Agitation For Action Warning Americans Off Belligerent Ships Stirs Congress HARRISBURG SfiSllli TELEGRAPH T V-VVir X" 11 BY CA RRIE3R « TEXTS .4 WEEK. LA AAV— -NO. 41 MINGI.E COPIES a CHWTS. CONGRESS MAY BAR TRAVEL ON ARMED VESSELS DESPITE WILSON Threaten to Defy President on His U-Boat Policy Which Leaders Say Will Force U. S. Into War; Smouldering Sentiment Might Blaze Up to Em barrass Diplomatic Nego tiations With Germany IS DETERMINED TO OPPOSE WARNING Report That Bolt Was Con templated and That Demo crats Had Given President Forty-Eight Hours to Change Policy, Flatly De nied; May Appeal to Patriotic Americans Not to Board Armed Ships By Associated riess Washington. P"eb. 24. Congress] assembled to-day with the agitation; for action warning Americans off bel- j ligerent ships overshadowing all other questions. President Wilson's sup porters, apprehensive that the smoul dering sentiment might suddenly blaze up to embarrass the diplomatic negotiations with Germany were working to hold the administration forces in line and keep the question from the floor of both House and Sen-' ate. The legislative situation In bothl houses favored the administration forces. The Senate was in the legisla tive day of yesterday which prevented the subject from coming up without unanimous consent. The situation in the House was similar but not so se rious. If an outburst came tlie load ers expected it would be there. Word went to the Capitol again early to-day that President Wilson's opposition to any action by Congress was unshaken ) and that Chairman Stone and Flood, i of the committees dealing with for- 1 eign affairs, could explain his position I fully. Administration officials outside 1 of Congress professed to be undlsturb- 1 ed by the agitation at the capitol and expressed confidence that the Presi dent's position would be supported. Calms Down As members of both houses assem bled for to-day's sessions the situation appeared to have calmed considerably, although there still were evidences of opposition to the President's deter mination to insist that Americans have a right to travel on merchant ships of a belligerent. The exact status of the situation was explained as follows: Many members of the House and some in the Senate, being much in the ■ lark as to exact facts in the nego tiations with Germany, fear that it would lead to war if Americans are not kept off armed merchantmen and if Germany should actuate the deter mination io sink armed merchant ves sels whether armed for offense or only for defense. They feel that they should be in [Coutinued on Page I I.] Attempt to Introduce Warning Resolution Is Blocked by Republican By • tociatti Press Washington. D. C., Feb. 2 4.—The first attempt to introduce legislation warning Americans off armed bel ligerent ships, made in Congress to day by Senator Gore, a Democrat, was summarily blocked by Senator liran degee. a Republican, and under the rules of the Senate cannot be resumed i ntil to-morrow. Senator Gore sought to introduce his bill to prohibit passage of Ameri < ans on such ships and also to intro duce a concurrent resolution requiring passage by the House, but. unlike his bill, had not the approval of the President. Senator Gore issued a statement de- | < laring "it seems to me the ship of [Continued on Page I I.] I THE WEATHER For IfarHahtirK and vleinHjt In nettlrd weather, probably rain or aleet thin afternoon anil not mufb eabnfcc In temperature, lowest to-niuht about deft roe*, for Ka«tern I'ennN.vUanin: Prob ably rnln or alert to-nlftbt, fol lowed by elearluK Frlripv; east erly sales nhlftlnft to went Fri day. River The Suftqaehanna river and all ita branchea will remain nearly nta tlonary with probably little <*bunfte in iee condition**. A atafte • 1 of about 4.4 feet li indleated for Ilarrlftbiirft Friday morning. (•enera! t onditlona The disturbance that wan central over the Ohio % alley UedneNiluy mo rnln ti had moved anutlieaat ward an din now central over *outh < arollna. It haa caused rain In the laat twenty-four houra generally aouth and cant of the Ohio river and nnow in \ew Kng. land. It In colder In the Ohio and lower MisnUnippi valleya. the f;ulf Mat#**, >llddle anil North Atlan tic Mate* and aloasr the aouth. eaatern border of the threat I ake»: al*n In Manitoba and *aa katehewan. In the South \tlan tlc and Plalna *tate« there baa been a seneral rlae of 4 to 20 de cree* In tem|»eratiire. Temperature: a. m., Sun: VtUea, 6:46 m. m.; aeta, 5t5l p. m. Moon: Rlaea, 12tlt a. m.: laat quar* ter. February 26. 