Mexico Missouri message., 1918-01-03

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charge Of the ordnance bureau. The
energy and ability Of these two men
lead to the confident belief that here
after war supplies will come forward
more rapidly. The soldiers they have
temporarily replaced, Generals Sharpe
and Crozier, have been ousted upward
into the superior war council.
Much of the testimony of red tape
delays and mistaken judgments of
war department officials heard by the
senate committee is not pleasant read
ing and it is needless to rehearse it.
The remedy for the conditions revealed
is being applied, though rather late.
Surgeon General Gorgas added to the
uncomfortable feeling by a frank re-
port showing health conditions in
some Of the training camps are very
bad, due in part to shortage of warm
clothing and tents, and to poor heat
ing plants. For the delay In supply
ing winter clothing the war depart
ment said the national council of de-
fense must be blamed.
AS for the navy, the first day of the
house committees inquiry showed that
it was in full fighting trim and that in
the matter of supplies little attention
was being paid to red tape. After Ad
miral MCGOWAN had been heard, Rep
resentative Britten remarked: 81
thought we might find some soft spots
in this bureau Of supplies and accounts,
but we don't seem to get ut them"
Secretary Daniels told the committee
he was rather proud of the way the
navy has met the actual test Of war.
Russo German Peace Plans
The spotlight was centered on Rus
sia again last week and every develop
ment Of the complicated situation
there was watched with the greatest
interest. The negotiations between
Germany and the bolsheviki govern
ment went forward and 1t was evident
the kaiser was hurrying matters so
as to have a peace treaty signed be-
fore the Lenine crowd should fall.
TrotEky still insisted that they sought
q general and not q separate peace,
and in pursuance of that he invited
the entente allies to take part in the
negotiations. Meanwhile trade rela-
tions between the Germans and the
Russians were reopened and the for
mer began getting fats, vegetables and
other things for which they have been
suffering.
One obstacle to the separate peace
plan has sprung up in the central
powers, where the Socialists have de-
ciared their opposition to 1t, fearing
that 1t will strengthen German imper-
iallsts and forcibly wipe out German
socialism. The Hungarian socialists
at a great meeting declared the plan
presented the greatest possible danger
to democracy. The Russian govern
ment was said to have been notified
by Germany that 1t intended to make
peace proposals to all the allies.
Civil War Continues.
Fighting between the bolshevikI
and the Cossacks continued through
the week and the most reliable ad-
vices indicate the latter generally
were victors. Ensign Kreylenko, the
bolshevikl commander in chief, was
enabled by the armistlce to withdraw
large forces from the front but his eff
forts to send them after the Cossacl1s
were blocked by the Ukrainians. The
Ukraine rada refused to permit max
imalist troops to cross Its territory anC
when bolsheVilzi troops attacked thG
rada as 1t was sitting In Odessa they
were defeated by DkraiRian forces
The Orenburg Cossacks occupied
Tcheliablnsk, junction point on th'
Trans-Siherian railway, and the Dor
Cossacks under Kaledines were re
ported to have taken Rostov. Exas
perated by the persistence of their op
ponents, the bolsheviki are adopting
drastic methods against them, includ
Ing the reinstatement of the dealt
penalty. The disorders In PetrograC
were so serious that state of sieg
was proclaimed.
The latest information concernin;
Kerensky was a dispatch from Hapa
randa saying that he was marching
> against Moscow at the head of an ar
my, and from the same source cam,
: the statement that Grand Duke Mich
olas had gathered great army of roy
: alists in the Caucasus. One Petrograt
J correspondent says there are signs o
! an attempt inspired by Germany to re
place the former czar on the throne
. another thinks the bolsheviki hav
such a plan, and the Slberians hav
} been said TO favor Nicholas. II ma,
t well be the widespread belief that tn
e Russian monarchy win be restore,
S will be justified.
The expected great offensive by tn