POLK COUNTY NEWS, TRYON, N. C
IMPORTANT NEWS
THE WORLD OVER
IMPOKTANT HAPPENINGS OF THIS
AND OTHER NATIONS FOR:
SEVEN DAYS GIVEN
'
IKE NEWS CF THE SOUTH
What Is Takirg Place In The South-
land Will Be Found
Brief Paragraphs
Domestic.
The public will be asked soon by
the government to broaden its list of
war sacrifices to include electric lights
and gas as a means of saving fuel.
The ftel administration frankly has
warned the nation that the visible sup
ply of coal will not cover the needs of
war industries, householders and pri
vate industries.
The president is said to have taken
the position that while he would have
preferred precipitation of the prohibi
tion question in separate legislation,
he will not, at this time, interfere in
the matter, or so long as it does not
hold up final enactment of the emerg
ency agricultural bill.
The country may be prepared to hear
that the United States government
has declared war on Turkey as a re
sult of the Turkish attack on the Amer
ican consulate and an American mis
sionary hospital at Tabriz, Persia.
It is stated that the war department
will ask congress to provide facilities
for training foreign forces on Amer
ican soil. This is given out authori
tatively, and it is stated that the sol
diers will come from some nations
in the western hemisphere.
Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, in
charge of Confederate reunion ar
rangements, which, this year, will be
held September 24, in Tulsa, Okla., an
nounces that a rate of one cent a mile
with a thirty-day stop-over has been
granted by Director General McAdoo.
Thirty-four soldiers were injured,
five probably fatally, near Selby, Tex
as, about fifteen miles east of Waco,
Texas, .when a St. Louis and South
western train carrying E and F com
panies, 80th field artillery, outward
bound from Camp Arthur, was wreck
ed while passing over a wooden
bridge.
Washington.
The leading. American ace in the
French flying corps, First Lieut. Frank
L. Baylies of New Bedford, Mass., is
missing after an unequal fight with
four German machines.
Extension t6v all naval districts of
an offer of $1,000 reward for informa
tion leading to the location of an en
emy submarine base on the Atlantic
coast, it is thought, will stimulate
vigilance on the part of the people
living in the vicinity of unfrequented
bays and inlets.
Sinking of the American steamer
Schurz in collision with the American
steamer Florida off the North Caro
lina coast is announced by the navy
department. One seaman was killed,
but .all others" of the crew were saved.
A credit of $15,790,000 has been ex
tended by the United States govern
ment to Greece.
Lieutenant Doane, with a private.
proceeded through a heavy barrage
in the fighting around Xivray to an
American strong point, which was vir
tnaiiv Biirrnunriori hv th0 cr i
- - w V V X. V KfJ - V V 11V iii J . lit -
went to the aid of a wounded Ameri
can officer being taken across No
Man's Land. Together with several
privates the Germans were driven off
and the officer, Lieutenant Shaw, was
rescued.
Postal inspectors arrested a number
of traveling agents of the Western repcrts serious rioting in Vienna, Aus
Union Telegraph company on trains tria-
between Boston, New York, Philadel-1 R-ePrts from various neutral coun
phia, Baltimore and Washington and ; tries tel1 of bread riots ia Vienna, Aus
seized suit cases they were carrying M-1"1' and tel1 of tne cavalry being sent
tilled with messages fired for trans-1
mission by telegraph.
t -The total allied credits in the United.
..States is $5,970,340,000. j
American soldiers are now holding i
the fighting line for a distance of 38
miles on the western European front.
This mileage H held by "all-American"
forces.
r A bilLgranting broad powers to Pres-
ident Wilson to prescribe charter ,
rates and freight tariffs for all vessels !
to control the chartering of foreign !
ships and to issue orders for complete
government control of the merchant
marine as a means of keeping it in
war service was passed by the house
and has gone to the senate.
Joseiph F. Rutherford and seven oth
er defendants, followers of the late
"Pastor" Russell, were found guilty
of conspiring to violate the espionage
law by a jury ih the federal court in
New York City.
No exemption from the army draft
will be asked hereafter for clerical
employees of the navy department.
