THE NENANA NEWS
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entry as second-class mail matter under the act ot March 2, 1879, by The Ne
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Nenana, Alaska, March 10, 1917
President Wilson reflected the
sentiment of the country when he
declared, in his inaugural address,
that Senator LaFollette and his
small circle of followers in the
Senate had made a laughing stock
of the nation by their unpatriotic
actions during the final hours of
Congress, Filibuster, the news
papers call it. but stronger words
are necessary to describe such un
American conduct, which resulted,
in this particular instance, in block
ing measures of unusual import
ance to the nation, and necessitated
an extra session of Congress.
Extra sessions mean extra ex
pense. They add to the burden
of those who support the country,
and usually they embarrass rather
than assist a president in exercis
ing those powers which have been
invested in him by the people.
This is particularly true in the
case of President Wilson, who con
vinced Americans long ago that he
is worthy of their trust, and who
has had a majority of the members
of Congress behind him in all his
large undertakings. Had he shown
himself to be a man of inferior in
tellect, less a statesman, less an
American, the handful of Repub
licans who were led by Senator
LaFollette would have had support
for their claim that it was neces
sary to have Congress in continu
ous session until the present ten
sion between the United States
and the Central Powers of Europe
is relieved. But they cannot con
vince the people that their filibus
ter was justified. They cannot
excuse themselves on the ground
that their continued presence in
Washington will assist the Presi
dent in maintaining peace, or has
ten those preparations which the
President long ago decided are
necessary to the safety and pros
perity of the nation. They merely
constitute an obstacle in the way
of needed legislation, exposing the
nation to ridicule and contempt,
and adding greatly to the cost of
the legislative branch of the gov
ernment.
The pity of it is that a few men
Wm. H. Smith
ATTORNEY AT LAW
NOTARY PUBLIC
OFFICES IX NEW YORK BLOCK
! of the LaFollette type should be
■ able to block proceedings in Con
; gress at a time when quick action
is of the utmost importance to the
nation. With the President, the
people, and a majority of the mem
, bers of Congress in accord it should
not be possible for a dozen politic
ians to jeopardize the honor and
safety of the nation they have
pledged themselves to safeguard.
Inability of the members of the
1 Territorial senate to agree among
themselves as to who shall hold
the offices within the gift of that
body does not encourage confi
dence in the ability of our law
makers to perform their other
duties in a manner satisfactory to
those who elected them. That
has been the trouble with most of
the men we have sent to Juneau
to lay the foundation for a more
liberal form of territorial govern
ment. They have been taken up
too much with petty bickerings to
devote serious thought to the real
! problems of the Territory. In
stead of trying to convince congress
and the administration that Alas
kans are prepared to assume the
responsibility of full territorial
management, our legislators have
conducted themselves in a manner
indicating that we are not capable
of regulating our own affairs. The
I sessions of our legislatures have
slopped over with turmoil, and so
many laws have been declared in
valid by the courts that small con
fidence remains in legislation en
acted within the territory, and
scenes such as have occurred at
Jnneau during the past week place
our lawmakers in a decidedly un
favorable light, both at home and
at Washington.
While there is no evidence at
hand to prove that Delegate Wick
ersham was instrumental in hav
I ing that wagon road appropriation
j stricken from the army bill in the
lower house of congress, it is sig
nificant that our representative in
Washington made no effort to have
! the item restored when the matter
| was being considered in the senate.
He did not consider the matter
sufficiently important, even, to
notify his constituents that the ap
propriation was endangered, and
! but for the interest of Outsiders,
Alaskans doubtless would not have
discovered their loss until too late
to seek remedial legislation.
PROGRESS OF THE BIG STRUGGLE IN EUROPE
MONDAY
New York: Secret service agents this]
morning broke into the rooms of Richard
j Kalb and confiscated large quantities ot :
dynamite, bombs, picric acid and nitro- :
j glycerine. The policedepartment says that;
; Kalb engineered the blowing up ot the
: Black Tom factories recently, considered
the heaviest and most destructive explo
ion known ill history. Kalb has agreed
to reveal the names of his fellow con
! spirators, and has confessed to a plot
which bad tor its object the assassination
os President Wilson during the inaugural !
ceremonies in Washington yesterday, but
which miscarried through the activities i
of the secret service agents.
TUESDAY
Copenhagen: The BerustorfI party is
expected to arrive in this port Saturday, i
London: The admiralty officially an- i
nounced this morning that ninety-four
i British ships were sunk during February, 1
and states that the condition of the mer
chant marine at present is most satisfac
tory, and that more than two million ,
' tons are under construction at present.
Paris: The German forces attacked
the French positions northeast of Verdun
last night and captured trenches in tilt
Caurserre Wood and near Duamont, but
were thrown back and the positions re
taken by the French forces t-urlv this
! morning.
