-'ifr';','3!;.",
WEATHER.
T
'HE SHERIFF is a well known
Fair, warmer Monday; Tuesday prob
ably rain.
public 'official Avhose chief
function is not to bother those bus
iness men who advertise wisely.
VOL. XCIX-O. 179.
WliMINGTON, K. C, MOfBY MORiaNG, MARCH 26, 1917
WHOLE DUMBER 39,398
ii
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1M1E
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President
TWO
STEPSJlEnOPyT
'v President Orders Navy Recruited
oijvvv muwu xticu iwu ew iTuiiiary uepartments Created
. to Facilitate Mobilization and Eleven Full National .
Guard Regiments Called Out.
GUARDSMEN TO PROTECT
General Wood Transferred to New Southeastern Department, Which
May Be the Center of Activity Should German Crisis Develop
Need For Military Operations In the South Further
Steps May Await Congress Action.
Washington-, March 25. President Wilson took steps today to place
the nation on a war footing. . ( V y
By( executive order he directed that the navy be recruited without
delay to full authorized war strength of 87,000 enlisted men. Taken
in connection with emergency naval construction already ordered,
this means that the President has exercised the" full limit of his legal
- powers as commander-in-chief to prepare the navy for war.
For the army, the President. directed that two new military depart
ments be created in the Atlantic coast region. The order means that
the 'task of organizing whatever army Congress may authorize will
he divided among six departmental commanders instead of four in
the interests, of speed and efficiency in mobilization.
To Protect Industries.
The third step was to assume as a
national duty the task of protecting
American industries from domestic dis
orders in the event of hostilities. For
this purpose eleven full infantry regi
ments, two separate battalions and one
separate company of National Guards
were called back into the Federal ser
vice to act as national police in im
portant districts. Supplementing
these, troops, a regiment of Pennsyl
vania Guard a-nd two companies of
Georgia infantry, en route home from
the border for muster out. were or
dered retained in the Federal service
The President's orders were made '
known in terse official statements is
sued by both departments. No ex
planation accompanied them, except the
statement that reorganization of the
military departments, effective : May 1,
;as designed to facilitate decentraliza
tion of command.
Order for NaVy Recruiting.
Following lis the executive order
bringing the navy up to war strength:
"By virtue oft the authority vested
hi the President by the act of Con
gress approved August 29, 1916, en
titled 'An act making appropriations
for naval service for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1917, and for other
Purposes,' it is hereby directed that the
authorized strength of the navy be
'ncreased to 87,000 men.
(Signed) "WOODROW WILSON."
$20,000 Enlistments Needed.
The navy must enroll immediately
proximately 20,000 men to reach the
Squired strength. Secretary Daniels
supplemented it tonight with personal
telegrams to newspaper editors all over
,he country urging - them to aid the
department in every way Un their
Power, to obtain the men.
.Congress must determine the system
under which an army is to be raised.
rday's action provides more elastic
Machinery, found necessary as a result
the recent border mobilization, for
110 enrolling and training of a great
armv whether raised as volunteers, by
conscription or through a universal ser
vice bill.
Objeet ol New Departments.
The object of the creation of th-J
departments of the Northeast and
southeast was to distribute - among
three central commanders, the work of
robii;2atfon in the. states most thick-
greatest number of soldiers must come.'
present Eastern Department di
rected the mobilization of approxi
mately eighty per cent of the 151,000
Uariismen sent to the -border. Wlch
'i.ooo,. the maximum authorized
rength of the National Guard, call
' out in addition to whatever volun
rs might be summoned, the task
Ulfl e too great for a single de
partmental organization because of
le vastness of the supply problems In
volved. , fpartment Learned Lesson.
instructions to National Guard offi
er issued more than a. month ago to
er any future mobilization, showed
Plainly that the War Department had
"'ralized its mobilization problems aa
ar as poasible. Departmental corn-
Authori
ADDITIONAL
to the Full Authorized Strength of
INDUSTRIES
manders will nupervise the assembling
of state troops in their districts, here
after, and will take over immediately
on- the call for Federal service the
task of recruiting for the guard regi
ments through organization of reserve
battalions.