Provost Marshal General Crowder
says three million men will be under
arms by August 1.
Establishment of an a'r route to
Europe from the United States in or
der to bring the full force of American
effort in the air to bear against Ger
many .has been decided upon as a
definite project by the British air
council.
Should congress decide that it is
necessary at thistime to extend the
draft age limits either below 21 or
above 30, or both, no opposition will
be offered by the war department.
A bill by Senator France of Mary
land to extend the draft to men from
la to 45 is now before the senate mili
tary committee.
A passenger ship from a Panama
port arrived at "an Atlantic port" af
ter being chased by a submarine 180
miles south of New York. There were
fifty-seven passengers on board. The
U-boat finally disappeared. :
The Americans in France squeezed
the Germans out of a salient two-thirds
of a mile in depth and the same dis
tance in width west of Torcy, six miles
to the northwest af Chateau Thierry.
Private James A. Donahue, who, was
taken prisoner eight days ago, in the
Sighting around Chateau Thierry, es
caped and joined his command. He
declares that a few other American
Prisoners are compelled by the Huns
to worK in me irunt lines.
The Germans operating against the
Americans are reported to be burying
their dead, twenty in a grave, in cross
wise layers.
The reclassification of selective ser
vice men who have secured deferred
classification will bring at least 250,000
additional men to class one, it is esti
mated by General Crowder.
The provost marshal general has or
dered the local boards to discontinue
issuing numbers of convenience to men
who were late in registering and the
national lists will stand as of June 18.
The drawing will be made public and
probably will be held in the capltol.
Plans for extending the scope of the
investigation which the department of
agriculture is making into conditions
surrounding the cotton market were
discussed at a conference between rep
resentatives of the department and
Southern senators and representatives.
Charles J. Bland, chief of the bureau
of markets, intends to call representa
tives of the New York and New Or
leans cotton markets before him in
an effort to ascertain the reason for
the wide difference between the quo
tations for middling futures and mid
dling spots. Senator Smith of South
Carolina had called his attention to
the fact that on June 17 there was a
difference of about $15 a bale in those
quotations, and there was no reason
for this apparent disparity.
The carefully rehearsed German at
tack on the American positions in the
village of Xivray was broken up very
largely by machine gun and rifle fire.
The German attack was made for the
purpose of taking prisoners.
At a point north of Xivray the Ger
mans recently captured an American
machine gun after killing or wounding
the crew, but five minutes later the
gun was recaptured, and, in the subse
quent fighting, the Americans took a
light machine gun which the enemy
had brought up in the attack.
, "I am persuaded that this young
man will take the restored opportunity
of his forfeited life as a challenge to
devoted service in the future." With
these words, President Wilson par
doned Jeff Cook and Forest D. Se
bastian, sentenced to death for sleep
ing on sentinel post in the face of the
enemy.
European.
The barrier the Italians and their
allies have raised along the great bat
tle arc from the Asiago plateau to the
sea remains almost insuperable to the
Austrians.
Little fighting of moment is in prog
ress in the mountain region of Italy,
but all along the Piave battles of great
violence are in progress, with the in
vaders meeting resistance upon which
they had not counted, and being stead
ily pressed back toward the western
bank of the overflown river.
Fresh rains have forced the Piave
river well out of its banks and the
question of sending Austrian rein-
forcements to the western side- has
become a critical one.
General Seinenoif's force of Cossacks
in Siberia has been defeated by the
Bolsheviki troops, and are rearing
into Chinese territory.
An Amsterdam dispatch to London
LO esiore oraer
Heavily censored private messages
received in Stockholm indicate thatH
peace demonstrations were recently
held in Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne
and that several workmen were killed
and many persons arrested.
More than one hundred thousand
persons have gone on strike in the
-Vulcan arsenal and the Warschalowski
airplane works in Vienna.
Rioting is reported in Favoriten,
Margarethen, Ottakring and Brigitto-
nia suburbs ot Vienna.
