WEATHER.Overcast weather, with probably

showers tonight and tomorrow; notmuch change In temperature-.Temperature for twenty-four hours

ending 2 p.m..^Highest, 56, at 4 p.m.yesterday; lowest. 46. at T a.m. today.

Full report on page 18.

CLOSING KKW YORK STOCKS PAGE 18. W)t Mbmm "From Preta to Home

Within the Horn*

Swm Wet ClraUttn, Mratk .< Muck,uir. DaUr iTtnn i^nii lum,

No. 29,664. WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1917.TWENTY-TWO PAGES. ONE CENT."1FRENCH COMMISSIONERSWELCOMED TO CAPITALBY CHEERING THRONGS

Thousands in Streets From Navy Yard toWhite Residence Pay Unique Tribute toMarshal Joffre and Minister Viviani.

SCHOOLS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICESSUSPEND WORK IN HONOR OF VISITORS

Distinguished Envoys Greeted at Wharf by Leading Officials ofUnited States and Reception Transcends Usual

Diplomatic Courtesies.

Probably never before in its history has the National Capital ac¬

corded snch a tribute to visitors from a foreign nation as that repre¬sented in the demonstration today as members of the French com¬

mission passed through the streets of Washington on their way to

the residence they are to occupy while here.The French commission, of which Marshal Joffre and former

Premier Viviani are the central figures, landed safely at the Wash¬ington navy yard soon after noon.

Headed by Secretary Lansing, American officials paid the visit¬ing delegation every honor of greeting. From the navy yard to theheadquarters of the mission, citizens of Washington gathered alongthe streets and cheercd the delegation.

The envoys came up the river on the presidential yacht May¬flower- from Hampton roads.

Marshal Joffre was the center of interest, although MinisterViviani, head of the commission, also was warmly received. '

Government department clerks were

permitted to leave their desks to takepart In the welcome, schools were dis¬missed. ollice buildings poured theirhuman content Into the streets and

Pennsylvania avenue bore the sugges¬tion of inaugural times.Even in the formalities of the recep¬

tion at the navy yard the welcome ac¬

corded the visitors transcended theuaaal diplomatic courtesies. Cheers and

haadetappmg. both from officials andfrom private citlsens. expressed spon¬taneous and heartfelt greeting*.Marshal Joffre was distinguishable by

'his heavy-set figure, his heavy gr«Tmustache and his red uniform cap. toresponse to the cheers he kept h,8 ^°at salute during the ,p<£ennsJ?-ride from the navy yard, on Penn3>>vania avenue and up l««h street. Hewore a light blue military coat which

partly hid his red trousers. On 16thatreet the eiwds were almost as largeas those on Pennsylvania avenue. One

enthusiastic gathering was made up of

employes of the National Geographic

Minuter Viviani also was kept busysmiling and bowing.

Greeting at Wharf.As the Mayflower came to her wharf

marines and sailors lined the d^ivew^to the gate of the navy yard, with

bayonets fixed. A close guard kept all

but those directly connected with thereception ceremonies outside A com¬

pany of marines, with the Marine Band.

Marsha? Joifre Minister Viviani andthe other members of the party linedthe rail of the Mayflower.

_ .As Marshal Joffre stepped ashore a,«,,Tonch Officer, already ashore,bent low and kia^l ^ '^ Tear.Glistened in the eyes of many presentat this mark of devotion to theFrench general, who helped turn ba*kthe German armies oil Itar ^rlte toParis In the first months of the warStanding on the deck with

bers of tite commission were Ambabaa-<ior Jusoerand, Assistant Secretary

HEN. JOFPHK.

rooweelt, Assistant Secretary Long.MaJ. Gen. Hugh L,. Scott, Hear Admirallluse and other ollieialt- who went toUwnpton roads to welcome the disun-e-j«(hed visitors.

Mayflower Long in Docking.took nearly half an hour to dock

th« Mayflower, but as soon as theaangplank was run out Secretary Lan¬sing. accompanied by Counselor Polkand Assistant Secretary Phillips,boarded the vessel. The members of,he oommlssion. with their escort weregrouped at the stern, under the *renchtricolor flying from the masthead highnt.ove them.