Speculation on Wood's Transfer.
The transfer of General Wood from
the Eastern to the Southeastern De
partment caused considerable specula
tion among army officers. No explan
ation was given and Secretary Baker
declined to comment. The Eastern De
partment, even as it will be after the
new organization goes into effect, is
regarded as the most important of the
six because of its great economic de-
velopment. As a general rule that
department falls to the command of
the senior major general of the army
available for such duty.
General Wood is the ranking officer
of his grade, General Bell, who now
takes command of ' the Eastern depart
ment, 'being his immediate junior. In
some quarters it was suggested that
the new Southeastern department might
prove to be the center of interest
should the present international situ
ation develop need for military ope
rations to the South.
Indications tonight were that the
administration planned to await ac
tion by Congress before, further war
like preparations are ordered. Presi
dent Wilson 'has authority to direct
(Continued on Page Two)
SAYS GERMANY IS PREPARED
TO OFFER MODIFIED TERMS
Berne, Switz., via. Paris, March 25.
"If peace negotiations were begun' to
day," says the Journal de Geneve
which does not reveal the source, of its
information but declares It is absolute
ly reliable, "Germany would offer to re
store the territory she occupied in
France, except in the mining district of
Briey, in exchange for a channel port,
Calais or Dunkirk, and an indemnity of
15 billion francs."
"Germany would also offer.V says the
newspaper, "to restore the territorial
integrity, and the sovereignty, of Bel
gium, on condition that Belgium would
not be allowed to maintain a national
army and that Germany would be per
mitted to garrison Namur, Liege and
Antwerp perpetually." .
It Is added by the newspaper that
Germany must be given control ef the
Belgian railroads' and ports and be fav
orably treated In an economic treaty.
This Is not the program of pan-Ger-mans.'but
the actual terms of the Ger
man government, says the Journal de
Geneve.
GERMANS PREPARING FOR
DRIVE TOWARD PBTHOGBAD
Petrograd, Saturday, - March- 24 (via
London, . March 25). From Internal
troubles - and the problems of recon
struction, the attention of Russia. has
fBlBl
Increase
MIIITAR Y. DEPAR TMENTS
ORGANIZATION OF
HOUSE GALLS FOR
HIGH ATTENTION
Northern Democrats Want Some
Southerners Unseated "Wet"
Element Troublesome.
BOTH PARTIES PERTURBED
Progressive . Wing Gives Republi
cans Concern Leaders to
Discuss . Legislation.
Washington, -March 26. With the
convening of Congress in extra session
only a week off, Congressional leaders
are here. for conference with adminis
tration officials over the legislation
which will be demanded by the virtual
state of war existing, between the Un
ited, States and Germany,
Members of the foreign relations and
military committees and. House Ways
and Means committee, which frames
revenue legislation, will have import
ant matters to discuss. ""'"." - -"'7
Aside from the great business for
which Congress 'has been called, the
question of organization is chiefly oc
cupying the House leaders. Both De
mocrats and Republicans said tonight
that the election of- a speaker prob
ably would follow soon after the House
was galled to order, but that the or
ganization of committees presented a
problem the result of which no one
could forecast.
The attitude of .the so-called "wet"
members and of some of the northern
Democrats is giving concern to the
Democrats, while the Republicans are
troubled over their progressive wing.
Any of these elements might easily
wreck the organization, plans of the
majority of either siae.
