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VOLUME XIV.
GERMANS BATTLE TO ESCAPE BRITISH WEDGES
DRAFT BILL WILL PASS DESPITE FIGHT
HALF MILLION MEN
WILL BE CALLED JS
"WAR VOLUNTEERS"
U. S. Officials Prepare to Is-1
sue Instructions to Recruit
ing Officers to Fill Up Army
and National Guard
WASHINGTON. April 12.—Threat of
a serious fight over the general staff
bill grew in congress today.
Majority Leader Kitchin, sounding out '
nti-conscr!ption sentiment, found it
very strong Frienas of the selective
draft system are dwindling, but most
still believe President Wilson will force
it through.
The war department prepared today i
to issue instructions to recruiting offi-'
<-ers which will be in effect a call fcr
»o*.*a* volunteers to fill up the regu
iar army and the existing units of the
national guard
All recruits enlisted since the declar
ation of war and those to be enlisted
hereafter will be notified that they will
be discharged at the close of the war.
putting theni in the status of war time
v olunteers. •
A total of 1.335 men already have beer,
enrolled in the regular army who will
i-ome under such a status. This number
of recruits was accepted during the first
ten days after the passage of the war
resolution.
Analysis of the pending administration
b.ll as it affects the regular army and
tne national guard shows that provision
i» made for the absorption of 517.86*
volunteers. Os these 161.519 will bi
reeded to fill up the regular army and
3*6.34* for the national guard. As 150,-j
000 men must be withdrawn from thes-> j
two services within six months to train:
rhe first 500.000 increment of the seiec
»tve conscript army, their places must be
•aken by that nunjber of additional vol
unteers. •
By this plan while absorbing the vol-,
uwreer spirit <jf the country, the feast- •
bl’ity of depending entirely upon volun
teers will be demonstrated. Army of•'
•«. rs arc certain that it will show con-’
Kress. where there are some doubts ot
•’•e selective • onscription plan, that con
i. ; pt ion is necessary to maintain an
-• . e*. »ale to meet the present sit-
tts • ton.
T >- senaite met today with practical!.-*
!• n slate. The house did not meet.
. ir.-r-rmv it will take up and pass -
<< or inn to Majority Leader Kitchin
he ST.n-io.o.’O.Ovn bond bill, this coun
trj’s first bit" in tiie world war.
Ruth tb« army bill anti a tremendous
t -t.’;e 1:11. designed to raise between
and sl.*»oo.<Ho>.<»«>o by di
rect taxes for war purposes, are ex
pected before the house within -two
weeks.
Pressure is now being brought j<>
on the house military committee to a-.
on tht almy bill.
Ways and means committeemen to
day b -an conferences a ; io methods
>f raising the extra taxes.
S ret.-ry McAdoo conferred w: *i the
»-nate fit: iti'-e committal on the bond is
sue bill an<l outlined the administra
tion's views on raising 32.b00.000.<»00 in
general taxation.
The house military committee, after
a general exchange of views on the new
administration bill to raise an army by
selective conscription, agreed today to
lose ail hearings next Saturday, when
opponents of the conscription plan will
lie heard The bill -probably will be re
ported to tiie house next week.
H. Grady Webb, Escaped
Train Robber, Captured
1 hursday at Badin, N. C.
CHARLOTTE. N. C-. April 12.—H. •
Grady Webb, train rohiier. who was be
ing transported to Atlanta federal prison '
r roni West Virginia and escaped from '
the officers on a train while in the yards I
here one night last week, has been cap- '
t ured. * •
He was captured today at Badin, near j
Salisbury, and will be carried to At- T
lanta today to begin hsi sentence
Minister Sentenced
to Five Years in Pen
M’ll'LTßlE. Ga.. April 13.—With a
recommendation that the charge against
him !>*■ reduced to a misdemeanor, the
jury t-ying Rev. J. J. Adams, a Baptist
minister, aged 50. charged with decoying
Miss I*ewey Kennedy, a young girl from
home. returned a verdict of guilty
against the defendant this afternoon
Judge Thomas stentenced A lams to five
years In the penitentiary, asserting that
after taking all of the circumstances sur
rounding the case into consideration he
did not feel justified In following the
.•try’s recommendation.
