24 PAGES
TODAY
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WEWS
AND EVENING CHRONICLE
"GREATER CHARLOTTE'S HOME NEWSPAPER"
SUNDAY
EDITION
HARLOTTE, N. C, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1921.
THE EA'EVKVG CHRONICLE j Consolidated ( PT?TP1? T,T'71, r'TT'TVT'TC!
THE CHARLOTTE XEWS ( May S. 1914. ( -UlVlrj T 1 V 111 -EjIN I
eoretary Holies Propose!
Cut In
ulbinriairiffae Tonnage
TORNADO TAKES
HEAVY TOLL INi
CENTRAL SOUTH
Thirty- four Deaths as Re-
of Storm in Mississip
pi Valley.
...u
VILLAGES DESTROYED.
Tv,o Towns Almost Com
pletely Wiped Out; Large
Property Damage.
:!, a ns. Doc. 24. A toll of thir
;;v. -s was taken by a storm
the lower Mississippi valley
uu and early today, according
reports received here tonight.
seventy-five were injured,
vro'nahly fatally.
:v-r;v damage was estimated at
th i". S:'00.000.
'o villages of Clarksdale, Ark.,
?;:-iK-cr, La., were almost com
y destroyed, reports stated. One
' nv.-.n and six negroes were killed
arkua'.o when a store filled with
:::..is shoppers collapsed. More
persons were reported injured
several negroes, injured there,
: to Memphis hospitals for
where it was stated several
v' wiu'd die.
c:: in-rsons were killed at Spencer,
In Morehouse Parish, La., Mrs. Mary
:-:r.. white, and six negroes residing
, -. th- S; a:n plantation were killed. Two
L.-;r rs of the Spain family were
ir.y.v d.
Thirteen three whites and ten ne
groeswere killed and more than a
score injur?-.! in Quitman. Lefloure and
Yazoo counties, Mississippi.
Tl .storm tirst struck in eastern Ar
kir:; ;.",!. continuing southward, pass-
i !hr--ua;i northwest Mississippi and
r."r::".ev:: Louisiana. A number of plan
tation? ar small farming communities
vhi-- completely wrecked by a gale
vh: I; at times reached 75 miles an hour,
a.rfce to unofficial reports.
wires down and virtually all
: . m.'eation cut off, reports are only
;:'.!.:':. ertary.
villa tre of Spencer, Union parish,
f.ft-vr. n.ii.'S from Monroe, on the Mon
roe ar.d Little Rock branch of the Mis
Pacitie lines, was practically wiped
..;.. IL'trdiy a building is left standing
;.rj. seven persons perished. The storm
'ar.-.e v.p suddenly and many families
flrr? caught asleep in their homes. Few
hi time to escape. Many of the injured
vre hit by falling timbers, which were
iar:d for yards by the wind.
Information of the Spencer disaster
''as r.roi;ght to Monroe by Thomas
TVtsIas. who set the number of dead
fven and the injured at 25.
Imnvr- and nurses were rushed to
''':) l "::''-ft and relief parties or
- r.'z- for other sections in the path of
fv-Cn house on Bayou Bartholo-
Tor
'-'-! St
nrvnous parish, was completely de-f;h:-fl.
Mrs. Mary Spain, wife of Man
or the Tisdale Plantation.
'' the hott.se was, and six ne-;-v.Y
killed.
- W!, agent for the Missouri
at Spencer, and his wife, are
'1 flying-. The depot, a store and
rs were razed. The population
: is only about 100.
h-iort to the seven killed at
V u f ' r rs are near death. A dwell-v.-js
'.,i-n apart and the contents
'v"' for miles along both sides of
Ir
i was blown for 100 feet
n!nr' against a tree, meeting
r!rr';h Ilr-er daughter was blown
V J, ! r is in a critical condition.
s"': ,u'as found some distance
t.-;,. '"' !:; !' f' home apparently dead.
.. l,ss r''viv'!. however, but is in a
-.ouy equation.