4:21 a. m. KUer stage: 4.1 feet ahove low water mark. Yewterday> Weather lllfthent temperature. 16. I.oweat temperature. 514. Mean temperature. 10. .\ornnl temperature, 31. U. *: QUICK APPROVAL ' OF FLETCHER IS URGED IN SENATE Leaders Believe Favorable . Action at Secret Session Is Now Assured WIDELY KNOWN HEIIE Native of Cumberland Valley ! Has Attained lligb Honors in Consular Service Wi- - * m n. J9 Bfc 11. P. FLETCHER Washington. D. C.. Feb. *4.—With! administration leaders urging speedy' confirmation, the name of Henry Pra- 1 ther Fletcher was considered as am bassador to Mexico in secret session this afternoon. The nomination was favorably reported yesterday by the foreign relations committee. Admins- ; tration senators believe favorable ac- ; tion by the Senate is assured. Widely Known Here If. P. Fletcher was born in Green castle. Pa., April 10, 1573. He at-, tended private school in Chambers burg and later studied law in the' office of D. Watson Kowe, in that; town. He was admitted to the bar in 1894 as a member of the firm of Rowe & Fletcher. From IS9I to IS9B he was the official reporter of the thirty ninth judicial district of Pennsylvania. After service in the Spanish-AmerU can War with Roosevelt's Rough Rid ers he enlisted in the regular army at the close of that conflict and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He served in the Philippines from 1899 to 1901 and when his military career came to an end he was battalion ad jutant of the Fortieth Infantry. Iligli Consular Office During 1902 and 1903 he was second 1 secretary in the American legation to ! Cuba. He was transferred to Pekin, China, where he served from the end of I 1903 to 1905. He then went to Lisbon, Portugal, as secretary of the American legation, where he remained until April. 1907, when he went back to China as first secretary of the lega- t tion. He became charge d'affaires there in October of the same year. His work during a delicate period of Chi nese, Japanese and American diplo macy brought him to the attention of .Secretary of State Knox. As a reward for his services in Pekin he was made envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Chile. December 21, 1909, and later was made first am- ' bassador to that country. J. Rowe Fletcher, former sherifT of Dauphin county, is a brother, and he has a host of friends in this city and Central Pennsylvania. Lykens Strike Situation Remains Unchanged Today Special to tlie Telrgraph Lykens, Pa., Feb. 24.—There is no change in the strike situation at the Short Mountain colliery at Wiconiseo. were about 1,000 members of the 1 I'nited Mine Workers of America quit work yesterday on the refusal of the mine officials to reinstate William Stuppy. a loader boss. Everything is quiet about the mines and in the town. There is no strike at the Wil liamstown colliery. $lO Bank of Maryland Note Found Among Old Papers Sfecial to the Telegraph Dillsburg. Pa., Feb. 2 4.—On Tues day William H. Lerew and J. A. Le rew. while going through some old papers thaft belonged to their father, Isaac Lerew, who died some time ago, found an old $lO bill dated 1826. The hill was on "The Bank of Maryland," and was in a good state of preserva tion. ' Alfred Douden, President Millersburg Bank, Dies Special to the Telegraph j Millersburg, Pa., Feb. 24.—Alfred I Douden, a prominent citizen of Mil- ! lersbtirg and for many years president ; of the First National Bank and 1 founder of the A. Douden Planing Mills, died at his home in Union street at B.4ij o'clock this morning in his eighty-third year. He was a member of the Methodist Church and of Sus quehanna Lodge, F. and A. M., of Mil- I lerwburg. He is survived by his wife i and a sister. Mrs. Thomas, also sev eral brothers. Funeral arrangements; have not yet been made. I ( 1>II) HE HAVE 'EM? * J Special to the Telegraph I.ewistown. I*a„ Feb. 24.