The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, December 12, 1917, Page 1

ed The Weather Generally fair. THIRTY-SEVENTH YEAR, NO. 292. MORE FOOD FOR NATION; PROFIT FOR PRODUCER Farmers’ Union of State Meets Today to Consider Economic Problems of Farmer 2500 MEMBERS SENDING DELEGATES TO BISMARCK Annual Conference Opened at Commercial Club this Morning —Hagan Makes Talk “Patriotism and cooperation” were the keynotes which Secretary George N. Keniston of the Bismarck Commer- cial club gave the convention in wel- coming the delegates of the North Da- kota Farmers’ union on behalf of the city of Bismarck this morning. Co- operation with every in‘prest that touches the farmer was urged. The speaker said when it came to “big business” the farmer had no cause for fear, for he represented the big gest single “big business” in the world. He advocated the right of the farmer and the necessi:y of the farm. er organizing not only for protection ‘but for promotion. * More food for the nation and a more equitable proportion of the profits of production for the ‘producer are economic problems which dele- gates representing 2,500 active North Dakota farmers took under considera- tion at the Commercial club rooms at 9 o'clock this morning, when the North Dakota Farmers’ Educational & Co-Operative union began its fourth annual convention in this city. In spite.of cold weather and delayed trains, sceres of delegates had, arrived in the city and were ready and eager for the opening session. The crisis which faces the nation, and in‘ which the farmer must play so prominent a part; recent legislation directly affect- ing the farmer; the regulation of the prices which he may receive for his product; the supreme necessity for a bumper crop’ utilizing every acre of arable land in 1918; the financial strin- gency resulting from the two poor sea- sons which have been suffered in some sections of the state—all of these are factors which tend to make this great annual conclave: of real farmers epochal. ee 10 CdhVention Orgaiiizes.”' ThévorVéntion met and organized at 9 Stloct Nand then listétied’ to an interestii@address from Commission: er of Agriculture and Labor John N. Hagan on the general subject of co- operation. The appointment of committees for the period of the convention and for the ensuing year followed. This after- noon reports will be received from standing committees named “on the good of the order.” Government Expert. Thursday the delegates will have the pleasure of listening to a govern- ment expert sent all the way from Washington for this convention by the United States speakers’ bureau. Sec retary Shipley has been in communi cation with the speakers’ bureau for the last ten days, and has been as sured that a speaker will be here for tomorrow, although the name of the man who is coming has not been an nounced. Peports of committees and the elec tion of officers will consume the re mainder of tomorrow's sessions. |No entertainment programs have been planned. Because of the unseasonable cold all of the delegates are anxious to close up their business as promptly as possible and get back to their stock and other farm interests. Everyone here is enthusiastic over the future of the Farmers‘ union and heartily in accord with the executive committee's plans for a thorough campaign which is expected to at least double the membership during the ensuing year. Whole State Represented. President R. J. J. Montgomery, of ‘Tappen, who has been in the city for several days co-operating with Secre- tary D. H. Shipley in planning the an- nual sessions, predicts that unless the weather man proves particularly un- gracious from 500 to 790 delegates will be in attendance. The whole state will be represented, and from the Slope region will come not only scores of duly elected delegates but dozens of visitors who always make it a pgint to attend these conventions for the liberal education which they provide. Bismarck the Center. George Sorber, of Gladstone, is vice president and D. E: Shipley, of Bis- marck is secretary of the state or- ganization. Bismarck is in a general way state headquarters, a majority of the business of the union being trans- acted from this city. The union has a large central warehouse and co-oper- ative implement distributing plant here, and it is planning to make Bis- marck its center for co-operative pur- chasing for the entire state. Old Timers Active. Many of the Slope’s oldest and most progressive farmers—such men as William E. Breen, of Bismarck, who is a member of the state executive committee; Commissioner Birlea O. Ward. Albin Hedstrong, of Wilton— are active in the councils of the Far- mers’ union. The convention whic! begins in the Commercial club hall this