North Carolina Newspapers

VOtf. XCIX-NO. 86. iPflGEITHlTlilKfiillTIOi BEPARRTIOfflAMDMRWTEES,SAYSP Uoyd-George's First Act as Brit ish Prime Minister is to Re ject Teutons' Proposals. XS THE HOUSE OF COMMONS jjeclares That Germany Must First be Prepared to Accede to the Allies' Terms. JOINT REPLY IN FEW DAYS Earl Curzon Announces Policy in the House of Lords. . London, Dec. 19. - The an uouncement in the. house of com mons today by David Lloyd. George, the new prime minister, that the -first act of his administra tion was the rejection of the pro posal of the Central Powers for a peace conference - constituted one of the most momentous scenes irhich the oldest parliamentary veterans had ever witnessed. The new premier declared that before the Allies could give favor able consideration to such an invi tation, they must' know that .Ger many was prepared .to accede to the Allies' ; terms,- giving 'com plete restitution,' full; reparation and effectual guarantees, " and to enter a conf erenceon. the myi Nation ot-riSjSafii herself viclouswithout! "any knowledge of her proposals, "would be putting bur heads -into a noose with the end of the rope in Germany's hands." - : - ' Refers to Belgian "Slavery."- Mr. Lloyd-George ? asserted tbaV at the moment Germany, was penning the note, assuring her conviction as to the rights of other nations, - 6he I was dragging Belgians. Into slavery. He announced that the note 'presented . through Washington-contained no pro posals of terms, but was a paraphrase of Chancellor von Bethmann-Holweg's speech, and that the Allies had sepa rately concluded to reject it, although they had informally exchanged views, and would within a few days present a joint reply. - t Mr. Asquith, the former premier, seconded Mr. Lloyd-George's decision with even stronger wordst and almost at the same moment Earl Curzon was informing the lords" that the govern ment would enter no conference -.that did not guarantee for Europe the free and independent existence 'of nations, great and small. ' - -. '. .- The Marquis of Crewe affirmed the approval of the members qf he late government. , L Day Doubly - Important. The day was a doubly important one for the commons because5 the -new premier unfolded his programme; for wide-reaching war measures and Mr. Asquith closed the last chapter of his nine years of leadership' with an ac counting of his war stewardship. The principal feature of Mr. Lloyd George's programme is a measure for ' national service, matching Germany's latest scheme whereby every citizen K'iU bo liable for enrollment, to per form work for which the authorities consider him best equipped. The premier prefaced his view of the Fituation by the statement that the British did their best In time of danger; that the country could be told unpleasant, and he would give, not a dAik, but a stern view of the outlooK. earl of clrzon announces . . policy in house of lords I London, Dec. 19. "The policy of the nen- government is that the war must ke conducted with the utmost prosecu tion, that there must be -an ample re turn for all sacrifices; that full repar ation must be made . by the enemy; for fr countless crimes, "and security given fiit those crimes will not be repeated end that the sacrifices made shall not have been in vain," said Earl Curzon, a Member of the new war council," in pre ying: the policy of the government Sr the house of lords today. : "The government's , aim :is - that f he Peace of Europe shall be re-established ri the basis of the free and independent Existence of nations great' and ' small, and that as regards this country it shill b free from the menace 'whlch the trl mph of Germany and -the .' German spirit, would entail," he continued. " V "Our answer . to. Germany's i, latest ove must be swift and sure. It 'is not l0a much to ask the people to, -take Pon themselves for, a few months the "''ligations which Germany has impos rl upon herself. The nation is fighting Ior its life, and Is entitled to the best an3 fullest service of .its sonB." - ' "nuaing to the position of Rumania," Lor u v . urzetti saM tYiat Htrmanv'a inn PREMIER'S SPEECH IS NOT REGARDED IN WASHINGTON AS ENDING HOPE FOR PEA CE Officials, However, Are Convinced Now Might Embarrass Any Move for Mediation Later-German Embassy Interprets Lloyd-George's Speech as Opening the Door for Further Discussion. "Washington, Dec. 19. The -first offi cial impression here of Lloyd-George's reply, to the German peace proposals with the announcements of Russia, Italy and France is that it does not foreclose further moves which might look 'to a discussion of peace such as the Central Powers have suggested. This