Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1917 — News of the Week Cut Down for Busy Readers [ARTICLE]

News of the Week Cut Down for Busy Readers

U. S.—Teutonic War News Captain Rice of the American steamship Mongolia, which arrived at a British port, said that the Mongolia had fired the first gun *of the war for ithe United States and sunk a German submarine. .The. naval gunners *on board made a clean hit at 1,000 yards. The periscope*#®® be shattered. » ♦ • • Twenty steamships, runners of Germany's submarine blockade, arrived in 'the U. S. and thus imide available about 60,000 tons of space for cargo (awaiting means of transportation to (Europe. Four of these vessels are among the largest merchantmen affoat. One is a British craft on tls maiden ■voyage. ♦ ♦ ♦ Lieut. William F. Gresham, U. S. N., fend 11 American bluejackets, survivors of the American armed steamship (Aztec, destroyed on April 1 by a German submarine, arrived In the United States from a foreign port. Lieutenant Gresham declined to discuss the sinking. • • • The French commission has safely landed in the United States. The commission arrived in Washington on board the presidential yacht Mayflower from Hampton Roads. The commission, which includes Marshal Joffre and former Premier Viviani, arrived on board a speedy Csteamshlp of the French line, whitn was convoyed across the Atlantic. * • * From the lips of President Wilson himself Arthur J. Balfour, British secretary for foreign affairs, learned at Washington the grim purpose of the American government and people to employ all their resources to bring the imperial German government to terms. The president made it clear to Mr. Balfour that the United States fully realizes the greatness of the task it has assumed.’, ’ ♦ * * Brazil formally announced she will co-operate, with the United States in .sending munitions and supplies to the allies. » * * The British war mission, headed by. Foreign Secretary Arthur J. BalfoUr, arrived safely in Washington. The object of the commission, Mr. Balfour Said, was “to make co-operation easy and effective between those who are striving with all their power to bring about a lasting peace by the only, means tliint can secure it —namely, a successful war.” ♦

Domestic Fruit'in Illinois is safe with tli<* ex-cepti-m of pouches in the.central counties, according to the weekly crop bulletin issued by the United States Weather bureau at Springfield, ill. 'Minnesota’s public safety commission ordered all saloons, pool halls j arid nrotinn-picitire houses jUg * 011:011 sections of Minnesota closed, as its ; •first war ineasuro.. ♦»* . ; Shipping totaling cargo tonnageland paying tolls of $3,673.2. ►.». tor the year, passed through the I’aTuima canal in P.H'i. it was officially reported at Washingtoii. . j. * * * 1 C. B. I’ost, county agricultural agent of Wisconsin, started to seize till potatoes necessary for seed, lie has hvcn ordered to do this fiy C. I*- Norgord, - state commissioner of agricult tire. lite people cannot, hold the potatoes tor higher prices, ’* said Mr. Post. they will be taken and distributed where needed.” ■* * ■ The federal authorities.-distributed application blanks,, to several hundred German subjects at NevV York who wished permission to leave the country. Most of the Germans, it is understood, intend to go to South America, al-' though a considerable number .have asked permission to return to Germany. if * * More than 200,000 bushels of wheat and a - large wooden grain elevator knoWH as “Elevator A” of the Western Transportation company, owned by ' the Great Lakes Transit corporation, were destroyed by fire at Erie, Pa., with a loss estimated at $600,000. The grain, it is said, was'for the allies. ' * » * - ’ Two men are dead and sour 1 wounded as the result of a pistol fight near Hazard, Ky., said to be the outcome of an old feud. The dead are John B. Faltner and Roscoe Brewer. ..**■*■ ’ Because his wife and mother-in-law persisted in upholding the kaiser while he stood up for America in a war argument, Rev. Robert F. Berry, pastor of the Congregational church in —the Bronx Manor section of Yonkers, N. Y., shot and killed both women. He then committed suicide. A nation-wide movement to enlist an women and children in the food production campaign was set afoot at by the board of managera of the National Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teacher associations.

