North Carolina Newspapers

- - -s ILMING' FATC una: rdM ' .i' Monday; warmer U4 "., moderate Shwest winds, FULL LEASED WIRE SERVICE -41 Vol XXIV. No. 46. WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1918. PRICE FIVE CENTS Pi . ""- TON in PAG ES Eh TODAY U 3 SECTIONS iSIBEMT WILSON RANTEEB FIXES OTA PRICE R WHEAT W 1918 Croo Ranffe acres than the second largest year Prices tor mo rop rxange and 7,0oo,000 acres more than the av- From $2.UU to 5Z.ZO at Principal Markets COUNTS ON LOYALTt erage for five years before the. out- break of the European war. It seems not to be generally under stood why wheat is picked out for ; price demonstration, and only wheat, i among the cereals. Thp an swot io OF FARMING CLASS tnat while normal distribution of all a yruuuuts nave Deen suuject " " , I to great disturbances during the last ii MarKeiS vuninJiiiiig mc "co ;caia uccause ui war conaiuons, IP . lonlV twn iTYmrrtnn rnmmniliti'oc, Carolinas the Price LxUaran- j namely, wheat and sugar, have been 1 11 r,rm T akriK'so seriously affected as to reauire erov- Protected irTDraft WHEAT PRICES. Washinirton. Feb. 23 Following , the guaranteed government iuic on x'umrver ftflC Till lt'AO ' " One 1, n4 s3 n Vorthern spring wul auu no bivalent at primary markets in o,e United States: Chicago. $2.20 a bushel; Omaha, jHV Kansas City, $2.15; Minne "oli J2.1T; St. Louis, $2.18; Du h VlT; New York City, $2.28; Philadelphia. $2.27; Baltimore, joo;. Newport News, $2.27; Charleston. S. C, $2.27; Savannan, Ga, $--2T; Portland, Ore., $2.05; Seattle. Wash., $2.05; San' Frkncis- $210; Los Angeles, $2.10 ;l Gal lon. Texas, $2.20; New Orleans, $220; Salt Lake City, $2.00; Great Falls, Mont.. $2.00; Spokane, Wash.. $2; Pocatello, Ida., $2; Fort Worth. Texas, $2.09; Oklahoma City. Okla.. $2.05; Wichita, Kans., 5108. GERMANY FORCING HARSH TERMS OF PEACEON RUSSIA Eleven Articles in German Offer Which Bolsheviki Must Swallow Russia to Lose much territory The disturb ances which affect these products (and others in less degree) arise from the fact that all of the overseas ship ping in the world is now under govern jment control and that the government I is obliged to assign tonnage to, each commodity that enters into commer jcial overseas traffic. It has, conse jquently, been necessary to establish single agencies for the purchase of the food supplies which must go abroad. The purchase of wheat in ;the United States for foreign use is of so great volume in comparison with the available domestic supply that the price of wheat has been materially r i o t niha V as - A n orHor S' " London, Feb. 33. The German , and the consumer, to prevent specula-: peace terms to which Russia has de tion. It was necessary, therefore, for Not Only Must Give Up Ter ritory But Comes Under a German Protectorate During the War , the government to exercise a measure of direct supervision and as far as possible to control purchases of wheat and the processes of its exportation. .This supervision necessarily amounted ito price fixing, and I, therefore, ciared its willingness" to accede, were made public here tonight, fol lowing a receipt of an official wire less from Petrograd. They were: 1. State of war will be declared at an end by Russia and Germany 2. The regions west of th line ; thought it fair and wise that there ! cated by the Russian delegation should be a price stated that should be at once liberal and equitable. "These peculiar circumstances gov erning the handling and the consump- Uashington. Feb. '16. .tresiaent rilson tonight fixed government guar- t-teed prices on 1918 wheat ranging ; tion 0f wneat put the farmer at the om $2 to S2.2S a bushel at the prin- interior primary markets, very center of war service. Next to the soldier himself, he is xervinz He counted, he said, "on the loyalty, the country and the world and serv- th which farmers will accept tne,inK it in a way wnich is absoultelv ' o I r o i rl -fl-i a ty in t - , m iunaamentai to nis own ruture saie ty and prosperity. He sees this and can be relied upon as the soldier can. . "The farmer is also contributme ew to lightening the load upon the , men to the army, and I am keenly toners to the utmost extent." alive to the sacrifices involved. Out ae price he fixed, he says, in his 'Gf 13,800,000 men engaged in farm in ae when the food shortage in Al-; dustries, 205,000 have ben drafted or ed countries has created sharp alarm.. about 1.46 per cent, of the whole num resent decision,'' and to aid them in heir work he expressed the hope that local draft exemption boards will bake the new classifications with a at the Brest-Litovsk conference are no longer under the territorial pro tection vof Russia. From the region of Dvinsk this line is advanced to the Eastern frontier of Couriand. 