,secretary Lansing stepped forwardmid warmly clasped the hand i>f .Minis¬ter Viviani and Marshal Joffre and theother members of the French mission.Warm words of greeting were ex-charged. The vigor of the hand-. lasp and the earnest looks on the fares<>f all present showed the welcomeswere more than perfunctory. Duringihe brief ceremony the ship s bandplayed the "Marseillaise, while thei.iarines and sailors and other officialsiifshore stood at attention. The groat-

ingr between Marshal Joffre and Gen.Scott was particularly warm.The formal welcome over, the party'

left the Mayflower, led by MinisterViviani. The entire crew of the Presi-dent's yacht stood at attention, and asthe members of the mission stepped,ashore the Marine Band took up 'TheMarseillaise.'* Attaches of the Frenchembassy here rushed forward to ^reettheir compatriots.Marshal Joffre and MffiUtsr Viviani

shook hands warmly with every one.The two leaders of the French missionapparently were in the best of hfealthand spirits. Both remarked on thewarmth of their welcome. The marshalsmiled as motion picture machinesclicked visibly.One of the military members of the

mission limped badly from the effects ofa wound. jThe reception ceremonies over. Minister

Viviani, Martial Joffre. the other mem¬bers of the mission. Secretary Lansing,Ambassador Jusserand and their staffs;entered automobiles and started for tnehome of Henry White, former ambassadorto Prance, which will be the headquarters:of the members of the French party. Theywere escsrted by two troops of cavalry.Just outside the navy yard grates was

gathered a crowd of several hundred peo¬ple, who broke into enthusiastic applauseas the Frenchmen appeared. The marinesand sailors along: the line came to pre-sent arms.

Circle the Capitol.Past the Congressional Library and

the Capitol, the party circled the PeaceMonument and then proceeded alongPennsylvania avenue to the Treasurybuilding. Just east of the White House,and on through the most beautifulpart of the residential section ofWash-

| lngton.A statue of Gen. Lafayette, revolu¬

tionary war hero and great-grandfatherof Marquis de Chambrun, a member ofthe commission, attracted the particu-lar attention of the visiting statesmen,soldiers and sailors.M. Viviani rode in an automobile with

Secretary Lansing, and Marshal Joffrerode in a ear with Ambassador Jusse-rand and Maj. Gen. Scott.At the White residence the members

of the mission retired to rest. Theyfound awaiting them great bouquets offlowers, sent .by British Foreign Min¬ister Balfour.Five technical experts and staff offi¬

cers attached to the French commissioncame from Fort Monroe by train.

Reception at British Embassy.The British and French commission-

era will meet tonight at a reception tobe given at the British embassy. Otherdiplomats of allied powers will attend.This will be one of the most notablediplomatic functions ever given inWashington.

French Envoys to Suggestto U. S. Sending of Troopsto Trenches on West Front

That discussion of the possibility andadvisability of sending at least a divi¬sion of United States troops to thelighting lines In France or Belgium Isto be a part of the program of theFrench commission was indicated to-day, when it was announced that Mar-

J shal JoiYre and other military membersof the commission purposed to suggestto American officials, with whom theyare to confer, a number of importantmilitary masons tor such armed par¬ticipation on the part of the UnitedStates.Marshal Jotfre, it was stated, believes

that the siost important of these rea¬sons is the moral effect that the pres¬ence of American troops and the Amer¬ican flag on the battlefields of Francewould havf. In this, it is understood,the military members of the commis¬sion have the support of Vice PremierKene Viviani and others of the com-mission, though it is stated the body

(Continued on Second Page?)

War Motto for Merchants.PreeMeat Wlboin;..T* tfce mrMM. let me .**-

«¦< tie motto ¦

"..Mil »ro«t» iii talrk htt-Ire.'"

NOWNEEDEDAS I). S. GUARANTEE,SAYS MR. BALFOURi

Allies Confident This CountryWill See War Through, He

Tells Newspaper Men.

CERTAIN ALL RESOURCESWILL BE USED IN TASK

British Foreign Secretary Pays HighCompliment to United States and

to "Hero of the Marne."