Washington Secretary McAdoo handed the British ambassador at Washington a treasury warrant for the first loan made to an entente government by the United States under the $7,000,000,000 war finance measure. It was announced at Washington that a heavy over-subscription to the first offering, of the' new government security has resulted in haying the initial issue, which is in 3 per cent treasury certificates maturing .Tune 30, increased from S200,000?000 to $230,000,000. ; ? ? * • • Senator Francis E. Warren of Wyoming, ranking Republican member of the committee on military affairs of the senate at Washington, is convinced the conscription bill will be passed by the senate without change. » • * Food conditions In several of the nations of the entente allies have been reported to the American government at Washington as critical. The entire weight of the administration is being thrown behind the recommendations of Secretary Houston to congress to strengthen the government machinery for controlling the food situation. • • • The personnel of the American commission to Russia has been decided on by President Wilson, It was learned at Washington. It is understood that Elihu Root, Charles R. Crane, Professor Harper of Chicago university and Theodore Rooveselt will be asked to serve on the commission. • • •

Foreign The new anti-government socialist party in Germany precipitated tumultuous disturbances in a meeting of the relchstag, according to Berlin dispatches to Amsterdam. The relchstag adjourned until May 2. • * • The German foreign office, according to a dispatch to London from the Exchange Telegraph correspondent at The Hague, has notified the American correspondents who have remained in Berlin that their presence in Germany Is no longer desirable. ♦ • • Troops dispersed a small crowd that attempted an unfriendly demonstration before the American embassy at Petrograd. Nicholas Lenine, a radical Socialist, recently arrived with a safe conduct through Germany, led the crowd. • • • The government of Argentine has sent to Germany an energetic note demanding complete satisfaction for the sinking of the Argentine sailing ship (Monte, Brotegido. The minister from Argentina is instructed to break off relations immediately if Germany attempts to evade responsibility for the loss'of the vessel. • » » ■•'K ■'

European War News Dunkirk was bombarded by German destroyers. British and French patrol ships ehgagvil the Germans, one of the French torpedo boats beiitg sunk, according to an official announcement made at Paris. * * ♦ An exodus of civilifins from Petrograd is described in a dispatch to the London dlxpress from the Russian capital. One permit office was besieged on Tmsday niortriiig byxSOQ persons. Hu* correspondent says the anxiety to leave the city is generally attributed to the fear of a Germah advance on the capital. • •’* ♦ * Two British destroyers on patrol duty in the English .Channel on the night of April 20 came upon a flotilla of six German dost royers, says a statement issued in London. Then ensued an encounter which will live long in Ihe history of naval engagements. The British destroyers.were the Swift and the Broke*. Although they had received severe damage they returned to port. The Spanish government's note to G ertna ny regarding Ger ma ny's siibnmrine ettmpaigri contains a paragraph , staling that if Germany continues in; its determi iiaf ion to; sink till vessels in order to defend its life, Spain must act for a like reason, •♦ ■ - A German; battleship and cruiser squadron lias left Libtiu. presumably to attempt an attack behind the Russian lines from the Baltic, according to official word to Petrograd from Riga. The ffispatch said that a number of transports, loaded with troops,, i were accompanying the German squadron from Eibau. * » * The battle of Arras, which has been i smoldering for*a week, burst into flaming fury again. The British captured the village of Gaxrelle, together with the hostile trench system of two and one-half miles to the southward as far as the cemetery at Rouex, Guemappe, south of Monchy, as well as Trescault, near Croissiles. Twelve hundred Germans were'taken prisoner. ? * '* * a An official dispatch from Petrograd received by the state department at I Washington stated that there ban be no separate peace between Russia and Germany. “The charge that the imperial administration was planning a separate peace caused its overthrow- and hastened the revolution which * was brief and bloodless.” the dispatch said. The weekly statement of ships sunk as made public at London, shows that 40 Vessels of over 1.600 tons each were sent to the bottom by mines or subjnarines. ' ' ;•