—While : /•'rank Shreftller, employed on the I Pennsylvania railroad, was* out near i Keedsville yesterday ho saw a live l : snake along the road. HARRISBURG, PA.,. THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 24, 1916 TO SPEND MANY MILLIONS ON PA. STEEL COMPANY At Least $5,000,(XX) at Stcclton; 20 Millions at Sparrows Point r> NEW FURNACES HERE Schwab to Centralize Offices of Two Concerns at Bethlehem Baltimore. Fob. 21.—Fifteen to twenty million dollars will be expended by the Bethlehem Steel Company in developing tlie Mary land Steel Company's plant at Sparrow's Point, >!«!.. according to an announcement made to-day l>y K. ti. tiraee. president of tlie Bethlehem Corporation after an inspection of the Sparrow's l'olnt plant. Announcement by Charles M. Schwab that he will erect an addition to the general office building: at South Bethlehem, presumably to be used for centralizing a number of offices of the Pennsylvania Steel Company; inspec tion of the Sparrows Point plant of the Maryland Steel Company by Presi dent E. C. Grace and party of Beth lehem officials and the resignation of William H.'Donner, chairman of the Pennsylvania Steel Company's board of directors, as president of the Cam bria Steel Company—these are to day's biggest developments in the re cent deals involving many of the State's largest steel companies. The addition to the Bethlehem Steel offices, according to dispatches this morning, will contain 45 rooms and will he three stories high, it will be so built that three more stories and 4 5 more rooms may be added at any time. Work will be started at once. This move of Mr. Schwab's, it is said, indicates his desire to centralize in South Bethlehem many of the Penn sylvania Steel Company officials. Following the inspection of ' the local plant yesterday, President Grace, as reported exclusively in the Tele graph last evening, announced that Mr. . chwab's company would imme diately enlarge the blast furnace de partment and moderinlze the entire plant. Five Xew Furnaces Shortly before leaving for Baltimore [Continued on Page 9.] Professor Shenk to Run Against Urich on Local Option Platform Annville. Pa., Feb. 24. —With the announcement of Dr. 1. K. I"rich's candidacy to succeed nimself as As semblyman from Lebanon county,, plans are being- perfected for the launching of ■ active campaign in behalf of A*rof. 11. H. Shonk. dean of the faculty of Lebanon Valley College, as an aspirant for the Republican nom ination from this district. The fight to be made on a local option plat form ;is opposed to the Personal Lib erty ticket 01 Dr. .Uricli. Will You Give Piece of Your Skin to Help Save Woman's Life ? Are you willing to give a piece of your skin to save a woman's life? Next Tuesday the physicians of the Harrisburg Hospital will graft more skin to the scalp of Mrs. Barbara Rowe. of Liverpool, who was seriously injured January 29 when she was caught in a corn fodder shredding ma- i chine. Mrs. Rowe's rcalp was torn from the foreheail to the back of her \ neck. Several days ago the doctors at the hospital grafted a large quantity of skin from the bodies of Mrs. Rowe's ; lather, husband and brother, but need more. One man has already offered skin for a second operation, but the physicians said to-day that they need more volunteers. Three Drown in Well of Sour Whisky Mash By A.tsocuited Press Dahlonega. Ga., Feb. 24.