FOUNDED 1C59
CHARLOTTE. N. C, WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECIDER 18, 1918.
r:::c"
i 1
m
M
i lb ur liiu
I! il nlL
Force Three Millioj Str.ong-ne-.
ported From Christiania.
CONDITIONS ARE CHAOTIC
Grand Duke Nicholas Report
Heading: Counterrevolution;
' Petrograd Starving..
Special Wireless to The Observer anil
Pabllc ledger. ;.; , - v .
(Copyright, THS.bir fsblie Ldrr Co.
LpMon' 17. Some w
papert thii aftroohlr maklnr
conspicuous feature of a "Bolshevik
Army of Three Million Men," a de
spatch from Christianla wing prom,
inent business men who have Just re
turned from Russia declare the bolr
shevlki have aa army of ' nearly a
million men already la considered
surprising here, but ... there are no
means of testing the accuracy of this
report. -? :y
It is known the allied fleet is now
established on the shores of the White
, and Black seas; that British warships
are in the gulf of Finland; that Grand
Duke "Nicholas is reported heading a
counter-revolution In the -southeast;
that Peirograd Is starring and the
l bolshevik government -Is about to
move to Nljni Novgorod. Conditions
in JPetrograd are said here to be much
worse than previous reports sug
gested. ...ftiv. $ -; .' ' '
The Japanese are reported tj have
arrested a bolshevik leader in eastern
Siberia who is reported to have been
in possession of one thousand pounds
in weight of stolen gold bullioq when
caught
Critical In Esthonla.
The situation ;ln Esthonla 1s now.
reported critical, the Russian bolahe
vlsts following the withdrawing of
the Germans, plundering as they; ad
vance. These marauders are follow
ed by crowds of Chinese armed with
knives and axes who entered, Russia
in 1916 and now follow the bolshevik
armies everywhere, ' The .only hope
for the inhabitants appears to spring
from thepresenee of a British squad
ron at Reval .where local bolsheviki
are .very active, buying, arms and
ammunition . from German soldiers.
The Germans are spreading reports
..that the. English are coming to take
possession of the. corn-try. also BaJ-
tkv provinces, whereas the residents
sr?aTOttJl.mrdtthe gngth-h
as their saviors from anarchy.
An Omsk despatch ot December 3
sutes tnat although the recent suc
cess erompled ? thp-f bolsheviki left
wing. ; their center "and-permanent
front in the vicinity of Kansrur- JiM
been heavily reinforced. There are
Indications that the bolsheviki Intend
to make a strong push towards Ekat
erinburg. The bolsheviki have made
a substantial, advance on the Siberian
railwy occupying Belebeef. The whole
position in the Urals seems to de
pend upon : the .Oteohs until Kolchak
has had time ;' to mature his plana
The bolsheviki are finding many re
crults among released German prls
oners who otherwise would starve.
The T-olshevlkl-i menace In Russia in
described by the correspondent aa
probably more serious now than at
any time. The correspondent appeals
for urgent allied sympathy and help
for Kolchak from the troops actually
available at Vladlvosto. -
. v Trouble at Odessa? v
A Constantinople despatch reports
that the allied warships' ability to
control affairs in Odessa Is feiT' lim
ited., .the., towir haying bees occupied
oy the so-called army of General Pet
lyura, who Is the rival of 'General
Skoropadakl, hetman.of the Ukraine;
British warships have appeared off
important forts In the Black sea, the
"ea. i Ajtoflr- nd al atf Trobixond
and Samsun, and ' everywhere they
were earnestly prayed to remain.
The situation in Sebastopol threat
ened ; to result Wrlously . except for
the Influence of the allies.. -Eleven
thousand German already have been
sent away from the Crimea. These
formerly suppressed v bolshevlsm.
a i jt t. Blving. aunougn sub-
uu . u mi? presence ' or
allied fleet there.
a strong
EBERT DECLARES WAR -
ON THE BOLSHEVISTS
Special Cubic toThe Observer From
f ; Tho London Times.
Copyright.l18. by Public Ledger
, Company.) .
The Hague. Dec. 17.Chancellor
.K "tT dresing crowds at a meeting
In Berlin yesterday, declared war on
;,, the Bolshevists, saying :, the existing
state of things must not continue. The
business of the whole '.country and
..,.,.4Ui. ,,u(WQ1Bg,, peace- was at
stake. Either the irovernment must
be able to conduces Imperial busi
, ness or repudiate responsibility. The
people's defense, force was . being
formed to render the national assem-
8fe .Snd lt yrould 800n be com
pleted. ..The government was deter
mined to oppose all attempts to inter-
i?i.wlth nat,ona assembly;
which should be called in four weeks
., or earlier., ,
' EIGHT PARTIES TO HAVE '
. PART, IN THE ASSEMBLY
. Special fMo to The Obserror From
',-?Tm-London Times.
