Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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AftttT* ER1NG HKNATOfl CHAMB1 H lAW'S Ol AIM.KS THAT oov KKNMKNT H AD DIU Hi I N DOWN rS ITH PRKP ARATIONS lim WAR, Ahr Baker, in Hearing Before Senate Military Committee, Reelle? In De? tail Story of Baikling Army of MJIttoa and a Half?Sayn Errors ttaro Bern Removed na Quickly a* Mscosercd. Washington, Jan. 28.?America will hgrt an army of half a million men Igi France earl, thie year, with a mil? lion more trained and equipped ready ?4 follow aa quickly as ships can be provided to carry them, and the out? look for ships Is not unpromising. tfseretury Baker gave this informa? tion to the nation and to the world today in a statement before the Sen? ats military committee. revealing that which until now has been care fully guarded with the army's military So erste. In answering charges that the government has broken down In its preparation for war. ' Prom early morning until late af? ternoon the secretary sddreased the eenisalttee snd a crowd. Including many members of both houses of con grege gathered in a big hearing room of the senate office building. He spok ? extemporaneously, beginning with do rails of the mammoth task of build Uk* an army of a million and a half answering ouch complaints of Ineffi? ciency ss wore cited by Senator eombarlsln In his recent speech and flaring that such Instances were iso and not general. Some ques? tions wsre asked and Mr. Baker from rime to time h id assistants to the tele? phone for reports on specific ques? tion* ' *fh*n towsrd the close of the day the escretary delivered a dramatic general statement of the American 0/pr plan, telling of the coming of the sJMed missions, of the day and night cgrtftrsooes with men from the scene of settle In which the plans now be teg executed were adopted and of sue utes beyond the most sanguine expec? tations In building the army and its Industrial sups ort at home, transport amoa across the ocean, construct rellroads In France and preparing lb sinks ths enemy with every re **^eAree at the country's command. vwW Mr. Baker Hosed It was ap? parent he. had created a profound im? pression. C-hairm.m Chamberlain said ss before hfsjeft the stand. There eras no attempt at cross-ex asbii.tttion The chuirman propose 1 that the secretary be given a rest and K virtually was agreed to recall him for further examination later, after tie com rut tee has completed Its hear? ings of officers of the medical corps, aviation service and other brnnchei sjrvice. j many things disclosed lm the committee was frankly when old that men of thirty national jirmy divisional OampS ready to yo today or at need. in membeis wanted to know why ?things hud not been given pub before. Mr. Baker spoke of the relgetame or mlltan men to reveal the^r war plans and quoted German reniarka about America's advertise? ment of her preparations. Kmphaslstng that he was not there te defend himself or anybody else, the secretary urged lb* committee again ?bd again to lay bare any shortcom? ings or failure of the department thU It might bo corrected Frequentl> he paused to seek stronger language to describe devotion of his associates in the department, military and civilian. For one reason or another," he said, "the impression had gone out into the country to some extent at leapt, that the war department has fsllen down. "It would be s tragical thing if thi tremendous effort, this wholly on ^_ rrocedented sacrifice made b\ men, to tarn out to deserve the comment that it had fallen " Never In the history of time, he de? clared, had sn m ny ??f its wi/.? b-eo ratesd, equipped, trained and prep ed for buttle M bad that of the (JnltOd mates. Mr. Baker took personal responsi? bility for getting men under training before their equipment was read) to ths last shoe, button " Such offleerH as7 Major Gen. Leonard Wood, ho said, had urged this policy, lie de? scribed conferences that evolved thr Ordnance program and Its fulfillment, submitting docuu ? nt?. to prove that France and Great Britain were sup? plying artillery and machine guns for ths first force* at then own request In order that ships might be used for other purposes. In all that was done prior to the departure of the f rst troops Gen. Per ?hing shared In thn deliberations an 1 approved the decisions reached. M ? Maker said, and