3. Livonia and Esthonia will be im mediately cleared of Russians and German police will occupy them until the security of the Inhabitants is guaranteed bv constitutions. Political prisoners will be Immediately re - leased. nussia renounces every claim to intervening in the affairs of these regions. Germany and Austria will define their fate in agreement with the populations. Germany, after the Russian demobilization is com plete, will evacuate these regions to the Eastern line. a -w- ... 4. itussia win conclude a peace The Russians will ae price he fixed, he says, is his ; ber. In addition to these, there have atement to the farmers, assures a ; been volunteers and the farmers have with Ukraine. asonable profit even if the war; lost, a considerable number of labor-i evacuate Finland and Ukraine imme ould end within the year and the ; ers because the wages paid in indu-: diately. rge stores of grain in those sections ' trial pursuits drew them away. In! 5. Russia will do all that is possi- the world not cut off from transpor- ( order to relieve the farming industry j ble to secure for Turkey a return to btion should again come jnto .compe'as far as possible from further drains I'D- ' - nf lahnr the new rlrnft ree-tilntinnfi "To increase the price of wheat have been drawn with a view to tak- me the present figure," he added, lug from the farms an even smaller t to agitate any increase of price ; proportion of men, and it is my hops piQ have the effect of very seriously that the Local Exemption Boards will ppenng the large operations of -the i make the new classification with a ption and the Allies by causing the view of lightening the load upon the pat of last year's crop to be with-1 farmers to the utmost extent. The her Eastern Anatolian frontiers, rec ognizing annulment of the Turkish capitulation. 6. The Russian army shall be com pletely demobilized, including newly formed divisions. 7. Russian warships in the Black, Baltic and Arctic seas shall immedi ately be sent into Russian harbors until a general peace is concluded, or shall be disarmed. This includes the Allied ships in Russian waters. Re ; from the market. It would, more- Secretary of War has asked for an pr, dislocate all the present wage rthority to furlough soldiers of the F'6lS that have hppn exstaVilishprl after Vatinnal Armv if rnnHitinns riprm ' f Rh anxious riinscinn and u-mii,i ! a v.o tQ,r ma v return t thoir fnr ! sumption or merchant navigation in More, create an industrial unrest when ocistan'oe. is nscftssarv in 1he.;the Black and Baltic seas sha11 e ,jSJT m the country." i National and local agencies are active- MHis was regarded as the Presi-ilv at work, besides in oreanizine com- pts answer to Senator Gore and munity help for the more efficient dis- wno nave been seeking legisla-, tribution of available labor and m P m Congress for $2.50 and $2.75 1 drawing upon new sources of labor. WV,;io Viqtq -tiTill ka HifHnltiOQ anil 'Mow the pnirit nf our farmers." : verv serious ones, thev will be dilfi- r President continued, "and have 'unities which are among the stern ne- p the least doubt as to the loyalty ! cessities of war. I yMULn tney will accept the preo- j "The Federal Railway Admimstra- . fusion. 1 he fall wheat planting, j tion is co-operating in an active m--lca furnished two-thirds nf our ! tpllicrpnt and effifiient. wav with t.hft pit production, took place with no i Food Administration to remove the I - aSSUraTlfn tVian Viio nnrl ; ifRttltioa rf transnnrtatinn and the F ers COnfidenre -a-aa rlomnnctr.itoH ! antiva mnvempnt nf the rrnns Their .we fact that they planted an marketing is to be facilitated and the Lrr iarSer fhan the record of any Ceding year, larger by 2,000,000 (Continued on Page Eleven). HREE AMERICANS KILLED IN ACTION shall be blockaded by mines until the general peace is signed. 8. The Russo-German commercial treaty of 1904 shall be re-established with certain exceptions and immedi ate negotiations shall be opened for a new treaty. 