(Copyrlsht, Hit. by Public Ldsr Ce.)
The Hague; Dec. 17. The German
, national assembly when Its meets,
. probably sooner than is contemplated,
will comprise eight parties, first the
majority socialists headed by Schelde
, man and Ebert; second, the independ
ents with. Haase. Ledhnur an. Ro-th.
. third, the Spartacus grodWof anarchH
' lois, cumnraniBM,; : worm revolution
: arles and, opponents of parliamentary
, srovernment, led.by Dr, Liebknect and
Itosa Luxemburg.
The last named group Is numeric
: ally small but will endeavor to lnflu
: ence the elections by terrorism and
perhaps htre and there wiH make or
derly elections Impossible. The in-
(Contlnued on Page Two.)
SHE
AMERICAN tLEET FHOM
EUHOrE TO Anr.IVE.AT3
NEW YCHSC TUESDAY A. M.
Chips, to Ei Reviewed by Secre
tary Daniels? to Anchor in
North River Day ' Before
Christmas! - ' ' ;
Washington. Deo. 17. Thl ; Ameri
can fleet ' returning from surope,
which W to be reviewed at New York
by Secretary Daniels, is expected to
arrive off Ambrose light vessel at
daylight . on Tuesday, Decejnber !4.
The navy department announced that
the ships .will' pass the Statue of Lib
erty, about I a. m., and will tnen
anchor in the North" river from Fifty
fifth street to Fort Washington.
Besides the ships already . an
nounced as returning . from foreign
service and those acting as escorts to
the ; nreaidentisl ahln. . the Georre
Washington, these vessels will take ;
part in the -review: battleships new
Mexico, Mississippi. Missouri, Maine.
Wisconsin.. Alabama,-. Illinois, Rear
sage, Iowa, Indiana and Massachu
setts, hospital ship Solace; supply
ship Bridge and . one or more naval
fuel ships, - y
Neither the exact nor the names of
the destroyers and converted yachts
returning front Europe are known at
the navy department. The destroyers
and other small craft. On their arrival
will be anchored in erths . on the
New Jersey side of the Hudson river.
As It passes into the harbor, the
fleet will he reviewed by Secretary
Panlels from the Mayflower. ' After
the fleet has reached its anchorage,
the Mayflower, followed by vessels
carrying New York sclty officials, will
review the ships at anchor.
-1!t iOlm l, i5-s.-
News Bureau Says Construction
Work Will "Be 'Sapped.
General Jervey Tells Senator
. Simmons Report Is Without
0;i
Foundation.5'
' ' BY H. K. C BRYANT.
Washington. Dec. 17. It looks as if
the Fayetteville camp may be doomed.
The , debate' in ; the house, over the
advertisement for 12,000 workmen aft
er the armistice was signed, has made
the war department timid about Camp
Bragg,- This announcement, was made
py'.'tbtwafjilepart.meiit' hews bureau
."The director oi operations has In
structed the construction division to
abandon the construction of an - art IN
lerycantonment at , North Camp
Jackson; a (V This does not include
the abandonment of the lease for .the
40,000 acres of land. ! :-"',.
TThe conktructlon of a field canton
ment and training center for four field
artillery (brigades at Camp Bragghas
also been ordered abandoned."
. Senator Simmons made inquiry into
the report that Camp Bragg Is to be
discontinued, and sent the following
telegram to Fay ettevllle: '
v "General JerveyV assistant chief oi
staff, tells me he has not heard of the
report that Camp Bragg is to be dis
continued and if such report is being
circulated It-is without foundation.'1
.Regardless of what army officers
say, It looks very much as If Camp
Bragg would be given up in a short
while. . v
.' yj v ' e -';'
FAYETTEVILLE ASTOUNDED .
AND ALSO. INCREDULOUS
Special to The Observer.
