IMPORTANT NEWS
THE WORLD OVER
IMPORTANT HAPPENINGS OF THIS
AND OTHER NATIONS FOR
SEVEN DAYS GIVEN
THE NEWS JOF_ THE SOUTH
What Is Taking Place In The South,
land Will Be Fourd In
Brief Paragraphs
Foreign
The American mission headed by
Maj. Gen. James G. Hobord, on his
arrival in Kars, found the same un
settled conditions as throughout Tur
key except for less intensity of law
lessness and fighting.
A Stockholm message says a ter
rific bombardment by the British fleet
in the Gulf of Finland preceded the
capitulation of the great Russian for
tress and naval base at Kronsadt.
An official Russian statement con
firms the capture of Gatchina and
Krasnala Gorka on fhe coast of the
gulf of Finland by aeneral Yudenitch.
Reports of the capture of Petro
grad and Kronstadt by northwestern
Russian forces have not been con
firmed, though the reports are gener
ally credited in Sweden.
British authorities have received no
confirmation of the report of the en
try of General Yudenitch's forces into
the suburbs of Petrograd.
Return of railroads to private own
ership not later than December 31,
1919, is urged in a resolution adopted
by the National Association of Rail
way and Utilities Commissioners at
the closing session of its anual con
vention at Indianapolis, Ind.
A gang of seven men traveling in
an automobile robbed the First Na
tional Bank of Roselle, N. J., shot a
policeman in a duel in which one of
the robbers also was wounded, and es
caped with about $7,000 of the bank's
cash.
Six German merchant ships have
been captured by the British torpedo
boat destroyer Westcott, which took
them to Reval, says a London dis
patch. .
Allied cruisers are aiding in the de
fense of Riga against German at
tacks, which for five days have been
incessant and stubborn. Riga is be
ing bombarded by the enemy. The
Germans are bombarding the unforti
fied town of Riga. Cruisers belonging
to the allied powers are participating
in the defense.
A military convention has been con
cluded with Esthonia, the effects of
which are already to be seen in the
assistance of the Esthonians at Riga.
A wireless communique from Gene
ral Denikine claims further victories
against the Bolshevists in the direc
tion of Orel.
A dispatch from Berlin says that
60,000 Letts have been landed at Li
bau from British warships and will at
tack the flank of Col. Avaloff-Ber
mondt's troops.
Riga has suffered considerable
damage from the bombardment of the
German-Russian troops, especially in
the district near the railroad. The
enemy's attempts to cross the bridge
were repelled.
Domestic
Siberia is threatened with one of
history's greatest typhus epidemics.
The cases of typhus among Siberian
troops since January 1 have aggre
gated 120,000, and since July 1 40,000.
New cases now number thousands
daily.
The Cuban congress convened in ex
traordinary session to consider the
question of ratification or rejection of
the peace treaty with Germany. Both
senate and house referred the docu
ment to their committees on foreign
relations.
The German government's reply to
the demands of the allies concerning
the evacuation of the Baltic provinces
has been handed to Marshal Foch.
The reply points out that General von
der Goltz, the former German com
mander in the Beltic regions, has been
recalled and repudiates any warlike
Intentions.
British merchant vessels lost
through enemy action during the war
totaled 7,759,090 gross tons, it was
offcially announced. Submarine ac
tion was responsible for the loss of
6,635,659 tons of this total. The loss
of 14,287 lives was involved in these
sinkings.
Austria's national assembly met for
consideration of the peace treaty
framed by the peace conference at
Paris and signed at St. Germain Sep
tember 10 last. The treaty was re
ferred to a special committee, the gov
ernment program being carried out in
an uneventful session.
Inclusion in the permanent railroad
legislation of a provision to penalize
strikes of railroad employees was de
cided upon by the senate interstate
commerce committee by a vote of 14
to 1.
Col. Rudloph Medek, chief of the mu
reau of military affairs and represen
tative of the Czecho-Slovak ministry
of war in Siberia, who is in Wash
ington, charges that the Czecho-Slo
vak army is the prey of speculators,
and is seeking the aid of the United
States in getting the soldiers back
tome.
Needs of American farmers, includ
ing recognition of the right of the
farming class to remuneration on the
basis of the number of hours per day
of work, will be laid before the
international conference when it
raronvetes ia Washington.
The world cotton conference came
into permanent organization in New
Orleans when a report submitted by
the committee on organization was
adopted. Resolutions requesting con
gress to place $1,000,000,000 at the
disposal of the war finance corpora
tion for purchasing foreign securities
against debentures to be issued which
would lengthen credits and stabilize
rates of exchange were passed unan
imously by the general committee.