9. Indemnification shall be made for the expenses of maintaining pris oners of War. 10. Russia shall promise to halt governmental and private propaganda designed to stir up agitation against the Central Powers 11. These terms must be accepted within 48 hours. Russian delegates must go to Brest-Litovsk immediate ly and sign the articles within three days. These must be ratified within a fortnight. (Signed) KUEHLMANN, rkhinE 'hilar ,V t"r" Allied in action, I'a'so ' nePartment tonight. l-.il cab!e(1 the names of five se- haiJrounde(1 and eight slightly mZ me,Ibers of the American f nary rce. HatniifV ,u w re: Private Thomas llrlgton. Pc.h ')? 'Tit,-. , . ,, i n nfoltAv T3T.-,-Ti-clri T.pnnT Mnss t-i 1,: ' '-J- xuicc xuuci" vaic i auci xjx uj. I" Sfllfl r.. . ... . . f,. Somerville,- Mass.; First Lieut. Thom as M. Holmes, Albany, N. Y. Pershing also reported six deaths from natural causes and two from wounds. Those who died of wounds were Private Fred Kopanske, 2150 West 13th St., Chicago, and Private Sidney M. Cowley, 306 West 4th St., New York City. From natural causes: Private Thos. P. Martin, 138 Maple St., Holyoke, Mass.; Private Douglas N. Astall, 2316 Avenue G, Galveston, Texas; Sergeant Julian . C. Marshburn, 49 President1 St., Charleston, S. C; Ser geant Joseph C. Reed, 252 East South St., Hillsboro, Ohio; Private Leander Olsen, Koosharem, Utah; Private Ray H. Griffin, Sherodsville, Ohio. Julius A. Fuchs, seaman of the U. S. S. Neptune, was killed when a coal bucket fell on him and fractured his skull, the Navy Department reported r- f A r ITT," 1, today. Fuchs' home was ou wicu- ;,W 401 Fra"klin St., Clarks Wr;"' rivate William H. Scott, I-Titus in x"nded: Corporal Edwin h c. ' Orih Elm St TUanMa- ski ' (uorporal Thaddeus Blaze .. -North r-i . IA: p,.- v ,Jlu"y Koad, Meriden, Ner n., Thomas Morrison, 27 i- daA South Manchester. ft Conn WaUer P- Moran. Nor" ly4;'u1nded: First Lieut- Guy -aw ,'. "HI St.. Smith Paria AT a "exter v m i;- CalL 26 Spring ZT"n N. H.; Private r rv. . h (Jrono. Me Private ec. Egeland, N. D.; Pri-jita Ave., St. Louis, Mo. This is the first conmlete announce ment of the drastic terms the Kaiser attempted to force upon Russia. They are even broader in scope than at first indicated by meager dispatches from Petrograd. Not only would Rus sia lose a large portion of her terri tory by their terms, but she would be practically reduced to a German protectorate, at least until a genera! peace :was concluded. Whether the full revelation of the grasping terms proposed by Berlin would arouse the Russian people or government to resist the German in vasion remains to be seen. vv . DANIELS PINES FOR LIFE ON THE OCEAN Washington, Feb. 23. Secretary o the Navy Daniels pines for a life on th neean wave. He wants to move his office aboard a ship. "I'd do it, too, if the ocean were nearer Washington," said Secretary Daniels, while Assistant Secretary Roosevelt practiced a hornpipe in the offing. "Why don't you get Henry Ford to move the ocean nearer tne capital.' some one suggested. THE WAR .The Russian situation again held the center of the war stage to night. Latest advices indicate various clashes, and even including women and war prisoners, were rallying to support the Petrograd govern ment in repulsing the Teuton in vaders. . Meantime, the Russian armies were reported falling back all along the line and It was said the Bol sheviki ministry favored continu ing the retreat and making a final stand before the capital. On the West front in France the usual patrolling and artillerying continued. Petrograd (Friday evening). Thousands of war prisoners in Pe trograd and Moscow have announc ed their willingness to join in the defense of the Russian revolution, the Bolsheviki declare. They are chiefly Austro-Hungarian Slavs, but Borne Germans are included. A thousand women -and 50,000 work-, men have declared their: readiness to fight. Petrograd, Thursday night. The plan of the peoples commissiaries for the Russian retreat to continue until Petrograd Is reached is op posed by several military officials, who point out that the evacuation Ukraine will cut off tbe food sup ply of Northern Russia. Petrograd, Friday. The Germans have seized a hundred engines and several thousand raiway cars in Livonia- Russian military head quarters was moved back to Smolensk so hastily that the com mand has lost touch with the sep arate armies. Berlin (via London), Saturday. Russian prisoners now include two generals, 12 colonels, 443 other of ficers and 8,770 men. The