"No treaty could increase our!unbounded confidence tliat the!United States, having come intothe war, will see it through to thegreat end we all hope for."

In these words Arthur JamesBalfour, British foreign secretary,today, addressing a group of:new-spaper men. assured theAmerican people that "Our con¬

fidence. in the alliance and the as¬

surances of this government isnot based on such shallow consrid-1erations as arise from treaties.'"Mr. Balfour greeted the newspaper

men in the drawing room of the homeof Breckenridge Long, third assistantsecretary of state, which has beenplaced at his disposal during his stayIn Washington.He spoke slowly, thoughtfully, and

held in his hands notes, to which hereferred only once. He did not remainfor questions.Before the address it again was em-

phasized that the commission desiresthat nothing said during the series ofinterviews with newspaper men beconstrued as offering a recommenda-)tion, or. even a suggestion as to the,course this country should pursue.

Appreciates Reception Here.Tall, impressive In appearance, wear¬

ing » long frock coat, a bow lia with Itsends concealed under a low collar, sue-gestive of American statesmen of a halfcentury ago, Mr. Balfour appeared,smiling, gracious, and began by ex¬pressing his appreciation for the re¬ception accorded the commission in thiscountry.With evident traces of deep feelingthe British minister spoke of the losses

to English manhood the struggle hadinvolved. He referred to dispatches intoday's papers that the son of BonarLaw. chancellor of the exchequer, wasreported wounded and missing.He referred to the coming of theFrench commission, and especially toMarshal Joffre, calling him the "heroof the Marne," and characterized thatbattle as the most decisive in the his¬tory of the world.

"I am told that there are some doubt¬ing critics," he said, "who say the ob¬ject of the commissions in coming tothis country is to inveigle the UnitedStates out of its traditional policiesand embark it upon a career opposedto all its teachings. Such an attemptwould be utterly unnecessary and fu¬tile. If there is any certainty in hu¬man affairs it is that the United States,having come into the war, will see Itthrough.

Welfare of Mankind at Stake."For two and a half years," Mr. Bal¬

four continued, "people here in thincountry have watched the great andbloodstained drama abroad, and witheach passing month the conviction hasgrown that this was no ordinary strug-gle involving a few miles of territory,or some small national ambitions, butnothing short of the whole welfare ofmankind."Such a cause, Mr. Balfour said, couldnot fail to affect the United States."And now, when Mfter all thesemonths you feel impelled to enter thestruggle, 1 am certain you will throwinto it all your resources, incompar¬ably the richest in the world; all your

man-power, and your will and effort.I am sur« nothing will turn you fromyour consecrated task until succe»scrowns our joint efforts."

Mr. Balfour, speaking of the arrivalof the French commission here today,said:"We rejoice to think that the heroof that battle (the Marne) has come

to join us in laying before the people ofthe United States our gratitude for theinfinite aid and moral encouragementgiven to the allied cause. T am «ertarnthat the reception accorded to themwill be not le.ss warm or heartfelt thanthat so ungrudgingly given us."

Talks of What the War Means."It is. of course, impossible," Mr. Bal¬

four went on. "for you to realize in con-crete detail all that the war has meant tothose engaged in it for ihe past two and ahalf years. Such feeling can come onlywith the actual experience. We, on theother side, have been living in an at¬mosphere of war since August, 1914, andcannot move about in the streets or goabout our dally business without havingever present what war means."For.instance,". Mr. Balfour continued,"We arrived on Sunday and 1 went out in

the evening after dark. I had at thetime a strange feeling which I did notanalyze at first. Then it came to methat for two and a hulf years i had notwalKt-d on a street such as I was thenon. There has not been in .London or inthe whole United Kingdom a street inwhich, after dark, thf whole communityhas not been wrapped in darkness. Thisis a very small matter, perhaps, but typi- jcal. So, also, typical of the rest of Kn«r-land, is the fact that four members of tiiecabinet have lost sons in the war. andnow. by today's pai>ers. 1 see that a fifth.Bonar Law, has been similarly afflicted."Welcome the French Commission.Mr. Balfour and his party left their

residence shortly before noon to go tothe navy yard to welcome th** Frenchcommission. They had ordered a greatbouquet of various roses of France forpresentation to the commission, andthese flowers bore an inscription whichread: "Vive L'Alliance, homage a lamission Francaise de la part de leursconfrers Brittainique." which, trans¬lated. means, "Hail to the alliance,honor to the French mission on thepart of their British brothers."Mr. Balfour had luncheon with the

Italian ambassador, was to visit theTreasury Department in the afternoon I

(Continued on Secoyl Pase.) ~.