JJ; eva,.T 0S;. of ife jn Morehouse
W,-.C''V.'not f'timated, but it is
t:,;,? the casualties were con-
rr.otly to negroes.
T,J.r,nf'r' white and four ne
Mlled on a plantation n?ar
i r
a:- !r,.,vn nf TariSi swings and
"! ' r.lr.i,-, ,l .i i
.f,m (i , . " '"nn aiiu a neavy
:; ' "' "'r i -ets and
ran into stores.
'iarnatf All v.irn n -e rlnilm
',r 'r:'! '"!' plione lines.
't'i'''?''Vir',th to the tornado. Quit-'-;
o'.;. " lost one of its most promi
... f'nlz';r' v v- Turner was return-
'r"a"'s ' tt '1!1 r relief wrk among his
'- Half a mlh north of his home,
'""at-t vviin a uve wire on
'''i'-n eleetrif! litrht lino. TtV.
i " . I l I r k I l-i y-i r -l t r I - I 1
1 . S!i':'if nfallthrewMr.Rurner .
r il. ,! 's Sllf!,1en fall thrdew Mr. Turn-
'..v - u"ie wire.
causing instant
AERiCAN RELIEF IS
WtLPED BY RUSSIANS
fe. 2t. Tho ttneprrar Sn.
1 ovi r to the Hoover Re-
T ,
;, t'a
Purr.h8;;- $10,000,000 for the
;-ain":n" . -f'! fo'"!-'f-ufTs and seeding
hf-f. ' I'nited States for relief of
!'-y, it'"'1'1" -'fferfTs in the Volga val-
s,j!j'r." ,V ;'c lf-'arned from .an official
.j.1- t'j night 4
irr-.uT''?' is fn oW- Tt was ap
, frorri th,a old Czarist treas-'J-
-h ' . Bolshevists got control
Th6 r',ssl.an Government.
""'ri'-an Relief Administration
Given Freedor. or
His Christmas Gift
1
DE
Eugene V. Debs.
EUGENE V. DEBS
HAS KIT PACKED
Expected to Start Home
ward Journey Sunday;
Friends Jubilant.
By JACK K. IIORADY.
United Press Staff Correspondent.
Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 24. Eugene V.
Debs packed his old traveling kit to
night. Tomorrow he expectsc to be home
ward bound, friends stated.
Debs, according to reports at the At
lanta Federal prison, where he has been
confined for more than two and a half
years, is ready to leave for his home
at Terre Haute, Ind., immediately after
securing his release.
Friends predicted he would be releas
ed tomorrow. No announcement as to
the time of his release was made.
His gray suit the one he wore when
he went to Washington unguarded sev
eral months ago to confer with Attor
ney General Daugherty regarding his
case was neatly pressed for the trip by
the prison tailor late today.
Other personal effects were being
packed.
Christmas eve probably his last day
in prison was spent by Debs in per
formance of the usual routine work as
signed to him in the hospital ward. Only
prison attaches were permitted to talk
with him.
Thr.
purchases in America.
-Or: r
I'UIf ' i 'i '.:'.) ...: u c - -i
rv-itv iii mnus secured ny
The
appropriations
K(S, 'th'(r";nnitter; distributed the sup
tU soviet Government bearing
; , ,r''"isportation and the
" ln H'lssia.
&V';OROK NOT COMING.
I'c1",' 24 Premier Llyod-
t:" ' nit 1 1 'at IlrItain will not viait
Irq to ('' states this Winter, accord-t:''-
tr,m'"' - Wyn, secretary of
sWiv, ,h,! ''hiladelphia Eisteddfod
t"h '.'stlvai. who announved to-
y that I, . ... .
iieimer win uvl
' !r,t P
fltr.i, , l eaoit!gram staling
iere,
A3IEKICAN SOCIALISTS PLAN
FOR HOMECOMING OF CHIEF
Terre Haute, Ind., Dec. 24. The night
before Christmas was Bastile day for
American Socialists.
The vanguard of adherents of Eugene
V. Debs arrived at their shrine the
Debs homestead on the eve of his re
lease from Atlanta prison.