Peeling among Democrats over com
mittee assignments was bitter at the
close of last Congress. The "wets",
of whom there are about twenty, an
gered over the manner in which prohib
ition legislation was pushed through
in the dying days of the session declar
ed that they would see several Demo
cratic chairmen displaced at this ses
sion if they had to vote with the Re
publicans. In turn, Democratic "drys"
declared openly that any insurgent
movement by the "wets" would result
in their summary . relegation to the
foot of committees.
piscorttent among Northern Demo
crats over Southern members holding
virtually all of the choice committee
chairmanships, broke out in heated de
claration that the coming session would
haye to see some decided changes in
committee heads if northern support
was desfred further. Rumors reaching
the capitol - daily indicate that many
of the. Democrats will demand pledges
t-t changes in committer heat's before
they will agree to caucus rules on any
thing except the selection of speaker
All f "tions re onited .n their sup
continued on Page Eight)
suddenly been diverted to a new danger
Which threatens from without. There
now is indisputable evidence that the
Germans are massing great numbers of
troops along the northern front ready
for an effort, against Russia's capital.
. The country has been apprised of the
new menace by a series of proclama
tions from Its ministers.
GERMANY CREATES BARRED
. ZONE IN ARCTIC WATERS
Berlin, March 25 (via Sayville). An
nouncement of a new barred zone in
Arctic waters was made today by the
aamiraltjr in an official statement which
reads: - - ,
"Foreign governments have been in
formed that in future in the district of
the northern Arctic ocean east of the
C4th degree of eastern longitude and
south of the 75th degree northern lati
tude, with the exception of Norwegian
territorial waters, all ocean traffio
forthwith ; will be opposed with all
arms. . - : ; .'.-: . . "
"Neutral shipping plying .this district
do so at their opwn risk, r but provision
is made that neutral ships that are al
ready on voyages to ports in,this bar
red zone,; or that desire, to leave su,Ch
ports will not' be attacked without special-warning,
until April 5th." .
IRE GROUND IS -TAKEN
Bl FRENCH
HEAR ST. QUEIITIN
I'D..:.. T J- TJ 1-2 f ; :
a tuna xvcjjvi ws 4. usuiug vxeriiiitiia
Back Over Front of About
Two and a Half- Miles.
BERLIN ADMITS RETIREMENT
Says Withdrawal Before British
In Roisel Region Was ''Ac
cording to Orders."
The French forces and the Germans
again have been fngaged in heavy
fighting on several sectors of the front
between the Somme and the Aisne riv
ers, and again the French have made
advances toward the strongly defended
town of St.Quentin. 'According to the
French war office the t French troops
have pushed forward over a front of
about two and a half miles south and
southwest of St. Quentipj the newlposi
tions taking '- in ..,tle,jtt' -tvCatres,
three m1l3southwesti -and' Esslgny-le-Grand,
four miles south of St. Quentin.
Gains also were made south of the Oise
and north of Soissons. .
Berlin admits the retirement of the
Germans "according to orders," before
the British between" Beaumetz and Roi
sel, northeast of Peronne, but says the
Germans repulsed French attacks north
east of Soissons. For the most part
the fighting on the British end of the
line has consisted of reciprocal raiding
and bombing attacks.
There has been considerable fighting,
in the air. The. Berlin war office rec
ords the loss of 17 "airplanes by the
French and Br.tish, while London re
ports eight German machines were
driven down out of control, but admits
that four British machines failed to re
turn to their base. Bombs have been
dropped from German aircraft on Calais
and Dunkirk.
While only small .raiding operations
and artillery duels have been repdrted
from the Russian front, a dispatch
from Petrograd says there Is indisput
able evidence that the Germans are
bringing up large numbers of troops
on the northern part of the line for an
effort to break through toward Petro
grad. The spring thaws are holding the
Russo-Rumaniana and Teutonic allied
troops in check in Rumania. In Mace
donia near Monastir much artillery ac
tivity prevails. The usual artillery
duels and small activity continues in
the Austro-Italian theatre.
WITHDRAWAL MADE ACCORDING
TO ORDERS, BERLIN REPORTS
Berlin, March 25 (by wireless). Ger
man rear guards engaged with hostile
forces , near Beaumetz and Roisel ' and
east of the Crozat canal on the front
in northern France have fallen back
according to orders after inflicting loss
es, army headquarters announced today!