forenoon will be a reunion of men who have done more than prob- bly any other of their class to make —, Tastes Arctic Temperatures After one day’s decency, in which he visited Bismarck with the compara- tively reasonable low of 11 ‘degrees , under zero, old Jack Frost relapsed i into his bad ways last night, and sent the mercury scooting down to 24 be- Jow, within 1wo degrees of the record cold weather cstablished earlier in the Sceek Bismarck was not alone in suffer- ing. A: Ednonton it was 40 below last nignt; at Prince Albert 36 below, and at Swift Current 32 below. Moor- head was four degrees warmer than Bismarck, and Williston was two de- grees colder. Winnipeg shivered in 28 below zero temperatures. Weather Observer Roberts promises more cold weather for tonight, but predicts a trifle warmer weather fori Thursday. A “high pressure” area is now central over North Dakota and Montana, bringing with it tempera- tures ranging from 12 below at Miles City to 40 below in Alberta. South Dakota is comparatively fortunate, with six below at Pierre and Huron, its average low temperatures for the last 24 hours, Around noon today it was 19 below, and the\ government observatory re- corded a few degrees warmer by mid- afterncon, when the mercury again! began to sink, with prospects for an- other cold night. Th: cold has come on so unexpect- edly that it has found many house- holders unprepared, and Capital City plumbers, are working day and night in an effort to meet the demands made on them for the repair of frost dam- ages. The capitol today found itself facing a fuel famine. There is no lack of coal in Bismarck, but there is great difficulty in finding teamsters to haul it to the state house. Everyone wants coal at-once, and the capitol has heen forced to wait its turn’ with other consumers.” INDIAN SCHOOL BLOWS UP. 100 MUCH PRESSURE Large Boiler in Heating System: a Explodes, Partially Wrecking” { phnal Fine Buildirig bao One of the large buildings of the Bismarck Indian school was badly damaged between 6 and.7 this morn- ing when a big boiler in the furnace room blew up. Some of the basement walls were blown out; the first floor and! was lifted from its moorings, doors and windows throughout the building were blown out. Chief Martineson and Deputy Sheriff Welch were called upon to investigate, the caretaker first believing that an- infernal machine was responsible for the damage. A careful investigation convinced the officers that the explo- sion “as due to natural causes. The damage will run very high. Caretaker vouvtful. The ,caretaker at the Indian schoor is inclined to question whether the ex- vlosion was due simply to the bursting of the big tank. It is true that the top of the water tank is blown off, he says, but he doudts whether the force of this explosion would have been sut- ficient to wreck the entire building in -he manner done. “It smoked wher it went off," said “an ervotaker, over the telephone to The Tribune. 1¢@ inwan school was closed a few weeks ago by order of the department ot the interior, as a measure of econ- omy, and a caretaker was left in charge. This morning's explosion 6c curred in the basement of the matu building, to which the caretaker esti- mates damage of $1,590. Chief of Police Martineson stand. pat on his claim that it was cleariy| a boiler explosion, and that no in- fernal machine or bom) can be charg- ed with the damage. The caretaker was in another building at the time of the blow-up. TRADING STAMP TEST SUIT NOW BEING ARGUED Case Brought to Supreme Court on Writ of Habeas Corpus to Try New Law Arguments in the suit, brought by Théodore Olson, agent for a trading stamp concern, to test the legality of North Dakota’s new trading stamp ‘ legislature, under which a heavy li- cense fee is exacted from companies wishing to deal in trading stamps in this state, are in progress in supreme court this afternoon. The case comes to supreme court on a writ of habeas corpus from the Cass county district court, Andrew Ross, sheriff of Cass, respondent. (Continued on Page Three) being the ¢ hors found 30 BISMARCK, NORTH $$ REDS IN PETRO Capital Again ALND I HALIFAK FROM MUNITION BLAST _As Relatives are Reunited the Death List is Cut Down—Esti- mated Dead 1,800 200 CHILDREN HAVE LOST THEIR PARENTS Relief System is Being Organized Rapidly and Shelters Are : Provided Halifax, Dec. 12—A revised csti- mate today of the explosion casual- ties reduced the death list to approx- imately 1,800. The known dead total 800 and it is believed that not more than 1,000 -bodies and perhaps only 900 still lie under the debris of shat- tered and burned buildings. The list of victims is steadily be- coming smaller as relatives are re- {united and refugees who left the city