Mrs. Debs Gene's Kate he left be
hind because of utterances made during
war-time met her husband's cronies
and received their Christmas greetings.
She was as gracious to "Pete" Schul
man, of Dayton, Ohio, who planted him
self on the back porch and annoitnced
he "wouldn't leave until Gene Debs
got home," as she was to Charlie Erwin,
New York editor.
Mrs. Debs, who rose from a sick bed
for the occasion, and her appearance
was that of a rare cameo, read . hun
dreds of telegrams from Gene's pals
who could not make the pilgrimage to
Terre Haute for the homecoming.
Some of the wires were from humble
comrades and kept well within the ten
word rate limit; others came from men
of wealth and position and were spread
over a page. They all spoke the same
sentiment, however differently express
ed. Thousands of miners, whose favorite
story about Debs concerns the time he
took off his overcoat on Main street
one Christmas eve and gave it to a man
who had none, prepared to welcome
Debs, who is supposed to get in some
time Monday with the rumble of the
"Marsellaise."
However, much credence is given to
reports that he may slip into Terre
Haute to avoid the big homecoming
that is to be staged.
Arthur Bauer, Terre Haute business
man and brother-in-law of Debs, stated
tonight he had received a telegram from
Socialists in New. York indicating that
Debs had left Atlanta already or would
leave within a few. hours.
"The Government," said Bauer, "may
have requested Debs to leave unan
nounced to prevent any demonstrations
enroute."
Debs' reception as now planned will be
as exclusive as the depot in which it
will be held. Business men and those of
the professions will mingle with the
comrades. It will not be a question of
political belief. It will be Gene Debs'
homecoming.
Mrs. Debs will not go to the depot.
"I want to meet Gene when no one is
around," she said, "right here in the
house in which we have lived ror tnirty
years."
She vividly remembers when Debs
came home from jail back. in '93. He
led a railroad strike then.
Mrs. Debs was the only one close to
Debs who did not grumble because he
would not reach here on :Christmas day.
Some thought it was a bit disconcertin'g
that the President did not see fit to free
Debs so he could be home for Christmas.
Others did -not clothe their thought
in such gentle language.
But Mrs. Debs smiled, as the day she
has awaited for . over two years was
close at hand.
The gates of the Atlanta Bastile were
about to swing outward.
EGYPTIAN RIOTING HALTED.
Cairo, Egypt. Dec. 24. Rioting wheih
broke out at Gisa in Egyptian national
demonstrations, had been halted to
night by British troops rushed to the
scene from Cairo. Five natives were
killed and twenty wounded.
SPITE WORLD SENATORS SE
TRAGEDY THERE RECOGNITION
IS HOPE TODAY RUSSIAN SOVIET
OF
Maximilian Harden Sees Russia and Germany Must
Better Things Coming in
the Future.
LOOKS TOWASHINGTON
New World-Power is Differ
ent from the Old in Its
Attitude.
BY MAXIMILIAN HARDEN,
Germany's Foremost Publicist.
Staff Correspondent of The Hewn.
Special Cable Dispatch to The IVews.
Copyright, 1921, by Kewi Publishing Co-
Berlin, Dec. 24. "Peace on earth,
good-will to men."
So ran the song of Bethlehem cen
turies ago. And, like the unheeding
Romans of old, shall we say that
Christmas comes again to a world dis
tracted and torn with strife. Shall we
say -that peace and good-will have not
arrived despite the efforts of three
continents? Shall twe say that the
lion and lamb will not lie down to
gether? In other words, are we as deaf as
the Roman world was during the lat
ter days of Caesar. Is it that the mul
titude o events, whirling cinema-like
before our eyes, blunts our powers'
perception so that we do not see the
importance of the happenings about
us?
It is true that hundreds of thou
sands are starving in the valley of
Volga. Hordes of orphans wander
seeking food like wild dogs, fighting in
the village streets over the flesh of
dead bodies. We read all of this w;th
a sigh and turn the page.
REVOLTING CORRESPONDENCEE.