- Fayetteville. t Dec. 17. Assurances
that the report given circulation today
that construction of Camp Bragg la to
be abandoned ia .' absolutely without
foundation." were received by Senatoi
F. M. Simmons, from General Jervev.
chief of staff of the general staff, this
afternoon, according to a telegram re
ceived late today by H. V.D. Ktmr.
secretary of the FayettevllVS chamber
of commerce, from the settlor North
Carolina senator. - . ;
1 On learning of the contents of the
mi . . .. : . l ' . a
mspaicn, receiveu -uy an aiiernoon
paper, 'stating that the field artillery
cantonment at Camp Bragg was listed
"among war department construction
projects ordered abandoned tjdayj"
Secretary King at . once telegraphed
Senator Simmons, asking him to Inves
tigate the report.
"Tour wire of today received," says
the reply telegraphed by the senator.
"Have Just talked with General Jervey,
chief of operations, general staff.' who
states thaany report circulated to the
effect that Camp Brag? Is to be aban
doned is absolutely without any foun
dation." '- ' '
The "report when receive, hern
about noon Created nothing' but' the1
blankest . amazement None of ; the
camp or construction Officials had any
ordersor Knew or any developments
that would . indicate such a rturn In
aftafrs. ' Fayetteville ehamfber of com
merce officials and business men were
astounded. It waa a bolt from a very
blue - sky as far : as Fayetteville was
concerned.
There was a marked ten-
dency toward : Incredualltv. The de
nlal ef the authenticity of the report,
contained in Senator Simmons tele
gram this afternoon, constituted one
of the most welcome messages ever
received in Fayetteville, ' ,
Td TRY TO SOLVE NEGRO ,
WAGE' EARNERS' PROBLEM
Vashlngton; Deo. 17. Solutions of
problems seriously. affecting the eco
nomic conditions of the negro wage
earner has,, been undertaken by the
department t labor through the In
stitution of Itate and local, organiza
tions, said an extract of the annual
report of Secretary Wilson made pub
lic -today! ; . '. . - " t ., ,
Under the', direction!' of the bureau
of negro economics, with Dr. George
E. .Hayes ; as director, co-operative
committees of whites ' and negroes
has been formed In .seven states and
five others are taking up the work.
A report :on' the migration of negro
labor from the south is - being' pre
pared by Dr' James IL. Billard, pres
ident ot, the Jeanes and Slater funds
for negro education, in. the south,
and will be completed soon,
luKM 40,000
rrnri' Trnn;;,jfn
OEACUED G0BLO1Z SUIIDAY 1
:
Large Proportion of Thes
Forces Passed Through City,
but Considerable Numbers
' Remairied a While. , :
r -7 :
(Joblenx. Sunday, Dec 15. (By the
Associated Press.) Approximately
40,000 American troops ,bavej arrived
at Coblenx since the advatice guard
reached here a week ago. A large
number of these jroops have passed
through the city4 while consiaeraDie
forces will remain here temporarily.
The people of Cbblena got thelr-flrst
glimpse of American airplanes today,
several of the machines flying over
the Rhine j toward the Bridgehead
boundary. . ' '
. The officers and clerks of the.Third
army 'arrived here today followed by
trucks loaded with'equjpment. The
largest hotel In Coblena, overlooking
the Rhine and the two brldgeg where
most of the . troops urossed the river,
has been taken over as quarters for
third army ofllcess. The headquarters
of the third army 'are established in
a government building adjoining the
hotel i .v- y .',;"."
JBy noon . the V third ; army was ;;ln
communication: with the back areas
by telephone, telegraph and wireless.
During Sunday various detach
ments of Infantry and artillery passed
''through Coblenx on their" way to join
the divisions' ' east of v the .Rhine.
Church-goers viewed ..the marching
troops with much Interest. Late in
the "afternoon the third division.
(which had been along the Rhine
JSbuth ot Coblens, marched through
tne city neaaea y, a nana, eacn mu
sician mounted on a grey horse. -
The Third division crossed the Mo
selle north of Coblenx, where It has
taken up a position along the Rhine
In support of the .troops within the
bridgehead. , , ,
All the larger hotels here have been
taken over by the Americans for bil
leting purposes, as well ; aa many of
the puolic buildings, which are being
used as offices. - .
Throughout the sector held by the
Americans, the men 'have settled
down to what may -be weeks of occu
pation. Ems and Nassau are two Imi-
portent towns which , have ' fallen to
the French who were sent into . the
American sector, but Neuwled, a 'big
industrial center and , all phe ' other.
towns xn the northern half vof the
sector are held by the Americans.
The Americans have promulgated
no drastic rules to govern civil life
and in every way have, endeavored to
make the inhabitants , feel that they 4
wui not oe moiestea so long as they
ao not mterrere with the military.