Because Germany cannot aid Austria
in her bread shortage, the Germans
have been put on short rations.
il is stated that the people of Aus
tria will have to exist on little more
than salads and vegetables for more
than six weeks.
Austria are reported, and the police
are frequently called upon to quell
mobs.
The transport Santa Anna, proceed
ing from Bizeerta for Malta, is report
ed to have been torpedoed on the night
of May 10-11, and six hundred lives
are said to have been lost.
The burgomaster of Vienna's re
quest for dried vegetables to make up
for the lack of bread being refused,
he informed the premier that it was
impossible for him to preserve order
in the capital.
river and push back the Italian troops.
The Austrian war office claims the
capture of thirty thousand Italian pris
oners and war munitions galore, but
so far the claim has not been con
firmed by allied commanders.
Captain Persius, a German expert
military critic, says the submarine hai
been a failure. He says that from the
beginning the U-boat wu a mistake
: " : T H , Mwrams
1 Battleship in Vladivostok harbor from which the Japanese
Arrival at the front In France of a train; with heavy American guns,
of a mountain precipice where severe fighting has been going on. x
NEWS REV EW OF
THE PAST WEEK
Austria's Great Offensive in
North Italy Proves to Be
an Utter Failure.
STOPPED WITH HUGE LOSSES
Revolt Spreading Fast in the Dual
Kingdom Powerful German At
tack on Reims Completely
Repulsed Draft Age Lim
it to Be Extended.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD.
Austria's record of never winning
when she goes into battle unaided by
the Germans was magnificently sus
tained last week. Stnrting the long
heralded offensive with nearly all the
forces at his command. Field Marshal
von Borevic made a desperate effort
to force his way across the Piave and
down Into the. Venetian plains, with
Trevlso, Bassano and then Veronu as
his objectives. His men were given
postcard maps with the route and
schedule marked, and were urged to
do their utmost in order that they
might get the plentiful food In the
"promised land." Approximately a
million Austrian soldiers assailed the
Italian lines from Asiago to the Adri
atic, but King Victor Emmanuel's
splendid army vas everywhere ready
to meet them. At the western or
mountain end the enemy made no
progress at aH, being mowed down
In masses that fairly blocked the road
ways and passes. All attacks on the
Ajlago plateau, which is of great im
portance because of Its easy ap
proaches from the Austrian, side,
were beaten off by the British under
Lord Cavan, and the enemy's attempts
on Monte Grappa were no more suc
cessful. It was between these points,
down the Brenta and Frenzela val
leys, that the Austrians hoped to push
the west point of a pincer's move
ment that should flank Trevlso and
the entire line to the coast.
The high land at Montello was the
scene of most sanguinary fighting and
the enemy made some headway there
for a day or two, but gained little save
a shocking casualty list. Further
east, at various points, the Austrians
were able to force crossings of the
Have by means of bridges construct
ed under covr of gas and smoke
shelling, but after getting across the
troops found themselves in traps
Troiij which they could not escape
with their lives, for the batteries of
the allies, on the higher ground had
them at their mercy. Only near the
extreme eastern end of the line, be
tween the Zenson loop and the Adrla
atic, did Borevic's forces achieve any
thing that resembled success. There
they pushed far enough south of the
Piave to reach the Fossalta canal,
and Vienna claimed this was crossed.
Here the enemy was about ten miles
from Venice, but the resistance of the
Italians was so determined tfint no
anxiety was felt for that city's safety.
Before the week closed the enemy In
that region had been driven back.
Most of the pontoon bridges wore
swept away by the swollen Piave.
In a word, the great Austrian offen
sive, up to the close of the week, was
an absolute failure and was admitted
to be such by captured officers and
by some of the Vienna newspapers.
