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1.0D a Year In Advance "FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY AND FOR TRUTH.'' 8ingl Cop!, 8 Cent.
' . -1 . ' 1
VOL. XXVH. PLYMOUTH, N. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1917. NO. 38.
: . ,. . . ... ... T
LLY A STATE
OF WAR BETWEEN
C AMn nCDMAM
u, u,
PRESIDENT IS CONTEMPLATING
CALL FOR IMMEDIATE SES
SION OF CONGRESS.
RATION IS FACE TO FACE
WITH DEFINITE WAR POLICY
All the Conditions as Autlined By
President in His Message Announc-
ing Break With Germany as Lead
ing to State of Armed Neutrality
Have Now Been Fulfilled.
Washington. With the announce
ayyit of the ruthless destruction of
thyne unarmed - American merchant
shVn' y submarines, it was unofficial
ly a di vitted here that virtually a state
of yai'. exists . between the United
Stat( s a1 Germany.
Ted vni tally the United States re
mains .in position of armed neutral
ity. W, better this shall be changed
before A PriA 16, the date fixed for a
spcial seisioXi of Congress, the war
making bi anc u of the Government,
President Vilsn has not decided.
One step the President is contem
pliiting is a c i'or an -mmeiiate ses
sion of Congress to hear an address
asking for authority to adopt aggres
sive measures gaiiAat the submarine
menace.
Already American ships are being
armed to defend thevslves- Tne next
move must be to seid warships with
orders to seek, out su Vmarines and
clear the trans-Atlantk' l.nes-
Some of the highest ff.ials of tne
Government hold that tHe Executive
has the power to declare vY. t a state
of war exists and to procee1 with ag
gressive protective steps pen cins the
assembling of Congress. The is 110
indication, however, -that the Presi
dent will follow that course.
Of the three ships destroyed, wo
were unloaded and homeward bo ui
and all were 'American-built. Ann91
can-owned and officered, and mannjkV
largely by American citizens. Meage. "
despatches indicate that all.weace sunk I
frith complete disregard for the safety
of those on board, and that many of
the crew may have been lost.
Nation Face to Face With Definite
War Policy.
New developments brought the Gov
ernment fact to face with the problem
of formulating a definite policy for the
Nation in case the United Statf? act
ually enters the war. This possibility
was mentioned by the President in his
Inaugural address March 5.
All of the conditions outlined by the
President in his message announcing
the diplomatic break with Germany as
leading to a state of armed neutrality
have now been fulfilled. The "overt
act" described by him then has actual
ly come if in fact it had not been com
mitted when the President went be
fore Congress. Since then he has
established a state of armed neutrality
without the specific authority of Con
gress. President Wilson was out automob
iling when the first Associated Press
despatches telling of the disasters
came in quick succession. Through
Secretary Tumulty he was given all
available facts immediately on his re
turn. Several hours later official reports
came from Consul Frost at yueens-
town and Consul General Skinner at
London, telling of the sinking of the
City of Memphis, the Vigilancia and
the Illionis. These -.dispatches con
firmed press reports but added few
details.
International lawyers and constitu
tional experts here showed no hesi
tancy in saying that President Wilson
has full authority to interpret as an
act of war, an announce that the coun
try considers that an actual state of
war exists by reason of Germany's
flagrant assault on American ship
ping. Such action would be subject to the
approval of Congress.
Despite the unwarned sinking of big
passenger liners like the California
and the Laconia. the jeopardizing of
Americans on nearly a score of other
vessels, and the sinking of three oth
er American ships, the Housatanic, the
Lvinan M. Law and the Algonquin
Mnce th unrestricted warfare began.
Horn'; officials, inspired by the Presi
dent's announced reluctance to believe
thai Germany would carry through.
M.r !ireat. have clung desperately to
... 1 V. f fflonor'f fciT
rn- '".ope tnai some augui n,oKv.v
me-atioiwJ tew might still be shown.