—"Jack" and Homer Wehunl and Charles Gad dis were drowned yesterday in an old! well into which Federal revenue offl- • cers, after destroying an illicit still' had dumped a quantity of sour mash from which whiskey is made. The three men fell into the well, it was said while they were trying to dip up some of the liquid. Children pass ing the well, which is in the moun tains ten miles from here, heard cries i for help. The men were dead when) a rescue party arrived. Jailed Brewer Official Is Released on Bail Pittsburgh, Pa.. Feb. 24. H. F. | Fox, of New York, secretary of the United States Brewers' Association, who was sent to jail last night because j he refused to answer questions put to j him by the Federal grand jury inves-' tigating the alleged political activities of brewery interests, was released 1 this morning on SI,OOO bail. Karlier in the day Fox's attorneys went before the court and applied for a writ of habeas corpus. Pending the! arguments Fox was given his freedom. I PPKU ESD BARN BI'RNKD \ Special la the Telegraph Kllzabethville, Pa., Feb. 24. A large bank barn on the farm of \Vil-|! liam P. Lenker, one mile north of town, was burned to the ground about 7 o'clock last evening. Mrs. Lenker and her son Forrest were the only people home and they saved all the liv estock, except a few small pigs and i all the chi<-kens. Tho loss is partly! covered by insurance. UNIT ED EVANGELICAL 22ND CONFEREN SESSION HE Kf H K n I , ji H' i #« BISHOP U. F. SWENGEL DR. HOWARD A. KELLY Noted Baltimore Physician Who Will Presiding Officer of Conference. Lecture To-morrow. Delegates From Harrisburg, Allentown, and Reading Dis tricts Hear of Growth of Church During Year; Bishop Urges All Interests to Plan Bigger Things For Com ing Year With Bishop U. F. Swengel, of this city, presiding, the twenty-second ses sion of the East Pennsylvania Confer ence of the United Evangelical Church was opened this morning shortly be fore » o'clock in the Harris Street United Evangelical Church, Harris and Susquehanna streets. Close to 300 ministers and laymen from the Harrisburg, Allentown and Heading districts of the conference are attending the session, which will continue throughout the week and the coming Sunday. WHO WILL BE NEXT BISHOP OF HARRISBURG? Choice of Successor to Late Head of Diocese Interests Catholics of State The choice of a successor to the | late Bishop Shanalian is at present an I absorbing topic of interest among Catholics and many other citizens of this city and the whole diocese of Harrisburg and in the course of a few days, or at least within a month, the preliminary steps will be taken to nominate the clergyman who will rule i over the Catholic See of Harrisburg. I In the l.'nited States, the law of j the Catholic Church provides that at] the death of a bishop, the diocesan! consultors and the irremovable rec-! tors of the diocese assemble under j the presidency of the archbishop or senior bishop of the province, and' choose three candidates whose names are sent to the consistorial congrega- I tion at Home and to the archbishops j i of the province; the archbishop anil I [Continued on Page 6.] GOVERNOR WON'T TALK CANDIDACY FOR PRESIDENT Savs That Presidency Matter Is "Up in the Air" at This Juncture Governor Brumbaugh declined to I talk about his reported candidacy for the Republican nomination for Presi dent at Pittsburgh last night, saying I that it was "up in the air." The Governor and Mrs. Brumbaugh were met at Pittsburgh by a number ; 1 of newspapermen and the Executive ! | was subjected to a rapid-fire of ques- j tions which resulted in his denying! that he had brought out Speaker Am bler as a candidate for Auditor Gen- 5 [Continued on Page 14.] TWO DIE IN EXPLOSION AT MUNITIONS PLANT Kaue, Pa., Feb. 24.-—Two men were killed and several had a narrow escape from death in a mysterious explosion ! which destroyed the nitroglycerin plant of the Aetna Explosive Company at Emporium yesterday afternoon. SEABO.\RI> WRECK VICTIM By Associated Press Richmond. Va„ Feb. 24. W. A. Martin, of Houlton, Me., president of! the Houlton Tru company, died in a hospital last night of injuries reeeiv ed in the wreck of a Seaboard Air Line: train at Kingsland Creek, near here last Thursday.' DIES ON BOTH BIRTHDAY J./i oj ;m.W.v Carlisle, Pa.. Feb. 24.