Recommendations of the growers, em
bodying fourteen points, were de
feated when the British spinners ob
jected to the condemnation of selling
cotton on call. Opposition to this
point killed the other thirteen.
The recommendation by American
members of the world's cotton confer
ence that congress place at the dis
posal of the war finance corporation
sufficient funds to permit the corpora
tion to finance the exportation of at
least one million bales of cotton, was
adopted. It was pointed out that the
government had authorized the exten
sion of $1,000,000,000 of credit to
finance experts.
Julius H. Barnes, United States
wheat director, gave public notice that
he would oppose any attempt to ex
tend to another crop the present gov
ernment policy of a guaranteed price
on wheat.
An embargo against the export of
sugar for the next six months under
penalty of ten years' imprisonment
and SIO,OOO fine was proposed in a bill
introduced by Representative Dallin
ger, republican, Massachusetts, in the
national house of representatives.
Military authorities in Chicago are
continuing their investigation into al
leged radical activities in connection
with the explosion of a bomb in the
Chicago postoffice in September, 1918.
Washing-ton
While America "talks and talks
some more," opportunity t' fulfill her
duty to the small states created by
the war awaits the formal re-establish,
ment, says Secretary Redfield of the
department of labor and commerce.
From the elevation of the spirit of
war times, the secretary says, we
have reacted into an apparent orgy
of class selfishness varied by mob vio
lence. He says it seems that America
has made up her mind to let Europe
"go to the devil and the devil take
the hindermost."
Secretary of Commerce Redfield
says Europe can't pay us what she
owes now, and urges extension of the
time for payment. We have the
means of paying ourselves for the
goods we ship, - nd they have not the
means of paying us now.
Foreigners who withdrew their first
citizenship papers to escape service
in the army during the world war
are protected against • deportation by
the United States by treaties with
their countries, Secretary of State
Lansing has informed congress, which
is trying to deport all men who evad
ed the duty required of every Ameri
can citizen.
A provisional division of 5,000 Unit
ed States regulars, assigned for serv
ice in the Amrriean army of occupa
tion in Germany, sailed from Hobo
ken on the transport President Grant.
Saving to the government of a bil
lion dollars a year will result from
the passage of legislation providing
for a national budget, the house appro
priation committee thinks.
The French government is wrought
up over the strenuous wooing by the
American soldiers of French girls,
and has the United States govern
ment "to spank its children and
make them a little more gentle."
The long-debated Shantung amend
ment to the peace treaty, was rejected
in the senate with a majority of an
even score against it. In the vote of
thirty-five to fifty-five, fourteen repub
licans swung over to the pro-treaty
forces, while three democrats lined up
with those supporting the proposal.
Of the six senators absent, two re
publicans were put on record as in
favor of the amendment and one re
publican and three democrats are
opposing it.
While favoring universal military
training, Henry L. Stimson, secretary
of war under President Taft, told the
senate military affairs committee that
the peace-time army of 576,000 officers
and men proposed by the war depart
ment was too large.
Officials of both the state and treas
ury departments emphatically denied
reports from London that the United
States had made a loan of $15,000,000
to the Ukrainian government. Of the
$9,656,419,494.84 in credits established
by the United States in behalf of for
eign nations since April, 1917, none
has gone to Ukraine nor any other
government.
Secretary Glass put his name to a
check for $2,648,309,171.53, said to
have been the largest ever drawn. It
was made payable to the United
States, but did not involve a transfer
of that amount of money. It was
made necessary to account for redemp
tions of cerificates of indebtedness and
other obligations in June.
Doctor Grayson says that the con
dition of President Wilson is very
hopeful, and the treatment has been
simplified for the patient.
Rodman Law is dead at the govern
ment hospital at Camp Sevier. He
was noted for his "dare-devil" feats
and was a brother of Ruth Law, the
aviatrix. Law was 34 years of age.
He has been a patient at the United
States public service hospital for sev
eral months, having been sent to
Greenville from Kelly Field, Texas.
Failure of the government cotton
report, issued some time ago, to rec
ognize the abandonment of fields, is
blamed as causing an estimated yield
of more than ten million bales of cot
ton this year.
THE COURIER, FOREST CITY, N. C.
I—Congestionl—Congestion of freight and express matter in West street. New York, due to strike of the longshoremen. 2
Policemen guarding a car in Oakland, Cal., from a mob of striking traction workers. 3—Col. E. M. Hoase, ill with
the grippe, debarking at New York from the steamship Northern Pacific.
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Cabinet Takes Over Rule of Na
tion Pending Recovery of
the President.