view is held by officials of the ad, minstTation and of the German em bassy, j Official Washington practically is unanimous, however, in -the 'opinion that ;the British premier's speech has shown that-any positive action -by the United States toward mediation, not only would be premature , but might embarrass such action later. , It was stated authoritatively tonight that for the present the United States would act only - as an - intermediary transmitting communications between the belligerents. The German embassy interprets the British premie'r's speech as opening the door to a further discussion, al though the German diplomats, inti mately ; familiar with the aims . and Views pf the Central Powers, make no attempt to fonceal their uncertainty regarding the outcome of such nego tiations. ' They feel, however, that if the note reply nig - to : the:? German ,communicar tion follMvs the tenor of the premier's speech -tire' En tente,; from the Teutonic viewpoints, has done- air expected of it, and has brought thp idea of peace oonterenc one ;ep nerer realization -ib'"Xt' appears from the , British pre-y London, Dec 19. Rising in the house of commons a few minutes after 4 s " . . . o'clock .this afternoon: David Lloyd George, the prime, minister, said: "I appear before the house of com mons today with, the most terrible, re sponsibility that can fall upon the shoulders of any living man, as chief adviser of the crown in the most' gigan tic war in which this country was ever engaged, a war upon the events of which its destiny ; depends.- It is i.he greatest' war ever waged; the burdens are the heaviest that have ,ben capt upon this- or any other country and the' issues the gravest that have been at tached to any conflict in which human ity was ever involved.. -. "The responsibilities of the new gov ernment have been suddenly accentu ated bythe declaration made by the German chancellor. The statement made by him in the Reichstag has been followed by a note presented by the United States without comment. The answer given by this government will be given in full accord with all our allies. . . An Interchange of Views. "Naturally there has been an inter change of views, not upon the note, be cause it has only recently arrived, but upon the speech which impelled it -and the note. Itself is. practically only a reproduction or a paraphrase of the speech the subject matter of the. note itself has been discussed informally be tween the Allies. I am glad to be able to state that we separately 'and inde pendently arrived at identical conclus ions. ' ' J fc ' ' "I am very glad that the flrst an swer given to th! statement of the Ger man chancellor was given by France and Russia. They liave the unquestion able right to give the first answer to such an invitation. The enemy is still on their soil and their sacrifices have been the greater. "The answer they have given has al ready appeared in - the papers and I simply stand here to give clear and definite support 'to the statement they have already made. : . . - "Any man or set of menwho wan tonly or without sufficient cause pro-J longed a terrible connict uko ims wqma have on hi soul a crime that oceans could not: cleanse. . . ' . ' Q,nf em Abraham Lincoln i- n the other hand, it is equally true that any man or set, of men -who, from a sense of weariness or aespair, aoan don the struggle without achieving the high purpose for which we ; entered it, would le guilty of the costliest act of poUroonery ver4 perpetrated by, anjr statesman. I! should like to quote the words of Abraham Lincoln under sim ilar conditions: We accepted this "war for'an object and a world object and the war wiUend. when the object is at tained under GodJ- I hope It will never end until that time. ' "Are we likely to achieve the. object by accenting the invitation of the German- chancellor? That.are the propo sai's? There are none. -' i "To enter on tne mvuauun oi. jror- premier Lloyd-Geprge s Reply .. To Central Powers - Proposals WTLMrS GrTONY 27. C, That Action by the. United States stprff, the German ambassador, in an authorized statement, "that the an swer of Great Britain will not end the matter. To me it looks as if there will be at least one more exchange of notes, which will talk of the future and not of the past." The Allies' responses are viewed by administration officials not as a flat refusal but as the-answer most to be expected from a group of belligerents eager to throw 'back on their adver saries all the onus, of having caused the war and of having brought about conditions under which peace was morally - wrong. Nevertheless, .officials foresee tlje