The published correspondence be
tween the ex-Kaiser and Field Marshal
von Hindenburg, revolts nine-tenths of
the readers who think that any Ger
mans Ending pleasure in such a heap
of uncruths and calurmnes are inca
pable of improvement and unworthy of
pity. Millions of Germans turn away
almost with physical disgust from this
wretched, cunning repetition of lies re
pudiated a thousand-fold.
But, are the ugly spots in the world
picture the most important? Great
things are happening. The center of
the world's history has moved west
ward. Between the Atlantic and Pa
cific today stands the world-power he&
for centuries by the Mediterranean
lands.
Its order cancels treaties and makes
laws for the people in the depths of
Asia and the northernmost parts of
Europe? Laws which are no longer
based on national greed and a thirst
for power. Three great powers agree
to a program lessening the tax burden
as well as the danger of war.
After seven centuries of bloody
strife and injustice, Anglo-Irish dis
putes at last seem to be on the high
road to settlement. Remembering the
House of Lords' hard reieetinn nf TVfr
Asquith's "home rule" project in 1913,
one can well appreciate England's de
sire today for an understanding in all
things with the United States.
mCH FOR PEACE.
So, during these last months of 1921,
more has been done for world pacifica
tion, more has been done for civiliza
tion than in many centuries. It is true,
much is left Even the most casual
look around saddens the observer. How
much of misery is hidden beneath the
roll of the unemployed in the United
States and England, in Switzerland
and Holland? Germany, although she
has produced twice as much coal this
year as in 1913, and has given employ
ment to everybody free of military
service, nevertheless is obliged to de
clare that she cannot pay the next bil
lion dollars of reparation money.
But this was expected. Despite her
industry, Germany has attained but
60 per cent of her pre-war exportation.
Whence then can she draw the
strength for the continual payment of
such huge sums? Our war adver
saries are competing with our metal,
chemical and textile industries and no
country from the Rhine to the Black
Sea, from Lake Constance to Siberia,
can buy even bare necessities with
money of international value.
Only a non-political conference of
world economists can solve this great
est of all problems of the day.
But all of our distress and worry
must not blind our eyes to the splen
dor of the star which led the Eastern
kings to the manger, nor deafen our
ears to the shepherd's hymn on the
field of Bethlehem. Humanity, indeed,
has taken a step forward. Again a
child is born. It moves gently from
its manger. Seldom has humanity
been able to look at Christmas-tide
with more hope of world betterment
than is promised by the present peace
on earth.
Be Given Consideration
By the Conference.
NECESSARY TO PEACE.
Action Planned at Confer
ence of Republican and
Democratic Senators.
New Photo of Mexican President
THIRTEEN KILLED IN
MISSISSIPPI TORNADO
Jackson, Miss., Dec. 24. Thirteen
dead, a score injured, and thousands
of dollars worth of property damaged,
was the toll of today's tornado which
struck three Mississippi counties
Quitman, Leflore and Yazoo.
The dead were all negroes, with
th? exception of William V. Turner,
plantation owjer fo Quitman county,
and two white men killed at Vaughn,
Yazoo county.
BY J. BART CAMPBELL.
International iXeivs Staff Correspondent.
Washington, Dec. 24. An organized
movement for the recognition of the.
Russian Government by the United!
States and the inclusion of both the
Russian Governments in the armament
conference before it concludes its de
liberations was planned tonight at a
conference of Republicans and Demo
cratic Senators. They declared that no
permanent peace could beVdevised with
out the peoples of entral' and western
Europe being taken into consideration.
While the group of Senators included
some of the "irreconciables" by Borah,
Reaublican. of Iadho, there also
were rresent Senators of both sides wrho
were favorably disposed toward the
armament conference and the four
power Pacific treaty. They maintained
strongly independent views as to tne
exclusion of Russia and Germany from
the conference and whatever pacts are
evolved from it.
