Newspaper Page Text
^^M^MMMMwsn^raraa?^ijijiaiaippri3t?apii3(qBWJnBtW3iqKgM?BOiSti?g?5K8e8gaMeBe8i!fHgZgegZraHHBRRgiggRRlMai!B!
SURVEY OF CURRENT EVENTS
WITHDRAW FROM MEXICO.
The Mexican-American Joint Com
mission, which failed to effect an ad
justment of the questions at issue be
tween Mexico and the United States
after a series of conferences that be
gan four months ago, has been for
mally dissolved. Secretary of Interior
Lane and the other members of the
Ameircan commission. Dr. J. R. Mott
and Judge George Gray, told the Mexi
cans that they had recommended to
President Wilson the dispatch to
Mexico of Ambassador Fletcher and
the withdrawal of the American
troops from Chihuahua.
The Americans impressed upon the
Mexicans that with the dissolution of
the commission the Mexican problem
reverted to President Wilson. They
were careful not to leave in the minds
of the Mexicans the conviction that
President Wilson would accept the
recommendation that an accredited
diplomat be sent to Mexico and that
General Pershing's force be with
drawn, but the intimation that he
would do so was conveyed.
In spite of the Americans' care,
however, the Mexicans had little doubt
that full diplomatic relations between
the two gjvernments soon would be
re-established and that unless un
expected complications arise American
troops will be removed from Mexican
territory within a few days. The
probability of such action was includ
ed in the report of the last meeting,
which was telegraphed to General Car
ranza at Queretaro.
This report comes from El Paso,
Texas:
"It was unofficially reported by
army officers that actual withdrawal
operations were under way at El Valle,
the southern outpost of the punitive
expedition In Mexico, and at San Joa
quin, between El Valle and the field
headquarters at Colonia Dublan.
"Predictions that the entire expe
dition will begin its march to Colum
bus, N. M., within the next seventy
two hours were made by army officers
to-day.
"All supplies billed to Americans in
the Casas Grandes, Colonia Dublan dis
trict, and sent to Juarez for transpor
tation over the Mexico Northwestern
railroad, have been ordered held at
Juarez, and no further shipments of
supplies will be made over this road
for the punitive expedition.
"Arrangements were also being
made in Juarez for sending all avail
able freight cars to Casas Grandes to
bring out the stocks of goods and
surplus supplies from the stores of
the American Mormons and others
who have been supplying the Ameri
can troops in Mexico.
"The dispatching of four empty
truck trains of thirty trucks each from
Columbus during the past twenty
four hours was taken here to mean
early withdrawal. The pitching of a
number of large tents at Columbus for
housing equipment, ordinance, mer
chandise and Other stores also was
considered an Indies*' * y of the early
withdrawal and arri, / of the expedi
tionary column at the field base.
"General Pershing's troops will be
disposed along the border, with head
quarters at El Paso and San Antonio,
according to reports here and in Co
lumbus."
CONV*l VON BISSING.
?By citing dates, names and places,
cardinal Mercler convicts the German
governor-general of Belgium of bare
faced mendacity In claiming that the
policy of deportation of and enforced
labor by Belgians was directed against
the unemployed alone. One instance
in which the facts are utterly repug
nant to the governor-general's claim is
this: "At Aerschot numbers of young
men and heads of families who had
never touched a penny of public
money were taken away by force, in
spjte of their protestations." Another
and more flagrant instance is that
"among ninety-four men removed
from the commune of Kersbeck-Mis
com only two were unemployed."
And these are but typical cases of Ger
man's violations of international law,
and the laws of humanity, under the
mocking pretense of being actuated by
benevolence and practical charity,
and the dictates of humanity ? save
the mark!
Tho truth is that the policy, as the
investigations of Cardinal Mercier and
others show, was directed to making
an industrial and agricultural wilder
ness of Belgium. It was hoped to so
break the spirit of the Belgians, by
starving them and inflicting upon
them other cruelties, that in sheer
desperation they would be willing to
accept a permanent German yoke as
the price of relief. ? Richmond News
Leader.
STATEMENT FROM THE PRESI
DENT OP FRANCE.
President Poincare has received
Edward Marshall, an American news
paper writer, at the Palace of the
Elysee and talked with him in regard
to President Wilson's not? and the
reply of the entente allies. The crux
of the interview appears In these
words of the President:
"We are condemned to continue
the war until we ? our gallant allies
and ourselves ? can obtain the repara
tions and guarantees rendered indis
pensable by the aggressions of which
we have been the victims, by the sac
rifices to which we have subjected
ourselves, and by the losses which we
have suffered."
"May I tell America that France is
our friend, even though we are not
fighting with her?" the American visi
tor asked.
"The United States of America and
France are closely united by inefface
able common recollections, by the
same political traditions, by the same
attachment to free institutions," said
President Poincare. "This war, which
Germany unloosed upon Europe, and
which Prance did everything to avoid,
could not alter the good relations be
tween the United States and France.
It has even made them closer and
strengthened them.
"The United States," M. Poincare
continued, thoughtfully, "have re
mained neutral, but the sympathies of
individuals In every section have
manifested themselves in favor of
France and her allies. We have been
deeply moved by innumerable demon
strations of friendship.
"There never has been a day since
soon after the beginning of the war
on which I have not personally re
ceived from America a voluminous
mail containing generous offerings for
our invalided populations, for our war
widows and our war orphans. The
letters which accompany these trib
utes emanate from all social classes,
and often are expressed In very mov
ing words. Other letters bring to me
warm wishes for the victory of France.
"Your great country surely under
stands that we, the allies, are fighting
not only for our own independence
and our own national honor, but for a
much wider cause, which goes further
than the boundaries of our own inter
ests. We are fighting for the rights
of the individual and for the liberty
of peoples.