now. surrounded with a Staff of truine*1 regular officers. Who would ill be spared from the great task at home, Pershing Is In France as the eyes of the nrmv RVW J step taken since has been found on his CZERNIN UTTERANCE FORWARB Fl) MPU?1 DELIVERY. Austro- Hungarian Foreign Minister Pointh Out Different \V?r Alms Ol CentrnI Alllos. London, Jun. 27.?The Cologno Ga? zette's Vienna correspondent, accord? ing to advices reaching here, says that Count Czernin, Austro-Hungarian mln i f? i of foreign affairs, informed the Austrian delegations Saturday that the lagt <?f his speech on the war aims had already been forwarded to Presi? dent Wilson before Its delivery. This paper says that the statement has caused an enormous sensation nnd confirms the belief that Count Czer nin's references to the United States were to actual steps taken to bring about an exchange of views between the Western powers and Russia and Germany. Addressing the foreign affairs com? mittee of the relschsrath Saturday, Count Czernin, according to an Am? sterdam dispatch to the Central News, referred frankly to the differences in the Austrian and German war aims. He explained that Germany wanted to get her colonies back and obviously could not consent to abandon occu? pied territories before securing guar? antees for the restittuion of her colo r ies. Austria-Hungary was differently sit? uated. She stood everywhere on en? emy territory except in Eastern Gallcia. VOR\VAKRTS KPEAKK OF POSSL BUB BREAK. Berlin Paper Comments on Czernln's Speech but Finds Consolation in K tic I ilma mi's Utterance. Amterdam. Jan. 27.?The Socialist paper Vorwaerts joins In the con? troversy that has arisen in the Ger? man press as to whether Count Czern In's peace invitation to President Wil? son Is indicative of a break in the Austro-German alliance. Pan-German papers think that It is, but Vorwaerts points to the "weighty" phrase in von Kuehlmann's speech, "We are in ?agreement with Count Czernin's utter? ance as proving, contrary to the pan German assumption, that 4,Count Csernln's fraternal kiss for President Wilson received the German gov? ernment's blessing in advance." MEETS HEATH IX ACCIDENT. Cnpt. J. Q. Ilarrell Struck by Const Line Train. Florence, Jan. 28.?Capt. J. Q. Har rell, roadmaster on the second divis? ion of the Atlantic Coast Lino Rail? way, between Florence and Charles? ton adn Lines and Sumter, was struck and killed by train No. 78, the north? bound locsU passenger, which left Char lei ton at 4 o'clock this afternoon. Capt. Harre 11 was on his motor car and was endeavoring to reach Lanes, his home, when struck by the passen? ger train. He waH one of the best known men in the railway service of the Coast Lino nnd was looked upon by the official* as being a careful and competent railroad man. He wat. about thirty-seven years old and leaves a wife and several children. The funeral announcemont has not been made. The accident occurred near Lanes Just before dark. TEUTONS URGED TO REVOLT. Newspaper Calls Upon People to Oveirthrow Government. London, Jan. 28.?A dispatch to the Exchange Telegram from Amster lam says the Ife-utsrhc Tages Zeitung Open? ly calls on the German people to re? volt ugainst the present regime. "We too," says this pan-German organ, "have a Judas among us today. He appears in the red coat and mantle of t ermaoy's hauKtnan. Who will save Germany from these traitors but the German people v It is now Germans BOlp yosjfsjtlf and God will help you." Although F.mperor William is not mimed in the article the expression "<'.enn uis m hangman" is meunt for the kuiser, says the correspondent. long duly cable reports of what Js go ini? on at the lighting front. Tables were cited to whow that over-crowding in the cutnps and can? tonments had not boon general ami that the sickness had eome mostly m the camps where medical opinion nod agreed! it w?s least to bo ospeet? ??'I The history Ol the development and building ?.t the cantonments was " i" detail to show that even prot gjutlon possible had boon taken Analysing ihe efforts of the ord aanoa bureau, the secretary said that Qoa< Crosier had urged for yean u grouter artillery preparation; that he at loaat had realised the time gun making isqulrod i ia< even France hornet?, "with Ihe enemy at her throat." he added, h.ol m.i boen able to see what vast gun programs the war would lead into