German armies have occupied Walk and Dubno and are moving eastward Esthonia. n Berlin (via Amsterdam), Saturday, The Ukraine treaty was accept ed by the Reichstag yesterday. The Poles and Independent Socialists of fered opposition. Amsterdam, Saturday. Kaiser Wilhelm, Emperor Karl, Field Mar shal Hindenburg and General Lud endorff conferred at headquarters yesterday. London, Saturday. Hostile artil lery was active south of Houthulst wood and in the neighborhood of the Menin road last night. Our pa trols brought in prisoners" in the neighborhood of Munch Le Preux and east of Wytschaete. CLAIMS WILMINGTON WAS BURLY TREATED Small Says no Appropriation Aboe Engineers' Recom mendation made (By Geo. H. Manning.) Washington, D. C, Feb. 23. With regard to the complaint made in some quarters in Wilmington that the ap propriation provided by the rivers and harbors bill introduced in the House last Wednesday, giving $40,000 for im provement and $12,000 for mainte nance of Cape Fear river above Wil mington, and $30,000 for maintenance at and below Wilmington was insuf ficient, Congressman Godwin stated to day that that was all the money asked by the engineers and all that they said they could use on the waterway during the next fiscal year. On not a single river or harbor in the conn- try, Mr. Godwin Tsaid, has the river and harbor committee given an allow ance of more than was recommended. Congressman John Small, of North Carolina, chairman of the Rivers and Harbors Committee, said that the committee had adopted a policy for this year of sticking to the appropria tion recommended by the engineer and had not exceeded them in any in stance. Wilmington has been treat ed very fairly, he said. RED HAIRED SAILOR M'ABOO AM) HOOVER GET INTO A ROW BLADENBORO CONC is BOLD HOLD-UP MAN Norfolk Police Searching for Man Who Has Been Robbing Women Portsmouth, Va., , Feb. 23. Every detective and plain clothes man in Norfolk is on the lookout for a red haired sailor, whose specialty has been holding up and robbing wives of naval officers in hotel rooms. Names of the victims are withheld, but it is stated that no less than three wives of well known officers have been held up in Norfolk hotels in the past week. In one case, dia monds and $50 in cash were taken; in another instance, the thief stole a gold watch, but discovering that this had a monogram engraved on it, toss ed the trinket contempuously back to its owner. The man's mode of op erations has been apparently to watch until he was sure that the victim was alone. He would then effect an en trance to the room, regardless of the time of day, level a revolver at the occupant, and rifle everything in sight. The case has been kept un usually quiet by the police and hotel proprietors. It is 1 without a prece dent here. The kold-up man is said to be about 23 years old. E FIGDREJBIG DEAL Bladen Manufacturing Co. and BridgeT Co. Bought by Bridger Corporation (Special to The Dispatch.) Bladenboro, N. C, Feb. 23. At a meeting Friday of the stockholders and directors of the Bladen Manufac turing Company and also of the Brid ger Company, it was voted unanimous ly to sell the assets of both concerns to the Bridger corporation which is a new firm recently chartered with a capital stock of $125,000.00. The new corporation will operate the oil mill and also continue to carry on the mercantile business as hase been done formerly by the Bridger Company. The officers of the Bridger corporation are as follows: R. L. Bridger, president: R. C. Bridger, T. C. Bridger and R. L. Bridger, Jr., vice presidents, and H. C. Bridger, secretary and treasurer. By way of reminiscence your cor respondent has learned that in the year 1885, R. L. and H. C. Bridger moved to Bladenboro and began a mercantile business on a capital of $2,100.00. Bladenboro at that time consisted of about 25 people and three open bar rooms and two small cross road stores. The Bridger brothers managed wisely and conservatively, and in the year 1901 their business was incorporated with a capital stock of $1,000,000, in' 1912 the Bladenboro Cotton Mills were incorporated and largely subscribed by R. L. and H. C. Bridger, and after numerous addi tions and installations they nave a modern mill and village that could not be duplicated for well over half million dollars. In 1916 the need was felt for an oil mill and the Bladen Manufactur ing Company which is also an off spring of the same 