Exchange Members Must
List Aliens’ Securities
NFAV YORK. April 12. Members of
the New York stock exchange today
were informed that they must submit
by 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon a mem- ,
orandun; of securities and monies they
are holding for alien enemies. Thia
action was decided u|»on by governors
of the exchange today with a resolution '
covering the order adopted.
SAMPLE COPI
RECRUITING BEGINS
I FOB NATIONAL GUARD
UNITS IN ATLANTA
Officers for All Branches Are
Opened With Gratifying
Success Regular Army
and Navy Stations Thronged
Active recruiting was begun Thurs
day morning by the Fifth regiment of
Georgia infantry and the second squad
ron of Georgia cavalry, following in
structions from the war department to
bring the national guard units up to
maximum peace strength, which is just
another name for war strength.
The Fifth regiment opened a recruit
-1 ing office at the auditorium-armory un
der direction of Lieutenant Thomas F ‘
Jackson. and within an hour twenty I
young men were sworn into the service
of Uncle Sam.
Troop L. of the Second squadron of
cavalry, known as the Governor’s Horse
Guards, opened its offi.e at 56 Gilmer
street. on tne south side of the audi
torium. The Horse Guard now is but
a few men short of war strengtn. but it
was stated that there are advantageous
openings for cooks, farriers, etc., and I
several non-com missioned officers’ places '
are vacant.
Georgia field hospital No. I is station
ed at LaKewood. It was stated that the
field hospital may take steps to open a
recruiting office in town.
Recruiting continued brisk Thursday
at the regular army station and *the
navy and marine corps stations.
STATUS of fifth.
For three days Colonel Orville H. *
! Hall, commanding the Fifth, has been I
waiting for the orders issued by th.- ;
war department, instructing all national
guard organizations to recruit up to the;
maximum peace strength of the regular
army, which is 10* men to the company. |
They arrived Thursday morning at 11'
' o'clock from General Walter A. Harri s. '
commander of the Georgia brigade. As
General Harris instructed Colonel Hall
j to recruit to maximum peace strength.
Colonel Hall, in accordance with the or
ders. in turn instructed his subordinates
to recruit to maximum peace strength.
This means that the commanding offi
cers of detachments of the Fifth, wher
ever they are located, have the authority
to go ahead and enlist men. Recruiting
will, therefore, be more widespread and j
effective than if it was confined to one
office and one locality. It has been gen
erally known for some time that all of '
the regiment is not stationed in Atlan
ta. i hough'censorship has prevented an
nouncement of the locations of the va
rious companies.
OPEN ALL DAY.
The Atlanta recruiting office of the
Fifth regiment is on the second floor |
a. t':e auditorium. It is open all day
and dur'ng the evening as long as re- 1
emits apply.
The office had scarcely been opened
Thursday before swearing in of the ;
lecruits began. In fact, the recruiting I
office of the regiment, anticipating the '
reception of the orders hourly, had be- I
gun to examine applicants the day be- '
fore.
Thus, within an hour after the orders I
were received, the regiment's quota had
been considerably augmentedand it was
believed that within a very frhort time i
the ranks will be full. The maximum
peace strength to be recruited will be
about 1.400 men. The Fifth now lacks |
about 500 of this number.
It was remarked that among the ap- ;
plicants hardly 50 per cent were from
Atlanta proper, this though the Fifth is ■
generally spoken of as "Atlanta's own."
Many of the boys were farmer lads from
north and middle Georgia, others were
from suburban Atlanta.
; "It looks to me,” remarked one officer,
"as if a few more Atlanta boys should
| enlist In Atlanta's own.”
This officer pointed out that now is
‘ the opportune time to enlist in the reg-
I iment. as the new orders will Increase
the number of non-commissioned offi
, cers and leave vacancies which must he
; filled from the ranks.
While the regular army recruiting
. officer has received instructions from
Washington lowering somewhat the
strict physical standards for admission
•to the ranks, the Fifth has so far not
I yet received these instructions and the
requirements are as strict as ever.
NAVY SLOGAN
"Nine hundred men in nine days.”
This is the slogan these days at the
| naval recruiting station in the federal
buildings, and the reason is that just
nine days are to elapse before the time
I limit for Georgia to raise 1.20<i men ex
pires.