opportunity, almost the in vitation, for Germany to make another cautious advance, which Anally may bring out the minimum basis of con tention. - German embassy officials, though op timistic because the British premier did not flatly refuse to enter into a discussion, deprecated the suggestion that definite peace terms might be set forth in formal notoa. The German view as reflected here is that nothing can -be achieved by a public discus sion of terms. In the samequarter it Is thought probable that Germany, should Great- Britain- ask it,- may be willing to make some preliminary statement of principle regarding terms, especially if failure to rake such ac tion should be the only barrier to the Entente agreeing to send representa tives to a conference. No secret was made , of the fact that . Qernanap.:wU -use every' tnieans- known to diplomacy in her eft'eH.- to bring- about a . confer without any knowledge of what pro posals she proposes to make, into a conference Is "toputNour heads into-a noose with the rope end in the hands of Germany. . . - . . . Has Fought "Despotism"- Before. "This country is not altogether without experience in these matters. This is not the first time we have fought a great military despotism over shadowing Europe,' and-it.won't be-the flrst time we have helped to overthrow a military despotism. We have uncom fortable historical memory of these things and can'recall one of the-greatest of these despots, whose favorite deyice -was to appear in tie garb of an angel of .peace, either when he wishes time to assimilate his conquests or .to re-organize his f ore es fqr, fresh con quests, or, secondly, when his subjects showed symptoms pf fatigue and war weariness, an appeal was always made in " the' name of "humanity. " He de manded an end to the blood shed at which he professed himself horrified, although he himself was mainly re sponsible. "Our ancesters were taken in once, and bitterly they and Europe rue It. The time was devoted to reorganizing his forces for;deadlier attack than ever upon the liberties of r Europe. ' "Examples of this' kind cause us to regard this no.te with a, considerable measure of reminiscent disquietude. Tke Allies'. Only Terms. "We feel that we ought to know, be fore we can give favorable considera tion to such an ' invitation, that Ger many is prepared to accede to the dnJy terms oh which it is possible peace can be obtained and maintained in Eu rope. Those terms have been repeat edly stated by all the leading, states men of the Allies. They have been stated. repeatedly here and outside. To quote the leader of the house last week" 'Reparation and guarantee against rep etition, so there shall, be no mistake, and it is important that there should be no mistake in the matter of life or death to millions.' ... .; ""Let werepeat, complete restistution, full reparation and effectual guaran tees. - "Did ' the German chancellor' use a single" phrase to indicate that he was prepared to accept such a peace? Was there a hint of restitution? Was therV a suggestion of reparation? Was there an Implication of any security for the future ,that,th!s outrage on civilization would not' again be perpetrated at the first profitable opportunity? '.The ver substance and. style of. the speech constitutes a denial of peace on the" only terms; on which peace is pos sible." He"is not even conscious now that Germainy - has ;committed any of fense .against the rights of free na tions. ; Listen v to"; this from the note: j. " " Nof for an instant. have they (the; Central Powers)1 swerved 'from the con-: victlon that respect of the right of. other nations Is not in any degree in compatible with ' their own .rights" and, legitimate interests.' . ' ' "V t, 'German "Outragres. 1 -"When Aid they .discover this? Where was respect for the rights-of other na -A tion- In Belgium andi Serbia?. That WEDNESDAY MOUKliSTG, Offers Qualified Support to Some : Form of Compulsion Before ' House Committee; GIVE MILITIA FAIR TRIAL Opponents of Present Volaneer Sys tem Hope Bill May be 'Framed That Will Also be Endorsed by President Wilson. Washington, Dec. 19. The -agitation for some form of compulsory military service in 'the United States received qualified support from Secretary Baker today before the. House "Military com mittee, encouraging opponents ; of the present volunteer system to predict that legislation for a change might be framed which would be sanctioned by Mr. Baker and possiby by President Wilson. -'The President has said he would not attempt to. reach -a decision on the subject until a definite plan was placed before him. "- Replying to a( direct question as to his views on compulsory military ser vice, Secretary Baker said: Universal Obligation. ' "The obligation to serve the country is a universal one.