VRTUA
V
miu UL Hill
E HAS
BEEN CALLED OFF
PRESIDENT'S MEDIATION BOARD
BRING ABOUT SATISFACTORY
AGREEMENT.,.
GREAT CALAMITY IS AVERTED
Settlement Early Monday Morning
Nullifies Order for Four Hundred
Thousand Trainmen to Walk Out.
New York. An official of the con
ference committee of railroad mana
gers announced at 12:45 o'clock Mon
day morning that the railroad strike
was off.
A few minutes after the announce
ment wa smade, the railroad mana
gers went from the Grand Central Ter
minal to the conference hotel and
were joined immediately by the medi
ators. They refused to make any state
ment on the way to the meeting room!
It was presumed the announcement
would be made through Secretary
Lane.
The mediators and managers were
believed to be awaiting the arrival o
the brotherhood chiefs, who Had re
tired, before making the announce
ment that the strfke had been averted.
. The brotherhood men arrived at the
hotel at 1:20 o'clock and immediate
ly went to the conference room.
The managers left the conference
room at 3o' clock, but the brotherhood
chiefs remained in conference with the
mediators. It was learned that Daniel
Willard, one of the mediators had in
formed the hotel management that he
would give up his rooms.
Statement by Lane.
The managers, headed by Elisha
Lee, returned to the conference room
at 2:30 and Secretary Lane sent for,
the newspapermen. Secretary Lane
issued this statement:
"Regardless of the decision of the
Supreme Court on tbe Adamson law
the basic eight-hour day will go into
effect."
"The details are being worked up
on by a joint committee which will
have its negotiations completed by
noon," Mr. Lane said.
The conference committee of rail
road managers early this morning
authorized President Wilson's media
tors to make whatever arrangements
were necessary with the railroad
brotherhoods to call off the threatened
. Urike.
s The formal letter in which this au
thorization was made signed by Elisha
La chairman of the managers' com
mitv' e- was as follows:
"Iiv1 tne national crisis precipitated
by eve, ts of,wnicn we heard this after-
noon &' e national conference commit
tee of j . xilroa(i3 oins witn you in the
conVi'ctioi x thai neither at home nor
abroad sltuld there be fear or hope
that the ef'i'cient Peration of the rail
roads of tM's "..country will be hamper
ed or impair. 9 d-
"Therefore iou are authorized to
assure the naCn there win be n0
strike, and as a basis for such assur"
ance, we herebj' au1tho,rie jhe ,cm'
mlttee of the CoVCil f National De
fense to grant tha employes who are
about to strike wh. aever adjustment
r mmite de&n necessary to
guarantee uninterrupted and efficient
operation of the railro w f
pensable arm of national - defense.
The decision reached, b.v the mana
gers at their midnight-conference
means that the brother. Hoods, have
won an Import.. :it victor, v although
it does not brinr Hem all . their- origi
nal demands. IV the agremt, It
is assumed they v. ill be awai ted Pro-
nnr. tin. rn'mlimO ClTi 4 6 'baSiC
eight-hour day which they havO ?een
assured.
,
THREE AMERICAN VESSELS
SUNK BY SUBMARINE S.
City of Memphis, Vigilancia and
llli.
- nois Are Sent, to Bottom.
Lopdon. Thp sinking pf the Ameri
can steamers City of Memphis, Illinois
and Vigilancia was announced. Four
teen men from the Vigilancia are mis1':
ing, as are some of the men from the
City of Memphis. The crew of ths
Illinois was landed safely.
The City of Memphis, in ballast
from Cardiff to New York, was sunk
by gunfire. The second officer and
fifteen-men of the crew have been
landed. A patrol-boat has gone in
search of the other members of tha
crew. The Illinois, from London for
Tort Arthur, Texas, in ballast, was
sunk at 8 o'clock Sunday morning.
ThefVigilancia was torpedoed with
out warning. The submarine did not
appear. The captain, first and second
mates, first, second and third engi
neers and 23 men of the crew have
teen landed at the Scilly Islands. The
fourth engineer, 13 men are missing.