Up to Thursday morning a total of
253 men had been enlisted in the navy,
leaving a balance of 947 that must be
secured before April 20. if Georgia is i
to supply the number of men asked of
her by the navy department.
Lieutenant H. R. Keller, in charge of
recruiting, stated that Georgia was go
ing to get the required number. “We
will leave no stone unturned In our ef
forts to get those nine hundred men in
nine days, and unless I'm badly mis
taken. Georgia will toe the mark when
the 20th conies." he said Thursday.
"What we need more than anything
else right away is more men to help re
cruit," he continued. "We are handling
as many men now as we can. and in or
der to double the number our office
lorce and the men at work throughout
the state must be materially Increased.
"I have eighteen men at work in At
lanta. and about fifty in the state, but
I need more. 1 have wired for author
, ity to hold men who re-enlist for re-
I <*ruiting duty, and expect it will be
I granted.
PLEASHD WITH SUBSTATIONS
“I am particularly well pleased with
l the way substations are working, and
\TLANTA. GA.. FRIDAY, APRIL' 13, 1917.
I” ANOTHER VERY NECESSARY ARMY
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MEN, TUB Ta BLDW IIP
PLANT. ■ AFTER DUEL
-Attempt in Birmingham Frus-
I trated by Watchman—Dyna
mite Is Left Behind
I
BIRMINGHAM. Ala., April 12.—An
attempt to blow up the benzol plant of*
. the Woodward Iron company at Bes
-1 semer. fifteen miles from here, is be
lieved to have been frustrated early
i this morning, when two men were
I routed from the company’s property by
la night watchman, after he had en
| gaged with them in a pistol fight. After
I the fight the watchman discovered a
I stick of dynamite under one of the
tanks near where the men were first
| seen.
I According to the watchman, whe nhe
saw them they were told to halt. Upon
refusing, he fired at them, and his shots
immediately were returned. A fusillade
of shots were exchanged and the men
finally disappeared in the darkness.
The Woodward plant is not far from
the benzol plant of the Edison company
at Bessemer.
the results they are showing. More,
men have been got by each substation
in the past two weeks than ever before
in the history of recruiting since I have
been in charge."
Lieutenant Keller s desk is swamped
every morning with large batches of in
quiries from every part of the state
from youn~ men inquiring for informa
tion on how to enlist. It plainly shows
the need of more men to help recruiting,
as many parts of the state have never
been canvassed.
Men apply for every position. but
Lieutenant Keller stated that more men
applied for the hospital corps and yeo
man service than for any others. Men
are needed in every branch of the navy,
one being no more important than the
other, unless it is active seamanship,
for which branch the majority of re
cruits are being enlisted.
Fifty applicants were examined and
enlisted Wednesday, and the office was
again taxed to capacity Thursday, in
suring that Thursday would see more
men enlist than did Wednesday. Both
Dr. Murphy and Dr. Dykes had their
hands full examining applicants all
morning.
Eighty-nine men were‘accepted by the
army recruiting station Wednesday, and
over a hundred more applicants were In
the office Tharsday by noon. The sta
tion this month lias already secured 450
men from Georgia, which is 251 more
than Georgia’s quota of 199 men required
each month by the army officials.
BRAZILIAN POPULACE CRIES
IFOIIMI WITH GERMAN!
Break With Austria Is Mo
mentarily Expected in
Rio de Janeiro
BY H. B RSOBERTSON.
• RIO DE JANEIItO. April 2. —Serious
outbreaks in Sao Paulo marked the con
tinued public insistence on war with
Germany today. The proponents of war
atacked houses of German-born resi
dents of Sao Paulo and reserves of po
lice were called out. Reports received
here asserted a number of citizens had
teen killed and wounded in resisting the
guards.
A break with Austria was momen
tarily expected. German Minister Pao
lis and his staff, with all German con
suls. will be transported to Christiana
on the steamer Rio de Janeiro, leaving
here April 18, according- to formal an
nounement today. A number of high
sources were authority for the state
ment that before the Germans’ depart
ure Brazil’s rupture of diplomatic rela
tions would be extended to include Ger
many’s foremost ally.
The Brazilian populace is crying war
with an insistence that the government
' apparently will be able to withstand
only temporarily. Inflammatory speak
ers draw enormous crowds in the va- '
rious parks and on the city streets. Pa- :
triotism is at a high pitch.