- The question of -how ;to bring about preparation for National defense is one of policy rather than theory. Whether universal mili tary service of a selective conscription is the correct answer, I do' not know. The theory of a common interest, in a common country would be suffered by a method of selecting soldiers, that was not voluntary in character," The Secretary told the committee, however, that since Congress had re jected the continental army plan in favor of the National Guard '-feystem, he believed the guard should be given a fair trial. He did not amplify his suggestion In regard to the selective conscription,, but it- is. understood the plan' under consideration contemplates the taking of an" inventory' of men, as is being done with industrial resources, and- deyislng a msans , whereby every?! Emergency for -tne$g!jictr ;.bt ; woxk for which heja beef fitted by his peace time training. - General Scott Agnln Testifies. In the near future Mr. Baker will appear before the Senate sub-commit tee which is hea,rlng ! the opinions of army officials and others on the Cham berlain universal training bill. Major General Scott, chief of staff, was again before the sub-committee today urging universal service legislation ' and sub mitting the report on the mobilization of the National Guard for border duty compiled by Col. W. C. Brown from all information available at the War De partment. . , , . . , The conclusion' of the general staff, General Scott said, that no adequate defense could be built up under the present' volunteer - system, was fully substantiated by-the reports of depart mental commanders, inspector-Instructors and others, Included In Colonel Brown's compilation. Col.- Brown Before Conuhlttee. Colonel Brown, who commanded the Tenth cavalry under General, Pershing and led the detachment t which dealt the most severe punishment to the Villa bandits, was before the commit tee himself and ' told of the hardships the troops ' In Mexico encountered, of the forced marches, and terrific pace set,-adding that1 only thoroughly train ed men and animals could have stood the strain. Mobilisation Report. . The mobilization report shows that of 128,000 enlisted men of the militia inspected on. the "border, 81,-179, or 63 per cent, were either" transferred from militia organizations not called out or were new recruits, leaving only 37 per cent of the force representing the Na tional Guard or the 'organized militia element on the rolls of the organiza tions in question' at the date of call. Of those who were on the rolls at the time of the call, according to the report, 47,657" were r lost for various causes during the period of transition into the. Federal service, making the National Guard as' it went to the bor der substantially a volunteer force. Of the number lost 7.258 failed to respond to the call at -all, and 23,721 were re jected for- physical disability. The report says 63 per centt or 81,263 men, "had had less than three months military training of any kind and more than 60.000 none at all, when they reached the border. The report shows that 56,813 never had fired a military rifle at all,! and that more than 14,000 others had received rating of less than first class at the targets. Warm Praise tor Regulars. Secretary Baker was warm in his praise for the enlisted regulars and in formed the House committee thati he had approved a suggestion that their pay be raised to $25 a month. He was enthusiastic over the summer training camp plan. "I believe," he said, "that if the Unit ed States were in a major emergency, 99 per cent of those who attended, the Plattsburg." encampment would enlist and be of very great value to the gov ernment. , They would beat the rest-of us to - it." . ' " . - . . , , I "WET" FORCES IW BOSTON GET OVERWHtEIiMING JttAJORITY City Votes to Continue" Iiieensed 'Sale of "Boose 5345Q to SStfiOJ. ' r Boston,' Mass., DecJ 19 ' Boston' to day -voted- to-oontinue the licensed sale pf liquor, after the' liveliest .campaign on the liquor question that the city has had in " years. . The vote Ity favor of li cense was 53,459; with "29,997 against. Last year the Vote for license was 46,115 and 31,87? against,:. DECEMBER 20, 19l6 Rumanians Seemingly Have to Make Stand or Retreat Into Bessarabia or Moldavia. NO GREAT VICTORIES WON Berlin Announces Capture of Over 1,000 Ruo-Rnmaniaiis Spirited Ar tillery Duels In the Bleuae River Region. The Russian and Rumanian troops who have been in retreat before the Teutonic Allies in Dobrudja