1 On 'the first Sunday the results of
this policy? were' shown. While the
hub iruiivx . worn' iivwh. '. n ruia ip i
aents or the smaller towns evinced
none of this hostility.' , ; . - -
.Dressed In their Sunday clothes
the Germans attended , church ser
vice and appeared surprised: to find
among the. congregations in some ef
the places a few, of the enlisted men.
AMERICANS GUARDING
- 'V EX-KAISER'S PAUACE
"With the. American 'Army' of Ocbu
pation. Monday Dec. 16. -(By. the
Assbclated Press.) The royal castle
in Coblenx. known as one of the ifor
mer emperor's ; summer palaces, is
now under, guard by American troops.
The palace stands on the banks of
the Rhine, a stone's throw from the
business center of Coblent. . j . .
-The palace Is surrounded by "royal
gardens" and contains many articles
of. historic Interest, in addition to sil
verware and other belongings of Wil
liam I who once oacupled the bulld-inr-'
, f . v
Since the arrival of the Americans
there have been several attempts to
remove some of the valuables In tRe
palace. , ,
Therefore it was decided V that the
guard should be placed, around the
house as a precaution aealnsf th fur.
nlture and other things inside being
The palace
Clemens.
was' built by '.Prince
BLAZE IN BURLINGTON ,
DOES $250,000 DAMAGE
Business District Badlv, Gutted
by Fire and Water Grsens-
poro Sent Aid -,..
Burlington, Dec. 17. Damage esti
mated at $250,000 resulted from fire in
the business district here today which
destroyed three concerns and partly
burned the buildings and stocks of
several others. The greatest Individ-
tut lrkaet a nit niM.4 ... it. t
ton.rdwar
and stock having been valued W lion
-n Art
000. The M. B. Smtth'Furhiture om-,
pany and the Kirk-Hoit Hardware
Company, both destroyed, placed their
loss at 945.000 and t&a nnn
The stock of the McClellan Ave and
ten-cent store was damaged by water
and in removal to the extent of $10,
000. The building in which this com.
nny was housed was owned by W. H.
Turrentine and was valued at $12.00o!
The- firemen.' were hsndlnannai Kv
lack of water asHhe 60,000-galTon tank?
upon which the city placed its.; main -dependence
for protection against fire '
had become exhausted. Fire apparatus
from Greensboro, waa isent . herfr by,
train after a.,motor truck which at-1
tempted to make the .trip under its '
own power had turned over at Elon!
College. . -, ' 4 ,
ADMIRAL CASTRO IS NEW
PRESIDENT IOF PORTUGAL
' Xew . York,
Dec . 17. Santos Fer-
nandez,
represehtatlve bf 'the Portu
guese shipping board here, declared
today that the new president of Por
tugal. Admiral Canto B. Castro, un
doubtedly had been chosen by parlia
ment "to' .- conciliate' all ' factions."
Lacking: complete information, he
said he believed Castro was how pro
vincial head of the republic and sub
ject to a future popular election.
President Castro is about 55 -yeara
old.1 and was born In Lisbon. During
the war, and until he became mlnls-
tertnf marina Admiral ririM ...
i command of h rnrnuu iavi
trol and coa.t defense.. . . .
n
ili
OUT 51 GUi!5
1 J LI I
OUTPUT
Achievement Reached by .Ord
nance Bureau in November.
CR5WELL GIVES OUT FACTS
Program j of 2.0QQ Guns
Month Would ; Have Been
Reached by Next June.
.
Washlnaton. Dec 17. Faced bv a
program of producing 2,000 suns of
all calibers, month without disturb
ing the flow of runs to the allied
nations or the navy's prior right, the
ordnance bureau of the war depart
ment had achieved an output of about
600 guns a month when the armistice
ended hostilities. By June of next
year production would have been in
full swing. m ' .v'-:.v y
These facts were revealed today by
Assistant Secretary Crowell, In a per
sonally conducted' trip to the new
proving ground at Aberdeen. JUd..
where all .types of guns were demon
strated for Mr. Crowell's party, and
American-built tanks and -tractors
were put through their paces. .
v Mr. Crowell said .the United States
had looked upon the allies as the first
line of defense when this country
entered the war, and formulated Its
munitions plans so as not to Interfere
with the , gun and ammunition con
tracts f o r France an d Great Britain..
Many American . gun forglngs and
completed runs have been poured
across to Great Britain and shipments
to the French armies had reached a
total of 1,000 guns a month.
t'-'v Fourth on list.
