The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-12-15
IN The FATHERLAND.
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE.
WHATS DOING IN OLD HOME
Summary of the Most important Hap
penings in the Land of the Kaiser
Timely Items for the German
Readers.

"A
have united in protest to their coun-
trymen against the use by Great
Britain and France of Occidental and
African savages to fight her battles
in Europe" according to message to
the German embassy. The message
follows: "The American Truth So
ciety of Munich invites protest from
their compatriots at home against the
conduct of England in calling to her
aid occidental and African savages to
fight her battles in Europe. England
has imported from India hordes of
Ghurkas, Sikhs, Afrids and other
Hindu tribes, and France, emulating
her example, has brought over from
Africa the barbarous Senegalian ne
groes and the savage Turcos. Amer
leans, can you contemplate without
scorn and horror this Introduction into
Europe Of thousands of heather Afri-
cans and Asiatics to slaughter your
Christian kinsmen?" It bears the sig
natures of John L. Stoddard, Leslie B.
Bissell, ]. Miner Colt, Rev. Walter
Wardell Jennings, ]. B. Bauer, Mrs.
Charles Cashier, Maude Fay and
Edyth Walker.
There is no fear Germany can be
starved out by her enemies. The men
in responsible places have, however,
felt themselves impelJed to warn the
people that there must be no needless
waste of foodstuff. The federal coun-
ell has decreed that a certain percent
age of rye flour must be mixed with
wheat bread and potato flour or po-
totoes in other forms with rye bread.
In the Province of Brandenburg and
in certain other places, restaurant
keepers have been advised not to fur
nish bread free with meats, but to
make a charge for it to prevent waste.
White bread may not be placed on
the table in Bavaria unless specifical-
ly demanded by guests.
The famous sixteenth century man
sion Of Rubers, the great Flemish
painter, standing in the line of the
German sweep through Belgium, be-
tween Brussels and Antwerp, has suf-
fered little from the depredations Of
war, although an unidentified vanda1
has defaced some of the paintings
that cover its walls. The house is
now used as a pay station for the Ger
man troops.
There is a great migration of game
birds and wild animals of all sorts
from the theater of war In the direc-
ton of the Alps. Scared by the thun-
der of The big guns and the ping Of
the rifle shots, hundreds of these ami
mails have entered the Swiss forests
The refugees include wild boars, deer
of several kinds and goats.
The Swiss federal council has or
iered that foreign aviaters flying over
Swiss territory be shot down on sight
This order is the result of tho raid of
the British aviators upon the Zeppelin
sheds on Lake Constance. The Swiss
government allege that the aviators
flew over Swiss territory and has filed
a protest.
A Zurich dispatch says the cost of
Swiss mobilization has reached s20,-
100000. The expenditure is to be met
by doubling most of the taxes on i'm
ports and the duty on spirits and rails
fng telephone and telegraph rates. The
government also intends to introduce
a tobacco monopoly to raise war
taxes.
All Germans in Portugal have been
warned to leave that country. Ger
many, it is declared, will take no diplo-
matte steps that might occasion Portu-
guese mobilization but will leave full
responsibility for Portugals entrance
into the European war with that gov
eminent
Frederick c. Penfield, the American
ambassador to Austria-Hungary, and
Mrs. Penfield provided Iountiful
7 Thanksgiving dinners in Vienna for
1000 poor persons, the inmates of hos
pitfalls and refugees, including many
Russians. There was also a dinner
for the American doctors and nurses
of the Red Cross hospital
German agents are abroad in Swift
erland and Italy endeavoring to pur
chase lead, "copper" leather, cam
foods and motors for aeroplanes and
submarines. They are offering high
prices. The Swiss and Italian authori
ties, which lave prohibited the expor
tation of some of these articles, are
taking further measures in this sans
direction.
Potatoes have reached prices which
are a hardship to the poorer classes
for which they form the chief article
of food Last year at this time they
cost so cents for 10 pounds. Today
the price is s125. Great quantities OF
potatoes must also be devoted to the
production of denatured spirits to take
the place of gasoline, which has disap
peared from the market because oil
the army's needs.
Subscriptions to the Austro-Hun
garian war loan have reached the
total of s460,000,000.
Twelve hundred schoolboys between
the ages of fifteen and seventeen
have been enrolled as volunteer re