seemingly how are at a point where they either must make a stand or cross the Danube into southwest Bessarabia or into Mol davia in the region of Galatz. . .The latest official communication from Berlin says that in Dobrudja the Russians have retreated past their newly fortified positions in the north and that the Teutonic Allies now are advancing toward the lower Danube. Aside from the announcement of the capture, of more than a thousand Rus sians, and Rumanians and the taking of numerous vehicles ' loaded with pro visions, no mention is made by Berlin of the advance on Moldavia. In the Carpathians the Russians and Teutonic allied forces continue fighting, but with no great victories falling to eith er side. ' . ; Inall the other theatres artillery en gagements preponderate, only small in fantry action having taken place any where.. Berlin records attacks favor able to Turks and Bulgarians in the Struma region on . the Macedonian front' On the right bank of the Meuse in the Verdun sector the French and the Germans throughout Tuesday, fought spirited artillery duels especially near Bezonyaux, the Couriers wood .. and Chambrettes. The infantry of . neither side left their trenches . Reciprocal bombardments took place, along the British front in France and, also along tthe line in Belgium. ! TWO KILLBD, 15 IflTJUREO AB- v RESULT OF MINK EXPLOSION First Aid Crews Do Q,fticfc Rescue "W ork When 150. Miners Are Entombed. Brucevllle, Ind., Dec. 19.---Tw6 mjners are dead arid 15. injured as the?resu'.t of a gas explosion in the 01iphant-3'ilm-son mine near here' today, pne hun dred and fifty men were entombed by the blast, but first aid crews. from nearby-mines gave early assistance and the workings were cleared in . about, four hours. The BrUcevllle mine Is equipped with every life saving device recommended by "the government." It is due to this fact, according to the owners of the shaft, that the : loss of ' life was no greater. New York, Dec. 19. Dr. James Mon roe Taylor, president : emeritus of Vas sar College, died here tonight. He was 63 years old. SHEPPARD BILL 1MY BE V0TED1 TODAY Friends of District Prohibition Measure Expect it to Pass. Senate, by a Tie Vote" of 38 to 3S, Fails to Adopt the Amendment Offered by Underwood Providing: a Referendum. Washington, Dec. 19. The way was cleared in the Senate today for a final vote on Senator Sheppard's bill for prohibition in the District of Columbia and unless there is an unexpected fili buster it will be put on passage to morrow. Friends of the measure ex pect it to pass. The main fight came over Senator Underwood's -'amendment . providing a referendum of the question to District residents. After many minor changes had been made in its phraseology the amend ment was beaten in" committee of the whole 38 to 38. Senator Underwood gave notice that he would ask for a separate vote on It when the bill with amendments comes up for final action. Advocates of the referendum still were hopeful tonight that the necessary ma jority could be found. There is little chance that ,thfe tie can be broken "by Vice President Mar shall, since he is to leave Washington before the Senate convenes tomorrow. Senator Sheppard 'showed a disposi tion to press for a final vote tonight, but there was evidence that any at tempt to do so would result in a fili buster and after, much parliamentary maneuvering the Sehate" went info ex ecutive session and left the bill to take the ordinary course tomorrow . Before the vote on the referendum the Senate adopted, 54 to 15, a change suggested by Senator Williams which would permit all persons "regardless of 'sex" - to participate, and approved also" amendments Conflring suffrage to the -literate and- those who -are; nbt de linquent' In' tax' payments, and 'extend ing It to residents of other states dom iciled in the District. ZEBUlilii GOES TO CONGRESS Supreme Court Affirms Ruling of Judge Adams; Election Board Issues Certificate. CRAIG SIGNS COMMISSION Dismissal of Injunction Petition Against Buncombe Board of Elec tions to Prevent Certifies tion of Returns Affirmed. Raleigh, N. C, Dec 19. A commis slon as representative in Congress from the Tenth .district to succeed James J, Britt, Republican, was issued late to day, to Zebulon Weaver, Democrat, by Governor Craig. The commission was issued by the Governor after the State Supreme Court an hour previously had dismissed Brltt's appeal from the action of Judge W. J. Adams, of he Buncombe county Superior court, in refusing to grant a writ of mandamus to compel the Bun combe county board of canvassers to declare the vote of that county on the face of the returns as they appeared on November 9. The returns -of three precincts in the county not officially reported at that time were included when the county convassing board act ed ,on November. 