V - The needs of the navy as the second
defense line also gave It priority and
the shipping board came next In the
list for steel and other commodities
needed to carry but the huge program
mapped out for the American army
Itself. This placed .the American
ordnance program fourth on the list
with the necessity of building from, the
ground up. : ' , : '
. The demonstration that covered all
the trench warfare . weapons and the,
field arttllerv, Including the six-inch
guns takjTrom American coast de
fenses an. many of which reached
th front as field guns before the war
ended. It took in also tne nrst puouc
demonstration of ' the giant - guns
mounted on railway, carriages, solid
ranks of seven-inch.1 14-lnch and 16
Jncb.weaponi hurling prpJecUle over
the-ranre.
v7 . ZJJ7. ' -.v. -' tt
inch mortar
A ' 14inch rifle of extreme - range
and power, railway mounted ana sove
irnvd that'the recoil is taken up in
the backward movement of the- whols
massive carriage along the tracks, also
was 'fired, i " It is a purely American
cuitnut. atad is the first or tne grea:
mobile seaooast batteries to be added
to the defense of the nation, f
'The tank demonstrated today was
the three-ton two-man type, of Ameri
can design. A production of 100 a day
of , these swift,' nachlne gun-armed
land ships was almost ready to start
when the war came to an end. . Early
in Spring it would have been reached,
iinninmontlnr the six-ton tank uro
gram upon which 'the United States
was working jointly with the British
both In design and manufacture. Mr.
Crowell salds that 6,000 - of - the big
tanks were in' process of manufacture
In the United States alone.
Ail nt thf work lnr Darts -of 'manvi
mm
in
others were built In the United ttatesjmany Important, amendments ' and
and shipped to England for assembly., approved pages of minor provisions.
In this way tney reaonea tne irontj
with British or American crews. , ,
ALMOST. 5,000 TROOPS t"
REACH NEW Y0RK P0RT
White, Star LineH Celtic Is
; fourth Ship for the Day
Bringing Soldiers. Home,
M-;! ii!:i. :y.,,j.. j i ii.-')'.V,..-:'..:.-lf.1. ,,'-.;';. '-.a.
New; Tork," Dec 17.Th White
Star liner Celtic bearing 3,377 Amer
ican soldiers front overseas, including
1,259 wounded men and a large con
tingent of negro troops dropped an
chor off the Statue of Liberty tonight
and will dock tomorrow. ..The Celtic
was the fourth ship to reach this port
I today wflhtroops, and Its list brought
tne, total or arrivals to almost &,ooq
men. , , ( , ' .
The transport Maul docked this
morning shortly after the Cunard
liner Caronta.and the Holland liner
Prinzes- Juliana had put in. The
latter ships brought only a small con
tingent of soldiers and sailors, the
Passenger being.
V.
J0-J0 SAYS
Fair toduy and Thursday.
'Those who would disband the Redl
Cross because the wan Is over .should
be consistent and also suggest doing
away with hospitals and all instltu-tlons-fos.
lba.aUevlaUonof ... human
suffering i
l-g?l
17ILS0II iiUD FuIIICAnEAnD THEIR
WIVES DIIII1ER GUESTS OF SHARP
- , - .-: - - , ;
'Many Notable Men of France and the United States Attend Re-
ception Following Dinner Given by American Ambassador to
I : Francer-TGreat Crowd Fwtoed in Front of EmbassyEco
1 nomic Questions Coming . to Front In Peace Talk. C
Paris, Dec. V 17. (Uavas) Ameri
can Ambassador Sharp gave a dinner
this evening: in honor of President
and Madame Poincare and President
and Mrs. Wilson. The goeets included
the ambassadors to France, the presi
dents of the senate and chamber, the
ministers of marine and foreign af
fairs. Marshals Joffre and Foch and
the prefect of the Seine and their
wives, the American delegates to the
peace conference and Generate Per
shmg Bliss and Harts. '?
A reception followed the dinner, at
which many notable men of France
and the United States were present. A
great crowd massed in front of the
embassy acclaimed both presidents.
ECONOMIC QUESTIONS
COMING TO THE FRONT
. Paris, Dec. 17. Economic ques
tions are coming prominently to the
front in the discussions now going on
behind the screens prelimiary to the
assembling of the inter-allled confer
ences, and the peace congress. The
main point hinges on the appointment
of Herbert C.-Hoover. the American
food administrator, as director general
of relief for all. the allies and the
United States.
