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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. From Berlin yesterday a dispatch said: Chancellor von Iiethmann-Ilollwegs address to the main ecmmittee of the roichstag, which had been awaited eagerly because of the semiofficial announcement that lie would make important statements, was delivered today. The chancellor presented a new version of events in the last days before the outbreak of the war. The chancellor referred to the situation on July 30, two days before Germany declared war on Russia. The German ambassador at Vienna had been instructed to request Austria-Hungary most urgently to reach an understanding with Russia, making it clear that Germany did not desire to be drawn into a world war in consequence of disregard of her advice. Austria-Hungary agreed to Germanys suggestion, lie said. "With this," the chancellor continued, "compare the following steps taken by Lord Grey l.ritisli foreign secretary: On July 2, 1914, the Russian ambassador at London said that German and Austro-IIungarian circles were under the impression that England would remain quiet. Lord Grey replied: This impression is removed by the orders which we gave to the main fleet. On July 29, lie informed the French ambassador of a. confidential warning which had been given to our ambassador in London that Germany ought to be prepared for quick decisions by Kngland, which meant Englands participation in the war. Could 1-iord Grey suppose that such a disclosure made to the French ambassador would be of service to the cause of peace V Was not the French representative obliged to consider this disclosure as a promise of armed assistance in case of war? Must not France have been encouraged by this to give to Russia a promise of the unconditional fellowship ii war, asked for so urgently for clays? And must Russia not have been strengthened to the utmost by this certainty of a British and French alliance ii: her intentions to wage war? The Russian answer to the morning conversation of Ixml Grey, indeed, came as quickly as was expected. On the r veiling of the same clay, July 29, SI. Sasonoff, Russian foreign minister, instructed the Russian ambassador at Paris to express to the French government sincere thanks for the declaration given to him by the French ambassador that Russia could count completely upon the assistance of France." From Concord, Now Hampshire, a late dispatch said: New Hampshire, complete, but only partly certified to the secretary of state, gives Hughes 43.732; Wilson, 4.1,849. Wilsons plurality, 117. Discovery of errors in official reports was a factor in revising the lead which Hughes had last night. The complete figures are based on certified returns to the secretary of state from 210 precincts of a total of 294, added to press returns from fifty-four precincts. The secretary is checking up the press returns with those certified as the latter come in. Two precincts, which were missing until this afternoon, gave 11 votes for Hughes and 7 for Wilson. Certified returns give Hughes, 37,701!; Wilson, 30,-793. For the remainder of the state the secretary of state has only press reports and it was upon the certified returns combined with the press reports tiiat the Wilson plurality was placed at 117. The republicans do not concede the state. 1hilip H. Faulkner, chairman of the republican state committee, issued the following statement today: Claim that New Hampshire lias gone for Wilson i.5 unsubstantiated by any returns in our possession. Fully 40 per cent of the town clerks throughout the state have rendered no official returns of the rote, but such unofficial figures as we have, verified in every quarter of the state, indicate that Mr. Hughes has carried New Hampshire by something less than 100 plurality. We have well fortified information of irregularities in the counting of votes in many quarters, anil we have today instituted proceedings for an inspection of all the votes cast in the state, as our law provides. George A. Fairbanks of Newport, one of the Hughes presidential electors, is the petitioner in this action, and we expect to have the New Hampshire ballots in the hands of the secretary of state by the close of another day. The council committee on local transportation, seven of whose members also belong to the committee on railway termiuals, left Chicago yesterday morning on the Manhattan Limited for a ten-day tour of eastern cities. A comprehensive study of transportation problems is to be made in Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Cleveland. The aldermen believe that when they return to Chicago, in ten days, they will have gathered a mass of valuable information