The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1917-05-03
HOLlNEG TO
MAKE: PEACE
OFFER soon
viii Give Terms to the ReiChStag
on Thursday.
100000 GERMANS STRIKE
Berlin Claims May Day Protest Failed,
But Neutral Reports Say krupp
Works Are Isolated to Sup
press News of WaIkouts.

press News of Walkouts.
Amsterdam, May with the dawn
of May day the word peace" was
flashed across the German empire.
Toward noon, as an expectant army
Of correspondents waited vainly for
positive word that the great indus
trial strikes had come, dispatch of
scarcely score of words came to The
Hague.
1t quoted the Berliner Tageblatt as
announcing the imperial chancellor,
DR.. Won BethmannH ollweg, will make
another peace offer In the reichstag
Thursday.
This announcement, credited to one
of the most influential and best in
formed Berlin organs, promptly made
the world forget, for the moment at
least, all other sensations and settle
down once more to peace talk.
In even greater degree it evidently
made the great bulk Of the German
workers forget today was "der tag"
of the reds"
AS is usual, the Tageblatt's an
nouncement is believed to have been
republished throughout Germany.
Whether this eleventh-hour stroke of
Wilhelmstrasse actually averted the
nationwide strike of the mur lions
workers Is not positively known.
A brief Berlin dispatch, believed to
be officially inspired stated the gen
eral strike failed to materialize, no
cessation of work was reported, no
parades were held ana no disturbances
occurred. This, The dispatch said, was
the situation ut noon.
From neutral frontier sources In
Holland, Switzerland and Scandinavia
came persistent reports of different
story.
Half of Workers Strike.
The Hague correspondent of the Ex-
change Telegraph learned more than
one-half of the munitions workers in
the Rhine provinces decided TO strike
that Essen, home of the Krup works,
was completely isolated from the rest
of the empire, to suppress news of the
strikes at the gun works.
Strikes also were said to be general
in small towns near the Dutch from
tier.
A Central News dispatch said 80
woman workers were killed by an ex-
plosion in munitions factory at Trois-
dorlf, near Cologne.
Another dispatch gave the number
of strikers ut 100000, mostly women
and munitions workers.
Significance was attached to dis
patch dated Monday, quoting the Koel-
nlsche Volkszeitung as saying the Ger
man Socialist leaders announced they
were unable to assume responsibility
for the maintenance of peace and or
der In Germany after tomorrow, May
day"
The Berlin message, which asserted
the radical plans for general strike
had failed, added the conservative So
clalIsts had won their campaign
against n strike.
Germans Blame Rulers.
Washington, May 1.-The discomfort
that Is spreading through Germany is
laid directly at the doors of the gov
eminent for permitting food pirates
TO hoard stores while the poor starve
on the insufficient government ration
In remarkably frank article In .he
Vossische Zeitung, transcripts of which
reached the state department.
To this cause Is attributed the
strikes which have caused violence
throughout the empire and which Hin.
denburg warned were costing the lives
of thousands of men mt the front.
The charges are contained In a let.
ter from the general committee OF
labor societies to the minister of war
As printed In the Vossiche Zeitung
this letter said
"The idea of stopping work nj least
10 such nm extent could not have
gained ground If dissatisfaction had
not existed among the working classes
the chief cause OF which Is the insult
ficlent regulations for the distribution
of food.
"The workers know the undeniable
fact thnt there are still gathering large
quantities of good outside of govern,
ment control which can only be OBJ.
tanned at prohlbitlve prices.
"Thls food Is consumed by persons
who are not giving their whole force
10 the defense of their country"