A French attack' near Vregny, north
east of Soissons, was repulsed.
; The British and French lost 17 air
planes, the statement says. It reads:
"Western front During the bright
weather there was lively artillery ac
tivity on the Flanders and Artois
fronts.
"Southeast of Ypres out, mine throw
ers carried out efficient shelling. Re
connoitering troops advancing after
this found the trenches completely de
stroyed and evacuated by the enemy.
"Near Beaumetz and Roisel and east
of the Crozat canal hostile advances
encountered bur protecting .troops
which, after inflicting damage upon the
enemy, gave way, following-, their or
ders.' In an engagement near Vregny,
northeast of Soissons, French battal
ions were repulsed with heavy losses.
"Near Soupier and near rCertny, on
the north bank of the, Aisne, our raid
ing detachments in a' powerful charge
after efficient artillery preparation en
tered the French lineiand returned with
60 prisoners. ' , :
"Between the sea and the Moselle
there were numerous": attacks by' our
airmen against hostile airplanes and
targets on the"-grounds. In aerial en
gagements, the British and French lost
17 airplanes. First : Lieutenant Baron
von- Richthofen brought down his 30th
and Lieutenant Vosse his sixteenth and
seventeenth adversaries."
'" Shots Are Exchanged.
' Havre "De Grace, Md., March' 25.
Shots were exchanged this evening at
.7' o'clock between a sentry on duty at
the Pennsylvania railroad-bridge over
the Susquehanna, rjver and an unknown
man In a row.; boat who failed to move,
away-from the bridge." The boatsmah
disappeared in J the dark. It is not
known whether he was struck. . , .
Persotmel
UNITED Sf A TES AFTER MAY 1 TO
M DIVIDED INTO SIX MILITARY
DEPARTMENTS INSTEAD OF FOUR
National Guard Units In Eleven
j States To Perform Police Duty
. Washington, March 25 Calling into
the, federaj . service of fourteen regi
ments of the National Guard for police
protection purposes was announced to
day by the- war department. The Sec
ond Virginia regiment is included In
the call. The department issued this
statement: f
1 "Many states . have deemed it advis
able to call out the National Guard for
police purposes of protection. As the
necessity f or such steps arises from
issues "which are more national than
local, sit has been deemed advisable by
the President to call Into federal ser
vice for the above mentioned purposes
REMNANTS OF ROADS
CHOiraii TROOPS
Spectacular, Scenes Accompany
, Retreat of Germans ,
Long Lines of Cavalrymen and the
Scattered Detachments of Infak
' try Remind one of, the Oldef
, . Days of Warfare '
With the British Armies -in : France,
Saturday March 24, via London, March
25 (From a Staff Correspondent of Tht
Associated Press). The open fighting
of the last ten days during the German
retreat has presented war pictures
fascinatingly spectacular and closely
approximating the older ideals of mar
tial splendor. The roads, or more ex
actly, the remnants of roads, in v solB,e
of the stricken districts of France have
been fairly choked with -troops on the
move. From. an eminence on a recent
ly evacuated German stronghold could
be j seen today a seemingly endless
column of cavalry earning over a dis
tant hilL dipping down into a beautiful
valley and rising again" by a winding
road to a broad, open' field where camp
was! pitched for the night." At times
the brown hued horses and brown-clad
men: were' almost invisible against the
brown , winter landscape. : At points
further forward, infantry . detachments
could be seen disappearing in the' dis
tance, skirmishing, dodging, one unit
covering another, until it seemed al
most as if the days of Indian fighting
had returned. ..
This open movement is a striking
change from the deadly staleness, the
(Continued on Page Two.)