An amendment to this has now osen
su mated from allied Quarters, by
which an. inter-allied commission
would control for the period of, one
year the distribution of raw' materials
to various countries. -, 1
The American plan for re net was
presented in writing to the-recent
meeting- of the supreme war council
in London, but action on it was post
poned. The arrival of Premier uoya
George and Premier Orlando in Paris
next Thursday will again bring these
President Wilson! and the deferred
premiers together, this time with
President Wilson and . the deferred
PROMPT Ml
.ar
senate' Makes Rapid Progress
rf,-vWith Revenue- Bill.
Repeal pf Law Jnoreasing First
tlass Postage Rates Among
' Sections Adopted.
: Washington, Dec. IT. Itapid prog
ress ' oh the war revenue .bill, was
made today ' by the . senate, with
leaders apparently uniting to hasten
Its passage by late this week' or J at
least before the holidays. '
'. After Senator Penrose, senior re
publican of the finance . committee,
had delivered a prepared address
urging prompt passage of the bill,
but disapproving Its provisions to fix
1920 tax rates, the senate, with only
ar handful of members present ana
with nerfunctory discussion, adonted
consideration of an izo rates, now
ever.-was postponea oy unanimous
consent V . " r' ".
The war excess profits rates for
1919 ranging from 90 to 0 per cent
as revised by the finance committee
and estimated to raise 92,400,000,000
as compared with $1,200,000 under
the house bill. . ' .
Rates of $6.40 and $2.20 a gallon,
respectively, on ' distilled spirits for
beverage and non-beverage- purposes,
as 1 reduced from the 1 respective $S
and $4.40 gallon rates of the house
bill and estimated to raise $450,000,
000 as against $760,000,000 under the
house draft; -
Taxos ' on freight, passenger, ex
press, pullman and v oil pipe line
transportation, 1 as proposed in ' ' the
finance committee's revision and e :
timated to yield .$229,000,000 and; -
Kepeal on July l,..next, or. tho law
increasing first class mail rates from
2 to 3 cents an ounce, and provid
ing for restoration, of the old pre
war rates involvlng-a revenue reduc
tion of about $50,000,000... - ;
' When these provisions were adopt
ed, reservations were made by sev-
eral senatcwef their right to offer
substitutes or amendments later
Senator LaFollette, of Wisconsin, , re
publican, announced be ' would offer
an amendment for J revisions of the
Individual income surtaxes, and Sen
ator Thomas, of Colorado, democrat,
gave notice that he' would' propose
war excess profits rates in' lieu, of
the committee plan.- v k ,
The committee amendment for res
toration of pre-war postage rates on
letters and postcards next July was
adopted ' without discussion, but ' -action
was deferred on the - companion
provision ; for e repeal of the existing
tone rates on - second . class postage
and submission of the. committee's
new, modified sone , ' plan. : Senator
Hardwlok. of deorgUv; i announced
that he desired, to discuss the second':
class postage section.". t'Hltv&k'&W
VILLA BANDITS RAIDV
v"' AN AMERICAN'S RANCH
Washington, Dec. .17. Villa band-
its raided the ranch of an American,
John 13. Hlbler, at Galena, in, north
ern Mexico-, December 9. according to
I a report today to the state depart
j ment No one- was killed. ' ' ,
- AFTER PROFITEERS. ' ;..
Richmond, Va Dec. 17.? To pre
venrexcesslve charges being made for
goods, especially foodstuffs. , the state
food controller today enlisted the ser
vices of hundreds cf women of the
city who are to act as reporters and
investigators of the price situation In
Richmond, prosecution of violations
are to follow their reports, It Is Indi
cated by the food department.
PENROSE URGES
relief project again will come upJor
discussion and decision.
An amendment concerning raw ma
terials; which has been proposed,
promises to be the mala subject of
discussion.; A number of other ques
tions also are involved in the appoint
ment of a director general of relief,
particularly the use of merchant ship
ping now in German ports for . the
distribution of relief and also, the
prompt movement of American troops
back to the United States. '
President Wilson conferred ' today
with Edward N. Hurley, the shipping
director, one of the subjects under dis
cussion being- that of shlnnlnr far
the homeward movement of the troops.
curing tne last lew days the foreign
governments have been cancelling
the charters of shins used bv th
United States in transporting troops
so inai ine vessels might he put back
in trade.. :,.,: . . '
PRESIDENT WILSON SE&'
ITALIAN AMBASSADOR
Paris, Dec. if. President and Mrs.