Thr Italian army, never in better
condillon than now. fought with the
utmost gallantry and spirit, and was
ably aided by the British and French
contingents. Mention must be made,
too, of the Americans, for an esca
dillle of American aviators, trained In
Italy, went to the front and gave
notable help In driving the Austrian
aviators from the nlr.
fci x
Defeat In Italy may mean absolute
disaster to the Austro-IIungnrian env
pir. for Its heterogeneous peoples al
ready are beginning to rebel nguinst
the rule that has brought them to the
verse of starvation, has claimed the
lives of hundreds of thousnnds of
their men. and has given them noth
ing but false promises of victory. In
had
3
ma'fry parts of the empire the dis
tressed people are rising against the
authorities, and in Vienna itself on
Wednesday a great and hungry mob
looted shops, stoned the residence of
the premier and even attacked the
Hofburg palace, in protest against the
redaction of the bread ration. The
foo4 -"controller Is helpless, admitting
that'; the empire's wheat Is exhausted
and ithat the grain supplies from Rou
manja are small and of Inferior qual
ity.! In Lemburg, Budapest and
Prague also there were serious food
riots, and all through the empire
signal were plentiful that the people
were-, ready to revolt If they were
not. Jjiven-a speedy peace and bread.
It would appear that the time Is
about ripe for the long predicted up
rising of the oppressed nationalities
of ustro-Hungary the Bohemians,
the Southern Slavs and the Poles. The
Gerjufnns expect and fear this event,
and tof course would step In to sup
press, it by force of arms. But even
If it were not wholly successful it
wouij create a diversion in the midst
of "Ilttel Europa" that would do
much- to hasten the final victory of
the allied nations over Germany.
a
Onfy one operation of moment took
placet on the western front last week.
This wns a powerful assault on the
allied troops guarding Reims, deliv
ered y the army of thet crown prince.
. About 40,000 Germans took part in
fhe attack, which was preceded by a
terrific bombardment. The enemy
charged from the village of Vrigny,
southwest of Reims, and all around
the lcfpp to La Pompelle, the fortified
stronghold on the east. The struggle
was yjiolent in the extreme, but the
Germans were everywhere repulsed
with fery heavy losses. Only in the
SUlepry wood southeast of the city
.did t6e enemy gain a foothold, and
prom pi" counter-attacks by the French
threw him back from that to his old
positions. A great many German
prisoners were taken. They said they
had been ordered to take Reims at
any est. The fact that the attack
was n-t renewed by the crown prince
was ttken to indicate the exhaustion
of histroops.
f" JBi
Military experts in France believe
anothejr battle will be begun soon by
the GetriTans, possibly on the road to
Calais or between Montdidier and
Chatoatt Thierry across the Oise and
Alsne 0 the 'Marne. If they select
the latter sector the Americans will
again lie in the thick of the fighting.
Those f)bys did not have a great deal
to do Hist week, though they carried
out sope successful raids and re
pulsed .every one made against their
lines. From the south side of the
Marne fhey sent several patrols across
the rivr in boats, in each Instance
killing numbers of the enemy and
bringing back prisoners. Moreover,
not a single German patrol has ever
been permitted to cross the Marne to
the American side.
J?
The var departmenFHn Washington
was strongly urged last'week to send
a forces; of Americans to Italy, not
only tohelp In the fighting but espe
cially t demonstrate to the Italian
armies Ithat America Is ready to aid
their country to the limit, thus coun
tenictlrijh the extensive anti-American
prop:gaf)da carried on of late in Italy.
The diplomatic representatives of
Italy hejre thought it would be a wise
ni ve. and Secretary Paker intimated
T!un-sd:iy;that American soldiers would
soon be fiahting on the Piave front.
Appeals; for an allied army in Si
beria are growing louder daily, and
crTMi;'b'rts in what once was Russia
are becoming steadily more favorable
for such action. The bolshevik power
is waning, though the .Leninites still
control the arms and supplies in most
of the centers of population. In west
ern Siberia the Czecho-SIovaks have
joined forces with the counter revolu
tionists ; Tomesk and other towns have
been occupied and a government set
up. At Kiev a great revolt has bro
krfT out 40.000 armed and organized
peasants are participating and the
movement has spread to the Poltava
and Tchi?mlgov districts! There is
much street fighting, and the revolu
tionists ! have destroyed artillery
stores, -f
Doctor Ma sr.vkv the Bohemian lead
er, conferred with . President Wilson
oncemlng the plans for getting out
of Siberia the 50,000 Czecho-Slovaks
Western Newspaper Union ::.-J
just landed a force of marines 2
Italian . soldiers on a road on the - side
who wish to join the allies. Most of
them are armed and organized. We
may yet have the chance to see these
sturdy fighters, formerly our foes by
compulsion, passing in triumph
through the United States on their
way to join the other armies of free
dom. .