HIS AILMENT NOT REVEALED
Doings of the Industrial Conference—
Army Is Hot After "Reds"—League
of Nations Comes Into Being—
Anti-Bolshevist Armies Closing
In on Soviet Russia.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD.
Because of the certainty that the
resumption of his official duties by
President Wilson will be long delayed,
the cabinet has taken matters into its
own hands and is virtually running
the government. For the first timy
since Mr. Wilson became the chief
magistrate, it is performing the func
tions alloted it by the Constitution.
Each member of the cabinet is handling
all executive matters within its juris
diction, and all other questions that
come up are passed on by the full cab
inet. The most important decisions
are submitted to Mr. Wilson for his
approval, through Admiral Grayson.
Specifically, the industrial and eco
nomic situation which has been
brought to a crisis by the steel strike
is being handled by Secretary Baker.
Secretary of Labor Wilson is looking
after the threatened coal miners'
strike, and Secretary of Agriculture
Houston is doing what he can to avert
the sugar famine.
The president's physicians and ev
erybody at the White House have com
bined to keep from the public the real
character of his illness. Admiral Gray
son told the cabinet what it is, but
pledged it to secrecy. All the people
are permitted to know is contained
in the official bulletins, which report
Mr. Wilson's continued improvement,
with occasional slight set-backs such
as headache, and restlessness due to
swelling of the prostate gland. The
story that he had a lesion of the brain
has been vigorously though unofficially
denied, but it is admitted that his
complete recovery is contingent on
keeping him absolutely at rest in mind
and body. The truth appears to be
that he has had no cerebral attack but
is suffering from a general nervous
and physical breakdown.
Apparently irreconcilable differences
between the several groups are crop
ping out in the industrial conference,
as might have been expected. In the
first place, Mr. Gompers, as head of
the labor group insisted that the con
ference should arrange for arbitration
of the steel strike. His resolution
was doomed to defeat, and the vote
was deferred by order of the confer
ence until the steering committee
should bring in Its report on collective
bargaining. This also was a matter
on which agreement seemed almost
Impossible, for labor insists on the
right of workers to bargain through
the unions and to pick its representa
tives from outside the plant or indus
try If It wishes; while capital declares
the employer should be required to
deal only with committees of his own
employees. Furthermore, capital says
the plant must be recognized as the
unit, while labor demands that the in
dustry be recognized as the unit. In
these questions It seems that capital
has the support of a considerable part
of the public group.
The farmers' representatives, who
are classed among the capitalists, pre
sented a statement of principles in
which these demands of the agricul
turists are set forth:
1. Such returns as will fairly com
pensate them for their capital in
vested, their technical skill, their man
agerial ability, and their manual labor.
2. That they and their families have
social, educational, and political op
portunities equal to those engaged in
other industries.
Attorney General Palmer has been
attacked in congress for his apparent
laxity in dealing with the "red" men
ace In the United States, but if the
department of justice is not doing all
it might in this respect—and it may
be —the army is certainly active and
achieving excellent results. This is
especially true of the central depart
ment under General Wood, which has
to deal with one of the worst regions,
that including Gary, South Chicago
and the surrounding towns. Repeated
raids have been made on the radicals
there, great quantities of their propa
ganda material have been seized and
some of the ringleaders arrested and
held, presumably for deportation, sim-e
they are mostly unnaturalized foreign
ers. The army authorities assert that
the revolutionists, taking advantage
of the steel strike, are trying to or
ganize the workers for an armed re
volt against the government. Colonel
Mapes, in command at Gary, says if
he were to make public the evidence
he has collected, the strike would col
lapse, but the government is not taking
a hand in the situation for the purpose
of breaking the strike.
The steel companies claimed steady
improvement in conditions, from their
standpoint, though the strikers as
serted most of the returning workers
were unskilled. JUien steel men in
large numbers are engaging steamship
passage back to Europe.
Despite their wartime agreement to
work at the present scale until peace
's officially declared or until March 31,
1920, the soft coal miners of the coun
try. about 600,000 in number, have been
ordered out on strike on November 1.
Secretary of Labor Wilson took im
mediate steps to avert the strike, and
at last reports was hopeful of success.
The miners demand a five-day week,
a six-hour day and a general wage in
crease of 60 per cent. The miners now
receive $8 to $lO a day and the mine
laborers $5.
The strike of the longshoremen,
followed by that of the teamsters and
chauffeurs, in New York threatened
the metropolis with a serious food
shortage, for shipments were left to
rot on the docks. The collapse of the
strike was foreshadowed by the vote
of several of the local unions to return
to work, and the firm stand taken by
the railway administration In dealing
with the express company employees.