Senator Ladd, North Dakota, a. non
partisan Republican, declared that,
while he was iisposed co support the
decisions of the conference, he was
"fearful lest they would not result in
lasting peace because apparently those
nations participating had failed to con
sider the tremendous potentialities of
the millions of people who are included
Avithin the borders of Russia and Ger
many alone."
"I can see some merit in the aims of
the conference and even in the four
power treaty," Senator Ladd said in
the first announcement he has made of
his position, "but I cannot see how
cither can accomplish the good rasultt
that the President "has in mind unless
both Rusfeia. jinaV4fcations el central
Europe ar given a' voice in whatever
plans are mapped -out for permanent
peace.
CANNOT ASSURE PEACE.
"Until Russia and Germany, at least,
are included in the decisions of the con
ference, I fail to see how there can be
any assurance given for a permanent
peace either in Europe or in Asia and
the Pacific. The four-power treaty,
while it is supposed to concern only the
island possessions and island dominions
of the United States, Great Britain and
Japan in the Pacific, is bound, in my
judgment, sooner or later to involve
Russia, if not Germanyi It should be
borne in mind that, under the construc
tion placed on the treaty by the Ameri
can delegates, Japan proper, lying not
many miled from the Pacific coast line
of Russia, must present to the Rus
sian people not only a possible barrier
to free access to the Pacific, but a fu
ture menace of possible war.
."Russia, because of her Asiatic pos
sessions, is a much closer neighbor to
Japan proper than either the United
States, Great Britain or France and. in
my judgment, no treaty dealing with
the Pacific and with Japan can make
for jermanent peace unless Russia is a
signatory to it. I believe the same to
be true of China. Japan has already
been in frequent conflict with the Rus
sian people in Siberia and it need only
be recalled that the Japanese seized the
northern part of Sakhalin Island in vio
lation of the Russian-Japanese treaty,
for us to bear in mind that at some fu
ture time the Russian people may reas
sert their claims to territory which
many think is Russian and over which
the Japanese flag now flies.
"We know that Great Britain has
virtually recognized the Russian Gov
ernment; is dealing directly with Rus
sia. We would be blind, fatally blind if
we were ourselves to enter into any
agreement with Great Britain, France,
or any other foreign nation which did
not either include both Russia and Ger
many, or at least, take them Into con
sideration." "I should regret having to vote
against the four -power Pacific treaty or
any other decision of the conference af-
-. ? ' 4 ft '0pMmm
ENTERS BREACH
WITH PROPOSAL
OF COMPROMISE
(Continned on Page Two)
CHILD INJURED BY
GIANT FIRECRACKER
Statesville, Dec. 24. James Walker,
five-year-old son of N. M. Walker of
Hiddenite, Alexander county, is in a
local hospital probably fatally injured
from his experience with a large fire
cracker. When the cracker exploded,
the lad'a left hand was blown off, the
ball of his left eye perforated and a
hole was torn completely through his
abdomen, just above the liver, and a
piece of cloth was forced into the liver.
SEVENTEEN BOYS AND
GIRLS PUT TO DEATH
Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 24. According
to a report received here from the
Mexican border late today, 17 Mexican
boys and girls, together with a priest,
were masacred in the State of Tlax-
! cala, Mexico, by a gang of bandits. It
I was said a posse had picked up the
I trail of the bandits.
No Issue of The News Monday
There will be no issue of The .News published Monday, December
26. , . .
-This newspaper and Its employes will take the day off to spend
Christmas at home with their families.
The employes of The Newsi from President to Janitor wish for
you and yours the merriest sort of Christmas and your most healthy,
prospreous and pleasant New Year.
This new photograph of President Obregon, of Mexico, taken in the
Turkish room of the National Palace, was snapped as he awaited the ar
rival of the international newspaper correspondents stationed in Mexico City.
President Obregon, who is said to be of Irish ancestry, is well liked by
the newspaper men, to whom he is very accessible.
City Commissioners Enjoy
Equal Rights, Mayor Says
Colombian Treaty
Reported Ratified
New .York, Dec. 24. The treaty
between Colombia and the. United
States has been ratified by the
Colombian Congress, according to a
cablegram received today by the
American International Corporation.
