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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. Shirkers who sought to dodge military service by marriage are bowled over by a ruling of Provost Marshal General Crowder. This ruling is now in the hands of Major B. M. Chiperficld, the official representative of the provost marshal in Chicago. The wedding altar is to be no refuge for the trenches, and the hundreds who rushed to the marriage license office in order to avoid serving their country cannot escape. The local boards were instructed that they may well hold that a recent marriage, especially by a registrant after he lias been called for examination, does not create a status of dependency justifying exemption. Service is not to be evaded by a claim in such cases that the wife depends for her sustenance and support upon her husband. France must win peace by force of arms or its people will become the slaves of Germany, Premier Ribot declared in an impassioned speech in the chamber of deputies yesterday. We wish peace, but peace sincere and honorable," Premier Ribot said. "What would peace made today be? We should renounce Alsace-Loraine and be compelled ourselves to restore the destroyed provinces. Ruined France, which deserves to march at the head of civilization, would be allowed to live, but beside us would be the formidable bloc of the central empires, wheh would be the true masters. Alms would be given to Belgium; we should be made slaves." Big offensive operations in the Balkans against Teutons will come soon, allied agents at Washington said jpsterday. This development is a result of recentN conferences here and abroad among allied diplomats and bears more or less directly on Italys recent demands for more active work against Austria. Italys irritation had subsided to a marked degree today. Russia has sided with her in the demand that the United States declare war on Austria and apparently the other entente nations have told Italy that there will be no immediate separate peace with Austria the things Italy opposed. The war department tax bill, increased from ,072,000,000 to approximately ,002,000,000. virtually was completed yesterday by the senate finance committee and will be reported to the senate today or Monday. In preparing the final draft, the committee reduced the tax on beer twenty-five cents a barrel to .50 a barrel, in addition to the tax under the present law and increased rates on wines to about double the present taxes and estimated to yield 7,000,000 additional. Germany had possession of Austrias ultimatum to Serbia fourteen hours before it was delivered to Belgrade, according to positive information which lias reached officials at Washington and which was made public yesterday for the first time. It was stated that former Foreign Secretary Zimmerman admitted this himself when pressed closely as to Germanys foreknowledge of the action of her ally which precipitated the European war. The story of the rescue of eleven Mexican women and children from almost certain death on the barren Clipperton island, a coral atoll G50 miles off the Mexican coast, was related yesterday by members of the rescued party, who were landed at Salina Cruz by an American gunboat. They were the survivors of more than 100 colonists, who left for the island in February 1914. The remainder died from scurvey or were drowned. The cost of drafting Americas first great national army from registration to enrollment was placed by Secretary Baker yesterday at ,060,480 in his estimates to congress. This amount includes all overhead expense of registration, examination and selection. It is based on a registration for 10,-000,000 men, the examination of approximately 5,-000,000 and the enrollment of 1,187,000. The second Liberty Loan for ,000,000,000 will be launched November 15, treasury officials at Washington said yesterday. Before that time it is planned to issue nearly a billion dollars in treasury short time certificates to meet immediate needs. The first ,000,000,000 raised by the Liberty Loan approached exhaustion today when ,500,000 was loaned to Belgium. The imperative need of ships in the transatlantic service was disclosed yesterday in indications that the shipping board is preparing to commandeer all American tonnage and in an order issued bv President Wilson which has the effect of cutting off steel exports to Japan unless Japanese vessels are diverted to war uses. The provisional government at Petrograd has refused to acknowledge Finlands indenendence law and instead lias issued a manifesto dissolving the landstag and appointing a general election on October 1, declaring that the government when the landstag meets, will submit its own law regulating Russo-Finnish relations. Emperor William, according to an Associated Press dispatch of yesterday, telegraphed to Crown Prince Ruppreclit of Bavaria his congratulations on the great success of the German fourth army July 31, "whereby the vehement Anglo-French attack inrended to conquer the coast of Flanders failed." Although convinced that action could be forced in the house at once on the Sheppard national prohibition resolution, which was passed by the Senate Thursday, the dry forces decided yesterday to seek the line of least resistency and await the December session of Congress before pressing the measure. Approximately 20,000 persons have been arrested thus far in the United States by agents of the Department of Justice for refusing to register on June 5, in accordance with the terms of the draft act. Most of those arrested, it became known today, have been convicted and are serving sentences. Officials of thirty-five treveling salesmens organizations, representing C0O.O0O men, pledged themselves to the food administration at Washington yesterday to one wlieatless and meatless meal every day. A state of siege has been declared in the whole Greek department of Attica, including Athens and Piraeus, according to a dispatch from Athens to the Exchange Telegraph Company. A London cablegram of yesterday says that eight naval gunners were lost when the American tank steamer Motano was sunk by a submarine. Sixteen members of the crew also perished. The American schooner John nays Hammond has been sunk by the gunfire of a German submarine. All members of the schooners crew were saved.
