The Oklahoma Ledger. (Sterling, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 28, 1915 Page: 4 of 8
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STERLING. OKLA., LEDGER
REAFFIRMS STRICT NEUTRALITY
TO ALL POWERS CON-
CERNED IN THE WAR.
PURCHASE OF MUNITIONS OF WAR
Cannot Be 8topped and Administra-
tion Declare* It Is Not Our Fault
If the Allies Are the Only
Buyerr, At Our Market.
Washington. — Answering nineteen
separate and specific charges, calling
attention to the .fact that the United
States government has promptly taken
to task Great Britain, France and
other allied powers, and declaring
that every possible efTort was being
put forth to protect these rights and
maintain the strict neutrality of the
United States to the European nations
at war, the United States government
has Issued a lengthy defense of Its Uv
terpretations of the rights and duties
of a neutral.
A document 5,000 words long, pre-
pared by President Wilson, Secretary
Bryan and Counsellor Robert Lansing
of the state department, after several
days' of consultation, was made public
In the form of a letter from the sec
retary of state to Senator Stone of
Missouri, chairman of the senate com
tnlttee on ;oreign relations.
While the letter Is a reply to an In
QUlry from Senator Stone for Infor
matlon as a result of complaints niede
In the press and In letters from vari-
ous p-irt* the country, charging the
Wa. i. ' ,u government with unfair-
ness to Germany and Austria, it also
is Intended as a pronouncement of pol-
icy on some questions of neutrality
previously unexplained.
Concerning War Munitions
After answering nineteen separate
and specific charges and calling at-
tention to the fact that the United
Btates has promptly taken to task
Great Britain as well as Germany and
every government which In any vay
has Infringed upon the rights of this
country, the letter concludes with the
following declaration on the much dis-
cuBsed question of exportation of war
munitions:
"If any American citizens, partisans
of Germany and Austria-Hungary, feel
that this administration is acting In a
way injurious to the cause of thoc.e
countries this feeling results from the
fact that on the high seas the German
and Austro-Hungarian naval power is
thus far Inferior to the British. It Is
the business ef a belligerent operating
on the high seas, not the duty of a
neutral, to prevent contraband from
reaching an enemy. Those in this
country who sympathize with Ger-
many and Austria-Hungary appear to
assume that some obligation rests
upon this government in the perform-
ance of Its neutral duty, to prevent
all trade In contraband and thus equal-
ize the difference due to the relative
naval strength of the belligerents. No
such obligation exists; It would be an
unneutral act, an act of partiality on
the part of this government to adopt
such a policy If the executive had
Ihe power to do so.
"If Germany and Austria-Hungary
tan not import contraband from this
Country it is not because of this fact,
Ihe duty of the United States to close
Its markets to the allies. The mar-
kets of this country are open upon
tqual terms to all the world, to every
nation, belligerent or neutral."
During the course of the letter's dls-
iussion of the serious charges made,
Ihe following facts hitherto undis-
closed were revealed for the first
lime:
That the Canadian government re-
sently asked the United States for
permission to ship "war equipment"
icross Alaska to the sea and the re-
luest was refused.
Protest to Allies.
That the United States ha* brought
to the attention of an "offending gov-
ernment" the searching of an Amer-
ican vessel for German Austrian sub-
lets, "with a declaration that such
procedure, if true, Is an unwarranted
exercise of Jurisdiction over American
ressels in which this government will
not acquiesce."
The government to whom this de-
claration has been made was not
stated in the letter, but the incident
8 known to relate to the search by a
boarding crew from a French cruiser
Df an American ship plying between
two ports in Colombia, when It 1s al-
leged some German passengers were
(breed to sign a promise not to par-
ticipate in the war. It was this occur-
rence which led to a warning speech
by Senator Stone to the belligerents
Igainst such searches of American
•hlpu.