JOFFRE.

BRITAIN RECEIVESnoopotii

Secretary McAdoo HandsTreasury Warrant to Ambas¬

sador Spring-Rice.

FIRST TO ENTENTE ALLY

Secretary McAdoo today hand¬ed th*> British ambassador a

Treasury warrant for $200,000,-000, the first loan made to anyentente government by the UnitedStates under the $7,000,000,000war finance measure.Sir Cecil Spring-Rice. British am-|

bassador. handed to Secretary McAdooa receipt on behalf of the British gov¬ernment and the transaction was com¬plete.The transfer of the big sum was made

in Secretary McAdoo's office in the pres¬ence of Lord Cunliffe, governor of theBank of England; federal reserve board.Treasury and British embassy officials.The amount of the loan was deposited

today in the federal reserve banks bybanks subscribing to the $250,000,000Issue of Treasury certificates of in¬debtedness due June 30. The J50.000.000remaining of the issue will be disposedof in a manner yet to be announced bySecretary McAdoo.

Takes Place of Private Loan.The loan will take the place of a pri¬

vate loan which Oreat Britain had con¬templated obtaining from J. P. Morgan& Co. on securities of the CanadianPacific railway. Arrangements lookingto the Issue by Morgan & Co. had beenunder way for some time when Secre¬tary McAdoo requested that they bedeferred and indicated that the gov¬ernment would meet Great Britain'simmediate needs.Incidentally. Oreat Britain will save

approximately $3 000.000 annually in in¬terest charges by obtaining the loanfrom the government instead of fromprivate institutions, an the govern¬ment's Interest rate, will be 3^ percent, as compared with a minimum ofJ pej; cent which Great Britain wouldhave had to pay on p. private loanI>iscuision of Great Britain's further

needs in the immediate future was con¬tinued at the conference among Secre¬tary McAdoo. Sir Cecil Spring Rice andI-iOid Cunliffe, and later at luncheonwith 1 lit- federal reserve board.

Spending' $8,000,000 Daily Here.Great Britain ig spending, it was rep¬

resented. approximately $8,000,000 a dayfor foodstuffs and munitions in theUnited States. Her needs, therefore, ap¬proximate $250,000,000 a month. Shouldthe government adopt a policy of col¬lecting the proceeds of the first bigbond issue by installments, coveringfour months, Great Britain's needs dur¬ing that period would be about $1,000,-000.000.From that sum, however, should be

deducted supplies at present purchasedby Great Britain on behalf of Italy andHussia. Preliminary reports on thisphase indicate that Great Britain'sneeds during the four months for her¬self alone would approximate $750,000,-000 and a sum of approximately' thatamount probably will be her share ofthe first bond isaue loaned the allies.

COMMITTEE ON DEFENSEIS COMPOSED OF WOMEN

An advisory committee on women'sdefense work, headed by Dr. AnnaHoward Shaw as chairman, has beenappointed by the council of nationaldefense to consider and advise how theassistance of the women of Americamay be made available in the prose¬cution of the war. The council in an¬

nouncing: the committee said it realizedthe inestimable value of women's con¬

tribution to national effort under mod¬ern war conditions.Other members are: Mrs. Philip N.

Moore of St. Louis, president of the Na-tional Council of Women; Mrs. JosiahE. Cowles of California, president ofthe General Federation of Women'sClubs; Miftfl Maude Wttmore of KhodeIsland, chairman of the National Leaguefor Woman's Service; Mrs. Carrie Chap¬man Catt of New York, president of theNationaJ American Woman SuffrageUrbanization; Mrs. Antoinette Funk ofIllinois, Mrs. Stanley McCormlck ofBoston; Mrs. Joseph R. Lamar of At¬lanta, Ga.. president of the NationalSociety of Colonial Dames, and MissIda M. Tarbell of New York, publicistand writer.The women were appointed as in-

dividuals, regardless of any organiza-tion with which they are associated.