17 Britt still was ahead in the county, but Weaver had gained enough in the three precincts in question to overcome Britt's lead and jgive him a plurality of nine votes in the district. A temporary order restraining the State Board of Canvassers from taking into consideration the vote of Bun combe county, obtained . here recently by .Britt was dissolved Ty Judge W. M. Bond as soon as the Supreme Court's decision was handed down. The board of canvassers then reported Weaver's election to the Secretary of State, who in turn certified it to Governor Craig. In political circles here, it is taken for granted that Britt will' take the contest to the 'floor of the House or Representatives. ' . ' 4 L SUPREME fcOURT HOMJS THE FINDING OV. VA.M'X& , J JluU "r '"'"'' (SpecUt SUyrtTIegram). - ; Raleigh, I. 'C Dec. 19.-r-The .North Carolina Supreme court affirms the rul iiig of Judge Adams dismissing the 'pe- tition of injunction against the Bun combe' fcounty f beared 4 of " elections to prevept the jertificatipn of. .returns that gave Z. V. .Weaver., the majority for Congress . over James J, Britt in the Tenth district. The rulilig was made at 4 o'clock this afternoon with the state ment that a" formal opinion by. a mem ber of court .would be filed later.' Members of the State Board of Elec tions were here awaiting the action of Supreme court and at once issued the certificate of election ' to Congress to Weaver so that Congressman Britt must appear ' In the ' next "Congress as contestant and Weaver will help make whatever narrow, margin of majority the Democrats may have, in Congress. In making the ruling the court said; "The findings of fact, when support ed by evidence as they are in this case, are binding upon the Supreme court, ' (Continued on .Page Ten.) Jack Johnson, White, Aboard Ship When Sunk. l North Carolina Nejgrro Was Also Lost. Names of Americans Killed When Stools Transport Russian .. Was Torpedoed. Newport News, Vff., Dec. 19. British Vice-Consul C. E. Kenworthy, station ed here, today received a cablegram from London giving the names of the Americans killed when the British stock transport Russian was sunk in the Med iterranean on December 14 by a Ger man submarine. Nine of the Ameri cans were white men. Their names follow: . ' ..." " William Guernsey, Cornell, N. Y.; Charles Harn, Washington, D. C; Mat Campbell, Bowling Green, Va.; James Johnson, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Ralph Gor don, Newport News, Va.; Otis Tucker, Richmond, Va.; Jack Johnson, Raleigh, N. C; John Scott, Portsmouth. Va.; and Lloyd Water, Cambridge, Mass. The negroes were: Joseph Wilson, Dendron, Va.; William Burchette, St. Louis, Mo.; David Scott, Baltimore, Md.; Langstor Byrd, Danville, Va.; A. Coop er, Florence, S. C; Ernest Taylor, New port News, Va.; Joe Bullocks, Edenton, N. C, and Vance Brown, Petersburg, Va. . The message contained no additional information .concerning the sinking of the Russian, the vice-consul said. BONUSES FOR EMPLOYES. Home Telephone; Company Generous at - . . Christina Time Also. Henderson, N. C, Dec 19. Bonuses equal to the salaries for' two and three weeks, according to the period of time the employe has been with the compa ny, and which' will apply to all em ployes on its entire system in Eastern North " Carolina and Virgina, .was an nounced by F. C. Toe pieman, general manager at the home office of the Home Telephone Company,-here today; RALEIGH ill 111 THOSE WHO PERISHED WHOLE inrMBEtf39,8b6 ioiiwfe mm OF 53.50 PE vecime j&esuts xrom Adverse j? velopmente in the Peace Situ ation in Europe. WHEAT RISES AND FALLS British Premier's Speech Aends Prices! Up But a Set-Back Follows on Gossip' Favorable to m. ' ' Peace Conference. " New Orleans, Dec. 19. The furious waves of selling, divided by a period of pronounced strength, resulted in the cotton market today from political de velopments and cost the price $3.50 "a. bale. . In the early trading apprehension over the import pf Premier LloydV George's statement in parliament 'caus ed a loss of 63 to 71 points, but the first reports of the speech caused a re action which gained great headway, apparently oA the oversold condition of the market, and carried active months , to within 15 to 27 points of yesterday's close. Late in thre day, with prices mounting, great lots of cotton were hurled onto the ring,- breaking quota tions to new low levels on some months. A private bureau report on glnninfe to December 13, showing a total out put of 10,870,000 bales also influenced the market. - . At the lowest the market showed laf net loss of 67 to 71 points. The close was within appoint of the lowest. ' " ' SET-BACK FOLLOWS ADVANCE - ' I OF OVER 7 CENTS IN WHEAT Chicago, Dec. 19.