STREAMS IN OHIO
OVERFLOWBANKS
No Deaths Are Reported
But Property Damage Has
Been Enormous.
Walker and Standi Inter
pret Charter as Giving
Equal Authority.
ALL ON SAME LEVEL.
All Important Matters Are
Submitted to the Three
Commissioners.
Cincinnati, Ohio, Dec. 24. Flood wa
ters of many streams in the vicinity of
Cincinnati today caused the Ohio River
to rise more than it has for years,
according to river men of long expe
rience. During the past 36 hours 3.32
inches of rain has fallen in and around
Cincinnati.
Weather. Forecaster Devereaux today
issued the following statement:
"The Ohio River will pass the. flood
stagefifty feet at Cincinnati late Sat
urday. It will continue to rise Sunday,
reaching a crest stage of between 51
and 54 feet on Sunday. Unless some
thing unforeseen occurs, the river will
become stationary late Sunday. Flood
stages are not expected at other points
in the district." ;
People living along the Licking River
have moved their property along its
banks and hope to save it as the
stream runs out rapidly.
Residents of Mill Creek valley were
compelled to abandon their homes and
seek higher ground. Street cars in this
(Continued on Page Xine.l
SACCO AND VANZETTI
REFUSED NEW TRIALS
Dedham, Mass., Dec. 24 Judge Web
ster Thayer today refused to grant a
new trial to Nicolo Sacco and Bartolo
meo Vanzetti. Judge Thayer declined
to set aside the first degree murder
verdict returned by a jury in the trial
for the murder of a South Braintree
paymaster and his guard.
Judge Thayer reserved decision on
the supplementary motions. He also
announced that he would permit the
defense to file exceptions on his de
cision of today denying the new trial.
Judge Thayer's decision covered 30
pages, which he read from the bench.
This decision was made on motions
filed several months ago and is inde
pendent ,of supplementary motions
made when the hearing opened today.'
The original motions dealt with points
of law and what counsel for the con
victed men termed insufficient evi
dence. Today's motions had to do
with the alleged unauthorized presence
in the jury room of bullets supposedly
removed from the bodies of the slain
paymaster, Frederick A. Parmenter,
and his guard, Alessandro Berdelli.
Counsel argued that the bullets
brought to the jury room by Foreman
Walter Ripley were of different calibre
than those taken from the . victim's
bodies.
The Norfolk county courthouse was
under heavy guard during, the day's
proceedings. Persons visiting the
building were searched for weapons.
That Mayor Walker and Commission
er Stancill have never acted upon
the assumption that they enjoyed
larger powers in their respective com
missionerships than was allowed the
commissioner of public safety, was the
emphatic statement, of both of them
Saturday when their views was sought
as to the contention that Commissioner
Huneycutt enjoys less authority in
his office than the other two commis
sioners.
The issue was brought into local
debate by the publication of the state
ment . of Messrs. Curry and Bridges,
authors of the bill introduced in the
Legislature in which were excerpts
from the law defining the powers and
duties of the commissioners and by
which they sought to show that they
were merely trying to bring tho office
of commissioner of public safety up
to the level of authority already at
tained in the other two commission-
erships.
VIEWS OF ATTORNEYS.
A number of attorneys, versatile in
their knowledge of city charters and
some . of whom have made a special
study of the present commission form
applying here, were of . the opinion that
the law does not make any distinction
' (Continued on Page Klne.)
Makes Slashing Reductions
in Present Tonnage of
America and Britain.
MAY BREAK DEADLOCK
Britain Accepts the Offer,
France and Japan Ask for
More Time.
Ther's so much other stuff t read
these days that we've decided t' drop
Borah. Lafe Bud jest happened t' look
down an' found a quarter this mornin'
jest as a young lady wuz goin t' step
on -it.
BY CARL D. GROAT,
United Press Staff Correspondent.
Washington, Dec. 24. America gave
to the world today a Christmas spirit
message announcement of a proposal
for slashing the world powers' tonnage
of deadly submarines.