The League of Nations came into
being on October 13, Great Britain,
France and Italy having ratified the
treaty. Steps were taken at once look
ing to its regular organization, and
goodness knows there is enough for it
to do.
The United States is still outside
the league and the contest in the sen
ate continues unabated. Considerable
time and much vehement language
were devoted last week to debating
the proposed Shantung amendment.
As we expected, it was voted down,
but almost every senator who spoke
in opposition to it, said he favored a
reservation on the same lines. Sena
tor Shields of Tennessee, Democrat,
declared himself in favor of the Lodge
reservations and the Johnson amend
ment giving the United States as many
votes in the league as Great Britain.
The administration forces let it be
known on Wednesday that they were
determined to vote for rejection of the
treaty with the Lodge reservations,
and the opposition at once prepared
to retaliate with a resolution declar
ing the war at an end and restoring
the status of peace.
The entente allies are disturbed
over the American situation because
the many commissions provided for in
the treaty must be organized soon.
The formal exchange of ratifications
of the treaty which will put it into
effect was delayed by the allies in con
sequence.
One of the big jobs of the League
of Nations will be to settle affairs in
the Baltic states. Though General von
tier Goltz submitted to his government
and resigned, a large part of his army
remained in Courland and, with a
force of Russians, has been making
a determined attack on Riga. The
Letts rallied to the defense of the city
and were aided, according to report,
by a British fleet. The most recent
dispatches at this writing say the Rus
so-German forces were being slowly
forced back. The Poles took part in
the scrap, attacking the Germans in the
rear, capturing Kovno and threaten
ing the German lines of communication.
At the same time the anti-bolshevik
armies in Russia were steadily crush-
tng the life out of the soviet govern
ment. Denikine kept up his advance
on Moscow, capturing Orel and other
important points. The army of the
northwest under Yudeniteh took Luga
and pressed on toward Petrogrud,
whose fall was imminent. This army,
it was said, was working in close un
derstanding with Admiral Kolchak
whose Siberian troops were pushing
the bolsheviki back to the European
border. These three commanders have
rejected all overtures from Germany,
maintaining their connection with the
allies.
An official dispatch from Archangel
said the North Russian forces were
pursuing the bolsheviki in the direc
tion of Onega after occupying their
fortified positions along the railroad,
capturing guns and prisoners and de
stroying an armored train. In fact,
they seem to be doing very well with
out the help of the British and Amer
ican troops that were withdrawn.
Meanwhile the British fleet in the
Baltic was very busy. The supreme
council having declared a blockade of
all Russian bolshevik ports, a number
of German vessels were seized. Then
the British warships moved on Kron
stadt. After a severe bombardment it
was evacuated by the bolsheviki and
the fleet entered the harbor. All neu
tral nations have been asked to join
in the blockade of bolshevist Russia.
Lieutenant D'Annunzio seems to
have adopted a more yielding attitude
in regard to Fiume, which he still
holds. He has sent to Premier Cle
menceau an appeal to take the initia
tive in obtaining from the allied gov
ernments a declaration making Fiume
an open port. The present Italian plan
contemplates an independent buffer
state at Fiume with the extension of
Italian control over the strip of coast
from Fiume to Trieste so the new
state shall abut on Italian territory
on that side and not be surrounded
by Jugo-Slavia influence. The dan
ger of war over this problem Is fad
ing. D'Annunzio sent word to Paris
that he had drafted a manifesto urging
both Serbs and Italians to recognize
mutual national rights and to "main
tain the bonds of brotherhood which
have been sealed by blood."
Prices of food throughout the Uni
ted States have fallen almost 25 per
cent, according to Attorney General
Palmer. But housewives, also through
out the United States, are asking why,
if this is true, they are forced to pay
as much as ever or more when they
visit the retail dealer.
The cost of leather and of footwear
has dropped 20 per cent since the mid
dle of August, says the president of
the National Boot and Shoe Manufac
turers' association. But the consumer
is still paying exorbitant prices for
his shoes, and the aforesaid president
explains that the shoes now being man
ufactured at reduced cost will not be
marketed before next April.
The tremendous hullabaloo about
reducing the cost of living and punish
ing the profiteer has dwindled until
it can scarcely be heard with the aid
of a microphone. Just at present the
consumer Is exercised about the sugar
situation which promises to develop
into a famine with 25 cents a pound
or more demanded for the small
amounts of sugar to be had. The do
mestic output Is nowhere near enough,
and it seems most of the Cuban crop is
going to Europe. Dealers blame our
government for this condition because
It limited the wholesale price while
European dealers were willing to pay
anything.