return. ¢ From 300 to 500 persons are totally or partly blind, and 200 children have each lost -both parents,. accord- ing ‘to the American and Canadian workers investigating the situation. The Boston relief, ship, Austin en- tered the harbor today. . Duplication in Counts. The formidable estimate of, casual- ties made during the hours immediate- ly after the explosion apparently was due, it developed. today, to the. fact that some of the bodies were count- ed several times. Relief workers, ex- plained’ that today’s revised’ figures are not. final as.many. entire families were destroyed no, members being alive to report such losses. It: is estimated tha‘) 500 houses are wrecked beyond repair, that 500. oth- ers .were totally destroyed and that [soe 1,000 can be restored to use. ‘Some of the inhabitanta who were injured: .by. explosion, fire, or* tidal wave have not received medical -atten- j tion up to this morning and the relier system is being reorganized ‘so they may receive necessary aid at once. In one shelter in Dartmouth, -investigat- 0. sme, womeh and chil- dren. siitianed Aotiy y ~ ON ONE FRECO ON ANOTHER COUNT Standing Rock Reservation De- fendant Must Serve, Time as Horse Thief A federal court grand jury Tuesday found Joseph Couture of Standing Rock reservation not guilty of stealing horses from Mrs. Hooting Owl, but after a deliberation of several hours it convicted the young defendant of stealing ponies from Takes-the-Shield. Couture was tried on both indictments at once, and was found guilty on the second only. The defendant had been tried on similar charges in four other cases. In this last trial 34 witnesses were introduced by the state. A ma- jority of them were Indian, and the evidence was taken through an inter- preter. Couture has not yet been sentenced The McDowell perjury’ case, grow- ing out of a former Couture trial, will go to the jury this afternoon. Judge Wade will make an effort to complete the criminal calendar tomorrow, and if this is possible, Mrs. Kate Rich- ards O'Hare, convicted under the es- | pionage act, will receive her sentence tomorrow. COFFEY 10 COME THURSDAY T0 TRY TOM HALL’S CASE | Trial of Secretary of State on Em- bezzlement Charge Again Postponed a Day The Hall‘case this morning was again set over in district court until Thursday morning, when it was an- nounced Judge Coffey of Jamestown will be here to preside. Whether the | state will again move for a change of venue is not definitely known, but japparently the disposition of the ; Prosecution is to proceed with the trial without further delay. At the many state officials and employes as ; witnesses for one side or tue other is going to nandicap work at the capitol, and should it become necessary to transport all of these witnesses to some other district, the expense to the state and the interference with the state’s business would become enor mous. | For Men At Camp Dodge Washington, Dec. 12.—Men of the national armyswill not %be given Christmas: fui ghs unloss they live within trolley, distance of their can- tonments, the: ‘department has de- cided. Secretary Calipr, in an announce: ment today, seeped the harmful ef- fect the general‘leave would have on camp discipline, and the heavy burden it would thrownon the railroads as ve reasons for the department's ac- tion. Camp Dodge, Iowa, Dec. 12.—An- nouncement: by. the war department that national army men would not be given Christmas:furloughs unless they live within trolley’ distance of the can- tonments seriously affects the condi- tions in this camp. It had been plan- ned to give half..the men here, divid- ing them in‘o two groups, one fur- Joveh for Christmas and the other for ‘New Years. very rew men save homes within the trolley distan SLIGHT DAMAGE IN- MONITICN “PLANT BLAZE Fire Brakes @ut'{n Shell Load- ing Departinent of Beth. " lem’s ‘Steel Company FLAMES CAUBE EXPLOSION NO SERIOUS CASUALTIES + Wilmington, veia., Dec. 12—Fire broke out this morning in a shell load- ing department of the Bethlehem Steel. company’s. munitions plant, a short distance below Newcastle, Dela. At 9:15 a.'m, the fire,was reported to be coming from every: building. The flames cansed the explosion of loaded shells and they were scattered everywhere, the report says. One report said Chief Jacobs of the plant guard was struck by a shell and his head blown off. \in:The .explosion and fire at the New- castle plant of the Bethlehem Steel corporation caused only slight 'dam- age, | it, wasstated atthe: New York offices;of the, corporation today: | Offi- cials said sthat advices indicated no one was hurt and the property loss was confined to one section of a shell loading’ shop. Jamestown, N. D., Dec. 12.