New York: Dr. C Ilanador Chakia
berty, an Hindu, and Dr. Finest Sckun
ner, German, were arrested in this city
this morning, charged with conspiring to
dynamite munition factories. They ac- j
kuowledged their guiltaiul alsoconfessed
to a plot wherein they were planning an
invasion of India through China.
Washington: At a meeting of the cab
inet this morning it was determined to
find some way to provide the president
with the necessary authority to carry out J
the program of armed neutrality. It is
the opinion ot officials of the administra
tion that the arming of all merchant craft
by the president c m be legally upheld.
Berlin: The military staff announced
officially this morning that the British
forces have been thrown back along the j
right bank of the Somme, and counter
attacks were repulsed with intense artil- j
lery fire. Russian attacks at Brezezeny ;
were also successfully repulsed, and an
important French outpost in Macedonia j
was captured, the action on all three j
fronts taking place simultaneously. The
change in positions along the Ancre front •
is characterized by the utmost coufusioii j
among the Allied troops.
Amsterdam: In answer to a request
from the United States dated February
19, in which she asked the Austrian gov- !
erument for a statement of her position !
with regard to the new German submar-1
marine campaign. Ambassador Penfield j
was handed the reply of the Austrian 1
government this morning, in which it is ■
stated that she .intends to support Ger- j
many in the submarine campaign but,
will make certain concessions to prevent
a severence of diplomatic relations with |
the United States. j
WEDNESDAY
i London: A shortage of wheat has cut1
off the bread supply from Holland to the i
famine stricken Belgians.
London: Allied aeroplanes caused a
large amount of damage to the great
German blast furnaces at Brebacli this
morning by dropping bombs upon them, j
Berlin: Official dispatches published
this morning state that increased artillery
activity is in evidence along the Eastern
front from the Baltic to the Black seas.
Berlin: The Russian armored cruiser
j Rurik, 15,000 tons, is officially reported
. to have struck a mine in the Baltic sea
1 yesterday and to have sunk with all on
board.
i Berlin: The Lokal Anzeiger this morn
ing refers to President Wilson as the most,
dishonest man who has ever headed any j
nation, and one who uses arrogance in j
an out-and-out desire to shine as a peace
maker. His inaugural speech is spoken j
.. ■■ - ' .
of as positively shameful.
Washington: The Japanese embassy
this morning issued an official statement
denying that the Japanese government
has made any overtures to the Chinese
government in an effort to persuade them
to abandon neutrality and enter the war
on the side of the Entente Allies.
THURSDAY
Berlin: Hazy weather and heavy snow
storms are hindering the operations on
the entire Western front.
Washington: All enlistment records
for peace times were broken during the
mouth of Februarv, when 5000 men en- j
listed in the army.
New York: German subjects in this
city, to the average number of 100 a day,
are taking out passports for Mexico, and !
are leaving the United States.
London: The military staff published
an official report this morning statiug ,
that the Turks have abandoned a strong
position at Sheikli Nuran, in ligvpt.
New York: The federal authorities,
began today to round up German spies
in California, Oregon. Washington, I’an- .
ama and the Philippines who have been i
under surveillance for the past several ,
years.
New Vo:!; Papers confiscated’among
the effects of the two conspirators arrest
ed iii this citv yesterday disclose the fact
that Germany threatened Carranza with
the most formidable revolution lie has
ever known if lie refused to join in the
proposed German-Mexican-Jannnese al
liance in waging war on llie United State*.
Amsterdam; All factories in Belgium
employing more than twelve men and
burning more than five tons of coal per
day have been closed by order of the
German authorities.
Stockholm: The food situation in Swe
den is assuming alarming proportions,
and the government has demanded of
Germany that she be allowed unmolested
passage of the North Sea.
------
FRIDAY
Rerlin: Count Zeppelin, inventor of
tlie dirigible airship that !>ears his name,
ilietl at his heme at Cliarlottenlmrg, near
this city, yesterday afternoon, tlie cause
of his death iieing inflammation of the
lungs.
St. Paul: Further details of the letter
written by Private Schartenberger to his
mother in Germany, for statements con
tained in which he was courtmurtialed
and given a five-year penitentiary sen
tence, show that he also condemned the
president and the present army system.
Berne: By the first of next week SO
per cent of the male population of Switz
erland detween the ages of 24 and 32
years will be enlisted in the Swiss army,
and steps have already been taken for the
training of the new army in the tactics
of defense made necessary by modern
methods of warfare.
Paris: A smashing blow delivered by
the French in the Cl ampaigne district
Inst night, in the midst of a heavy snow
storm, netted the French forces a gain
of over SOU yards in depth along a mile
front. The advance was so perfectly
timed and executed, and owing to the
storm, without artillery preparation, that
the Teutonic forces had no warning un
til the infantry was in the trenches. A
curtain-of-fire was then set up by the
French artillery, earning over the new
positions, and effectually checked several
ferocious counter attacks.
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