'parent concern was chartered and built. Bladenboro has just The Director General Asks Food Administrator for Specific Information OPEN AIR DIPLOMACY STARTS CONTROVERSY Hoover Charged Railroad Con gestion as Cause of Possible Food Shortage McAdoo Asks for Details ALLIES GAINER IN AMOUNT OF LAND CAPTU RED IN WAR Germany Has Lost 1 , 1 80,000 Square Miles and Gained Only 249,320 GERMANY'S GAIN FROM WEAK STATES Central Powers Have Secured No Territory From the Prin icipal Allied Nations Re cent Heavy Losses TERRITORIAL CONQUESTS. Allied Territory Held by Germany and Austria. Russian territory, 137,200 square miles. " Rumanian, Serbian, Montene grin, 80,000 square miles. Belgian, 111,520 square miles. French, 7,600 square miles. Albania, 8,000 square miles. Italian, 5,0 00 square miles. Total held by enemy, 249,320 square miles. German Territory Held by Allies. German foreign colonies, 1,180, 800 square miles. Alsace-Lorraine held by France, 360 square miles. Total held by the Allies, 1,181, 160 square miles.-. , The above figures do not include Armenia, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Palestine and other portions of the Turkish Empire now v occupied by Allied armies. With the French Armies in the Field, Feb. 12 (By Mail). The open ing of military operations for 1918 finds Germany and Austria in posses sion of 249,320 square miles of Al lied territory, while the Allies now hold a total of 1,181,160 square miles of German territory alone Were there to be added to this the provinces of Armenia, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Palestine and other portions of the Turkish Empire reclaimed by the Allied armies, the comparison would be even more startling. The 1917 operations of the Allies had for their keynote the steady wresting from Germany not only of her war-won territories, but of her empire territory as well. The vaunt ed "war map of Europe" which Ger many at the beginning of 1917 was so anxious to have served as a basis of German peace, is not quite so at tractive with the opening of the 1918 campaign. Germany's first great loss of terri tory ,last year came in March when Hindenburg's "voluntary" retreat forced the Germans to relinquish a great stretch of French soil. This was increased later by the French of fensives in the Aisne, Champaigne, Verdun and Chemin Des Dames re gions, the British offensives of Ypres ! and Cambrai, and the combined Anglo-French offensive in Flanders. The year also marked the final con quest of -Germany's colonial posses sions in Africa together with the cap ture of practically all of Armenia, Mesopotamia, Arabia and Southern Palestine, with the three important cities of Bagdad, Mecca and -Jerusalem. These losses were in part offset, by Germany's recapture of Galicia and Bukowina and her progress in Cour iand, Livonia and the Islands of the Gulf of Riga. Her Italian thrust, in conjunction with the Austrians, also netted her another 5,000 square miles. In the matter of territories, these figures show that it is only the lit tle nations have been heavy sufferers. They demonstrate again that Ger many has been able to m'ake only changed its status as a town having passed from the tanit station class to an electric light town. The town commissioners having perfected ar rangements with the Bladenboro Cot ton Mills to furnish current. The wires have been erected and lamps are expected very soon. Washington, Feb. 23. Director Gen eral McAdoo tonight called upon Her bert Hoover to furnish information deemed necessary if the Railroad Ad ministration is to speed up food ship? ments to the seaboard. "Will you co-operate with me by. promptly furnishing this essential in formation?" Director General McAdoo asked in a sharp letter to the Food Ad ministrator. "You can readily undei stand that generalization will not ac complish the object in view and that we must be specific in order to get re sults." Mr. McAdoo's letter came in quick reply to a note from Hoover late today expressing the "great relief of myself and my colleagues at your assurance thaf not only will Allied foodstuffs be . promptly moved but there , will be no delay in domestic distribution." And thus, the "open air diplomacy' advocated by President Wilson has de veloped fire and smoke in his war gov ernment. For two days Director McAdoo and Administrator Hoover have been car rying on an interesting line of negotia tions in full view of the public