—Death came to Jacob T. Urehm. a prominent far mer of North Middletou township, on A profound impression was created at the session's opening exercises by the presence of all the living bishops of the Evangelical Church—Bishops U. F. Swengel and W. 11. Fouke, of Napierville, 111., the nresent incum bents. and the former bishops. Dr. 11. B. Hartzler. Dr. W. M. Stanford and the Rev. W. F. Hell. The flrst-nanied administers the sacrament of holy communion to the first table of com municants. (Continued on Page 7.) BABE NO HEIRESS OR BORN PRINCESS BUT A FOUNDLING Russian Prince Learns of Wife's Attempt to Deceive; Suit Dropped Special to the Telegraph I New York, Feb. 24.—Prince Alex : ander Miskinoff is not a father after I all. The baby he thought was his was a foundling girl whom the princess tool; under her protection. The prince admits he was mistaken. He is going back to Russia to fight. The separation suit is ended except for a formal order of discontinuance, which is expected ! from Supreme Court Justice Clark to j morrow morning. As to reconciliation, j that is another matter. | The curious trial ended abruptly yes > terday after the prince finished his [Continued on Page 2] ADMIRAL VOX POHL DIES Berlin, Feb. 24. Admiral Von Pohl whose retirement on account of I ill health from the position of com mander of the German battle fleet was announced two days ago, has died in Berlin. ROAD ARE UP BEFORE SUPERVISORS Hear How State Is Helping Counties to Provide Good Highways How the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is helping county and township authorities in many ways to 1 solve the good road problems, how the ! law provides and requires the town ship supervisors to lend their assist ance in settling the same questions, 1 and how importantly the rural schools are related to the good road move- ! nients, were interestingly discussed i this afternoon by State Highway Com j missioner R. J. Cunningham, falstrict I Attorney Michael K. Stroup and ! County School Superintendent F. E. •Shambaugh, respectively, at the mid winter convention of Dauphin county i supervisors. i At a session this morning problems i pertaining to the supervisors' work j were threshed out by Adam Palmer 1 j and J. K. XoU and a resume of the I work that has been done and the plans i for the future were explained in the address of Edward D. Messner, the ' retiring president. The New Officer# Election of officers for the ensuing six months resulted as follows: President, Adam Palmer. Wlconlsco : vice-president, William Still, Bressler- ! secretary, 1. F. Bogner, Middle Pax ton, re-elected; and treasurer, George H. Aungst, Hummelstown. M. S. Brinser. Londonderry; Eph raim Sweigard, Susquehanna, and Ed ward D. Messner, Upper Paxton, were chosen a« an executive committee and C. P. Longenecker, Londonderry; M J. Aunßst, Swat am. and J. s Farver! iContinued oa I'ugc 11.J j WITNESS TELLS HOW GIRL TRIED TO "LOVE" HIM Courtroom Edified at Guyer's Story of Escape From Her Clutches JUDGE CRITICISES DODGE Failure of Investigator to Tell "Whole Story" Is Com mented Upon Sharp criticism by the court ofi E. H. Dodge's failure to tejl "the whole story" of his findings in the wine rooms of the city; extraordinary tales of the efforts of young women of the underworld to "make dates" with John P. Guyer, Held secretary of the Dauphin Law and OrdeV League, for nightly "parties" in their rooms; the attempts of other girls to embrace Guyer in a more or less unorthodox fashion In one of the winerooms: the description by the Rev. Harvey Klaer, president of the No-License League, of the actions of a drunken man, and the appearance for the first time on the witness stand of two pretty youth ful girls of the "tenderloin." These were the high lights of to day's testimony of Dauphin county li cense court when President Judge Kunkel and Additional Law Judge Mc- Carrell heard the remonstrance filed against the Hotel Lynch, Capital and [Continued on Page 11.] Quarreling Men Start Fire Which Makes 240 Homeless; Loss $200,000 Passaic, N. J., Feb. 24. Two hun : dred and forty persons are homeless and almost destitute here to-day as a resu't of a fire which swept through the tenement district last night and i early