I
VOL. 2.
NO. 101.
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27,1917.
PRICE TEN CENTS.
PRESIDENT WILSON’S MASTERLY ADDRESS
No Course of His Choosing Will Lead This Nation Into War
TEN AMERICANS LOSE LIVES
BY SINKING OF LINER LACONIA;
MAY LEAD TO HOSTILITIES
QUEENSTOWN, Ireland, Feb. 27.—Two American women,
Mrs. Mary Hoy and Miss Elizabeth Hoy, of Chicago, lost their
lives by the sinking of the Cunard liner Laconia. They died
from exposure after taking to the life boats and were buried
at sea. Eight colored seamen, all Americans, are missing and
are regarded as lost. This information reaches the state de
partment today in the form of an official report from Consul
Frost, stationed at Queenstown, Ireland, where most of the sur
vivors of the Laconia landed. The Laconia case may be re
garded as the first overt act as against the citizens of the United
States and may lead to hostilities. The state department is
seeking all the facts in the case.
BELIEVE OTfj&fACT COMMITTED.
WASHINGTON, Fe«iN^—Many officials are inclined to
believe that Germany haraammitted the awaited overt act in
the sinking of the Cumu'dljner JLacqptfc.^AU official dispatches
tend to confirm the Briti»T^e|g^rts to the effeet that the liner
was sunk without warning T'Bnould this prove true, an overt
act will have been committed and war may be expected. Sec
retary of-State Lansing held; a conference with President Wil
son tins forenoon, presumably over the Laconia affair.
m... >;•
SON CALLS EOS VENGEANCE;
QUQEENSTOWN, IqCftTeb. J7.—Austin Hoy, among the
survivors of*th£ Lacd8#tf,<V<rftaT51fc«rbled President "WilsbiijJsk^
ing that the death of his mother and sister be avenged. The
father still survives and resides in Chicago. He is 84 years of
age and is a veteran of the Union army.
BRITISH CLAIM LINER LACONIA
WAS TORPEDOED WITHOUT WARNING
QUEENSTOWN, Ireland, Feb. 27.—Wesley Frost, Amer
ican consul at Queenstown, telegraphed the American embassy
in London today: “Cunarder Laconia torpedoed 10:50 Sun
day night. Two hundred and seventy-eight survivors have
been landed. Details Tacking, but it is known some missing
and one is dead.”
TORPEDOED WITHOUT WARNING.
LONDON, Feb. 27.—It is officially stated by.the British
authorities that the Cunard liner Laconia was torpedoed by a
German submarine without warning.
GERMAN DESTROYERS MAKE ATTACK
ON TOWNS ON STRAITS OF DOVER
LONDON, Feb. 27.—German destroyers bombarded Broad
stairs and Margate, on the straits of Dover, last night, killing
several women and children, according to an announcement
of the navy department today. The bombardment took place
under cover of darkness and oontinued for several hours, until
British warships appeared on the scene and drove the destroy
ers to cover. Much damage to property resulted.
TRAIN CARRYING 228 INVALIDED
RUSSIAN SOLDIERS FLIES TRACK
.COPENHAGEN, Feb. 27.—A train carrying 228 invalided
Russian soldiers, on the way home through Sweden, flew the
track last night. The first car, which was carrying 25 insane
Russians, was entirely demolished and all occupants killed
outright. Twenty-five others, in the remaining cars of the
train, were killed outright, while most of the occupants that es
caped death were badly wounded.
VOLUNTARY WAR LOAN REACHES
TOTAL OF FIVE BILLION DOLLARS
LONDON, Feb. 27.—Andrew Bonar Law, chancellor of
'-the exchequer in the British cabinet, announced today that the
voluntary war loan subscription had reached a total of five
billion dollars. He expressed himself as highly encouraged at
the patriotism displayed by the people, who were nobly re
sponding to the call of the government for war funds.
IN MASTERFUL ADDRESS, PRESIDENT
ASKS THE CONGRESS FOR. POWER TO
HANDLE GERMAN-AMERICAN SITUATION
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.—“No course of my choosing
will lead the United States into war with a foreign power; war
can only come through wilful acts of aggression on the part of
other nations,” declared President Wilson, in a masterful
speech delivered yesterday afternoon before a .joint session of
the congress. The president’s address, in which these senti
ments were uttered, was an appeal to the coilgress for author
ity to establish an armed neutrality throughout the United
States and the outlying possessions thereof and likewise to arm
American merchantmen for their protection against the Ger
man submarine campaign. The president appealed to the
congress to give him full and immediate power to handle the
German-American situation as he deems essential to the best
interests of the nation. In the course of his speech, he declar
ed, “I am a friend of peace and mean to preserve it for Amer
ica as long as possible.” He emphasized the fact that he nei
ther asks nor contemplates a step that might bring war through
action of the United States, saying in respect thereto, “War
can only come to us through an act on the part of Germany by
reason of its submarine campaign. No course of my choosing
will lead the United States into war with a foreign power;
war can only come through wilful acts of aggression on the
pari of other nations.” He iaaniediately added, in the next
sentence, “But we must defend our people, at whatever cost.”
