Mexico Missouri message., 1918-09-05

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them and the ways of combating
them. The submarines, in addition to
sinking a number of steamers and at
tacking others, In some cases only a
few miles from the harbor of New
York, also destroyed considerable
number Of fishing vessels off New Eng
land. Several fights with these U-boats
at least one of them was sunk. What
was believed to be a gas attack on
the coast guard station and lighthouse
on Smiths island, South Carolina, in
which several men were overcome, has
not yet been explained though the
theory that the poison gas came from
submarine was discarded. Presum-
ably the fact that our naval vessels
are pretty busy on convoy duty accounts
for the comparative immunity of these
U-boats along the Atlantic coast.
The steady decline of the German
submarine campaign is emphasized by
the official reports on sinkings and
shipbuilding for July. The allied and
neutral shipping sunk during the month
amounted to 100000 tons, compared
with 534,S39 tons sunk in July, 1917.
During the month the allied nations
constructed a tonnage in excess of
100000 to that destroyed by enemy op-
erations.
= E-
The administrators man-power bill
extending the draft age to eighteen
and forty-five years was reported to
the senate Thursday and that body
prepared to take it up and act on it
speedily. Chairman Chamberlain in
reporting the measure said General
March told the military affairs COM
mittee that he believed 100000 Amer
leans under one commander could go
through the German lines whenever
they pleased and that if the ages are
fixed as asked, the voluntary enlist
ment system automatically ends. He
also said all the men called for active
service under the amended act would
be In France by next June. The new
vealed, calls for 80 divisions, or about
100000 men, In France and 1S more
divisions in training in America, by
June 80, 1919.
Mr.. Chamberlain told the senate
that President Wilson's program called
for concentration of American forces
on the western front, including Italy,
and that the theory Of the fighting in
the future is that we must force the
issue and win on the western front.
The bill as reported contains a work
or fight provision to which organized
labor, through Samuel Gompers, has
filed emphatic objection.
The immediate need for more fight
ing men induced the president to issue
on Wednesday a proclamation calling
for the registration, on August "a, of
all young men who shall have become
twenty-one years Of age between June
last and that day. This extra enroll
ment, it is believed, will include about
10000 men, one-half Of whom are fit
for military duty.
Chairman Kitchin and other mem
bers of the house ways and means
committee being welded to the idea
that the best way to raise more rev.
enue Is to increase the excess profits
tax, rather than to impose war prof
It's tax, Secretary of the Treasury Nc
Adoo was compelled to go before the
| ,H ko
sustain his contention that the wal
profits tax method is the best and only
fair one. In reply to Kitchin's asser.
ton that a war profits tax was "only
camoufage to let out the big fellows
the secretary produced figures to show
that in a great majority of cases the
war profits tax would fall more heav
lily on the large concerns than would
the excess profits tax, which, If fixed
at 80 per cent as the committee pro
posed, he said would touch not more
than one Of the large corporations. He
favors the continuance Of>the existing
excess profits tax, with corrections lbuI
without increase. He also urged heav
Ter levies on unearned incomes thar
on earned incomes, and the imposition
Of tax upon servants as luxur1es.
The secretary impressed on tn,
committee the necessity of passing thu
new revenue bill before September 2s
the date set for launching the fourtl
Liberty loan campaign, saying tina
further delay would Jeopardlze tn
ability of the treasury to sell sufficien
treasury certificates to finance 1t Il
the intervals between the Libert.
loans. In Washington most of the de
lay In passing the measure is expect
ed to develop in the senate.