INQUIRY INTO EGG STORAGE.

U. S. Attorney Also to InvestigateAlleged Price Manipulation.

CHICAGO, April 25..Following thestatement that approximately 36,000,000eggs were on railroad tracks here, an¬

nouncement was made today that in¬vestigations into the storage of eggsand the alleged manipulation of priceshad been put in motion by United StatesDistrict Attorney C. F. Clyne. Eighteenmillion eggs are said to have beenshipped into Chicago over one road yes¬terday and are being held here for re-consfgnnient to eastern cities.The price of eggs dropped one cent

a dozen yesterday.

RULERS PLEDGE FRIENDSHIP.

Kings of Denmark and Sweden Pro¬pose Toasts to Each Other.

LONDON. April 25..A Stockholm dls-patch says that.the kings of Denmarkand Sweden exchanged pledges offriendship at a banquet Tuesday night.King Gustave said in proposing a toastto his brother monarch that their sin¬cere friendship was Increasingly pre¬cious in the serious times in which theywere living.In his reply King Christian dwelt

upon the great importance to Denmarkand Sweden of the personal friendshipwhich existed between the rulers ofthe two countries.

Tammany "Wigwam" Offered U. S-NEW YORK, April 25..The Tam¬

many Hall "wigwam" on 14th streethas been offered to the government freeof charge for war service. The organi¬sation makes no specific suggestion asto what use might be made of the build¬ing, but it is pointed out that the coun¬cil room is large enough for drilling re¬cruits.

P. H. Sullivan Named for Congress.MANCHESTER, N.' H,, April 25..Pat-

rick H. Sullivan of this city was nomi¬nated as the party candidate for Con¬gress in the first New Hampshire dis¬trict at a special democratic conventionhere yesterday. The republicans willname a candidate today to oppose Mr.Sullivan in the election to fill the va¬

cancy caused by the death of Repre¬sentative Cyrus A. Sulloway.

U. S. SHIP SINKSA GERMANMAT

Captain of Mongolia Sure HisShip Destroyed

Submarine.

LONDON, April 25, 4:45 p.m..Capt. Rice of the Americansteamship Mongolia, which hasarrived at a British port, told theAssociated Press today that theMongolia had fired the first gunof the war for the United Statesand sunk a German submarine.The submarine. Capt. Rice said, was

about to attack the great liner in Brit¬ish waters on April 19. He declaredthere was absolutely no doubt that theU-boat was hit and that there was

every reason to believe it was destroy¬ed.The naval gunners on board made a

clean hit at 1,000 yards. The periscopewas seen to be shattered.

Oil Floated on Water.Even more pertinent a fact, as regards

the ultimate fate of the submarine, wasthat the shell disappeared immediatelyafter the hit was made. The captain stat¬ed that a shell always ricochets in thewaters/and can be seen again unless itfinds the mark. Oil also was seen in thewater after the submarine disappeared.The Mongolia was going at full speedand was a long distance away when thespray and foam tubsided, but from thebridge the officers observed the tpotthrough their glasses and they are con¬fident the submarine was sunk.

Mongolia Sailed April 7.NEW YORK. April 25..The American

steamship Mongolia, a vessel of 13,63stons, owned by the International Mer¬cantile Marine Company, left an Americanport for England April 7 on her secondtrip since Germany's submarine declara¬tion of February 1.

DIRECTORS OF ASSOCIATEDPRESS ELECT OFFICERS

NEW YORK. April 35..The board ofdirectors of the Associated Pre*s at ameeting, held here today, elected thefollowing officers for the ensuing year

President, Prank B. Noyes Wash¬ington. (D. C.) Star; first vice presi¬dent. Ralph H. Booth, Muskegon (Mich.)Chronicle; second vice president, E. P.Adler. Davenport, (Iowa) Times; sec¬retary and general manager. MelvilleE. Stone; assistant secretary and as¬sistant general manager, FrederickRoy Martin, and J. R. Youatt. treasurer.The following executive committee

was reelected: Frank B. Noyes. Wash¬ington (D. C.) Star; Adolph S. Ochs,New York Times; W. L. McLean. Phila¬delphia (Pa.) Bulletin; Victor F Law-son. Chicago (111.) Daily News; CharlesA. Rook, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Dispatch;Charles Hopkins Clark. Hartford(Conn.) Courant; Oswald Garrison Vil-lard. New York Evening Post.