"The violation of Belgium brings
out the symbolical significance of this
whole war. Germany was not satis
fied with declaring war upon us with
out provacation. She had willed to
butcher us without warning, and, to
attain that end, she trampled under
her feet in passing a little, innocent
people. This is enough eveidence by
which to judge the responsibilities of
our enemies; it is enough to define
the nature of the struggle in which
we are engaged. The United States
have made no mistake about this."
"Are you willing to make some com
ment with regard to President Wil
son's note?" the correspondent asked.
"Knowing as we do the feelings of
America, we have not failed to under
stand the thought which inspired the
recent initiative of President Wilson,"
M. Poincare replied. "We are at once
convinced that in the mind of the illus
trious President the suggestion made
to the belligerents was in accord with
the traditional friendship between our
two nations. But being conscious that
we are fighting for mankind, we find
ourselves without the right to lay
down our weapons before we can sign
a peace really humane ? that is to say,
founded upon principles which would
make it workable and lasting, which
would be consistent with the rights
of nations, and which would spare the
world from the repetition of such a
terrible catastrophe as this war.
"Unhappily, It is certain that Ger
many, who now pretends to consider
herself victorious, although she can
hardly entertain any doubt as to the
end, is not ripe as yet for such a nec
essary peace. We, therefore, are con
demned to continue the war until we
? our gallant allies and ourselves ?
can obtain the reparations and guar
antees rendered indispensable by the
aggression of which we have been the
victims, by the sacrifices to which we
have subjected ourselves, and by the
losses which we have suffered.
"The answer which the allied na
tions collectively have Just given to
President Wilson Is perfectly clear
in this respect. For our part, we have
nothing to conceal. We were attacked.
We are defending ourselves. But we
are not willing to be obliged to de
fend ourselves perpetually against
fresh attacks. Therefors, we are
determined to have reparations for the
past and guarantees for the future."
COLD STORAGE COMBINATION
CHARGED.
Joseph Hartigan, commissioner of
weights and measures, New York,
made the charge recently of an in
terstate combination of cold storage
houses to keep up food prices. Mr.
Hartigan is secretary of Mayor Mitch
ell's committee on food supply which
is investigating the cost of living with
a view to effecting relief for consum
ers.
"There is a so-called cold storage
trust," Mr. Hartigan said. "Its mem
bers comprise seventy-five cold storage
warehouses in New York, New Jersey
and Connecticut. It is believed that,
to evade the laws of the various
States, it is made easy for the owner
of goods in one cold storage ware
house to hold his goods in one State
until just before the time expires for
the goods to be released and then to
move them to a warehouse In another
State and keep them there as long as
the law allows in that other State.
"Although the law in each State
permits storage only for a limited
time ? ten months, I believe, in the
case ol eggs ? it is possible through
storage three times that period. The
the alleged trust to keep goods in
laws relating to cold storage houses
are a joke from a national stand
point. If the Federal government
were to take under its cloak all the
cold storage houses in the country and
make one comprehensive law for
them, the evil would be abated."
Thrift clubs to reduce the cost of
living will be organized by the Na
tional Housewives' League, Mrs. Ju
lian Heath, president of the organi
zation, announced in New York. A
campaign will be started at once, Bhe
said.
- "A regular plan of work has been
outlined for the thrift units which will
enable housewives to reduce the cost
of living by the practice of thrift in
adjusting their homes and housekeep
ing to the present conditions and hold
ing all prices at as near a normal
figure as possible consistent with a
square deal for all," said Mrs. Heath.
SHOUIJ> MAKE NITROGEN.
"One of the most important things
that should be started in this coun
try is the manufacture of nitrogen,"
says Thomas A. Edison in an inter
view in the current issue of the Sci
entific American. "The matter should
be agitated. I do not believe that the
government itself should undertake
to build and operate a plant for the
fixation of nitrogen, but the govern
ment ought to assiBt by providing In
dividuals with credit or otherwise.
We are approaching the age of the
verge of land exhaustion. We will
have to go Into intensive farming and
must have nitrogen. We can make it
economically here, just aa economi
cally and far more so than in Ger
many, because we have more water
power and our coal does not cost as
much. All the raw materials cost less
here. Then, too, Americans have a
way of blundering into high efficiency.
Take, for instance, our low-priced au
tomobiles; they are something that
Europe cannot understand. We pay
more for labor, but an American la
borer is worth more than a foreign
laborer.
"I think that the most successful
method of producing nitrogen is the
Hauser process. It is the passing or
nitrogen and hydrogen over incandes
cent, finely divided iron. This makes
ammonia, and from this, fertilizer
may be manufactured. However, the
best way of making nitrogen has not
yet been discovered. Several years
ago, in experimenting with my bat
tery, the whole laboratory got full of
a substance that smelt like ammonia,
although it did not have exactly the
right smell. However, I never fol
lowed that up."
In the same interview Mr. Edison
tells how he met the problem of pro
ducing different chemicals, the sup
ply of which was cut off by the war.
He first tackled carbolic acid, and
produced that. Then he began the
manufacture of benzol and of anilines
from the benzol. He also produced
certain chemicals for the fur dyers
and others for photographers for use
in developing plates. Now he is put
ting up a plant for making benzidine.
"But I am going to quit making
any more plants, for I doubt that I
can keep In after the war is over."
Mr. Edison added. "We have reach
ed a measure of industrial independ
ence since we have been forced to
make things for ourselves, but we will
never become entirely Independent in
the manufacture of dyes. Germany
can make them better and cheaper
than we can and we should buy them
from Germany. We will probably
hold our common dyes, but I am very
doubtful about holding the compli
cated dyes. Germany has been at
work upon them for so long that we
cannot expect to compete with her."