“It would be foolish ty deny that the foreign situation is
| fraught with the gravest possibilities and dangers. No thought
i tul man can fail to see that the necessity for definite action may
| come at any time, if we are in fact, and not in word merely, to
i defend our elementary rights as a neutral nation against
all aggressors,” said the president. Near the close of
! the remarkable address, the president said: “I have
spoken of our commerce and the legitimate errands of our peo
ple on the high seas and the ports of the world, but you will
not be misled as to my main thought. It is not material thoughts
merely that we are thinking. It is rather fundamental human
rights, the chief of which is the right to life itself. I am think
ing not only of the rights of Americans to go and come about
their proper business by way of the sea, but also something
much deeper, much more fundamental than that. 1 am think
ing of the rights of humanity, without which there is no civili
zation.”
In conclusion, the president emphasized the fact that while
lie may have full power to take what steps he deems necessary
without the consent or further power from the congress, he de
| sires that body, by its own vote, to show that it is behind him in
whatever he may decide to do in the situation.
TO GIVE WILSON POWER HE ASKS.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.—Following the adjournment of
the joint session, Chairman Flood, of the house committee on
foreign relations^ called a meeting of his committee, for the pur
pose of drafting a resolution giving the president the power he
requests.
APPROVAL GREETS PRESIDENT’S SPEECH.
NEW YORK, Feb. 27.—With but two or three exceptions,
the metropolitan newspapers are loud in their praises of the
president’s speech before the joint session of the congress. The
World, democratic, declares it puts Wilson in the front rank
of world statesmen; The Times, independent, calls it a master
ful address from a masterful mind. The Sun‘calls the speech
a superb effort on the part of an idealist; the Tribune, republi
can, gives the president credit for expressing noble sentiments;
The Evening Post says the address teems with lofty sentiments
in which the American people are in complete harmony.
TRIM IT
ABERDEEN
ABERDEEN, Feb. 27.—T. L. Ol
son, a longshoreman, shot and fatal
ly wounded his sweetheart, Miss Col
ine Burke, last night, and then took
his own life. The tragedy occurred
in tiie Mason rooming house, owned by
Miss Burke.
BOISE, Idaho, Feb. 27.—Former
Governor John M. Haines, of Idaho,
is on his deathbed in this city, a vic
tim. of heart disease. There is no
hope for his recovery.
SECRET SERVICE MEN QUIETLY
MOVING INTO ALASKA, TO KEEP
AN EYE ON THE WAR SITUATION
SEATTLE, Eel). 27.—Government agents and secret serv
ice men are quietly moving into all parts of Alaska, to keep an
eye on what is going on, in view of the war situation. The real
mission of these secret service men, of course, is known only to
the authorities at Washington. It is known here that the Ken
necott corporation is taking extra precautions to guard the Bo
nanza mine from possible damage, in the event of war.
To guard Puget sound from possible German submarine at
tacks, steel nets are to be placed at the entrance of the straits of
duan de Fuca. Other precautions will be employed to protect
the cities of Puget sound from attacks from an' enemy. The
forts near Port Townsend have been brought up to a high state
oi efficiency and can prevent the passage of enemy warships.
BRITISH CAMPAIGN ON SOMME FRONT
IS FAILURE, SAY GERMAN REPORTS
BERLIN, Feb. 27.—Eight aeroplanes of the entente al
lies were shot down by the Germans on the western front yes
terday, according to an official report issued by the war office
today. The Germans claim that the big British offensive on
the Somme front has been a complete failure and has really
been a victory for the Germans, because of the heavy loss of
life sustained by the enemy. Some five hundred thousand men
were lost, in dead, wounded and captured, by the British, with
no decisive .result accomplished. The British report that fields
of thick mud have brought things to a standstill on the Somme
front and that the offensive will be resumed when the rainy
season passes and the mud fields dry up and become passable.
BRITISH REMOVE RUBBER HEELS ON
SHOES WORN BY BERNSTORFF PARTY
HALIFAX, Feb. -7.—Count von Be rust or ft, former Ger
man ambassador to the United States, and some 200 Ger
man consular agents and their families, en route to Germany
on the Scandinavian liner Frederick Fightji, are still under
examination by British customs officers. Yesterday the rub
ber heels of shoes worn by some members of the party were re
moved, because of the fear that the rubber would be employed
for war purposes in Germany.
INTERNED AMERICAN SAILORS ARE
RELEASED BY GERMAN GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.—Willard, Amei'ican ambassador
to Spain, today wires the state department that the American
sailors taken from allied ships in south Atlantic waters by Ger
man sea raiders and transported to Germany on the prize ship
Yarrowdale, where they liaye been interned, have finally been
released by the German goC^rnment. The news comes to Ambas
sador Willard from the Spanish ambassador at Berlin, who is
representing the American government there.
MAYOR MITCHELL OF NEW YORK
SEEKS SOLUTION OF FOOD PROBLEM
NEW YORK, Feb. 27.—Mayor Mitchell is taking drastic
action to relieve the food situation in New York city. He an
nounced today that he will present a bill to the New York leg
islature which would empower the city to purchase and sell food
products at cost to the poor people of the metropolis. If the
legislature will pass the bill, says the mayor, a solution for much
of the distress will be found.
PENSION FOR MRS. FUNSTON.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.—A bill passed the senate today
giving Mrs. Funston, widow of General Funston, a pension of
$100 per month.