D?ring his Kcneral Statement Of tie war plan ami how it was developed ' Mr. Uaker was iarely intui rupli <l. FLOODS ON RIVERS GREAT DAMAGE ANTICIPATED ON WESTERN STREAMS. Rising Waters and Ice Gorges Playing Huvoc on Ohio and Tributaries? Warning Sent Out. Pittsburg, Jan. 29.?The weather bureau reports today were that the Monongahela river is rising rapidly from Fairmont, West Virginia, north, and heavy ice moving out. It is dx pected to reach the neighborhood of Pittsburg tonight. Precautions to protect river craft are being taken. River ilnuts Swept Away. Paducah, Ky., Jan. 28.?Descending ice gorges in the Tennessee and Ohio rivers converging hero today swept the winter Meet of river pat-lets and other craft from their moorings and carried it down stream. Appeals for help from persons marooned on craft were plainly heard as they passed the city. A report from Metropolis, Ills., siiid several packets were seen stand? ing on end in the ice. It is said prob? ably a dozen boats caught by the ice were damaged. If lost the estimate is two hundred thousand dollars-. Railroads Warned of Floods. Washington, Jan. 29.?Instructions were sent out today by the railroad administration to local authorities to prepare to fight the Hoods expected this week if thawing weather de? velops. Streams are out of their banks in West Virginia and Kentucky. ANARCHY IN FINLAND. Misery of Population Increased b> l>eterniinatlon of Bclslievlki to Sup? port Revolutionists. London, Jan. 28.?A Router limited dispatch fropi Stockholm says thai since 11.SO o'clock Sunday morninjj telegraphic communication betwecr Stockholm and Petrograd has been in? terrupted and the telegraph station al jXystand has reported that Red Guardi (have cut the wires. "Finland thus is is-olatod," says the i correspondent "Complete anarchs i prevails throughout Finland. The mis? ery of the population has been in? creased by a declaration of iho Boh sheviki government that it consider.* itself compelled, by reason of its rev olutionaries in their struggle aguins' tb* Rourgcoise." Red Guard Leaves. Petrograd, Jan. 2 8.?Six hundrec Red Guard with machine guns hav< left Petrograd for Viborg. They wll reinforce tho Finnish Red Guard ir the fighting which is going on there. AID FOR ESSENTIAL CONCERNS McAdoo Suggests OogpomttOn to Make ijouns and Advances to Necessarj Companies. Washington, Jan .28.?Creation of I half billion dollar government corpo? ration to make loans and advances tc enterprises essential to the war and otherwise assisting In private finan? cing was recommended to congrea> today by Secretary McAdoo. The secretary also asked that al private issues of securities of moi\ than $100,000 be made subject to the approval of the government body tc be known as the "war finance corpora? tion." MEAT SHORTAGE EXPECTED. Prices Must Not Re Increased, Washington, Jan, 28.?The fact that the BaM faces a temporary ine.it shortage because of transportation difficulties was disclosed by the food administration tonight In instruction* sent to packers not to increase their prices above a normal margin of cost and to distribute their available sup? plies fairly among their customers. Wholesalers and retailers received virtually the same instructions. To make sure that its orders gr* observed the food administration sent the following telegram to State food administrators In all states East of the Mississippi: "There is likely to be in the next few days ami perhaps for some time thereafter temporary scarcity of fresh ( meats, especially In the Hast. This is ; not due to lack of supplies- of live itook but to difficulty In transporting IhS meat. The normal tendency of SUCh a scarcity would be to advance the mice to retailers and consumers lout of line with COSt Of production. Tins must not happen, "The food administration has in IStrUCted meat packers not to sell at prices representing more than n nor I mal average margin above cost and to distribute SUCh meat as is available fah ly among oustomoi?< "You are directed to enforce this order, t Von will also inform ths public of this action immediately through the press, the local food administrator;; and others. Tin- rood administration will on notice from you direct packers ami wholesalers not t<> sell to any [retailer who is proved to have violat? ed this Instruction " PACKING HOUSE INQUIRY, j REPORTS OF BIG CONCERNS IX EVIDENCE. Additional Disclosures Found in Con* (identiul Files Will be Introduced Today it* Mails Arrive. Washington, Jan. 28.?Reports- of live stock receipts, shipments and prices, as received daily at the big packing concerns were put into the record of the federal trade commis? sion's meat packing investigation to? day as part of the evidence which Francis j. Heney, special counsel, said j would show how the packers divido i the supply and control the prices to their own advantage. Ownership of the stock yards and terminal railroads and directorships I in many trunk lire roads, Mr. Heney said, gave the p: cl-ers an advantage In obtaining this information which no one else could have. Walter Twombly, an invosligator, testified that Swift & Company's daily report from all the big markets was required to be in by 7..10 a. m., ami not later than 7.45 before the day's business began and furnished a basis on which all purchases were made. Purchase of live stock, according to the packers' figures varied little pro? portionately from year to year and conformed closely In percentage to figures previously {introduced and indi? cating a non-competitive distribution between the big packers. Thus, for instance, Swift's purchases of cattle at all markets in 1913-14 was ! I 3 4.01 per cent, of the whole and in 1915-16 was 31.58 per cent., while the .vnme firm's purchases of hogs in 191.1 were 36.57 per cent, an din 1916 were 30.04. I References to an agreement as to purchases were frequent in letters from the packers' files, along with in instructions to buyers to take a cer? tain per cent, of the cattle offered. Variations in price margins between the various markers also resulted in correspondence which Mr. Heney found introduced hi relation to his charges that competition virtually has been eliminated between tho packers. "Make effort to get closer in line," was in instruction sent by Thomas E. Wilson to his firm's buyer regarding the Oklahoma City market and the buyer replied that he always had in? structed his- men never to interfere with another buyer making a pur? chase "as we were only putting the cattle up on each other." Senator Thompson of Kansas too a the stand during the day to make a statement regarding correspondence put in evidence characterizing him as a good man for the packers to "stay close to." He testified that he had handled no business whatever for tho packers. Mr .Heney told the com? mission that the correspondence had been introduced to show the packers' methods and not with any idea of re? flecting on the senator, whom he felt sure to be innocent of anything im I proper. j Additional disclosure found in the packers' confidential tiles will be in troduced tomorrow if delayed mail I! arrives. imiTISH CASUALTY LIST. Only Eight Thousand Men Killed, Wounded and Missing During Week or Fighting. London, Jan. 2S.--british Casualties durin? the week ending today were X,f?88 divided as follows: Killed or died of wounds, officers, 15; men 1, 714. Wounded or missing, officers 11*8; men 6,721. These figures represent the virtual cutting In half of British casualties as compared with the previous week when 17(043 were reported. Two weeks ago the high total of 24,979 was reported. For the week imme jdiately preceding the figures were 18, 9-- and the week before that 9,951. BIG IRON FURNACE BURNED. Incendiary Fire Roes Great Damagc in Michigan. MarQ?ottO, Mich., Jan. 29.?.An ex? plosion, followed by a fire, early to j day destroyed the alcohol refining ! plant, the primary building and a se? ries of condensers of the Pioneer Iron \ Furnace Company. The loss is esti? mated ;it a half million dollars. Re? ports said thai a number of lives were ' lost. bUl at daylight it was believed that none was dead, and only two In? jured. The police believe that the explosion was due to incendiarism. GERMANY VIOLATES TRUCE. Transfers Troops From Russian to the Western Front. Washington, Jan. lm.?. Charges that Germany is violating the terms of the Russian truce by withdrawing 'troops from the northern front and j transferring them to the western bat? tle line, were made today by the war ' dope rtment. THEJIEXTJMFT. expansion op american i--orces depends upon events arroad. BUll Approved for Registering? Crowder Proposes New Drawing- to Fix Order of Liability of Those 21 Slnco Last June. Washington, Jan. 29.?Expansion of America's