The federal trade commission came
to bat again with another of its reports
attacking the big packers, stating they
now handle more than 200 food prod
ucts not related to the meat indus
try and bid fair to dominate the whole
sale grocery trade, dividing the field
among themselves.
Of course the packers, this time
through Louis B. Swift, declared the
trade commission's figures were great
ly exaggerated and the conciusions
based on them utterly absurd. As us
ual, the "big five" can.supply facts and
figures to uphold their entire inns
-cence, but for some reason the general
public has learned to look askance at
the statistics these gentlemen produce.
This may be due to what the trade com
mission calls "the maze and secrecy
of the packer's methods of conducting
much of his business/'
ITiFIGU IS
RRSTJSSENM
NO PARTICIPATION WILL BE
TAKEN BY UNITED STATES
UNTIL SENATE ACTS.
CANNOT ACCEPT INVITATION
Opinion Is Privately Expressed That
This Decision Will Hasten Final
rtoll Call on the Question.
Washing-ton.—Taking notice of re
ports that the United States might
aid in carrying out provisions or the
peace treaty in advance of the trea
ty's ratification by the senate, the ad
ministration announced that Ameri
can diplomatic and military participa
tion in certain of these provisions
must wait until the senate has acted.
At the state department it was de
clared this government would not
accept the invitation of the supreme
council at Versailles to take a place
immediately on the international com
missions set up by the treaty, and at
the war department it was made clear
that no American troops would he
used without senate sanction to po
lice districts where the treaty pro
vides for plebiscites under the mili
tary supervision of powers.
The two announcements were made
simultaneously and generally were
accepted in the senate, where the
possibility of premature American
participation in the treaty has been
one of the storm centers of criticism
as amounting to an administration
declaration of policy on the subject
Senators on both sides of the treaty
controversy expressed the opinion
privately that the administration
stand would aid in hastening the fi
nal roll call on ratification.
BRITISH DELEGATES TO THE
CONFERENCE DECLINE AID.
Atlantic City, N. J. —British finan
cial delegates to the International
Trade conference, which opened here,
told their American conferees that
they sought no special credit arrange
ments, 01* government intervention
but simply asked that business trans
actions go on as before. This an
nouncement came as a surprise to
the general body of delegates, espe
cially as sub-committees of many for
eign missions asked for American fi
nancial assistance, and set forth that
extension of credits is vitally necessa
ry in order that they might success
fully meet the reconstruction prob
lems of their respective countries.
5,000 EMPLOYES OF BIG
MILK COMPANY ON STRIKE.
New York—About 5,000 bookkeep
ers, stenographers and other clerical
employes of the
Milk company went on strike in New
York city and suburbs, having recent
ly formed the Bookkeepers, Stenogra
phers and Accountants' union, 12,646,
American Federation of Labor. Ac
cording to union officials, some of the
strikers have been paid as low as sl3
a week. A wage increase of 40 per
cent and shorter hours are sought.
FITZPATRICK SAYS HIS
MEN HAVE UPPER HAND
Pittsburgh—The steel strike was
reviewed by the national committee
for organizing iron and steel work
ers at an extraordinary session.
Chairman John Fitzpatrick, of Chi
cago, declared that the beginning of
the fifth week of the struggle found
the strikers in better position than
ever before.
GARY REAFFIRMS STAND,
WHICH IS NO COMPROMISE
Washington —ln his first pronounce
ment before the national industrial
conference, Judge H. Gary, chairman
of the board of the United States
Steel corporation, representative of
the public, reaffirmed his position that
the steel strike "should not be arbi
trated or compromised."
GOVERNMENT ASKS PERMISSION
TO PARTICIPATE IN APPEAL
Washington —Owing to the. import
ance of the question involved, the
government, ta a • motion filed by
Solicitor General King, asked the su
preme court for permission to par
ticipate in the oral arguments in pro
ceedings. appealed from North Caro
lina involving constitutionality » of
the revenue act of 1919 taxing profits
derived from products of child labor.
The motion was taken under advise
ment to be decided later.
RATIFICATION OF THE PEACE
TREATY URGED BY PETITION
Washington.—A petition signed by
1,445 persons circulated by the na
tional committee on churches and the
moral aims of the war, asking for the
immediate ratification of the peace
treaty, without reservations or sucb
amendments as would necessitate if
being sent back for consideration, was
tranmitted to Vice-President Marshall
who presented it in the senate.
Among the signers were former Pres
ident Taft and Alton B. Parker.