That sharp representations als<
were made to another of the allied
governments because search was con
ducted on the high seas on an Amer
lean ship for German and Austria!
passengers. The name of the vessel
or offending government was not re
vealed.
That on December 15 last the Ger
man ambassador by direction of hli
government delivered a memorandum
to the United States government stat
lng that "under the general principle?
of international law, no exception cat
be taken to neutral states letting war
material go to Germany's enemies
from or through neutral territory."
That representations were made to
both Japan and Great Britain against
the continued presence of their war-
ships off American ports and that the
protests in each case was heeded.
That since the announcement of the
Washington government's disapproval
of war loans, none has been made to
foreign governments by this country.
A distinction is drawn officially for
the first time between loans floated
by popular subscription and large
credit transactions for the purchase
of war supplies, the state department
revealing that It has no objection tc
the latter.
Fair to All.
In a general way the letter sets
forth that rules of neutrality have
been promulgated by the American
government without discrimination
and have been applied with equal
fairness to all concerned. It cites in
stances of violations by Germany and
Great Britain and asserts that protests
have been unhesitatingly entered re
gardless of the country offended.
GERMANS LOSE ANOTHER CRUISER
Disastrous End to Venture Into the
North Sea
DURING NIGHT RAIDS MADE ON
TOWNS NEAR KING'S COUN-
TRY HOME.
London.—The German armored
cruiser Blucher was sunk and twe
other German cruisers were "serious
ly damaged" in a running fight with
British patrolling squadron in the
North Sea, according to an announce
ment by the British official press bu-
reau.
None of the British ships were sunk
and only light casualties were report
ed by the British fleet.
One hundred and twenty-three ol
the Blucher's crew of 885 were saved
The official announcement said:
"A British patrolling squadron ol
battle and light cruisers under Vict
Admiral Sir David Beatty, with a de
KILL THREE; HOUSES DESTROYED
One Zeppelin Brought Down by Fir#
From English Battleship.—
Long Dreaded Raid
Materialized.
London. — German aircraft made
their long threatened raids on Eng-
land and attempted to blow up with
bombs the king's royal residence in
Sandringham, county Norfolk. King
George and Queen Mary, only the day
before returned to London from Sand-
ringham.
It is not known whether the raiders
were Zeppelins or aeroplanes, but
Zeppelins were reported as passing
over the North Sea in a westerly direc-
tion and there Is an inclination to be-
lieve these were the raiders.
The night was calm but dark ana
cloudy which made It Impossible for
the people in the towns over which
they passed to distinguish even the
outline of the raiders though the whirr
of their propellers and the droning of
their motors could be heard distinctly.
A Zeppelin was Drought down by
the fire of a warship at Hunstanton, a
few miles north of Sandringham.
Bombs were dropped in Yarmouth,
King's Lynn, Sandringham, Cromer,
Sheeringham and Beeston and every-
where except at Beeston, casualties
and damage to property resulted.
The first place visited was the wide-
ly known seaside resort and fishing
town of Yarmouth. Two persons, a
man and a woman, were killed, a num-
ber of other persons were injured
and much damage to property was
done by the raiders d'/ilng their visit,
which lasted less than ten minutes.
Four or five bombs were dropped In
Yarmouth.
ZAPATA VICTORIES ARE DENIED
Triumph Claim of Carranzistas in
Inter-Oceanic Railway t'-ttle
Admiral Beatty
stroyer flotilla, sighted four German
battle cruisers and several light crui-
sers and destroyers steaming west-
ward. The Germans put about, pur-
sued by the British, and a battle be
gan at 9:30 a. m. The British cruis-
ers Lion, Princess Royal, New Zea
land and Indomitable engaged thq
German battle cruisers Derffllnger
Seydlitz, Moltke and Blucher, in a
hotly contested running fight. The
Blucher fell out of line, and sank
about 1 o'clock. Admiral Beatty re
ported two other German cruisers
were seriously damaged before they
reached an area whore German sub-
marines and mines prevented further
pursuit.