—Funeral services ,over tie remains of the late Mrs. H. B. ;Allen, prominent James- town woman and former teacher t the Fargo public schools, were con: | ducted here today. Interment was made in Highland Home cemetery. Q6 BOWMAN COUNTY FARMERS WILL SUE ON DROUTH CHARGE Unable to Obtain Agreement with Company, Policy-Holders Ap- peal to Courts Bowman farmers who attempted to compromise with the Bankers’ Insur- ance Co. of Helena, Mont., on: their drouth claims, failed to procure an agreement which they regarded “satis- factory, and Insurance Commissioner A. S. Olsness has been advised that 96 claimants have joined issue against the company and will bring suit in the Bowman county courts. Alex As- lakson, deputy insurance commission- er, has returned from Helena, where he joined in a joint examination of the Bankers. He has no report to make public at this time. Mr. Olsness re- gards the farmers’ experience with drouth insurance this year an excel- lent advertisement for the state crop insurance plan to be voted on as a constitutional amendment next fall. ALCONOLIG. CONTENT OF BEER LOWERED T0 DIMINSHING POINT Washington, Dec. 11.—At the re- quest of Food Administrator Hoover, President Wilson will issue within the next. few days a proclamation reduc- ing the alcoholic content of beer to two and three quarters per cent. The use of grain for brewing will be cut by the order about thirty per cent. The proclamation has been held up pending a decision as to whether the law, enacted at the last session of best, the necessity of subpoenaing so! Percentage should be based upon vol- ume or upon weight. It finally was decided to set a weight standard to protect brewers of ales and stouts in whose heavier product the alcoholic content runs higher by volume. With the alcoholic content meas- ured by weight, it is said, there ac- tually will be about 3 per cent of al- cohol in beer figured by volume. DAKOTA, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12, 1917. AD THREATENED Evening Edition BERLIN SAYS ASS. ABM WOBILIZN Armistice Affecting Russian Front Only Has Been Signed with ~ the Bolsheviki REDS AND COSSACKS CLASH AT MOHILEV Revolutionists Reports Times Cor- respondent was Routed in First Encounter Copenhagen, Dec. 12.—The semi-of- ficial German news agency says that demobilization of .the Russian forces already has begun and that peace ne- gotiations, restricted to the Russian front, have been authorized. To Resume Negotiations. Representatives of all the Russian fronts started tonight for Brest-Lit- Union Strike In Mill City Affects Many ‘St. Paul, Minn., Dec. 12.—Railroad shopmen on transcontinental lines throughout the northwest as well as memwvers of local unions voted today on the proposal to accede to the call for a general walkout of union men tomorrow in support of the strike con- templated by tue traction employees. it was said shops from St. Paul to the coast might be closed in the event of; a decision favorable to their plans. Contracts and wage agreements with the railroads, they declared, would ve disregarded on the ground that the; constitutional rights of labor union- ists are involved in the traction con- troversy. The result of the vote wilt” not be announced until midnight. Saloons in St. Paul and Minneapolis | will be closed tomorrow in the event of a general walkout, Governor Burn- quist indicated today. Minneapolis, Minn., Dec. 12.—Sev- eral local unions that have not yet voted on the question of striking to- morrow, in sympathy with Twin City street. car men, who are demanding permission to wear their union but- tons, held a meeting today to take action on the matter. In the meantime, big industries were ovsk to resume the armistice nego- tations with the Germans. l Lieutenant Colonel Fokkeh, the gen- eral staff member of the armistice committee, informed the Associated Press that the delegation would con- sist, of 13 members, including Gen- eral Skalok, one representative from each of the northern, western, south- western Rumanian-Russian and, Ruma- nian armies, M. Altafer, the naval rep- resentative, and five political dele- gates. Lieutenant Colonel Fokkeh believes that the Germans will make consider- able concessions and will even, consent to leave Moon Sound. The Germans have eliminated the demand that Rus- sian troops leave Macedonia and France, because the Russian delegates said these armies. werei-pot, under their control. § At a preliminary meeting on Satur- day, organized by the representative of the army and navy, to discuss the jarwhistice, the general trend of their | ;Temarks was that the Russians would fight to a finish if the Germans re- fused-to conclude a peace on honor- ‘able terms. : ARMISTICE SIGNED. Jassy, Rumania, Monday, Dec. 10.