The senate committee on military
affairs adopted an amendment to the
army appropriation bill authorizing the
president to raise a volunteer legion
of Slavic residents of the 'United
States for service in "any field of ac
tion." Mr. Wilson approved the
amendment. ,
isa
Word was received that the Turks
on June 14 occupied and looted
Tabriz, the second city of Persia, took
possession of ! the American and Brit
ish consulates there over the protests
of the Spanish consul who was in
charge of them, and sacked the-American
hospital,! over which the Spanish
flag was flying. If the report is veri
fied, Turkey has committed an 'act of
war against the United States, and a
declaration of war by this country
against the forte may be the result.
Many senators and representatives
have favored j such action for a long
time and their position Is strengthened
by the recent occurrence. Th formal
Inclusion of Bulgaria also among, our
enemies probably would follow1mme
d lately. - Thus would come to an end
the incongruous state of affairs which
has permitted the Turkish and Bul
garian diplomats to remain in this
country free to gather such informa
tion as; they could and transmits to
their allies and our enemies. The
well infprmedj have given up the hope
that Turkey might be induced to with
draw from the war, since she has
been given part of the spoils of Rus
sia. ;
S S3 '
The "submarines operating in the
west Atlantic iave sunk several more
neutral f e-ssels, but there is reason to
believe that one or two of themhave
been destroyed in encounters ' with
armed steamers. A Venezuelan jour
nalist who was driven from taraca
admits there are German U-boat
bases In Venezuela. The raids' off the
American coast are declared by
American naval headquarters in 'Eng
land to mean that the submarine cam
paign is a fajlure, the enemy's only
chance of employing the limited rium
ber of his U-boats successfully being
to concentrate their operations t oc
the focal points of allied trade. ; It
was stated that today sufficient ton
nage is available to meet allied de
mands and it is constantly growing
larger. f .
The Br'tlsh! make the welcome an
nouncement tjiat 21 German destroy
ers.and a; large nniber of submarines
and oilier, craft are penned up In the
Bruges canal locks us a result of the
recent" blocking operations at Zee
brugge. Tliee vessels are constant
ly subjected' tjo bombing by the naval
aviators. '
The departjmen. of justice uncov
ered last week a gigantic conspiracy
between nir.njufacturers and contrac
tors' agents n solicit government wai
orders under (agreements to pay com
missions illegally to the agents. Hun
drcds of o tilers throughout the coun
try were raided and papers seized.
The department said the commission
agents would
all contracts
their aid wei
be prosecuted, and that
made by them or with
e subject to annulment
by the government.
I PSS-
So insistentjis becoming the demand
for a more complete mobilization- of
America's map power that extension
of the draft ige limits probably will
not be postponed until the winter -session
of congtss. Provost; Marshal
General Crowder urges that the law
be amended immediately to take in
nil between the ages of eighteen and
forty-rive years, and Secretary of War
Baker says he will recommend such
an amendment if submitted by the
senate or house. General ,Crowdei
told the military affairs committee
that the legislation ts needed at onf
if we Intend tb do anything this ycat
He not only wants more fighrlnt
men. but also he desires to extend the
"work or fight" order so that th'er
will be virtual conscrintlon of lutwu.
for wnr industries. His plans 'Woul;1
paviira fha '
stration of four or flvt
qualified for militar
million men
service.
:' -
COMPLETE DEFEM
WlH AWFUL LIS
A SIGNAL DEFEAT 0F Au
ON ITAL.AN FRONT ON pJ
RIVER INFLICTED,
45,000 PRISONERS ARE TftKEN
In AriHitinn tn D
w r 1 'toners. I n
sses i.