"One hundred and twenty-three sur-
vivors of the Blucher were rescued
out of a crew of 885. It Is pot :!ble
that some others were picked up by
destroyers.
"No British ships were lost and only
light casualties were reported in the
British fleet.
"The light cruisers and destroyers
apparently engaged In the battle, but
this was not mentioned in the report.
'The German cruisers, when sight-
ed, were steering westward and ap-
parently making for the English coast,
but the enemy at once made for homa
at high speed.
"The Lion which led the line of pui*
suing British cruisers, reported only
eleven wounded and no killed on her
personnel."
Washington. — Eliseo Arredondo,
head of the Carranza agency here,
Issued a statement denying that Tam-
plco was being attacked or that Zapa-
ta had checked the march of General
Obregon to Mexico City.
He declared that dispatches from
Vera Cruz informed him of a battle
on the Mexican Inter-Oceanic railway,
In which the Zapata forces were de-
feated and three locomotives and war
supplies captured. The following dis-
patch from Vera Cruz also was given
out by the Carranza agency:
"When Gutierrez left Mexico City
he was accompanied by Generals
Blanco and Robles, Jose Vasconcelos,
Carlos Domlnguez, Felicitos Villareal
and Almanza. After reaching Pachu-
ca, Robles and Almanza were put un-
der arrest as Villa spies."
Enrique C. Llorente, Washington
representative . of the conventional
government, said both Dominguez and
Villareal were still in Mfexico City. As
to Robles and Almanza, the former of
whom was secretary of war to Guti-
errez, the above dispatch is in line
with other reports to the effect that
Robles was compelled to accompany
Gutierrez and has been a prisoner
ever since.
A telegram was received from Geo.
C. Carothers, American consular agent
accompanying General Villa, denying
reports that he (Carothers) had been
executed. He said his relations with
Villa were as cordial as they always
have been.
YANKEE CAPTAINS DEFY BRITISH 1 OKLAHOMA NEWS NOTES
DACIA, $800,000 CARGO OF COTTON
CLEARS AT GALVESTON
Wilhelmina With $200,000 Worth of
Foodstuffs Leaves New York—
Both May Be Captured
Galveston.—The steamship Dacla
departed for Rotterdam at daylight
Saturday morning, her announced des-
tination being Rotterdam via Norfolk.
It is noted on her manifest that her
cargo will be reshipped to Bremen.
Her hatches have been sealed by the
collector of the port.
The Dacla carries 11,000 square
bales of cotton, a cargo valued by the
shippers at $880,000. They are to get
for this cargo 16 cents per pound, or
$80 pt>r bale, laid dow* hi Bremen.
The government bureau took a part
of the insurance on that valuation at
46 percent. The freight rate charged
is $3.50 per tale, the highest ever paid
for cotton transportation. Captain
George McDonald who will command,
the vessel on her trip has a crew of
311 men, all Americans. He said ho
did not expect to deviate from the
usual course of steamships and would
make no particular effort to avoid
capture.
New York.—Risking possible seiz-
ure by British warships lying off the
Atlantic coast, the American-owned
steamer Wilhelmina, flying the Amer-
ican flag and loaded with approxi-
mately $200,000 worth of foodstuff's
consigned by an American commission
Arm to an American citizen in Ger-
many, passed out to sea Friday night.
It is the first voyage of the kind un-
dertaken by any vessel from an Amer-
ican port sinje war began in Europe,
nearly six months ago.
If the Wilhelmina is detained or
seized the W. L. Green Commission
Company of St. Louis, charterers of
the vessel and shippers of her cargo,
will file a protest with the American
state department declaring that ihe
cargo is conditional contraband, deny-
ing the right of a belligerent warship
to confiscate it and requesting the
United States to demand the imme-
diate release of ship and cargo.
