The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-08-25

t formulate tis peace proposals.
lost no tiIke in assuring Americans
that their fbuntry is firm in its deter
mination til stand by it's allies until
Germany iEbrought to it's knees. The
conference of these commissioners
with the officials of the United States
in Washington is recognized as being
of the utmlgst Importance, both in re-
gard to tha war and In regard to the
relations between America and Japan.
That lttockholm Conference.
The Socialist conference at Stock
holm is cAasing trouble out of pro-
portion to khe probable importance of
it's deliberations and conclusions, In
the differe2At countries the Socialists
themselves are split over the advisa-
bility of attending it, and the govern
ments of tie entente allies and of the
United States, recognizing that it is
pro-Germa4 in it's inception, have re-
fused PASSPORTS to would-be delegates.
The Engli4h Labor party decided to
send Representatives, whereupon Ar
thur Henderson Labor member of the
war cabindt, was accused by Premier
oyd-Geo1ge of double dealing and
!, resigned. His place was promptly
( filed by George Nicoll Barnes, minis
ter of pensions, and the crisis was
passed, at lieast for the time although
a general slection may be called if the
Laborites INSIST on sending delegates
to Stockholm
Marked heduction in the number of
vessels subkl by German submarines is
shown in tho British admiralty's week
ly statement while the number of YES
sells unsuGceSsfully attacked increased.
A story fJoIl Copenhagen says the big
\ 4 4 tei.4siAf sAaaFifte Deutschland
has been Nonverted into war u
boat and indy soon be operating in the
! Pacific against ships from San Fran
cisco. The same dispatch says the
Germans have lost about rs subma-
rines and now have nearly 300, these,
however, including many small ones
built for passage through the Belgian
canal. The newest and largest carry
siX-inch guns.
Premier Lloyd George made two
speeches last week that heartened UP
the British people immensely. Declar,
ing that the high point of Germanys
strength had passed, he said the diff.
culties of the allies from now on worNJ
grow less and their power increase
steadily, and that with patience, cour'
age and endurance the foes of the
great military despotism could not Nai
to win. He called attention to the
waning efficiency of the submarine
campaign, that though the U-boat loss
es in April were 100000 tons, in July
and August the average was only 175,
600 tons a month. So far from being
reduced to starvation, he said, Great
Britain is now In better position so fal
as food is concerned than for years
past. The premier admitted that the
Russian collapse upset some of the
plans of the allies for this year, but
called attention to the fact that Ger.
many, even with one of her most pow
erful opponents paralyzed by internal
troubles, is failing to hold her own on
the west front.
Tired of Spies and Traitors.
Throughout the country the demand
is becoming insistent that the author
tiles put an end to the almost unham-
pered activities Of the pro-German
propagandists, the traitorous l. w. w.
leaders and pacifists and the cowardly
draft-dodgers who are making the con-
duct of the war as hard as possible.
The demand was voiced by Elihu
Root in an address at the Union
League club in New York. The spies
and traitors, be said, should be shot
down without mercy, and he included
among them, as worthy of death, the
editors of certain papers. In some
states the councils Of defense are or
ganizing campaigns of education so
that the people may learn what the
war means to us and why we are in 1t
and must win 1t; but this is not
enough-the snakes must be crushed.
The Industrial Workers of the
World, it seems, are about to be made
to realize that Uncle Sam is awake.
They made several broad demands in
the West and Northwest and declared
that they would bring on a general
strike If these We're not granted. Such
a strike would seriously retard the
harvesting of crops and the production
of the spruce lumber necessary in the
building of airplanes, and while the l.
w. w. leaders cannot be prosecuted
merely for strike activities, they can
be dealt with swiftly and severely for
interfering with the governments pros
ecution Of the war. That, according to
advices from Washington, is just what
is going to happen to those disreputa-
BILE and disloyal agitators.