Men Kill.aH
- "u mounded L
und
re
Enormous
The defeat of the Ar;nri
w .all Prtv,:.
on the western bank of
is complete. Admissii
the Austrian war offir-f
" driver
in H made hv
that the , '
of Emperor Charles have i,PPn f' ?5
to evacuate the Montello TlH
which they had hoped m pre 't'''er
way and gain the Venetian pialn,
"some sectors' of the positions".
attained last week on the bank of t?
ucwvYccn cut; piateau and th
point where the stream enipt i,
the Adriatic. nt0
Bad weather and the rising 0f th
Piave under the heavy rainfalls &l
assigned as the reasons for the with
drawal of the Austrians But the
Rome war office asserts that it
the impetuous attacks of the Italians
that brought about the failure of an
operation which was started with the
intention of crushing the armies of
General Diaz and forcing the Italians
like the Russians, to accept a Teu
tonic allied peace. !
All along jthe river the Italians have
pressed back the invaders of their
territory until only small units remain
on the western bank, and across the
stream Kijg Victor Emmanuel's men
are keeping well on the heels of the
retreating enemy who is fleeing in
disorder. Again the cavalry has been
thrown into the fighting and is sorely
harassing the enemy, while machine
guns from the ground and from air
craft, some of the latter operated by
American aviators, are working havoc
among the fleeing Austrian columns.
The losses to the army are describ
ed as enormous, both in men killed,
wounded and made prisoner. An offi
cial statement from Rome to the Ital-,
ian embassy in Washington asserts
that the Austrians have lost 45.000
men in prisoners alone. The Italian
war office communication mentions
only 40 000 Austrians as having been
captured, , but it is probable that this
communication antedated that sent to
the embassy and that the captives in
the hands of the Italians greatly ex
ceed this figure.
The probability that this is true is
enhanced by the fact that the river
was swollen out of bounds and most
of the few bridges that had not been
carried away by the freshet had been
shot to pieces by the Italian guns,
compelling the enemy eit-her to sur
render or take his chances of being
able to swim the turbulent stream.
So hurried was the retrograde
movement , of the Austrians at seme
points that they did not take time
even to attempt to save their guns
and scores.
As yet there has been no sign that
the enemy purposes again to renew
at an early date another offensive in
the mountain region, notwithstanding
the fact that reports emanatin? from
Switzerland have said that he was
bringing up large reinforcements and
great quantities of supplies along the
front behind the lines from the Swiss
iorder to upper reaches of the P:ave.
THREE MILLION DOLLARS
LOST BY GERMAN PLOTTERS
New York. German plots to htf?
enemv assets under the1 cloak of Am-
' erican corporations organized or loan
ed for the. purpose was revealed here
1 when A. Mitchell Palmer, alien P'Cf
: erty custodian, took over three German-owned
concerns with nn ecerp
' gate capitalization of $3.f,no.oon
! The, companies in the group taken
' over today .were Dieckcrhoff. pat
: & Co., importers and marufactur-?
; notions, at 560 Broadway ; Half'0"'
Erbsloh & Co., cordage manufacture--.
of the same address, with P 1
Co.. 4
Cuba, and the American Sror
of Havana.
i AMERICANS IN POSSESSION
OF BELLEAU ww-
Washimrron. With th
forces 'on the Marne. -Arr'p
troops on the Marne front i :
the western part of BeHeau y
Americans cleared this stra?!tI!'
m .it -.., n c. rani llfl'
icr.n
ured
T h P
prisoners and took ve mach'.iv ?
i lie V x l 3 xxv rw v- -
V1S
sion of the wods. The
ucguu Willi a uca;
which ' the Americans went over
most immediately.
MAJ. TH EO ROOSEVELT, JR-
CITED FOR GALLANTRY
Washinton. With the Amer
Army in France. Major Thee
Roosevelt, Jr.. has been cited b
eneral commanding tne u
which his unit is attached tor
con-
during
CmiMirma era 11 a ntrv" in action,
fhe operations connected with the -lure
and subsequent defense or
igny. 0j
In addition, 132 other members
he First division and two entire
.eries of field artillery are
cited
I1 .