ADDITIONAL VESSELS SUNK
BY THE MOEWE ANNOUNCED
Berlin, Thursday, March 22 (via Say
ville, i March 25). -An additional list of
vessels captured by the German auxil
iary cruiser Mpowe, which recently re
turned to Germany from a second
cruise in the Atlantic, was issued by
the admiralty tbday.: The admiralty
statement, reads: ,
"To . the' booty captured by the
Moewe, the following is, added: ' : f
'"Mount Temple, British steamer With
7.5 centimetre gun, 792 tons gross with
I provisions parcels and horses; Dutch
ess of Cornwall, British sailing ship of
152 tons with fish; King George, Brit
ish steamer of 3,852 tons gross with ex
plosives, provisions and parcels; Cam
brian Wange (Cambrain Range), Brit
ish steamer of 4,200 tons gross, with
wheat, and. parcels; Georgic, British
steamer with 12 centimetre gun, 1,000
tons gross, with wheat, meat 'and hors
es; Yarrowdale,4 British steamer of 4..
600 tons gross, with ammunition, -provisions
and: war materials; St. Thed
dore,: British steamer of 6,(00 tons
gross, wfth coal; Dramatist, British'
steamer, of . 5.4 0P. tons, gross with anv
munltlon and fruit; Nantes, French
sailing ship, of 2,600 tons gross, with
saltpetre; Asnieres, French sailing ship
to, 87,000
IpTdI
the following organizations of the Na
tional Guard:
"Massachusetts, 2nd .and 9th regi
ments: "Pennsylvania, 1st and 3rd regi
ments; -' '
. "Maryland, 4th regiment;
"District ' of , Columbia, 1st separate
battalion;
"Virginia, 2nd, regiment;
- "Vermont, company B, 1st regiment;
"Connecticut, 1st .regiment; .
"New York, 2nd and 71st regiments;
"New Jersey, 1st and 5th regiments;
"Delaware, 1st " bgttalian, 1st regi
ment. "The following organization which
are now in the federal service will
not be mustered out:
"1 3th Pennsylvania, A and B, com
panies of -the 1st Georgia."
10 PROTEST A6AIKST
Note Sent to French Diplomats In
Neutral Countries
Tells, of Wrecking of Homes, Poison
ing Wells and Streams, Pillaging
of Safes and Theft of Stocks by
Retreating Troops. ' '
Paris, March 25. The French gov
ernment has charged its representatives
in all neutral countries to protest
against "acts of barbarism and devast-.
ation on the part of the Germans" in
territory evacuated by them in north
ern France. The full text' of the note,
which is signed by Premier Ribot, fol
lows: "The government of the republic now
is gathering tne elements ofprotest
which it intends Sending to neutral
governments against, acts of barbarism
and devastation . commited by the
Germans, "in French territory which
they are evacuating while retreating. .
"At this time- ' I ask you to make
known to the government to which
you are accredited that we intend to
denounce before universal judgment the
unaualifiable acts indulged in by the
German authorities. No motive de
manded by military necessities can jus
tify the systematic devastation of pub
lic monuments,, artistic and historical,
as well as public property, accompan
ied by violence against persons; cities
and villages in their entirety have
been pilaged, bared and destroyed, pri
vate homjps stripped of all furniture
(Continued on Page Six).
of 3,100 tons gross, with wheat; Hud
son ,Maru, Japanese steamer of '3,800
tons gross, with parcels; Radnorshire,
British steamer . with 12 centimetre
gun, 4,300 tons gross, with coffee and
cocoa; Minleh, British steamer of 3,800
tons gross (listed at ; 2,890 tons gross)
with coal;-Netherbyhall, British steam-,
er of 4,400 tons gross, with rice and
parcels. . '
' "Jean, Canadian sailing ship of 215
tons gross, with sugar; Staut, Norwe
gian sailing ship., of 2,100 tons gross,
with whale oil; Brecknockshire, Brit
ish steamer with 12 centimetre gun, of
,8,400 tons gross, ; with coal; French.