— Official announcement; was made to- day of the signing of an:armistice in| {accordance with which hostilities were | suspended at 10:30 p. m. yesterday | until further, potice, ray x WY cLAgh WF) EDS H pandon, Dde. f12}Heports! bt! Agh ing at Mohilev, Russian, general quar- ters, between troops newly arrived there and the Bolsheviki garrison were received in Petrograd Monday, according to the correspondent of the Times in the Russian capital. It is also reported that shock battalions and cossacks advancing on Mohilev clashed with the Bolsheviki, who were defeated. PREPARES FOR RUSH State Insurancg Commissioner Lists Officers Needing Bonds Lists of every county and township officer requiring a bond are being re- ceived by Insurance Commissioner A. S. Olness from the various county auditors. But four bonds have been issued to date, but data is being ac- cumulated in the office of the com- mission which will prepare the de- partment to handle the immense! amount of business which will come with the expiration of the surety bonds for which a majority of the counties have contracted on a two-; year basis. RWAL TELEPHONE GONCERN IGKORES i making plans to meet the tieup threat-/ ened by the order for sympathetic! strikes decided upon by representa- . FIVE OENT® 400,000 UNDER ‘ARMS TO RESIST ~TWE SOLSHEVIKI Allied Support is Being Depended upon by the Counter Revolu- tionists REDS TRYING TO HOLD CONVENTIONS There Has Been no Break in the Infantry Activity on the Western; Front FIRES FIRST SHOT. Italian Army Headquarters in Northern Italy, Tuesday, Dec, 11. —The first American shot against Austria was fired by Represent: tive Tinkham, of Boston, on the lower Piave, when Mr. Tinkham pulled a string, firing a large, 149 millimeter gun, sending a shell across the Piave to the Austrian positions, 2 (By Associated Press.) tives of allied unions in the Twin Cities. Labor leaders have declared! that every effort will be made to main-; tain order. Nevertheless, the authori-; ties have been taking unusual precau- tionary measures and in addition the’ several hundred deputy sheriffs who! have been sworn in a number of home| guard companies will be placed on| duty at various points in the city im-| mediately after the strike order be- comes effective. Only federal intervention or revoea- tion of the safety commission’s order, | labor leaders intimated, would be, deemed sufficient cause for rescind- ing the strike order, which, they, de- clare, will affect 40,000 men in the two cities. CRISIS REACHED IN RAIL ISSUE; NEXT STEP SOON $ Federal Control Over Railroad Securities Endorsed by Wis- consin Commissioner PRESIDENT MAY GO BEFORE CONGRESS! Washington, D. C., Dec. 12.—The! fullest measures of cooperation in any | decision President Wilson may maxe to solve the railroad problem, even though he should choose government operation, was pledged to the presi-; dent today by the railroad war board, composed of a representative commi:-/ tee of railroad executives. They told the president they did not ask a Dil- lion dollar loan or tue suspension of anti-trust laws. They sald they would be able to handle the traffic situatio: if the government would name a tra: fic coordinator to direct all govern- ment shipments and approve railroae credit for raising new capital. Washington, Dec. 12.—The next step in the solution of the transportation problem was looked for today in the outcome of two conferences, one he- tween President Wilson and members of the railroad war board, 1nd the other between Chairman Willard. ot the war industries board, and head of the four railroad employees’ brother- hoods. The president, in his first house ut- BOARD; 1S CALLED New Home Company at Sykeston Informed it Must Quit Opera- tions or be Prosecuted D. E. O'Brien, proprietor of the Home Telephone Exchange at. Sykes- ton, complained to the rail board that the New Home Telephone Co. is plan- ning to build local and toll lines par- alleling his. He advises there is not enough business at Sykeston for two companies, and notes that he has re- ceived authority from the railway commission to operate, while the New Home’ Telephone Co., he claims, hag ignored the commission entirely. Sec- retary Calderhead has written the new concetn suggesting that it kindly get off the earth and advising that if it attempts to construct wire lines and operate without first filing a petition with and obtaining permission from the rail board it will be prosecutet for the violation of a state law whica is very explicit on this subject. ORGANIZE COMPANY. Jamestown, N. D., Dec. 12.