Under this proposal, made to the five
powers' arms delegates by Secretary of
State Hughes, America would decrease
by more than one-third her present
submarine fleet, making its total 60.
000 tons; Great Britain would cut
down over 22.000 tons, making a 60,-000-ton,
total while France, Japan and
Italy would retain their present U
boat tonnage of 42,850; 31,400, and 20,
228, respectively.
This was Hughes second "bomb
shell" since the Arms Conference be
gan. His first was the dramatic pres
entation in open session of his plan for
limitation of battleship armaments.
PROPOSAL A SURPRISE.
Today's proposal came as almost as
great a surprise as the first. The
American group, however, had indica
ted, generally, that it was ready for
some concessions from the original
pl.?n whereunder the United States
and Great Britain would have had 90.
000 tons each, Japan, 54,000 and
France and Italy, each 31,500. Britain
nccepted with alacrity. The ' other
powers wanted time to consider.
Adjournment for lunch for taken,
and when they met again at 3 o'clock,
the French and Japanese informed Sec
retary Hughes that they were unable
!o .igree witbout first referring it to
(heir espertive Governments. This
they did tonight.
So far as Italy was concerned. Sen
ator Schanzer was empowered to ac
cept anything that France received.
:md Secretary Hughes assured the ItaT
ifirf. spokesman that the United States
had no objection to Italy being on a
parity with France.
The American proposal cuts the sub
marine tonnage of Great Britain and
the United States to 60.000 tons and
leaves that of other nations at the
present status.
France in the Arms Conference
meeting today stated it would refer
he new plan to Premier Briand at
Paris.
Japan objected to a tonnage of less
than 54,000, as first proposed by
Hughes. Under the program announc
ed today, she would have 31,500.
Italy was agreeable to the spirit of
the new American program but stated
phe desired to be on a parity with
France.
Secretary TTusrhes then announced
hat a resolution against illegal prac
tices in submarine warfare would be
formally placed before the conference
at the proper time.
This attitude of the various powers
was made known officially tonight fol
lowing America's presentation of the
Christmas spirit message that she was
wil'ing to lead the way in further na
val scrapping. The belief prevailed
hat a complete agreement on the sub
marine question would be reached next
week along the lines of the American
nfngram. -
The American proposal calls for
fiO.000 tons each for America and
Groat Britain, whose fleets now stand
nt about 95,000 and 82,000, respect-,
ively For the other powers their sub
marine allotment would be, observing
the status quo Japan, 31,464 tons;
France, 31.391 and Italy, 21,000.
During today's meeting of the dis
armament committee Britain formally
put herself on record as opposed to
submarines.
Secretary of State Hughes sympa
thetically informed the meeting that
America would be very glad to take
up the question of abolition later if it
should become feasible. He expressed
appreciation of the motive prompt
ing Britain's request, but noted that
American naval experts favored keep
in? submarines. At the same time, he
pointed out that within the American
public there is an abhorrence of sub
marine warfare as practiced by the
Germans during the war.
He was careful, however, to show
that the American Government, while
not contending for keepfng some nub
marines, was quite ready to follow the
principle laid down at the start cur
tailment of naval strength ln an ef
fort to curb war.
The French and Japanese positions
offered new difficulties in the way of
a settlement, but Secretary Hughes
felt tonight real progress had been
made, and did not manifest any pes
simism as to a final solution.
The Italians suggested that 31,500
tons would be a satisfactory figure for
both France and Italy. The French are
aerreed that Italy should have . a parity
with France, but the delegation is not
yet in a position to accept the Hughes
figure, even though it gives France
a better ratio than under the original
Huerhes prosrram.
Balfour submitted in writing the
British request for total abolition so
his nation could be on record for the
future.
The figures presented for future sub
marine tonnage, given out tonight.
(Continued on Page Fifteen.)
COLDER
v
North and South Carolina: Cloudy,
and much colder Sunday, probably rain,
on the coast; Monday fair, colder in
east portions; fresh northerly winds, j