government of Mexico. They are: Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of tne Interior. Judge George Gray of Delaware. Dr. John R. Mott of New York. Secretary Lansing declined to i.n swer any questions regarding the se lection t)f Judge Gray and Dr. Mott beyond the statement that they have accepted and are ready to go ahead with the work. Mr. Lansing would not s ay approximately when the American commissioners will organ ize or when , or where the first meet ing will take place. The administration’s purpose to get the work started at the*earliest practicable date is known. There is net disposition whatever to delay a beginning of the Important work which confyonU the joint body. First Chief Carranza announced the appointment of the Mexican members of the joint commission weeks ago. They are: Lula Cabrera, Minister of Finance. Ignacio Beninas, engineer. _ Alberto Psnl, engineer. Secretary Lane during the day, and Sunday night the president made a quiet trip to the Senate office build ing to find Senator Kern attending a meeting of the finance committee. Since Saturday night, the belief that negotiations between railroad executives and representatives of the men wouid end without an agree ment has been growing. This feel ing was strengthened when the mem bers of the brotherhoods committee of 640, tired of their long wait, de parted for home after delegating power to effect a settlement or call a strike to a committee of twenty- four. instructed under- no circum stances to agreT to arbitration of the demand Jac.au eight ; hour dajr at_ ahnnr—ant rata at. naff or ten hours.“ Whether the $ans considered' Dy‘ President Wilson and his advisers st the capitol will be carried out de pends upon future developments, but it Is understood that If all efforts fail to bring the employers and their men together the president will go before congress and ask that it deal with the situation, even if that nec essitates indefinitely prolonging the present session. 1'nleNs the railroad heads re cede from their demand for arbi tration of the eight-hour day pro posal. one brotherhood head said, a strike affecting about four hun dred thousand men will be called vwithin the next ten days. • Representatives of both the rail roads slid tbe brotherhoods will con tinue to confer with the president. The executives of the lines will pre sent the plan to which they agreed finally. Its outstanding feature is a demand for arbitration wages un der the eight-hour day ot any day. When they have depleted tbs brotherhood beads, acting under in structions received from the com mittee of- 640, will go to the White House and apprise President Wilson that they cannot accept arbitration of this feature of their demands and that in general they stand on hia proposal made a week ago, to con cede the eight-hour principle and arbitrate the other issues. What will follow no one at tempts to forecast accurately. There was a report, however, that the prealdent might aak the men to postpone action for g period in order that he might seek legisla tion which would force and pro vide for a settlement without ty ing up the country's transporta tion systems. , Secretary Lane and Senator- New- landa'worked hard framing bills for presentation to congress. The meas ure given most serious consideration was one drawn along the lines of the Canadian act, which provides for in vestigation of industrial disputes by a commission for bne year and pre vents strikes or lockouts during the period of investigation.- If it finally is decided to press such a measure, an effort will be made to put it into effect at once. Other legislation under considera tion. included the following meas ures: An eight-hour day law tor rail road employees. A bill increasing the membership of the interstate commerce commis sion from seven to nine members with authority to divide into groups. A resolution stating it to be the sary to aid in averting a national in dustrial disaster. “Of course all adjournment plans have been forgotten,” said Senator Simmons, “and must wait on the working out of the railroad crisis. I do not know just whet is In Presi dent Wilson’s mind for congress to do.” Several senators asserted that congress could prevent the strike and some went so far as to say tliat it must prevent It and would, but they added that public dis cussion about the method of complishing this result should await an actual break in pending negotiations. leaving —Senator ftflwlaads, a,ftcr_ the White House. saloT^^ .^1 have beeq discussing the situa tion with the members of the inter state commerce commission and will continue to discuss it. *>o meeting of the committee to plan definite negotiations fall, the committee will be called at once. “In event of a strike the most seri ous immediate prob.ein will be that of keeping the railroads in operation and determining how far the federal government should go to prevent de moralization of buslnesa and com plete stagnation of commerce. ▲ strike of dimensions of that now threatened would be civil war.** All of the brotherhood commit teemen leaving for their homea carried full Instructions aa to how to proceed ia caee a strike Is call ed. They had official notices, duly signed and sealed, that a strike had been called aad will forward these to the chairmen of their respective locals Immediate ly upon arriving home, subject to release by telegraph. If a break cornea the committee will advise the chairmen of the various Uaea, who will communicate with their local chairmen. Every detail was covered in the instructions to minor officials. Especially prominent among the printed instructions is the warn ing that the employees shall re ntals off company property once a strike is declared. . Insofar as could be learned the plan of the brotherhood* to continue running supply trains to the Mexi can border, enough passenger trains to keep necessary business moving n;tTfMiaiC DIIMANIi and possibly milk Trains, ‘announced WRlVuInU RUfflAIHA he was taken out ot the guard room by