The Journal du Commercio today’ de- I
rnanded in the name of the public the
arming of all Brazilian merchantmen,
the seizure of interned German ships,
taking over by the government of all
German banks here and the ordering
from German soil of all Brazilian clt- |
izens.
Chancellor Muller, who is also for- ,
eign minister, today cabled Sylvino Am- I
aral, Brazilian minister at Berlin, to 1
request his passports.
German Minister Paolis today declin-|
ed Argentine’s offer of an escort of |
Brazilian war vessels on his voyage
home.
The government has’ mobilized two di- I
visions of the army to keep order in |
districts of Brazil where German resi-,
dents are most numerous.
It was semi-officially stated that the'
cabinet was drafting an embargo on
shipment of meat.
Ruy Barbosa, foremost advocate of
war and one of the most popular figures
in Brazilian public life, announces he is
planning a monster war demonstration
Saturday. Ever since tension whs cre
ated between Brazil and Germany over
sinking of the Brazilian steamer Pa
rana by a Teutonic U-boat Barbosa has
been demanding war. During the past
EDDYSTONE EXPLOSION ’
ACCIDENT, MARSHAL SAYS
Fire Official Declares It Was
Result of "Flare-up" of
Powder
PHILADELPHNA, April 12. —‘There
is no evidence of a plot," is the state-
Jnent today by G. Chai Port, state fire
marshal, who with a corps of special
aides, is making an exhaustive study of
the Eddystone Ammunition corporation
plant, which was blown up Tuesday.
An accidental “flare-up" of black pow
der in the “shaking chamber" in the east
end of the main building affected by the
blast, started the explosion, said the
marshal.
Despite the statement of the state of
ficial, federal officers are working today
on the various clews that have been of
fered from many sources. The fire mar
shal said today that while he is open
minded regarding the plot theory he
would demand most conclusive proof
before relinquishing his theory that it
was accidental."
Nearly sixty of the unidentified dead.,
still at the Chester morgue, will receive
public burial today. Four additional
identified dead today revealed the fol
lowing: Clarence St. Clair Young, Jack
sonville, Fla.; Hanna Brown, Phila
delphia; Beatrice Hansen, Philadelphia;
Bertha Moore, Darby.
Another Explosion
Suspect Is Arrested
NEW YORK, April 12.—Hans Ehret,
a German boy twenty years old. ar
rested in Mount Vernon Tuesday night
1 and held here today without explana
| tion by federal authorities, is believed
to know about the Eddystone
munitions disaster, according to the
Mount Vernon police, who made the ar-
I rest.
The man was spirited into the federal
' building last night and was grilled for
| hours by Captain Offley, department of
| justice investigator and assistant dis-
I trict attorney. It is said he made re
marks which led to the belief that he
| was connected with the explosion.
He was caught as he sped through
i Mount Vernon on a motorcycle, bound,
i it is believed, for Boston.
When officials, after Tfe had been stub- •
' bornly silent under cross-examination,
told him the death penalty might await
him as a spy. he is said to have con
fessed to robbery of the Greenwich bank.
New York, of $240, but denied any con
nection with the Eddystone plot.
week he has addressed scores of street
meetings, fanning the flame of anger
against Berlin info a conflagration of
demand for instant hostile action.
BOLGMH REPORTED
SEEKING fi SEPJRME
PEACE lffl ENTENTE
Austria Also Said to Be Urging
Pope to Move for Peace in
Europe—Gets Little Encour
agement
PARIS, April 12. The American
minister to Bulgaria has been handed
his passports and has left Sofia, ac
cording to a dispatch from the Bul
garian capital reaching here via Zurich,
Switzerland, today.
LONDON. April 12.—Reports from a
Swiss source have been received In
.Rome that the Bulgarian minister at
Berne has made overtures to the entente
ministers with a view to the conclusion
of a separate peace, says the Exchange
Telegraph’s Rome correspondent.
Similar advices regarding Bulgaria
' are sent by the Exchange Telegraph
' representative at Lausanne. He reports
; that the Gazette of that city states it
has learned that semi-official Bulgarian
delegations are in Switzerland endeavor
ing to arrive at a basis for a separate
peace with representatives of the en
i tente.