that will be of benefit to Chicagos transportation problems. The results of the visit to the eastern cities will be embodied in a report that is to be submitted to the council by the special traction and subway commission within a. few weeks. This report, among other things, Is expected to recom mend subways in some sections of the city, additions to the elevated systems and other improvements of great importance to the citizens of Chicago. The aldermen also intend to make a complete study of elctrified railway terminals, so that they will be able, from the information they gain, to begin a final and successful assault upon the Illinois Central railroad to make it install this improvement. Yesterday afternoon the political situation, as expressed by the conflicting claims of the rival party lenders, stood about as follows: How Democrats figure victory: Wilson. Hughes. In Doubt. Solid South 175 ... Solid East except New Hampshire 140 ... Nineteen Western States . . 70 103 Total Aotes Sure 251 243 California probably 13 Minnesota ... 12 North Dakota probably .. 5 New Mexico ... 3 New Hampshire ... 4 209 243 19 Necessary to a choice, 200. The Republican view of it: AVilson. Hughes. In Doubt. Solid South 175 Solid East except New Hampshire 140 ... Nineteen Western States .. 70 103 Total Votes Sure 251 213 California 13 Minnesota 12 ... North Dakota 5 New Mexico 3 ... New Hampshire 4 251 280 ... Necessary to a choice, 200. Is it possible the vote of the soldiers on the border will decide the presidency? There are 4,000 Minnesota guardsmen in service. Their vote on the president was taken on Tuesday under a special act of the legislature. These returns have been mailed back to their homo state and will not be counted for several days. With the Wilson-Hughes contest wavering near a tie, it may be the soldier vote will decide to -which man the states twelve electoral votes shall go. Figures from the war department show that there are 1,375 national guardsmen from New Hampshire on the border. From Idaho there are 1.17S infantrymen. California has on border duty only 400. New Mexico has on the bonier a total of 1,109 men. Oregon lias a total of 250. West Virginia has 1,058. All of these states are close on the presidency. Sir William Henry Dunn was installed lord mayor of the City of London yesterday, in succession to Sir Charles Cheers Wakefield. The usual formalities having been carried out at the Guildhall, the new lord mayor, accompanied by his predecessor, the sheriffs, aldermen and councillors of the City of London, went in their picturesque costumes to the law courts, -where the oatli was administered by the lord chief justice. Then followed the customary lord mayors procession through the streets of London. The show this year was largely of a military character and was enthusiastically cheered by the thousands of spectators who lined the streets. A late San Francisco dispatch said: Louis H. Mooser, member of the democratic state central committee and vice-chairman of the speakers committee of the -national democratic committee, issued the following statement in behalf of O. K. Cushing, chairman of the democratic state central committee: "We have California. We are absolutely positive. Mr. Cushing is checking up my figures, made throughout the night, and so far has found them correct. These figures show we have the state. Conceding that Los Angeles county gives Hughes a 22,000 lead, Ave will still carry California for Wilson by at least 500 votes." Alvin T. Hert, republican western campaign manager, closeted in his suite in the Congress Hotel with Ihirold L. Ices and others receiving private election returns, was unwilling to concede anything yesterday afternoon. Manager Hert and his aids claim the doubtful states of California, New Hampshire, New Mexico and North Dakota. They insist they are out of the woods in Minnesota and that it will go for Hughes anywhere from 5,000 to 0.000. They calculate Hughes can win without California. The Minnesota figure was set by former Governor Eberhart of that state, who was at the Congress Hotel with Mr. Hert. Charles E. Hughes lead over President Wilson was slightly reduced by belated ollicial returns received at Indianapolis yesterday. With only 237 out of the 3,143 precincts missing, the republican nominee had a margin of 8.