The cargo consist! cr* grain, meats
and dried fruits and is intended, ac-
cording to the shippers, for consump-
tion by the civilian population of Ger-
many and will not be sold directly or
indirectly to the German government
or its armed forces.
A guarantee to this effect was filed
with the United States customs au-
thorities in the form of an affidavit
by W. T. Brooking, representing the
shippers. Their counsel said the ship
pers were prepared to back this guar-
antee with a bond in any amount. Mr.
Brooking will go to Hamburg to dis
pose of the cargo, if it ersapes seizure
by warships, in retail lots to private
concerns. He probably will obtain
written guarantees that the foodstuffs
will be redisposed of only through
retail trading with citizens and that
the military and naval forces will not
be given or sold any part of it.
Jan. 28—Farmers' Union state meeting
Ada.
Feb. 2-«—Logan County Poultry Asso-
ciation, Guthrie.
Feb. 11-14, Y. M C. A. state conven-
tion. TuImb.
Feb. 19-20, Central Oklahoma Educa-
tional Association. Oklahoma City.
Feb. 22-24, Breeders' Show, Oklahoma
City.
Feb. 22-26. Oklahoma Breeders' Sale,
Oklahoma City.
March 15—Railway rate cases, Okla
homa City.
Apr. 19-21 state trap shoot, McAlester.
April 26-30, Southern commercial Con-
gress, Muskogee.
May 21-24—State Firemen's meeting,
Sapulpa.
RIVER - HARBOR BILL IS ADOPTED
House Parses Bill Carrying $34,000,-
000; Arkansas Items Eliminated.
Washington.—The rivers and har-
bors appropriation bill, carrying more
than $34,00,000, passed the house by a
vote of 154 to 81. The bill now goes
to the senate where a protracted fight
Is expected.
Only three or four small items were
stricken from the bill. These in-
cluded $150,000 for the Arkansas river.
The bill authorizes no new projects,
the $34,000,000 being apportioned tc
continue improvements already under
way, while provision is made for exam-
inations and surveys in various places,
Including the Port Arthur ship canal.
The large allotments of the money
appropriated include $7,387,000 for the
Mississippi river and $1,250,000 for the
Missouri.
Representative Calloway of Texas
moved to recommit the bill, with In-
structions to report a bill appropriat
ing $4,765,000, limited to the existing
Droiects in their present condition
ir SREASE IN WHEAT ACREAGE
Oklahoma Heads List of States for
Wheat With 515,000 Acres.
Washington.—Responding to the
plea for the planting of more food
crops and less cotton, nearly 4,000,000
acres devoted to cotton last year "n*ve
been planted to wheat and oats i .3
year, according to a report of the de-
partment of agriculture.
With an increase of more than
500,000 acres, Oklahoma heads the list
of eleven states on which figures were
compiled concerning the increase in
wheat. South Carolina shows the
greatest increase in oats with 336,000
acres more than in 1913.
The estimated figures as made pub-
lic by the department of agriculture
were: Planted in oats, fall of 1913
2,455,000; 1914, 4,355,000.
Planted in wheat fall of 1913, 5-
459,000; 1914, 7,271,000.
A table, prepared by the depart-
ment, giving the gain acreage Increase
in eleven southern states included:
Wheat Oats
STATE i„c. inc.
, , Acres Acres
Oklahoma 515,000
Texaa 228,000
Arkansas 56>000
Louisiana
44,000
291,000
154,000
94,000
Steamer Burned to Water's Edge
Baltimore.—Coolness on the part of
the crew and passengers helped to
prevent loss of life when the Chesa-
peake Bay steamer Maryland, carry-
ing 108 persons, was burned almost
to the water's edge off Mountain
Point, at the mouth of the Magcthy
river. There were seventy-six pas-
sengers, many of them women, and
thirty-two members of the crew on
board. The monetary loss to the ship
is placed at $120,000; to the cargo
at $10,000. Passengers ltat heavily in
personal property.
A revival meeting Is being con-
ducted in a pool hall at Tonkawa.