Wilson went for an automobile ride
today In the outskirts of Paris, " the
skies having brightened towards noon.
During the rainy morning Mr. Wil
son Worked in his study, being; oblured
to forego his expected trip to the golf
units at Versailles. -v -
In the afternoon the President saw
the Italian ambassador to the United
States - with whom Mr. Wilson had
several Important conferences during
the voyage from the United States.
It is known Mr. Wilson feels the
warmest sympathy for Italy's claims
arising from the war and the Presi
dent virtually told Count Cellero the
extent to which he was willing - to
support them during the forthcoming
iniormai conferences with entente
government premiers. ; i ; i
IS PUT
III 1 FILL If
Guests of Press Club! at Balti
cmore Last Night.
Inspect Naval Academy and bis
; cuss'Future State Labor and
Other Problems. '-
; Annapolis, Md. Dec 17. 8tate gov
ernors, in conference 'here, today in
spected the Naval academy, went to
Baltimore tonight as guests of .the
Baltimore Press club, and between
times discussed future state labor, ed
ucational and public land policies.
At the final session tomorrow the
conference expects to take 1 up ' the
Question of wnat is to become of the
National Guard after demobilisation.
The Naval academy .was in full
working order as the governors were
escorted through it by Rear Admiral
Edward w. , Eberle, the superlnten
dent
- The governors inspected modern ex
plosives, mines, torpedoes, ' depth
charges, a : half ton of fresh bread
and great . cauldrons of soup, all ot
them essential parts of the largest
naval training academy in the world.
The governors also passed through the
streets of the old town to inspect his
torio residences.
Governor Boyle. f Nevada, ad
dressing the conference on labor nol
ides, said , public opinion "no longer
approved the brutal methods of the
past employed in the settlement of
labor controversies."
A ' solution of the labor problem
imust come, Governor Boyle said, by
mutual consideration by employers
and employes, and It Is the f uno
"'vti of the government, federal and
i . "e, to k bring these two. forces to.
. -ther.' ' Governor . Boyle said ;' the
American Federation , of Labor has
been the most powerful single In
fluence in pointing the way to a prac
tical solution of labor questions and
in guiding men. away from socialistic
theories ana radicalism. The I. w. W
he said, includes, many honest men
waiting for the, right kind of leader
Shin.-.; -'v;. ,-':,, ..i.ut :-,:i.:f-h;,
s- Governor iListeri"f'bf-Wa8'hinatn;
urged state governments to study the
causes ot social unrest.
o
GERMAN TROOPS RETURN
; . BUT CROWDS ARE SILENT
Scenes, of Enthusiasm -Which
Greeted First Section of Re
turning Huns Have Ceased,,
London, Deo, 17. (British Wireless
Service.) The correspondent in Ber
lln of The Dally Express, dealtnc with
the. return of the German army, save
.the , scenes of enthusiasm - marking I
the home-coming . of .the troops are j
ending. v; t . wj
"Men have been coming home - at
th rate of 10,000 a day," says the
correspondent ,- "Every day nerr
Ebert (the chancellor) takes his' place
on a? rostrum opposite the French
embassy. JM? addresses the ; home
coming men and the bands play mar
tial music, while the crowds cheer
and wave their handkerchiefs.
"Deutachland Uber Ales" s brought
me into the street ,thls morning.- To
my amasement, and to the .apparent
nmasement of the - French officers
grouped inthe window of the em
bassy, a regiment was passing the
Brandenburg gate to the old .tune.
Later, I heard it played continuously
s f cavalry, infantry and artillery
swept byv Regimental ftnsrt were
crowned r. with ' laurel wreaths. Th e
men wore evergreens around their
steel helmets end teir tunlos !
guns were covered v .'.h f.of i .-.
f1 ':r"
lUii ii'
W V 4 i,
DIG PiiOl:,: .
PEftGE KL;
Already Taken Up . ty V.".!: : n
With Allied Statesmen. '
0MSIT GOVERNMENT N. G.
Question of Who Is Qualified to
Speak for, Russian People
: It Unanswered.