GOLD LACE LAID ASIDEFOR PERIOD OF THE WAR

By official order today the Americanarmy went into service uniforms offield khaki and olive drab for the periodof the war. Full dress uniforms withtheir wealth of gold lace will be seen

only at White House ceremonies andoccasions specially designated.It is the custom of armies to put

aside full dress uniforms irt war time.

Leads in Army Recruiting.Pennsylvania took first place in regu¬

lar army recruiting yesterday, the day'stotal being 238 men accepted. Illinois,with 221. was second, after havingmaintained the lead ever tlnce the WarDepartment began issuing- dally bulle¬tins. All states reported a total of1,991 men accepted during yesterday,making 32,108 recruits obtained sinceApril 1.

r... <

Sim -¦

SENATOR REED ONE OF SPEAKERSAT "DRIVE" FOR RECRUITS TONIGHT

' Under the auspices of The Star a third "drive" forrecruits in the Marine Corps will be held tonight in frontof The Star building, weather permitting. There will bea concert by the entire Marine Band starting at 7:30o'clock, and following this will be addresses by SenatorJames A. Reed of Missouri, one of the foremost oratorsin the Senate; Maj. Henfy Leonard, U. S. M. C., retired,veteran of the Peking campaign; W. E. Cooper of Pitts¬burg, in "Uncle Sam" costume," and by Sergt. Charles B.Bayliss, U. S. M. C. Several reels of motion picturesare to be presented. r

HO VOTE IN SIGHTON THEMW BUI

Both Senate and House Still!Hope to End Debate

This Week.

MANY ANXIOUS TO SPEAK

The House and Senate resumed de¬bate today on the war army bill. Houseleaders hoped to reach a vote by Friday,but this appeared by no means certain,since more than sixty members stillwere to be heard, including SpeakerClark, who is scheduled to speak todayin opposition to a draft provision.In the Senate a similar situatfon ex¬

ists. Many senators want to expresstheir views on the bill before consent¬

ing to a vote, and leaders dislike to re¬sort to the new rule under which debateinay be limited. Chairman Chamber¬lain of the military committee expectsto ascertain sentiment in the Senate to¬day, however, on an agreement to set a

time for voting.List of Draft Advocates.

Members on the floor and visitors inth6 galleries broke into cheers at theoutset of debate in the House todaywhen Representative Huddleston ofAlabama, who opposes the selectivedraft, read a list of names of men who,he said, favored it.

f

Among them were Henry P. Davison,frank A. Vanderltp, Frank A. Munsey,Theodore N. Vail, Cornelius Vanderbilt,Ellhu Hoot and J. P. Morgan. Huddle¬ston also declared that most of thepleas for war and conscription camefrom members of such organizationsas the Harvard, Yale and Union Leagueclubs and not from the working peopleof the country."Everybody who is familiar with in¬

dustrial oppression and reaction in itsmost vicious form," he said, "will rec¬ognize the men named. They and theirassociates are the men who rule thenation. They rule it through theirnewspaper* and their wealth."Representative Bankhead of Alabama

followed Mr. Huddleston, declaringstrongly for conscription.

Question of Age.The question of the age of the men to

be conscripted was argued back and forthto considerable extent yesterday after-noon, many of the opponents of con¬scription making tearful pleas againsttearing the young boys of the countryaway from their mothers On the otherhand, it was argued that the volunteerplan allowed boys of eighteen to enlist,which would be one year younger thanany War Department plan yet offered.Representative Follette of Wash¬

ington delivered one of the bitterest anti-conscription speeches, and in it he said:"The President is reported as having

given as one of his reasons for advocat¬ing the selective conscription of boysbetween nineteea^and twentv-flve his de¬sire to 'catch the slackers.' Oh. my God!Now. we go ahead and conscript anarmy and as they pass along.going, manyof them, to a certain death.the publicmind questions 'How many of those areslackers?' Nineteen to twenty-five, justbegun to live, and called slackers bvthose who have lived and sinned feomtwice to thrice their span of life.''