to-day. According to the police the fire started through a quarrel between two i men chopping woo<. in a cellar under : a paint store by candle light. In the (quarrel the candle was upset, a mass |of rubbish caught fire and in a few minutes the flames had seized upon the highly inflammable material in the store and were beyond control. Most of those who lost their homes were cared or by neighbors and a pub- I lie subscription was started Co provide | them with clothes. The los caused by the fire is estimated at $200,000. Piji » j | MINERS WILL BE GRANTED SOME DEMANDS ¥ ■CI S of w ill fields of iiia, Ohio, Indi- £ ana and Illinois, who are here negotiating a new wage i i agreement with tlie coal mine owners to become effective g t April 1, have been given informal assurances by influential 1 j opernto is ;t was learned to-day that some of the important ! L demands made by the union will be granted with certain re- j Strictiorvi. I MEASLES CLOSE ALLENTOWN SCHOOLS * Al'cntown, Pa., Feb. 24.—Because of an epidemic of I < . easle: r schools were to-day ordered * i ; closed by the health authorities. f i • > Ckieage, Feb. 24.—Disturbing rumors that drastic con- • I ( sequences w«uld result from tension between Washington £ 1 and Berli* ragarding Germany's submarine policy caused s | a break of more than ssven cents a bushel to-day in the L ! vheat, as compared with values current earlier in 2 j l the session. f , RAID BREWERS' SECRETARY OFFICES > Philadelphia, Feb. 24.—Three agents of the Department g iof to " ► political campaigns in Pennsylvania, to-day visited the of- j pi city IJ in an endeavor tv serve a subpoena on Charles F. Ettla, the I 11 secretary. They could not find Ettla and he was said to be i|j "somewhere in the country." Miss Katherine Gallagher, g » stenographer in the office was subpoenaed. > WOMEN'S FLAG LIST AT LYNCH L Harrisburg —On the witness stand this afternoon ' : ! Thomas J. Lynch applicant for a relicense for the Lynch > i j I f lotel < tclared that he had a "flag list" of fifteen women of ' * ] qestionable character. He denied that his hotel was ; | L familiarly known as "The Blazing Rag." Two young girls 1 > declared that they had been furnished liquor. ' , i h the plant * J i of the Union Storage Company here to-day, completely j [ destroying one warehouse and wrecking another with a loss a ► < 1 -rf "ann onn T ~ MARRIAGE LICENSES «| Martin Kennedy Tate, Creaaona, and llflda M.rrfnr danger, likens. * Harry (ifurirr l\ arvotinln, Hn/.lcton, mid Mary Kerrla, city. Jjl 4 1 Hobrrl l.indmay KlHlaii and Ida Florrncc I-'hi Urn binder, Carllal*. 16 PAGES CITY EDITION BIG ASSAULT 0N VERDUN PROCEEDS WITH GREAT FURY BY HEAVY GUNS *; 1 Drive Is Developing Into One of the Most Desperate Battles of Entire War; Both Sides Throwing Masses of Infantry Into Fray; Teutonic Lines Are Steadily Drawing Nearer Fortress 300,000 TROOPS UNDER KAISER NOW AT FRONT Encouraging Men With Speeches Behind Lines; Germans Plan to Bring Up 42 Centimeter Guns; Por tugal Creates New De velopment by Seizure of 36 Ships Belonging to Cen tral Powers The great German drive for Verdun, | tile biggest military operation on the western front since the allied offensive of last September, and productive of one of the most desperate battles of i the war, is being pushed with tremen dous force by the army of the German crown prince. The Teutonic lines are being steadily | drawn nearer and nearer the fortress, ! according to the Berlin war office, which to-day announced the driving: of another wedge into the French line. It claims a German advance through the village of Haumont and the cam ture of Samogneux. about, six miles distant from Verdun proper. Elsewhere also the Germans have scored advances, occupying the wooded district north of Beaumont ami the : woods of Ilerbe, to the northeast, \ while to the northwest the village of ! Brabant has been occupied. • French I>cny Defeat , The French war office, on the other I hand, announces that the French linea [Continued on Page 7]
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers