Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1914 — WEEKS NEWS [ARTICLE]

WEEKS NEWS

Summarized for Very Busy Readers

Washington Rear Admiral Fletcher, commander of the Atlantic fleet, impressively tol(J the house naval committee at Washington that the United States navy is not prepared to cope with the most powerful navy in the world. He mentioned no country. • « * President Wilson at Washington nominated Brigadier General Funston for major general. • « • Secretary of War Lindley M. Garrison in his annual report made public at "Washington earnestly recommends the United States regular army be recruited to its full strength, which means an immediate addition of 25,000 men. He further recommends the formation of a reserve force, composed of men who have served at least a year in the regular army. - *• • • Secretary McAdoo, in his annual report to congress at Washington, outlined the steps taken by the treasury department to restore confidence, weakened by the European war. "A catastrophe of calamitous proportions,” said the report, “was narrowly averted.” • • • The total documented merchant shipping of the United States on June 30, 1914, comprised 26,943 vessels of 7,928,688 gross tons. “This tonnage is the largest in our history,” says Secretary of Commerce Redfield in his annual report at Washington. • • • The eleventh annual convention of the National Rivers and Harbors congress was opened at Washington. • • • President Wilson placed himself in formal opposition to the inquiries into army and navy preparedness proposed by Representative Gardner of Massachusetts. Senator Lodge of Massachusetts introduced in the senate at Washington a resolution creating a special committee of three senators, three members of the house and three civilians to make an investigation of the condition of the defenses of the continental United States. The nation’s military and naval expenses during the fiscal year, not including certain fixed expenses, would amount to $256,421,357, compared with $251,284,167 during the current year, under plans of the administratioh as embodied in estimates submitted to congress at Washington. • • * European War News Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick C. D. Sturdee's cruiser squadron engaged the German squadron of Von Spee,sunk its flagship, the armored cruiser Scharnhorst of 11,420 tons, its sister ship the Gneisenau, and the light cruiser Lqips'ig of 3,200 tons. The light cruisers Nuernberg and Dresden escaped. Two colliers were captured by the British. Some survivors of the Gneisenau and Leipsig were rescued. Admiral yon Spee is believed to have gone down with his ship. One thousand five hundred of crews perished. The battle was fought off Falkland islands in the South Atlantic. • « • The grand order of the kaiser has been posted in all towns of Germany announcing that the second line of landsturm must be ready for active service December 20. I* * * 1 Taking advantage of the preoccupation of the Germans in the east, the ; allied French, Belgian and British forces have begun an offensive movement in the west. The allies are now virtually in possession of the left i bank of the Yser canal, and in northern France. • *' * • Brig. Gen. Christian Frederick Beyers, one of the leaders of the rebellion t in the Union of South Africa, has been shot, it is officially announced at I Johannesburg, and is believed to be dead. • ♦ • There is a report the Germans have kept the pick of their western army in the Aisne valley, whence at an opportune moment they can hurl it against the French lines and make another effort to get through to Paris. • * • A dispatch from Sluis reports that the allies have recaptured Dixmude. • • •? Five bombs have been dropped by German aviators on Dover, England, only 60 mHes from London. No damage reported. • • • i Lady Decies (formerly Miss Vivian Gould, daughter of George Gould of New York), who is a Red Cross worker, at Dunkirk, France, was struck in the shoulder by a splinter of iron from a\bomb thrown by a German aero. t• • ♦ The Turkish cruiser Hamidieh has struck a mine and returned to Constantinople considerably damaged. • • • The Germans claiip to have taken upward of 100,600 prisoners when they captured Lode.

rnree German mercnantmen were sunk by British or Japenese warships off the coast of Terra Del Fuego, the' southernmost extremity of South America, according to advices re- ] ceived at Buenos Aires. The earl of Annesley was shot down by Germans while making a reconnoissance in an aeroplane over Ostend. Both Lord Annesley and Lieutenant Beever, who accompanied him in the aeroplane, were killed. • * Personal The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor is on its way across the sea from the president of France to Myron T. Herrick in recognition of Mr. Herrick’s services to the French people while American ambassador to France. ♦ ♦ ♦ Maj.-Gen. William Wallace Wotherspoon, who retired as chief of the United States army on November 16, has been selected by Governor-elect Whitman of New York to be state superintendent of public works for New York. General Wotherspoon is sixty-three years old. ♦ • • William W. Rockhill, the distinguished American diplomat, died at Honolulu. Mr. Rockhill was en route to China. He was suffering from a , severe cold. He was en route to Peking to become adviser to Presi“dent Yuan Shi Kai. He was sixty years old. • • • Mrs. Susan H. Stetson Fletcher, wife of Rear Admiral Frank K. Fletcher, now in command of the Atlantic fleet of the United States navy, is a patient at the Presbyterian hospital in Chicago. • * * Congressman A. J. Sabath, chairman of the Democratic county central committee, is ill at his home in Chicago. Members of his family are alarmed over his condition. ♦ ♦ ♦ Mexican Revolt American troops have been ordered to stop the firing of warring Mexican' factions across the border at Naco, Sonora, into the Arizona town of that name, in which five persons have been killed and 44 wounded. Gen. Tasker H. Bliss was ordered to Naco to take over command of the situation from Colonel Guilfoyle. * ♦ ♦ General Carranza of Mexico has ordered the seizure of all the rail- : roads, stations and terminals and all telegraph and telephone lines within . the territory dominated by his govern- , ment. They will be operated under his direction. Foreign Just how serious is the illness of Kaiser Wilhelm 11, emperor of Ger- , many, is shrouded in considerable ( mystery. There are persistent unofficial and unconfirmed reports indirectly from Berlin that the emperor is a > victim of pneumonia. I The American Christmas ship Jason, bearing gifts to the war orphans ; of Europe, arrived at Genoa from Mar--4 seilies. Her commander was welcomed by representatives of the Italian government, which has furnished a special train to take the gifts to Austria and Germany. |• • • i Emperor Yoshihito opened the diet at Tokyo. • * ♦ i The Swedish state railways have in- . vited tenders from America for a total quantity of 130,000 tons of coal to be delivered between „ January and I March, 1915. This is the first time ' American coal has been allowed to compete for Swedish state requirements. L’• ” i Domestic | Fire destroyed virtually the entire main plant of the Edison company at I West Orange, N. Y., causing damage estimated at $7,000,000. The laborai tory building, containing valuable scientific machinery was saved. • * . • Mrs. Ella Flagg Young was re--elected superintendent of schools of Chicago. I Leo M. Frank was resentenced in superior court at Atlanta, Ga„ to be hanged January 22 for the murder of Mary Phagan. ♦ ♦ * Two men were burned to death after being injured and 100 passenger injured when two elevated trains collided in New York city. The Colorado coal strike has been called off, effective December 10. This action was taken by the convention of District No. 15 of the United Mine Workers of America by a unanimous vote at Denver, Colo. » * ♦ The Prohibition party has nominated John H. Hill for mayor of Chicago. Thomas Clapp, twenty years old, confessed to the St. Louis police that he murdered David and Adam Brown, two brothers, who were found dead in their home near Tamms, 111. He also implicated his nephew, , Lester Moody, sixteen years old. The Rockefeller foundation of New York already has spent about one million dollars for the relief of the starving population of Belgium. The foundation further "is ready to spend millions of dollars, if necessary, In this direction.’*