Capt. Bowen-Colthurst, who hand ed him over to Lieut. Wilson In the street, telling him that If any other soldiers were fired .pon by the reb els Lieut. Wilson would shoot him. The next morning, continue the witnese, Skefflngton and bln com panions were taken from the guard- room by Capt. Bowen-Colthurst, who ■aid: **I am taking out these men to shoot them, as It seems to ms It Is the best thing to do.” The execution of the three men followed. The sttorney general add ed that the men were entitled to a fair trial, which thy did not get. they being Innocent persons who took no part In ths rebellion. Lieut. Morris, ph. ed on the wit ness stand, aeid he arrested Sket- flngton, who was followed by an ex cited crowd, as a precautionary measure. Lieut. Leslie Wilson, who was la charge of one of the barracks near Portobello Bridge, said that Skef flngton, when he was brought oat ot the barracks on the night before tbe execution, had bis hands tied behind bis back, and that Capt. Bowea-Coi- thurst fired several shots Into ths sir. He testified also that a bay named Corde had been shot by Capt. Bowen-Colthurst. Ths boy. who was suspected of “sneaking around the barracks,** gave ths captain an Inso lent answer and then ran sway. Capt. Bowen-Colthurst raised his rifle, intending to hit the boy in the leg. the wltnees added, but the shot was Inaccurate and the boy was struck in the abdomen. sense of congress that if the rail- began. The proposal to roads grant a basic eight-hour day 1 president’s plan in gene they should be entitled to incrd&sed revenues compensatory with the in creased operating expenses. A bill, already pending, directing the interstate commerce commission to ascertain minimum, maximum and average whges paid with hours of service to every class of railroad employee, compare them with wages of other industries in which similar skill and risk are involved, to deter mine the relation of railrhad wages to railroad revenues, and urge both sides to the present dispute to defer action pending the investigation. Among the presidents and man agers the opinion prevailed that the proposal ot the men would not be acceptable to them and there was no concealment of tbe feeling that If President Wilson has no other ,sug gestion to make, a strike Is coming. Democratic senators who chanced to be in conference at the capitol on the revenue bill when the president unexpectedly . appeared there In search of Senator Kern, yrere grave ly concerned over the prospects and all conceded that the crisis probably 'die session of last week, has not been abandoned. The sixty-four small lines’ em ployees whose grievances the rail road managers have declined to ar bitrate would be included In a gen eral strike order, It was understood. If an amicable settlement Is effected they will not be Included, as the managers aver they have no right to act for them. The powers were given to the committee of twenty-four at a busy four-hour meeting. Angered by their futile ten-day wait In an effort to affect a settlement with the rail road executives, the men went to thplr hall insistent that all except a few of them be permitted to go home and prepare for a strike. Had the president not been concerned in the negotiations, It was freely said, they would have voted Sunday to with draw from the negotiations imme diately. The plan finally adopted was ready for consideration when the meeting stand by the general and par ticularly regarding the eight-hour day, was adopted amid wild cheers. Brotherhood men leaving Sunday night were divided in their opinion as to what the outcome would be. All of them said they were hopeful of avoiding a strike but that they were well prepared for one if it should come. They have sufficient funds to finance a strike for some time, they said, and have no fear of the financial aspect of a walkout. After the last meeting it develop ed that the brotherhood men have suspected for several days that they had three spies In their midst who were reporting regularly te the rail road heads. In some mysterious manner reports of the secret meet ings of the brotherhoods have been reaching the railroad executivee’ headquarters within a short time After they have adjourned each day. Often these reports were in the hands of persons at the executives’ headquarters before the brotherhood officials had left their hall. Samuel Rea. president of the • Pennsylvania railroad which for the drat time the executives decided upon would Berlin Dispatches Give Importance to Action of Kingdom. The Rumania situation Is again , taking the leading place in the war news. Dispatches from Berlin and from Bucharest, via Berlin, dpecrlbe the relations between Rumania and the Germanic allies as extremely se rious. Wolff Bureau dispatches hint that an Austro-Oerman ultimatum ts In preparation. The Kreui-Zeltung states that the negotiations which took place at Bucharest at the week end between the Russian Military Attache and the Rumanian secretary of war must be considered as proof that Rumania has joined the Entente. "It is sup posed,” says this newspaper, “that plans for a Russian march through Rumanian territory were discussed. Of course, Germany would regard any such arrangement as a casus belli.” Major Moraht says In the TSge- blatt: “German and Austrian min isters at Bucharest have pointed out the consequences to Rumania of granting permlsaion to the RuSalans to march through Rumanian terri tory. Toward us Rumania must not play her sphinx tricks so far that one day with shrugging shoulders she, will place before us un fait ac compli, for which we have not been able to take proper countermeas ures.” DESTROY 35 ZEPPELINS London Says Many Dirigibles Have Been Shot Down. Major Baird, representative of th« Aerial Board In the Honse of Com mons, replying In the House day night to criticism of the air de fenses during the recent “ raids, announced that, since tho begin, tbs’ Entente Allies counted for thirty-five Major Baird said: _ Thera ham hem thirty four on England in which’ M < ‘ whilo ta