Menfters Failed to Volunteer.Representative James of Michigan

caused a ripple of excitement in thedebate when he charged that many ofthe members now warmly supportingthe volunteer system were of militaryage in the Spanish war, an<J yet hadnot offered their services to the coun-

try. Representative Anthony of Kan¬sas. a pro-volunteer member, chargedthat conscription propaganda is beingfostered by munitions plant people.Representative Caldwell of New York,formerly opposed to conscription, an¬nounced he is now ready to vote for thedraft plan because he believes it is thequickest road to victory.Representative Anderson of Minnesota,

advocating the draft, told of his ownenlistment for the Spanish-Americanwar at the age of fifteen years. Hismother, an invalid, signed his papers, hesaid, when he told her he thought thecountry needed hiin.Representative I-enroot, Wisconsin,

declared the draft would do more thanthe volunteer system to "win this warin the shortest possible time, with theleast sacrifice of life." He said he be¬lieved his constituents would approvethat stand, but even if he believedotherwise his course would be the same,as in war time, when the existence ofthe republic was in danger, his firstduty was to his country and not to hisconstituents.

Democracy Threatened."We must fight autocracy in Germany

to preserve democracy in America." hesaid. "If the imperial German govern¬ment is victorious now. then we maylook forward to the possible destruc- jtion of our liberties here. I had hopedthat our war with Germany so far as

fighting is concerned, might be confinedto the sea. T still hope so. but we mustbe prepared to go further and do what¬ever may be necessary to win the war."Representative Gallivan of Massa¬

chusetts. speaking for the administra¬tion plans, said all Boston approved ofthe declaration that a state of warexisted with Germany, but that hefound, on examining into the enlist¬ments there that the Kelfys, the Burkesand the Sheas were almost alone rally¬ing to the colors."America." he said, "has been prompt

in offering its money; shall it be lessprompt in offering its men?"Representative Mondell. Wyoming,

supported the volunteer plan, and saidthe War Department had done every¬thing it could to discredit the volun¬teer establishment.

Effort to Reach Agreementfor a Vote in the SenatePlanned by Mr. Chamberlain

When the Senate began the fourthday's consideration of the army bill.Senator Chamberlain, chairman of themilitary committee, sought unanimousconsent for a vote tomorrow afternoon.Several senators thought that tooearly, and Senator Chamberlain with¬drew hi^ proposal, promising to re¬

submit it later this afternoon or to¬

morrow. He said he would be satis-fled if the final vote could be reachedSaturday."The whole preparation for the de¬

fense of the country is up in the airuntil Congress acts on thia bill," MidSenator Chamberlain.Senator Reed of Missouri made the

principal speech today in opposition toconscription, which he denounced asundemocratic and in violation of allAmerican traditions. Also he denied

(.Continued ou 8ccoa4 $*¦...)

GIGANTIC BATTLE <

NOW INTHIRDDAY,

Massed German ReservesHurled Against British in ?Bloody Counter Attacks. t1

HAIG GAINS MORE 1

GROUND FROM ENEMY

Pushes Ahead Between Ccjeul andScarpe Kivers.Advances on Can-

brai-St. ftuentin Front. *.-

One of the greatest and most bitterlycontested battles of the entire Marhas entered its third day on the Britishfront in France with the issue still indoubt. Massed German reserves :nebeing hurled forward in bloody coun¬ter attacks in a supreme effort to checkthe forward surge of Gen. Haig*khaki-clad troops. Some minor posi¬tions, trench lines and rubbish heapsdignified by the names of villages havebeen seized by the British, but tl eWotan line, their main objective* ctillis intact.In pushing the British offensive today

Gen. Sir Douglas Haig directed noattack along the front between theCojeul and Scarpe rivers. This is astretch of about three miles extendingroughly from Guemappe north toFampouz. almost directly east of Arras,where probably the most desperatefighting of the offensive has takenplace. Monchy-le-Preux lies withinthis area.