K
BADLY WOUNDED
One of (lit; best photographs of the much-talked-of British tank, the
armored machine'" that leaps trenches, climbs hills and does other almost In
conceivable stunts. ; The picture shows one of the monsters that has been
badfy 'injured. ...
UPRISING ABDICATES CZAR
REVOLUTION SWEEPS MINISTRY
OUT OF OFFIQE AND PLACES
, i.
DUMA IN. CHARGE.
New National Council Formed With
Offices Held by Men Who Are Close
to the People Grand Duke Alexan
drovitch.is Regent.
Petrograd. The Emperor of Russia
has abdicated and Grand Duke Michael
Alexandrovitch,- his younger brother,
has been named, as regent. The Rus
sion ministry, charged with corruption
and incompetence, has been swept out
of office. One minister, Alexander
Protopopoff, head of. the interior de
partment, is reported to have been
killed, and the other ministers, as well
as the president of the imperial coun
cil, are under arrest.
A new national cabinet is announc
ed, with Prince L. Voff as president of
the council and premier, and the other
offices held by the men who are close
to the Russian people.
For several days Petrograd has been
the scene of one of the most remark
able risings in history. Beginning
with minor food riots and labor strikes
the cry for food reached the hearts of
the soldiers, and one by. one the regj
ments rebelled, until .finally 'those
troops that had for a time stood loyrj;
to the government, took up' 'their arm's
and marched into the ranks of the
revolutionists.
The president of the Duma, Michael
V. Rodzianko, was the leading figure
among the deputies who unanimously
decided to oppose the imperial orde
ffcr 'a dissolution of. the house. TR ?
continuedntheir sessions and M:-Rd:'
ziahko informed the empar6r, then,, at
the front, that the hour had struck
when the will of the people must pre
vail. Even the imperial council real
ized the gravity of the situation and
added its appeal to that of the Duma
that the emperor should take steps
to give the people a policy and gov
ernment in accordance with their de
sires and in order that there should
be no interference with. carrying on
thecwar to victorious eliding.
MAMMOTH CONTRACT FOR
FIGHTING CRAFT IS LET.
Navy Department Contract Calls For
Many 3ig Vessels.
Washington. Contracts for what is
believed to be the largest single order I
for fighting craft ever given by any
nation were placed by the Navy De
partment. Private builders undertook to turn
out lour great Dauie cruris, aim .
Kscout' cruisers and pledged themselves
Co keep u per cent oi men
forces on navy construction. -
In response to an appeal to their
nataiotism ;by Secretary Daniels, th? j to owning lines being further suspend
n iajor shipbuilders have agreed to ac-1 ed until April 15.
ck ot W per cent net profit on the
hn tie Vuisers, whose cost will rtj
res6.nt aVout $76,000,000 of the tolal
sum involved in the day's contracts. A
fifth b attle cruiser will be built at the
Philadft bift Navr Yard so as not t0
strain tL e limit of facilities of private
estabUsbfc ien-
The buiK'terA are beseiged with of
fers of merVha.nt work, and are get
ting as high v SO Per cent Profit on
these jobs witJ iore work ln Slght
than they can do. They have placed
their facilities at th.- disposal of the
Government, mailing it unnecessary
tor the President to cevsider employ
ing authority to comavler plants.
new types to naval vfzAoiS W. S. Culbertson. of Emporia, Kan.,
are designed for a sp ed o j ;u.;lub!fr-a:i.
an hour.
BRITISH TANK
1 ALGONQUIN SUNK BY U-BOAT
AMERICAN SHIP LOADED WITH
FOODSTUFF SUNK WITHOUT
WARNING.
Declaration of War By United States
Would Have to Be Made By Con
gress. Arming Vessels Is As Far
As President Can Go.