--Desplte a sens4- : tional advance of 7 l-4c in wheat td- ; day, based on running reports of the British premier's speech discussing the German peace offer, the market later :,'SS't fell back 7 l-2c, owing chiefly to wide- ; S spread gossip that the way to a peace . . V conference had not yet been barred. ' . Excited selling accompanied - the laiJo ' j j set-back, in prices And there was a wild : r close with quotations ranging nearly "1 cent eaclT side of "yesterday's flnishr ' At th topmost point : of therls wheat values ttad re torered, -about II ' cents !mfr8incetlie'Vrceniiloweei:' level was t6tiched'0ir Friday, The up-. v; ' turn led to expensive profit taking by s holder, 'btt't' the eelllns npXasSume F !, a runieway character untn reports un der LorJaon date lines appealed rn print noro (BrinB iai me aow was BJM T; 1'! ! for specific peace terms from Germany and that a peace conference was yet v In the short time remaining- .befora the market closed there was but scanty :' leeway for any certain knowledge to. oe sainea as sto wnexner tne Lioygt- , s.i; George speech did or did not afford an ; lll opportunity for a peace parley. The"ri . suit was that, no solid support for the "; market was immediately available and that the crumbling- f prices continued ." virtually without stop till the gong- ; cleared traders from' the' pit. Fear that If jeace was indefinitely postponed ' the effect on the American export trade In wheat might 'prove die- -astrous was to some extent a factor of ' the late selling stampede. Final prices showed the general indecision Decern- "' ber 3-4c lower at ?1."53; May unchanged" -to 5-8c higher at $1.64-3-4 to $1.65 l-8 ' and July 3-8c to 7-8c net higher at $1.88 1-4 t $1.38 7-8. ' PRICES UNDERGO. VIOLENT ;- . " BREAKS TS STOCK MARKET New York, Dec. 19. Prices broke ' violently on the stock, market today after the publication of the remark's of Lloyd-George on. the German peace ! proposals. The downward movement did not begin, however, until ah hour- after .the receipt, about 1 o'clock, of " i the first excerpts from his speech. Dur ing this time, as the fragmentary ad- ' ditions came In, Wall Street spent one of the tensest 60 minutes. In its histor ' endeavoring to Interpret the signifi- ; ; M AS M a a ' cance. oi me jsriusn premier s ' ais- . course. Confusion ' and perplexity . was re-. fleeted in hesitancy, little rallies antl . declines, and a bound upward before - the slump began. -Then suddenly the N stock ticker's began co reel'1 off trie message that, Btocka were . being offer-' -ed down.. The market fell off rabidly, . and. befpre trading was oyer, extreme " declines of from 4 to l(Fs points had been, registered. f s Probably ; never in history, has . Lon- don been' such an overshadowihg fac-- tor in the New York . stock; market as : j today. Trading during the irregular witl onlya nominal' output. -Interest in what Lloyd-George would say ; was . at. high pitch in every quarter of the financial list and business waited ex"-, clusively for word from the hefjd of ' Britain's new-ministry. , The .first ex- " cerpts from crash were preceded! by publication of private cables upr porting jto outline the text of the ad- .dress actually rose - on these advices, illustrating the market's - extremely ' sensitive condition - . . - r, As, in o.ther. drastic downward move ,t ments the ptocks which suffered chief ly today were those of -concerns which have derived huge: incomes from the sale of: war supplies and other-prod? uct,s for . which thf re has been a big; European demand. There was a rally just at the closer however, ofc from 1 tev 5 points,,., v. ? ; . - . - .1 i When the slump finally began U. 8. Steel i was offered -down irr single , lotf of 1.000 to 5.000 shares, from '116 1-S to i 109 5-8. in .very- little . time. , Other shares that registered extreme reces-7 - slons of 4 to 10' points included Gulf . States." Steel, Crucible Steel,. Centra Leather, .Baldwin and American Loco- -.-"motive, 'Cuba Cane Sugar, American Zinc Rutte , and"' Superior and Indue-- J trial ArcOTiol with 17 for Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies: " ' " ". r ' 1 Pronounced depression also was " - manifested by Mercantile Marines, In- ,-. fir CContlnued ox. - Ite Teit. ..."is; If" v.. i -r ' J if. i' i. 1 1 n . '4 K .it. mi 111? 5i i 1 'in !1: h i on VagrTW Seven). ..-ancl3i,irafain8t 3,A ,uW . . . iHeu, yu, (.Continued