The Monticellonian., 1917-05-24

~~~~~~-~~~~~-o-~-~~o~ mittee submitted to the senate the greatest war budget in the history of the nation, the total being nearly S3,- 400, 0,000000. All the week the house debated the war revenue bill.
 Aggravated by criticisms of con- gress for it's alleged dilatoriness in the matter of war legislation, many sena- tors on Wednesday bitterly attacked the war policies of the government. Their especial targets were Secretary of War Baker the advisory commis- sion of the Council of National De fense, the car efficiency committee or the American Railway association, pro- posal of a food dictatorship and plans for fixing maximum and minimum prices. The outbursts of the senators showed they were speaking in large measure in behalf of the business con cerns of their respective localities who' they asserted, had had no chance to get government contracts.
 Trading in Futures Stopped.
 Food supply matters in America moved rapidly toward crisis last week. Actuated presumably by the investigations of the government into gambling in foodstuffs, and by the tre- mendous rise in the price of wheat, the Chicago board of trade and the grain exchanges of several other mid dle West cities put stop to trading in futures. Wheat and flour prices fell promptly dnd decisively. The gov ernment gathered the necessary data for prosecution of the wheat gamblers, and then got after the butter and egg men. The government also came to the conclusion that the exorbitant prices of wheat and flour were due in part to the gigantic wheat buying op- erations of Great Britain and France, and asked them to dispose of their im- mense holdings of grain for future de- livery. This the allies agreed to do, and they also agreed to cooperate with the United States in pooling l system to appOrtionate exports.
 All in a position to know scout the l idea that there will be an insufficiency of food in this country. The problem l is to regulate the distribution and the l exports.
 HollWeg Won't Talk of Terms.
 The imperial rulers of Germany are not yet holding out an available perch | upon which the dove of peace might alight Stubbornly resisting the prod ding of both the pan-Germans and the Socialists. the chancellor, Doctor Holl- veg, on Tuesday told the reichstag and the world that the time was not fitting for statement of Germany $ war aims or peace terms. The mili- tary situation of the central powers, he declared was satisfactory, and he intmated that they were ready to grant liberal terms to Russia, if that strug- gling nation desired to get out of the conflict. But he asserted there was 10 reason to believe England and France would at present listen to any proposi- tions from Germany, and to make any would be construed by them as an evi- denee of weakening. On the whole, the chaucell0r's speech was bold and i defiant, and his position does not seem to be weakened despite the continued attacks on him. The most startling i of these attacks last week was made by Gcorg Ledebour, Socialist leader who warned the reichstag that events must happen in Germany as they have in Russia and that the people must soon introduce republic in Germany. Though such sentiments are support l ed hy many, it is likely the mass of opinion in the empire k better repre- ] sented by Herr Roesicke, president of the German Farmers union. who de- uouaced the Socialist aims as sinister and anti-national, and as tending to a proclamation of the war since, as he declared, the entente based their i hopes on German disunion.
 President Wilson, Herr Roesieke continued, wants mo peace with the faheuzollerns, but the monarchy is 100 deeply rooted in German hearts for the malignity of the entente or of | President Wilson to be capable of de stroytns it. .
 Developments in Russia.
 After much travail the Russians managed t4 settle the crisis in that country by the formation If coalition cabinet iu which all elements. includ ing the workmen. the soldiers and even the peasants, are represented. Prince feois the premier then announced that fer the first time they had a gov ernment that would combine both moral authority and material power The peaee-without-anneXatians-o or-in demnities factions still adhere to that policy, but all seem agreed that tht