Washington. In the absence of de
tails as to the destruction of the
steamer Algonquin officials withheld
comment, but the unofficial view was
that nothing in the incident changes
the situation between the United
States and Germany,
President Wilson already has taken
steps to place the nation in a state
of armed neutrality, which with the
breaking of diplomatic relations with
Germany is practically the last, meas
ure possible short of war. American
ships now are being armed to.defend
themselves against unlawful -. sub
marine attack. The general ;;view n
that arming of ships is .tl"' only
answer to submarine operatio'nJ short
of a decelaratipn" of war, 'which, may
be made only by Con gres'sL -.'.Consul
Stephens, at Plymouth, reported . the
sinking, of . Jhe : Algonquin ilh . the fol
lowing dispatch. . . -:
, ."Steamer Algonquin of NewVYork,
from New York for London with food
stuffs, sunk by German submarme'' (35
miles 'west of Bishops (rock) .March
12, 6 a. m. Captain report's:' vessel
$.ot warned and sunk by?'shell fire.
(?rew of 27 all savedf in own boats.
Submarine refused, assistance. No
other boats in sight."
CHINA FORMALLY BREAkS
RELATIONS WITH GERMANY.
Ships Have Been Seized at Shanghai
Washington Gets Notice.
Washington. American Minister
Reinsch at Peking reported to the
State Department that China had sev
ered diplpmatic relations with Ger
many and that the German Minister
had .been handed his passports.
China has also taken possession of
all German merchant ships in Shang
hai, about six in number, placed their
crews on shore under guard, and plac
ed armed guards on the vessels.
Recent dispatches from Peking have
spoken in high terms of the part
American Minister Reinsch has taken
in the yteps leauin, up to China's
action.
ANOTHER MONTH TO
SOLVE CAR SHORTAGE.
Washington. The railroads of the
. rountrv were given another month's
Rrace by ths interstate Commerce
Commission to solve car shortage and
ccngestion problems, recent drastic
j rules for the return of foreign cars
MEMBERS OF TARIFF
COMMISSION SELECTED.
Washington. President Wi!". il
was learned, has selected th -following
men to comprise the tariff com
mission :
Prof. Frank W. Taussig, of Har
vard, chairman.
Former Representative David J.
Lewis, of Cumberland, Md., Democrat.
Former Representative William
Kent, of Kentfield, Ca., Independent.
Daniel C. Roper, of McColl, S. C,
First Assistant Postmaster General.
Democrat.
E. P. Costigan, of Denver, Progres-
SPECIAL SESSION OF
SENATE ADJOURNS
MOST ALL vOF THE 1,400 PRESI
DENTIAl NOMINATIONS WERE
'CONFIRMED.
TREATY FAILED
Treaty Was Une'xpectedily Withdrawn
on Motion of Chairman Stone Sub
stiute Pact Will Be Submitted at
Extra, Session. .
Washington. The v special Senate
session which began March 5 adjourn
ed sine die after Democratic leaders
had secured confirmation of most of
the 1,400 nominations which failed at
the last session, and had despaired of
attaining Ratification of the $25,000,000
Colombias treaty.
The treaty was unexpectedly with
drawn on motion of Chairman Stone
of the Foreign Relations Committee.
It3 provisions for payment of indem
nity to Colombia for the partition of
Panama and its expression of regret
for. the ill-feeling arising out of that
incident had encountered stubborn
Republican opposition which convinc
ed the Democrats there was no chance
of. ratification. It is expected a sub
stitute pact will be submitted during
the extra sesion of Congress beginning
April 16.
The session just closed was the
first of its kind in many years which
was not called upon to confirm a
cabinet nomination. President Wilson
decided that all of the members of his
official family could be retained with
out the formality of renomination.
Among the hundreds of nomina
tions confirmed, only one met with
pronounced opposition. It was that
of Dr. Cary T, Grayson, the president's
naval aide and physician, to be a rear
admiral. No action was taken on the
nominations for the tariff commission
made this week.
The outstanding achievement of the
session was the senate's quick re
sponse to President Wilson's plea for
a change in rule to limit debate and
prevent in the future, such filibusters
as that which killed the armed neu
trality bill.
