31 Jul 1917
Page 1
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Newspaper
Anniston Evening Star
Location
Anniston, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Jul 31, 1917
Page
1
Washington reports that Balfour signals Austria could seek a separate peace if desertion from Germany occurs. Officials say U S stance unchanged. Rome notes Italian socialists demand not spending another year in the trenches. government uncertain on acceptance. Calhoun County boards verify numbers. exams start next week. Crowder notes exemptions will be strict with industrial exemptions nearly none.
German forces crossed the Zbrucz river near Tarnopol and advanced five miles into Russian territory. Berlin reports say Russian resistance fails to stem the advance as Kerensky consolidates military power.
About 250 carloads of lumber have reached Anniston for Camp McClellan, with deliveries at about 25 cars daily and expected to rise as more workers join. Five miles of iron pipe from Anniston is also arriving, along with shop supplies for camp labor. Local dealers secure profitable contracts to haul these materials, triggering railroad staffing boosts for two to three months. Separately, Russian and Romanian fronts report heavy fighting as German advances occur and border tensions near Hungary rise.
In London on July 31, Balfour warned that peace with Germany would be only the first chapter of a new war. He noted Austro-Hungary might break from Germany if peace terms were satisfactory.
In Athens July 31 opponents of the selective draft held a Mass meeting at Bold Springs Franklin county jeering loyal citizens who warned against unpatriotic acts The gathering part of Georgia demonstrations against the law US commissioner and deputy squad present helped prevent violence A fund of 1200 to test constitutionality will go to Thomas Be Watson of Thomason Most attendees were older men beyond the draft ages.
About 300 residents met in Augusta Georgia to approve resolutions opposing the selective draft. The gathering outlined opposition strategies and urged local officials to pursue protections for draftees.
Montgomery reports that in most Alabama counties preparations are underway to start physical examinations of men listed in the first World War draft. Officials have the master draft lists and will schedule examinations, with exemptions possible only upon proof. failure to appear forfeits exemption rights.
Local draft board sorted 3921 Calhoun county names drawn from a Washington bowl, placing numbers under 3922 in order and verifying cards with names and addresses. Sheriff Border will notify the first 274 men to appear for examination at the courthouse, with physical exams starting mid next week in a room adjoining the county court.
A fund of $200 was subscribed to test the constitutionality of the law.
At a special Anniston Chamber of Commerce meeting the extension of Alabama Power lines to Camp Mc Clellan was the main topic. General Manager Walmsley was invited for a Wednesday conference, with shuttle service by Southern Railway also to be revisited. A Bell Telephone service improvement was urged, and War Department official Joseph Keating praised local wartime plans while promising permanent presence.
Washington reports West Virginia two infantry regiments will camp at Hattiesburg Mississippi along with Indiana and Kentucky guards instead of Montgomery. The Montgomery camp will now host only Ohio troops, according to today's announcement.
President Wilson indicated after an informal conference that he would veto the food control bill if it reached him with a war conduct committee and food control board amendments included. He spoke on July 31 at Washington, signaling opposition to those changes.
The county jury commission began its annual overhaul of the county lists with many farmers moving since the last list. Vacancies arise as residents relocate to northern states and to Ohio, with a notable migration of both white and black farmers. Commission members are W. A. Orr J. W. Harris and A. J. Tarvin.
The ship ping board may sign contracts for a fleet of practically unsinkable cargo ships. Plans describe vessels based on tank steamer design adaptable to any cargo. With small changes they could become orthodox tank steamers and resist catastrophic torpedo blows, limiting flooding to a single compartment.
Thomas E. Sparks of Anniston, son of J. M. Sparks now near Oxford, serves in France with the Annexforce 26th U S Infantry. In a July 4 letter from somewhere in France he notes good health, ample food, and soldiers enjoying themselves, with a basic contact address for men in the army.
Montgomery July 1 Special Alex EB Walker state superintendent of banks traveled to Russellville to attend the trial of Y M Quinn former manager of the Russellville branch of the Tennessee Valley Bank indicted on converting bank funds. Walker will also be present at the trial of Richard Richeson bookkeeper of the Citizens Bank and Savings Company accused of converting about 1400 dollars to his own use.
A fragment notes the number of their regiment and company and marks the entry as care of Amexforce in Paris. The readable portion preserves the military unit reference and the Paris mailing designation.
Atlanta endures the fiercest heat wave in memory with record swelter. Citizens report sleepless nights on sleeping porches as usual breezes vanish and downtown towers feel like furnaces.
Reports from Petrograd indicate a drift toward dictatorship with Kerensky backing stronger military authority. A Moscow army conference is seen as significant, signaling shifts in control during the Russian upheaval. Western front news from London notes a British French offensive north of the Lys, with rapid advances and many prisoners taken.
British forces pounded German lines in West Flanders while French troops launched a new offensive along the Aisne river. The attack extended over 1,500 yards and was declared a complete success by the war office with several prisoners reported captured.
In Waco on July 31 army officers prepared for a general investigation into clashes last night between city police and riotous Negro troopers of the Twenty Fourth United States Infantry. Colonel Cress, inspector general of the southern department, arrived to oversee and will forward a report to Washington. Negro soldiers alleged to have taken part were confined at the military camp and no further disorder was expected.
Investigations by the state laboratory found a Sheffield dog that bit two people last week was afflicted with hydrophobia. Those bitten are ordered to report to the pasteur institute for treatment at once.
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