, ^*-Further German ground has beenseized by the British here, says toda>»official statement, and the gains ha*»been secured. ¦* I

More Than 3.000 Prisoners, l!The number* of prisoners taken

the British since the resumption of theattark In force on Monday are steadilyswelling and now have passed th®3,000 mark.South of the Arras battle front Oetu

Haig is eating bit by bit into th. German lines between cambrai and SUQThe* British front was moved torvara jtwo-thirds of a mile at one point lastnight south of the Bapaume-t ambratroad, where the little villa*- of Bllhein.southeast of the Havrincourt wood,was occupied.

Artillery Battle on Aisne.With the French armies along the

Aisne front and in the Champagne thebattle just now is confined mainly to

the artillery. The French are contin¬uing to make progress in local fight¬ing. however, and advances both In theVis'ne region and in the Champagne arereported by Tails. Several attacks bythe Germans near Tahure and Maisonade Champagne were readily repulsed,as were German reactions at points onthe Aisne front, notably on the \ au-

I clerc plateau west of Craonne.

Huge German Losses.Bv tli" Associated Press.LONDON. April 25..The correspond-

ents at liritisli headquarters emphasisethe immense losses the Germans suf¬fered in the last two days' fighting.One story says that a party of Ger¬mans. estimated at about at¬tempted to advance to attack from thedirection of the Hois Du Sant. but was

"absolutely knocked to bits by

BBetween Gavrelle and Hoeux two bat¬talions of Rhinelanders were massingfor a counter attack when caught bythe British artillery. One ha"1?1'""- "

cording to dispatches, is ben. \ e<l tohave been almost wiped out and tneother completely shattered.The numbers in which the Germans

advanced is said to have rendered themeasy targets for the artillei>."They came ori in masses ^r?m ^ }"

laae and wood," says a dispatch#"spreading into a seemingly solid un¬

broken line as they advanced.The Germaus engaged are reported

,o be almost entirely Bavarians andPomeranians, and a much finer lot ofmen than the generality of those tm-pl( ved in the earliest stages of thebattle "The enemy." says one corre¬spondent, "is certainly fighting hardernow than at any time this yeai.

Germans Realize Danger.Reuter's correspondent at British'

headquarters in France contrasts the'reckless prodigality with which theGermans are now throwing reserves ofmen and guns into the firing line withtheir previous prudence, and say* that

they clearly realise the full extent ofthe Anglo-French menace In theirwhole system of communications andarc desperately trying to counter thedanger. Continuing, the correspondent

Sa"Thev are throwing in their strate^ioreserves wholesale and are rushing upL., and ammunition which must beweakening some other point In theirlong-drawn armor. Since the ""mat.,began their retreat in the middle ofFebruary they have shown every de.sire to conserve man-power, but duringthe last thirty-six hours they hav.shown a complete recklessnss in re¬peating counter attacks in muss with¬out regard to the cost, which must beappalling.

Hard to Get Up Munitions"Our gunners by a constant fire Wl

the Arras-Douai railway are makinrit very difficult for the Germans to

bring up ammunition. The cutting ittlie St. Quentln canal also deprives th*enemy of one of his main line® of coiu«munication."The capture of Beaucami> nnd VIM

lers-i'loulch has given us a command¬ing position on the opposite elde of tli»railway to Gonnelieu. and strai«htena .

our front toward Marcoing, from which jwe now are about three miles distant. .

"One of the most striking featuresof the fighting is the sudden reasser-ttion of our dominance in the an. ^es-jterday we brought down forty German))airplanes, only two of our inaciuuu*.being missing." -i

One of Bloodiest Spots of War.From * Stall Correspondent of tile AnfcocUt*<l hM«<JBRITISH FRONT IN FRANCE. April J

S6 via London. 1:60 p.m..The towu i f'Mouchy le Preux. which lies about fivemilee east of Ar-ras. wtll stand out inhistory as one of the bloodiest spots oCthe world war. The lighting north,and south of this little Artoto vilhycfrI M fulfill upon a high kooU, has exceeded.Stotensity aay of the IndiUdual stru*._i.i ^ the Bomme.' the