PRESIDENT WILS MAKES
APPEAL, TO. PREVENT STRIKE
"Country's Safety Makes Settlema
Ifperative." President's Appeal t
Prevent Railroad Strike.
.Washington President Wilson
Friday sent a personal appeal t
representatives of the two sidj
the railroad controversy urging
they do everything posible to q
ate with the mediation commit
. -The President's appeal follow
"I deem.it my cTfitf 'and tight
peal to you in this time Jq( nji
peril to open again the questto
issue between the railroads a
operatives with a view to act
dation or settlement.
"With my approval, a cornt
the Council of National Def
about to seek ra" conference w
with that end in -view.
"A general interruption of
way traffic of the country at t
would entail a danger to th
against which I have the right
my most solemn and earnest
"It is now the duty of ev
lie man tu uiiiift lUitutMB ir
to immediate accommod
safety of the country agaf
perils affecting its own pc-
peace of the whole world
commodation absolutely
and seems to me to rend
choice or action inconce
The President's messa
Elisha Lee. chairman
ence commitee of rail
L. E. Sheppard. actii
conductors; W. G. Le
trainmen; W. S. Ston
cf the engineers and
president of the firem
men.
The President is ci
will be no strike. Ho.
ready is considering
done if his appeal to t;
of the men involved i
NEW ALIGN M FMT RUr
AFLOAT
El Paso, Tex
political alignm
x. ueporj
nent in l
5ii leadinS
r...v
VJt.itxi ii.m.....
tion to First Chief Cair
opp
a w'j
were brought to Juarez by Mexi
and foreign refugees from the hue
rior, were defined by Carranza offi
cials. They said General Obregen was
loyal to the first chief and that his
retirement from the cabinet several
days ago was due to ill health and
not because of any political difference
COLOMBO
SON LAW HELD
CONSTITUTIONAL
IN EPOCHAL DECISION SUPREME
COURTS OF UNITED STATES
UPHOLD LAW.
VOTE WAS FIVE TO FOUR
Congress Has Power to Keep Com
' merce Channels Open. Fixes Eight
'Hour Day as'; Basis For Wages.
Chief Justice Delivers Opinion.
Washington. In an epochal decision
holding congress to be clothed with
any and all power necessary to keep
open the channels of interstate com
merce, the supreme court dividing five
to four, sustained the Adamson law
as constitutional and enforceable in
every feature.
The immediate effect of the decision
will be t o fix a permanent eight-hour
basic day in computing wage scales on
interstate railroads, for which a na
tionwide strike twice has been threat
ened and to give, effective from Janu
ary 1 this year, increases in wages to
trainmen of about 25 per cent, at a
cost to the railroads estimated at from
$40,000,000 to $50,000,000 a year.
The court, through Chief Justice
White, declared both carriers and
their employes, engaged in a busi
ness charged with a public interest,
subject to the right of congress to
compulsorily arbitrate a dispute af
fecting the operating of that business.
"Whatever would be the right of an
enploye engaged in private business
to demand such wages as he desires,
to leave the employment if he does
not get them and by. concert of action
to agree with others to leave on the
same condition," said the opinion, "such
rights are necessarily subject to lim
itation when an employment is. accept
ed in a business charged with a pub
lic intereato which,a power
to regulaW Mby ss ap
plied and -it If x in.
case of J
standa.
nece
Ink
jus
st
gan
lson.
xpoii-
rgency
speed up
or special
the susper-
law - in plants
Secretary
le New -York Navy
ilding sixty Submarine
110-foot type, to be com-
ni sixty to eighty days.
jffiFk-Jt' President's approval, the
Secretary also ordered tne graduation
of the first and second classes at the
Naval Academy. The first class will
jo out on March 29. releasing 172
?unior officers to fill existing vacan.
"iea. and the second in September, fur
ashing 202 more a full year before
hey otherwise would be available.
1
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