anent the question of who's responsible for delay in shipping Allied foodstuffs to American ports. It began Thursday when Hoojr is sued his statement that the next 60 -days would -be criticar ones and every : thing depended on the Railroad Ad ministration, congestion in which had recently held up food--supplies. , McAdoo responded promtly deafaring he'H frtt the ears all rieht if Hoover recently j woui,j fUrnish information as to where OPPOSED TO FORMING LEAGUE OF NATIONS London, Feb. 23. The Nation de clared tonight that it understands a memorandum has been prepared and presented -to the British government urging immediate conversion of the present alliance into a league of na tions. The newspaper warns that such ac tion would be disastrous to the pur poses of a real international league. BRITISH REPULSE HOSTILE RAIDS the food was. Late today Hoover penned a missive to McAdoo, acknowledging receipt of' the Director General's communication and offering the following in return. "I am grateful for your note of thai 22nd and I wish to express the great relief of myself and my colleagues at your assurance that not only will the Allied foodstuffs be promptly moved, but that there will be no delay in our domestic distribution, causing any dan ger of suffering, which necessarily im plies the collection of our food ma terials from the country to our ter minal, mills and packing houses be fore the domestic or Allied supplies can be aggregated for transportation to points of consumption or export. "I am certain that this assurance from you will greatly quiet the grow ing apprehension in the country of the last few weeks." The letter had scarcely grown cold in the office of the Director General before the following addition to the ne gotiations was handed out by McAdoo. "I am just in receipt of your letter T.nnrlnn. Feb. 23. Hostile raids 01 tne zra. louoonoi, now?er, mutu against Hill No. 70 and to the north ; the points of my letter. I should like of Poelcapelle were repulsed by Brit- to enumerate and i-emphasize (1) ish forces, Fieldy Marshal Haig re-j you are, as I understand it, the sole ported tonight. i purchaser in this country of food sup- British patrols during t&i day ! plis for the Allied governments, brought in a few prisoners. j "(2) You must, therefore, know the Enemy artillery action was xeport- j location of the food supplies which yon ed in the vicinity of Gouzancourt, the ; from time to time purchase and porta Scarpe valley. Lens, Armentieres and j north and northeast of Ypres. J (Continued on Page Eleven). WEEK. OF SPEECHES ' FACES THE SENATE Washington, Feb. 23. The Senate action on the war finances corporation next week will resume its favorite in-; measure, one of the big war measures, door sport speechmaking. j Senator Overman will urge the judio While the House grinds the railroad ; iary committee to adopt his sub-con-control bill to its final passage, Sen- j mittee's favorable view of the "em ators ,,wili air their views on a wide powering" bill, authorizing President variety of subjects. j Wilson to slash war government red Monday, Senator McCumber plans tape, to speak on "Bolsheviki Influences j Gore, however, has right of way Among American Labor." j with the agricultural appropriation Senator Swanson will discuss "Ger-1 measure to which he proposed to tack man Propaganda" on Tuesday. jthe wheat price increases. "Sugar and Coal and the Shortages j The House is expected to get tits Thereof" will form Senator Lodge's railroad bill through Tuesday or Wed subject Wednesday. !nesday. Leaders will make every ef- Between them, if he can, Senator I fort to get it out of conference by th. Owen will speak on the money itu-iend of next week. Immediately after disposition of th railroad bill, Hous,e leaders will presa ation. Senator Reed is preparing a report: of his sub-committee on sugar-coal in-1 the bill making wheatless and meat- vestigation, and may present it with a I less days compulsory. They also speech. will try to get the daylight saving oill Senator Gore will speak on the need, j through as a war measure, as he sees it, of increasing the 1918 A favorable report is expected from I wheat prices from $2 a bushel to the Ways and Means committee on limited headway against the big Al-.$2.50. - , the war finance corporation bill, wlta lied nations. I Senator Simmons will seek to get 1 some amendments. si Li I mm I If n iPii HI mm t"! -A .) t 4 - A