U. S, Not Surprised
By Bulgaria’s Action
WASHINGTON. .April 12.—Bulgaria’s
reported action in breaking off relations
with the United States was received here
in official and diplomatic circles this
afternoon with no surprise.
At the state department, however, it
was said no word of such rupture had
come. At the Bulgarian legation it was
stated no news of any kind had reached
the legation from the home government
•‘for some time.”
Austria Presses Pope to
Make Peace Move, Report
ROME, April 12.—Austria is pressing
Pope Benedict to move for peace among
the European belligerents, according to
an authentic report in Vatican circles
today.
The Carriere Della Sera, in mention
ing the move today declared that the
holy father is refusing to proceed now
‘‘for diplomatic reasons.’’
Germany Seeks Peace
With America, is Report
COPENHAGEN, April 12.—Apparent
ly positive reports were received here
today that the German foreign otfic was
making overtures to the United States,
it was understood these negotiations
sought peace between the two nations.
No further details were available here.
Official circles manifested the most in
tense interest in the report.
It is understood that Secretary of
State Lansing has already received the
overtures through unofficial mediaries.
The proixjsition as reported here is for
the United States government to send
Colonel E. M. House to The Hague for a
secret “unofficial conference.”
Germany’s terms were not specified in
the reports here, but it was hinted there
had been no change in her position as
outlined by the German embassy in
Washington early in December, when
Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg made
his formal proffer in the reichstag. At
that time Germany hinted that the ques
tion of indeinnity for Belgium would
not be an insurmountable obstacle to
peace, but plainly insisted on a return to
th»9 status quo before the war—includ
ing return of all her colonies, or a re
arrangement of all belligerents* colonial
possessions.
Germany has frequently sent out un*
official peace ‘‘feelers’’ in the past, in
addition to the official proffer made early
last December.
The importance of the present peace
overtures —if they are in progress—
would depend entirely on the conces
sions announced by Germany.
When peace “feelers” were sounded in
Washington by the Swiss minister, Dr.
Ritter, representing Germany after de
parture of Ambassador Bernstorff, Sec
retary Lansing, on behalf of the presi
dent, said the United States could enter
tain no proposals from Germany until
after the submarine decree had been
withdrawn and the pledges for U-boat
war under rule of international law re
affirmed. w
No Overtures Received
By State Department
WASHINGTON. April 12.—The state
department today declared it had receiv- I
ed no peace overtures—formal or other- i
wise—from Germany and had no reason
to believe any were en route.
It added that this government is not
ready for any such overtures and the de
partment left the inference that the
administration view is against a separ
ate peace.
It was pointed out today that Ger- I
many’s reported overtures might be of i
so “Inforintd" a nature that the state
department might very well claim lack
of any official basis for such reports.
Previous "peace feelers’’ by Germany
have always been put out in such tangi
ble shape that they have first reached
other governments usually in the form
of mere reports without any official
character.
American Schooner Is
Sunk; Crew Set Adrift
. WASHINGTON. April 12 —The Amer-|
ican schooner Marguerite, of New York,
was captured and presumably- sunk by a
submarine thirty-five miles southwest
of Sardinia on April 4. and her. crew, in
cluding one Ameican, exposed to forty
six hours in open boats. A dispatch to ■
the state department today from Am- '
bassador Sharp at Paris, forwarded the
information from the American consul
at Tunis. The ship made no attempt to
escape or resist and was refused all aid
by the submarine.
NUMBER 55.
VALIANT BUT FUTILE
ATTEMPTS fflOE TO
CHECKJBEAT DRIVE
British Line Rammed Forward
North of Vimy Ridge and
Two More Important Posi
tions Are Captured
LONDON. April 12.—Stumbling for
ward over slippery hummocks or sticky
mudholes in the most wintry April
weather France has ever known. British
troops were nevertheless ramming their
line further and further forward against
the Germans today.
F ield Marshal Haig today jammed his
forces still farther north of Vimy ridge.
“Early- this morning.” he reported,
"we captured two important, positions
of the enemy lines to the north of Vimy
ridge. Astride the river at Souchez a
number of the enemy were taken
prisoner.
Two hostile attacks against our new
positions at the northern end of Vimy
ridge were driven off by machine gun '
fire, which inflicted heavy losses on the
Germans.