Sapulpa's new $40,000 sewer Is com-
pleted and will be put In operation
at once.
Mrs. Charles Perry died at El Reno
as the result of a coughing spell. A
blood vessel was ruptured during the
coughing.
"Buck" Stigler, member of one of
the best known Choctaw Indian fam-
ilies on the eastern side of the state,
is now the Ringling railroad station
agent at Lone Grove.
E. C. McMillion and C. W. Daley of
McAlester announced they would go
to Belgium to get colonists to occupy
5,000 acres of Pittsburg county land.
They expect to get as many as thirty
families.
The annual re union of the Scottish
Rite Masons closed at Guthrie with a
banquet. More than 1,000 people at-
tended the convocation. Members of
the class of 112 finished the thirty-
second degree.
The Oklahoma State Dental Society
has reserved quarters at Oklahoma
City for the annual convention to be
held there March 15-19. Dr.- J. M.
Temples of Tulsa is president and Dr.
C. R. Lawrence of Enid is secretary
of the society.
Charles McClain of Purcell, who had
been appointed license and record
clerlr in the state game and fish war-
den's office, died at his home in Pur-
cell last week. Mr. McClain was more
than 70 years old. He was a member
of the constitutional convention and
McClain county was named for him.
There will be no further trouble,
probably, over the office of district
court clerk, and the office of county
court clerk reporter of Kiowa county.
The two offices have been merged in-
to one family by the marriage of
Daniel Diehl, district clerk, to Miss
Vera Bailey, county court reporter.
Sheriff Biffle of Jefferson county
and Frank Driskill, undersheriff, were
wounded at Ringling during a battle
with shotguns and rifles between the
officers and Charles Evans, an escaped
convict from the state penitentiary.
Evans was under eighteen years sen-
tence for the murder of Frank Gibson
near Asphaltum six years ago.
Twenty-five striking boilermakers
who began a march through the city
streets at Drumright were arrested by
the city's police, placed in Jail anil
later heavily fined. There was no dis-
order in Drumright and the police de-
clared they expected none. Tank
workers all over the Tulsa field are
on strike, demanding more money and
union recognition.
A campaign to interest more farmers
of Jefferson county in growing peanuts
has been launched as the result of a
visit to the county by V. H. Schoffel-
mayer of Chicago, editor of the South-
west Trail. He believes peanuts to
be one of the most profitable crops
for this section, and he announces
that the Rock Island Railroad will find
a good market for them.
The corporation commission has al-
lowed the Skiatook Telephone Com-
pany to increase its phone rates, but
not exactly what the company asked
for. A rate of $f for residence
phones and $2 for business phones a
month had been charged by the com-
pany. On this rate n showing was
made that the Income of the company
for the past year was $1,218.10, while
the expenses were $1,346.19. The
company wanted to charge $1.50 for
residence and -$2.50 for business
phones. The commission allowed a
rate of $1.25 a month for residence
and $2.50 for business phones.
Acting under the direction of Presi-
dent Frank Gault, the state board of
agriculture -abolished eight positions
in that department, including the six
deputy livestock inspector berths. At
the same time the board accepted the
resignation of Secretary Ben Hennes-
sey, President Gault announcing that
the department will be operated tem-
porarily without a secretary. The fol-
lowing were the employees ordered
dropped from the department pay roll
the action to become effective Janu-
ary 20. John Hendley, Pryor; A. E.
Romberg, Shawnee; M. F. Ikard,
Washington county; J. L Briscoe,
Marlow; T. J. Ball, Catoosa, and E.
Wyatt, Comanche, all deputy livestock
inspectors; J. E. Graham, Pryor, and
Terral McClendon, Oklahoma City, de-
partment clerks.
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Seay, R. R. The Oklahoma Ledger. (Sterling, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 28, 1915, newspaper, January 28, 1915; Sterling, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc155333/m1/4/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.