fighting forces beyond their present strength depends upon such factors as events- abroad and the ship? ping situation, Secretary Baker said tonight in disclosing that the war department has not fixed a date for another draft, nor even determined how many men shall be called. When Mr. Baker told the senate military committee that the United States would have half a million men in* France early this year, and that in all a million and a half could gn across if ships coud be found to car? ry them, he referred to the divisions now in training camps and those al? ready in Europe. Future develop? ments will decide what additional forces will be se^nt. The secretary made clear today hh opinion that, if events made it neces sary to call more than another in crement of half a million men, the ex? ecutive's authority to draft men foi fighting units other than resfrve; I would be exhausted and further leg ieiation by congress would be neces snry. He said, however, that undei the authority to call two increments (of line soldiers of 500,000 each, ant I such additional numbers for re:ruii i battalions and special units "at? tin j president may deem necessary," th< second draft might bring out in all as many as a million men. The senate committee today tenta tively approved legislation propose* by the war department 10 provide foi the registration of youths attainim the age of twenty-one years cn Jun? 5, authorizing the fixing of quotas or the basis of class 1 of the new classi fication and empowering the presi dent to call men needed for specia industrial or other work. Provost Marshal Gen. CfOWdor ap pearing to explain the bills told th< committee It was proposed to hold i new drawing to establish the order o liability of the new registrant:*. Whei the new men have been given theii serial numbers their names will be in serted in the classes to which the] may be assigned according to a plai being worked out. It la assumed, Gen. Crowder said that most of the new registrants wil lall i into class 1, giving that clas; this year a total of some two millior men. From class 1 it is proposed tc take the next and any tut. ire drafts In a formal memorandum present ing his views-, the general also disap proved suggestions that the registra tion be extended to men beyond th< age of thirty-one, saying the effort oi classification is great and so expen sive, and the number of persons pas thirty-one years who would fall ir class- 1 so small, that the task wouh not be worth while. Although Secretary Baker today re? iterated his desire to have exempted registered men who reach the age oi thirty-one years without beinp,- called into the military service, the commit? tee refused to include such a provision in the legislation. Gen. Crowder dis approved the suggestion. The bills probably will be intro? duced in the senate tomorrow and Senator Chamberlain said they would be pressed for early passage. From Chairman Coffin, of the nir Craft board, the committee today ob? tained behind closed doors what sev? eral members termed "most encour? aging reports" of the aviation pro? gram. Although much of Mr. Coffin's tes? timony was confidential, a consider? able portion will be made public, probably next Thursday, when he will be cross examined in open session. Further inquiry into the aviation service will be made tomorrow, when Prig. Gen. Squicr, chief of the army service, and Col. Deeds will appear, probably in executive session. The committee had hoped ta tceali Secretary Baker before the end of the week for cross-examination on his statement yesterday of army achieve? ments, but tonight Chairman Cham? berlain thought the aviation branch would consume the next few days and postpone Secretary Baker's re? turn until next week'. Discus-.don ot* the controversy over the conduct of the war and the pro? posed war department reorganization also is impending both in the senate and house. Senator WadsWOrttl, of New York, is planning an address, possibly tomorrow, in support of the bills lor a war cabinet and munitions director. Washington, .lan. 29.? The senate inter-state Commerce Committee by ? vote of seven to six today decided to report an amendment to the admin? istration railway bill to provide fe government relinquishing of control ? the railroads within one year aftei the and of the war. THE SHIPPli SITUATION. SUBMARINES HAVE NOT PUT AMERICA >UT