-1S7. Tiie totals were: Hugos, 319,993; Wilson, 311,.r.00. The republican candidates for governor and United States senator still hold good leads over their opponents. For governor 2,812 precincts give Goodrich 311,535 and Adair 290,307. Returns from 2,74S precincts for United States senator save New 304,853; Kern, 290,033; Watson, 303,100; Taggart, 289,824. The Belgian government has decided to protest to neutral governments against the deportation of Belgians and their alleged employment at forced labor in German factories and in military work at Verdun. The documentary bureau of the Belgian minister of war, in making this announcement, says the government has positive information that 15,000 Belgian men and a number of French civilians forcibly were taken between October 15 and 24 from various parts of Belgium, the two Flanders, and the regions of Tournai and Mons. Returns on the election for members of congress today showed 212 democrats and 203 republicans elected, with sixteen districts not yet accounted for. Seven of these sixteen districts are democratic in the present congress and nine are republican. Should eacli keep to its present political altiliation the count would stand, democrats 219, republicans 212, which would give the democrats a majority of three over the 212 republicans and four representatives of other parties in the house. Nine ranking officers of the navy, headed by Admiral Henry T. Mayo, commander of the Atlantic fleet, were appointed by Secretary Daniels yesterday as the board of selection authorized by the last naval bill, directing that officers in the grades of commander, captain and roar admiral of the line of the navy hereafter be promoted by selection and not by seniority. The board will hold its first meeting here December 2, next. Coal men at Dulutli, Minn., yesterday abandoned all hope that the present reserve of coal would supply the Northwests demand for the coming winter. Ports there and at Superior furnish nearly all the Northwests coal. Their admission of their inability to get sufficient coal while navigation was open is fair evidence that there will be a coal shortage when thermometers register around fifty below zero. The British steamer Esneh, of 1995 tons, which sailed from Alexandria, Egypt, on October 24 with a cargo of cotton for Liverpool, has been torpedoed and sunk, according to private advices received at Boston yesterday from Alexandria. The Esneh. owned by the Moss Steamship Company, Ltd., of Liverpool, carried about 15,000 bales of cotton valued at 2,000,000, the greater part of which was intended for transshipment to Boston. Gen. Venustiano Carrauza announced to the Associated Press yesterday that he would not resign as first chief because of his candidacy for the presidency of the republic. He said, however, that if he regarded it as advisable he would withdraw from his ollicial post just before the constitutional elections. Gen. Carranza added that up to the present time the relations between Mexico and the United States had not been strained. Announcement was made at Ottawa, Ont., Tuesday by the Grand Trunk railway system that the award of the board of conciliation granting an increase of pay to the maintenance of way employes of the system in Canada had been accepted. The award gives the men an increase of 25 cents a clay, and foremen 20 cents. About 2,300 employes are affected. The bureau of the census cotton report yesterday shows 8,019,003 bales, counting round as half bales ginned from the growtli of 1910 to November 1, compared with 7,378,SS0 for 1915. Round bales included this year are 153.G9S, campared with 03,577 for 1915. Sea Island included S0.310 for 1910, 55.3G2 for 1915. Prince Henry of Bavaria, nephew of King Louis, is reported from Munich to have died from wounds received on a reconnoitering trip on November 7. Prince Henry was 32 years old and a major in the Bavarian Guards. He was reported to have been wounded on the battlefield last June. The prince was unmarried. Hughes lead .in Oregon continued to grow as the returns became more detailed yesterday afternoon. Six Oregon counties complete and twenty-nine incomplete, including Multnomah Portland, showed: Hushes, 111,277; Wilson, 103,830. Hughes lead was 7,447. Returns from 1,400 precincts out of 1.713 in West Virginia for president give: Hughes, 119.039; Wilson, 116,989., .Returns irom 751 out of 1,713 precincts in West Virginia on the suffrage amendment: 31,100 for; 02,950 against. Hughes bettered his lead approximately 100 votes When 2,825 precincts out of 3,024 in Minnesota had reported; the count being: Wilson, 173.S05; Hughes, 174,459. Charges that attempts were being made to tamper with the ballot boxes in a number of precincts in western North Dakota were laid before United States District Attorney Hildreth at Fargo yesterday afternoon by United States Marshal S. J. Doyle. Mr. Hildreth said lie would begin tin investigation immediately. Five thousand, five hundred and thirty precincts out of 5.870 in California give Hughes 450,020, Wilson 453,07S. Wilsons plurality, 3,058.