Washington. Dec 17. The Russian
already has been taken up by Presi
dent Wilson with -French statesmen,
it was learned here today, and the
determination of a definite policy on-'
which all the allied countries and- the
United ' States may agree will , be one
of the first things undertaken at the
preliminary meetings which are to
precede the peace conference. . , '
Russia's plight and the attitude to
be adopted by the victorious associ
ated nations Is recognized : as one of v
the most serious problems of the con
ference. . Every proposed solution so
far is said to have been blocked bJ'
the u nanswered question of who is
qualified to speak for ' the Russian
people. ;;4.!i-i;--':;;v:ii .x-y
The government at Omsk, of which
the United States and other govern
ments has expected much, is now In v
the hands of a dictator and split lnta '
factions. The entente nations have "
not given up hope that the Omsk au
thorities may yet evolve a stable form '
ot government for Russia, but this has -
not been accomplished now and none -of
the allied governments, had recog
nised the Omsk regime.
.Prince Lvoff. who was premier in
the Kerensky cabinet and who has de-
voted most of his life to the develop
ment of the, Zemstvo system in Rus
sia, and Boris Bakhmeteff, Russian '
ambassador in Washington, appointed
oy Kerensky, as well as Professor Paul
Mlllukoff, Kerensky's foreign minister,
are on their way to Paris with 'ether
prominent Russians' to do ' whatever -they
can to aid the alllbs in the' so-
lutlon of the Russian problem. But.
whether they represent the people of
itussia at this time is a question'
which it privately is admitted cannot
be answered here
- Prince Lvoff has recently been . in '
Washington, where , he discussed , the .
situation in his-country with. Presi-;
dent Wilson , and Secretary of state
Lansing. " ' -'i. t . 'i ,
Alexleff, Deneklne and other Cos- ;
sack - leaders . are in. control in the
Cossack districts on the Don "and at
Orenburg, and are maintaining a gov
ernment more nearly stable than any
other in Russia at present, unless it
is at Archangel, which ts operating
in accord with the a?lled forces Jn the
north; ' 'Aa ?a js v-i-
Far from accordinc nhy recoenttiort'
to the soviet regime at Petrfograd, the
United States some time- ago 'called
upon all civilised nations to condemn
the . Bolsheviki -reign of .-, terror. '
Even when a set ot leaders Is rec
ognised as Russian 'spokesmen, the
United States and the' allies must face -the
great , question of how they can
be; aided in setting up a stable gov
ernment and In preventing famine.
for the benefit of Russia herself, and
in the interest of the. peace of the.
world.';':.'--.. ; u ' - ; -.-.5 -vr v--v-m'
CAROLINA HEROES RETURN
. ER0M SERVICE AT FRONT
Lieut Moore,' , of Wadesboro,
and Lieut Ledbetter, of An
derson, Reach New York. '
New York, Dec. 17. Among the
troop ships which-docked here today L
was the Maul, ffrom Brest with 4
officers and 2,161 men aboard. ,
The troopers on the Maui are from
virtually every state and many of
them return wounded from battles on
the western front. They Include Ma
jor Oliver M. White, of Roanoke, Va.,
wounded at Yerdun, who said that
"the only thing that beat the Germans ,
at Chateau Thierry was the dopsone
determination of the Americans to go
ahead.". .?i:---,-;;:;.-;.::-'"--:
- Lieut. L. R,, Ledbetter, of Anderson,
S. C.,?' veteran of fighting in Alsace
Lorraine and ? Argonne ' forest, and
Lieut. J. R. Harden, ef New Jersey,'
a marine, who fought from the Mania!
to Verdun,, was nine times "over the
top," and twice wounded, and who, ,
according to companions, "got" a Ger.- '
man for every member of his fam;:y.
seven in alV mostly: in hand-to-hand
fighting', were on the Maul. - v .
Other heroes of the iMaut include
Corperal E. E. Brook, a marine of I
Tresevanf, Tenn., v who wound J. '
fought his way through a machine gun ,
barrage, only four men of 68 survlv- I
4 Ing, and Lieut. Julian E. Moore, of
wadesboro, N. C, an aerial observer,
whose left foot was smashed when n
airplane fell three thousand f
ONLY MERCHANT
r-i r
: TO MAN MERCHANT r
Washington, Dec. 17. Cre- -merchant
sailors instead of 1
men will be placed aboard all
of the-United States merchant
rlne hereafter, commissioned e
vessels engaged in the transp
ot troops.;. This decision, the t
board announced tonight In l.
sequence of the elimination f :
submarine aanger, with the at' -discontinuance
of the cor.v
other naval regulations wh. .
emed the movements of cn i
sels during the war. , It ia i
that no changes will be ma i -
present in the naval crev
chant vessels already in s rv
good mxc
; . ; c; (
' The Gooifcllc
be, must h r- '
lOtti'S liX"' ' (
tion.
(- T-