—Fifty; students at the Jamestown high school have organized a military com- pany and will drill five evenings each week in the armory here. Coach Han- sen of the football team will be in ac- tive charge of the company, which will be permanent in the Jamestown high | echool. terance on the situation authorized the statement yesterday that he could not say now whether he would ad- dress congress but if he determined a change necessary, in dealing witn the transportation system, his first word would ‘be directed to congress. ! At today’s hearing, federal control over railroad securities was endorsed by Carl D. Jackson, of the Wisconsin state railroad commission. This, he said, should be done either through a licensing system or some other mean which would prevent further issuance of securities by railroads, without the consent of the Interstate Commerce commission. ‘APPROPRIATIONS TO CARRY WAR TO MARCH BUDGETED London, Dec. 12-—Andrew Bonar Law, chancellor of the exchequer, it:- troducing a vote of credit in the house of commons today, said he estiated that tue present vote would carry the The Bolsheviki in, Petrograd is be- ing menaced more seriously as the op- position becomes solidified. There is unrest in Petrograd and Moscow, the extremists’ strongholds, and the cos- sacks already have advanced from the Don northward. Russian officials in London assert that the anti-Bolshe- viki forces are composed not only of the cossacks, but also of the leaders of the other political parties in’ Rus- sia. The political leaders opposed to. the extremists expect that their: mili- tary forces will be able to dispose of the Bolsheviki soon and that by spring they will have a formidable fighting force to meet the Germans. The whole force of 400,000 cossacks, tt is said in London, where direct communication has been extended with General Kale- dines will back the revolution... - Allied support is counted “upon, by. the leaders of the counter revolution, and it is hoped that an American army may be sent to Russia to aid the allies in establishing order and to - fight against the enemy. . Threats against the Smolny insti- tution, Bolsheviki headquarters in -Retrograd, are made by opponents, of ‘the Bolsheviki, who demand that, the,,, leaders, be. shorn of their power,,.Jn Moscow the Bolsheviki are having trouble in feeding the population, and their own soldiers threaten , revolt. The Bolsheviki are attempting to con- vene the constituent assembly, and threaten to arrest any of their oppon- ents who try to gain control of the assembly. There has been no break in the in- fantry inactivity on the western and Italian fronts. The artillery on both sides has been active along the great- er part of the two fronts, and on the western front the allied and German airmen have engaged in lively com- bats. German reinforcements continue to bé sent westward, but there is no sign of when and where the expected blow will fall. The Austrian battleship Wien has been torpedoed and sunk. According to Vienna most of her crew was saved. The vessel measured 5,512 tons and her pre-war complement was 441 men. Leon Trotzky the Bolsheviki foreign minister has issued a decree dismiss- ing all Kussian ambassadors and their staffs because they ignored the Bol- sheviki demand that they denounce | the Kerensky government. ANNOUNCES CAPTURE. London, Dec. 12.—Premier Lloyd eGorge today announ of commons that General Allemby, the British commander in Palestine, entered Jerusalem on foot Tuesday DEMANDS INQUIRY. ‘London, Dec. 12.—The Times this } morning prints conspicuously an edi- torial demanding prompt and search: ing inquiry into the battle on the southern end of the Cambrai ralient on Novem%er 5, and on the following “day, owing, it says, to disquieting firet amplifications of censored accounts. These are said to include charges of blundering and assertions that the British were caught unready . Congressman Pinkham by firing an litalian gun at the Austrian positions, has taken on the status of a non batant attacking troops, and a ing to the rules of war, laid himself 1i- able to execution by the Austrianc should he, by chance, fall into their hands. Under the laws of war, a civ- ilian may never engage in hostilities. BACK FROM RICHMOND J.E. Kaulfuss Represented State Board at National Meet J. E. Kaulfuss of the state highway commission’s engineering and public- ity staff, returned today from Rich- mond, Va., where he represented the North Dakota board at the annual con- ‘vention of the national association of highway commissioners. AMERICAN MILITARY ATTACHES ENTER HOLY expenditures to the end of March, 1918. He declared that the average daily expenditure in the last 63 days was 6,794,000 pounds, and for the per- iod since the end of the last financial \year,. 6,636,000 pounds. CITY WITH BRITONS | London, Dec. 12.—American and other military attaches en‘ered Jeru- salem with General Allemby, the gen- \eral reported today. . tie den