Prince,- British steamer of 4,800 tons
gross, with coal; Katharina (Kathar
ine), British steamer- of 2,900 tons
gross," with wheat; Rhodante (Rhodan
the), British steamer' of 3,000 tons
gross, in ballast; Esmaraldas . (Earner
aldas), British steamer of 4,680 tons
gross, in ballast; Otaki, British Steam
er of 7,400 tons gross (listed at 9,575
tons gross), with 12 centimetre guns, in
ballast; Demeterton, British steamer
with 7.5 centimetre guns, half a thou
sand tons gross (listed at 6,048 tons
gross), with food; Governor, British
steamer, with 12 centimetre guns, of
5,500 tons gross, In ballast. .
"Of these prizes the 'British steam
er Yarrowdale reached a German port
December 31, 1916, with 469 prisoners
(Continued on Pae Two) '
BARBARISM
Men
Northeastern and Southeastern
Departments Are the Two
New Organizations
N. CAROLINA IN THE LATTER
Southeastern Department Em
braces the Old South, With
Headquarters at Charleston. :
GEN. WOOD IS COMMANDER
Changes Made to Facilitate De
centralization of Command ,
Washington, March , 25 Divis
ion of the United States into six
instead of the-existing four mill-,
tary departments was announced
today by -the War -Departinent ;
The two new departments are the
Northeastern, comprising the New
England states, and the South
eastern, comprising the states in
the Old South. . - (
Wood Commands Southeastern.
Major-General Leonard Wood is
transferred from the command of the
Department of the East to the new
Southeastern. Department, with '.head
quarters at Charleston; Major General J.
Franklin Bell from the . Western De
partment to the Eastern" Department;'
Mitjor General Hunter Liggett from the'
Philippines to the Western Depart--ment
;and Brigadier General Clarenco
R. Edwards from .the Canal Zone to
the Northeastern Department. Major
General Barry, of the Central Depart
ment, an Major General Pershing, oC -the
Southern Department, remain- In '
their command. ' ,
The . changes . were outlined by the
department in the following statement:
War Department's Statement.
"To facilitate decentralization bt
command the United States is divid
ed -into six military departments in
place of the four now existing. The .
new . organizations become effective'
May 1, 1917, and comprise the follow
ing: ; "
"A Northeastern Department, to-em- ;
brace the states of Maine, New Hamp
shire, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Headquarters at Boston. '
"B Eastern Department, to embrace
the states of New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and
Virginia, West Virginia, District of
Columbia and the Canal Zone and the"
island of Porto Rico with the islands
and keys adjacent thereto. Headquar
ters at Governor's' Island.
"C Southeastern Department, to em
brace the states of Tennessee, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,. Flor
ida, Alabama and Mississippi, together
with the coast defenses of New Orleans
and the coast defenses of Galveston.
Headquarters at Charleston, S. C. '
"D Central Department, to embrace
the states of Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan,
Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
North Dakota, South Dakota, low.
Missouri Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming,
and Colorado. Headquarters at Chica
go. -
"E Southern Department to embrace
the states of Louisiana (except the
coast defenses at New Orleans), Texas
(except the coast defenses at Galves
ton), Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexi
co and Arizona. Headquarters at Port
Sam Houston, Texas. . ,
"F Western Department, to embrace
the states of Washington, Oregon, Ida
ho, Montana, California, Nevada, Utah
and the territory of Alaska. Head
quarters at San Francisco. .
"Major General Leonard Wood will
command the Southeastern Department
and Major General J. Franklin Bell
will command the Eastern Department.
Major General- Hunter Liggett will
command the Western Department and
Brigadier General Clarence R. Edwards
will command the Northeastern Depart
ment. Brigadier General Edward H.
Plummer will command the troops in
the Panama Canal, zone. Other de
partment commands will -remain as at
present."
Child Labor Conference End
Baltimore. March 25. The National
Child LaboV conference closed here to-, i:
day with a masg AMeting.
- Ill
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