OF RUS ?NESS. During Year Si ty-nlnc Ships Have Been Sunk, Hfftt '11 * it- Loss Has Been More Thun Covered by New slaps Put Hit Service. New York, Jr n. 29.?In ?he 12 months of u irestricted warfare launched agalns; American and allied shipping by Ge many, one year ago Friday, there hr -e beer, sunk by sub? marines, mines i nd raiders, 69 Amer? ican vessels tot. iing 171,061 gross tons, according o a careful compila? tion of records of sinkings which have been made pub; c dur.ng the period. Offsetting this logs of American ves? t-els, most of wh.ch were sailing ships, the United States, since February 1, has added to he merchant marine by the seisure of lormer German and Austrian owned ships, a tota of 107 vessels, having a gross ton rage of 686.494, leaving on the credit side of the American <i-dger in the account with the centra powers, a net gain . I of 515,433 gros: ton*. The loss of lii'& caused by the sink? ing of the 69 American ships Was more than 300 persona, however. The percent?vge of sinkings of $ American ship: compared with the number of ves^ Is which have sailed through the war zone successfully is ? small. Record i of the department i of commerce show that for the pe l riod beginning vith February 1, 1917, : and ending with December 1, there I were cleared fi jm American ports in i the foreign trade ships aggregating i 17,738,900 net, or approximately 24, 834,460 gross tans. Further offsetting the loss of'ton l nage occasioned by the submarine ? warfare, the United States1, through ;? the shipping board, requisitioned in i American shipyards 426 vessels *to i tailing; more than 2,000,000 gross tons . and contracts have been awarded for . 884 ships. In addition, the shipping I board on October 15 last, placed un? der government requisition 393 Amer .! lean Teasels of over 2,500,000 tons ?1 dead weight c: iclty which were af t ready afloat an" immediately assigned r them to the tai it of carrying supplies 1 for the allies ai d the American forces ? I abroad. Included in t;iese requisitioned vea r sels were 21 sliips in Great Lakes 1 trade and in addition there were com mandered 24 st amers building on the , I lakes for foreign account and ready I for launching. Virtually all of these 1 were brought o Atlatic Coast port* . 1 and immediately put into service. ? Another difficulty which faced the . United States In the task of putticg . to sea vessels to offset the ravages of . the u-boat wa- the repairing of the . "wilful damage" done to the former ? German ships by their officers and ? crews. Three of the !*ormer German vessels : seized by this -overnment have been 1 the object of urcessful attacks by submarines. The Actaeon, formerly the Adamaturtn and the Owasco, for? merly the Allen-annia, were sunk, and i the Armenia v as* hit by a torpedo ? but was saved utter being beached. hTe announc d sinkings of British ships for the y? :tr up to and including the week ending Januory 23, have been 1,033 ves els, of which 763 were over 1.600 tons and 270 were un? der that figure The joint losses of France and Ita'y have been averaged I from three to f. ur large vessels- week iiy. PRICE OF VICTORY BREAD. Food Admuiist tuition Will Not Toler? ate Advance >y linkers for New Loaf. Washington, Jan. 28.?The new victory bread p escribed by the food administration oust be sold at the prices that now obtain for its equiva? lent of white bread. This was made clear tonight by the food adminis? tration in reply to reports that bakers j were preparing to raise their prices on the ground that substitutes they are ordered to use eos-t more than white llOUr. Telegrams today from State food administrators said the people gen? erally will give wholehearted support to the new conservation regulations. BILL BY SENATOR TILLMAN. For More Aviators and Increase in Navy Vrsonncl. Washington. Jan. 28.?Senator Till man, chairman >t" the naval affairs committee, today introduced a bill de? signed to increase the number of na? val aviators froi 350 to 10,000, and raise the enlisted personnel of the [navy to 180,000. The president would be authorised Lo appoint temporary officers not higher than the rank of lieutenant commander In the navy and major in the ma ine corps. Huns Marth Forty-Seven. London, Jan. 29.?Forty-seven were killed and one hundred and sixty nine were injur? .1 in last nighfe air raid, it is annoui ed officially.