“We made some progress south of the
Scarpe river.”
The British commander-in-chief said
the weather continued wet and stormy.
The most desperate of all the bitter
fighting that is marking the great push
was apparently centeunng today north
and south of the Arras-Cambrai high road
At Monchy-le-Preux, (to the north) and
around Bullecourt (to the south) the
British have thrust forward two formid
able wedges. Today they were bringing
enormous pressure to bear on the sides
of these wedges to sweep the foe out of
I the intervening ground. It was against
I both these wedges tnat the German
I troops were being thrown in constant
I counter-attacks. The Germans apparent
ly realized the danger in the wedge and
sweeping arm tactics under way by Field
Marshal Haig.
F ighting in the British offensive was
apparently spreading northward this
afternoon.
In that direction a strongly defended
hill near Givenchy, known as Piople,
was taken. Boisenhache, a mile farther
northward, was also captured.
To the south the Canadians today ad
vanced to the crest of Hill 145-.
Thus far the Canadians have captured ~
four 8-inch guns, five 9:5 guns and
twenty field pieces.
One source of great pride in England
today in the tremendous successes so far
achieved In the drive was the extraor
dinary perfection of the British com
munication and supply services. Front
dispatches agreed that despite unpre
cendented snows, high winds and bitter
cold weather, the troops even in the sec
tions of their most speedy advance, had
not out-distanced the supply transport.
No army in the history of wars has ex
pended such a supply of ammunition in
its fighting as the British army has been
expending in the big offensive. General
Haig’s men are literally blasting their
way forward. Every battle front report
agrees on the utter havoc created by the
concentrated British fire. The trans
port service must be perfection, if the
advance is to he a success and apparent
ly the British service has been perfect
tion.
Dispatches today indicated the Ger
mans were desperately- draining other
sections of the line in massing reserves
to oppose further advances by the Brit
ish.
Germans Driven Back
In French Offensive
PARIS. April 12.—1 nan attack last
night on the new front below St. Quen
tin between Coucy and Quincy-Bassee,
the French drove back the Germans to
the southwestern edge of the upper
Coucy forest, capturing several impor
tant positions, the war office announces.
In the Chatnpagne the Germans were
ejected from the trenches east of Sap
igneul. w
The statement follows;
"Between the Somme and the Oise '
artillery fighting continued with vio
lence during the night, especially in the
region of Urvillers.
"South of the Oise our troops, after
artillery preparation, attacked the Ger
man pOstions east of the line from Cou
cy la Ville to Quincy-Bassee. After a
spirited engagement we forced back the
enemy as far as the southwestern edge
of the Upper Coucy forest. Several Im
portant points of support fell into our
hands notwithstanding the resistance of
the enemy who left a number of dead on
the ground and prisoners in our hands.
“In *tne region northeast of Soissons
there v. ere patrol encounters and active ’
artillery- fighting. Especially- in the sec
tor of Laffaux. North of the Aisne our
reconnoitering parties penetrated ’the
German lines at several points and
brought back forty prisoners, one of
whom is an officer.
"East of Sapigneul a sharp attack en
abled us to expel the enemy from cer
tain portions of trenches which he had
held since April 4 and our line was
re-established intact. Two surprise at
tacks by the Germans in the Champagne,
in the sectors of Ville-Sur-Tourbe and
Butte du Mesnil were broken up by our
tire which inflicted losses o nthe enemy.
“In an incursion into the German
lines in the Woevre northeast of Rem
enauville we inflicted appreciable losses
on the nemy. Patrol encounters occur
red southwest of Leintrey.”
Arras Conflict’ Will
Be Greatest of the War
LONDON. April 12.—That the Arras
conflict will develop shortly Into the
greatest battle of the war was the pre
diction made by Major General F. B.
Maurice, chief director of military oper- i
operations at the war office, in his week
ly- interview wth the Assocated Press
today.
General Maurce declared the offen
sive was being conducted according to
plans completed in February, thereby
controverting German claims that their
retreat had upset the British schedule
and that the Teutonic military authori
ties control the situaion.
The Briish losses during the first two
days of the offensive were only half sus
tained as compared with the correspoi.-
ding time in the Somme offensive. Gener
al Maurice declared.