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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY Agreement on a time limit to be fixed for state ratification is the only step remaining to complete congressional action on the federal prohibition amendment unproved by the Senate last August and passed the House by a vote of 282 to 12S. The House form of the resolution, which allows three-fourths of the state legislatures seven years to ratify the amendment instead of the Senate time provision of six, was sent to the Senate yesterday, where leaders had assurances the seven-year-period would be approved. The German and Austrian foreign ministers. Dr. von Kuelilmann and Count Czernin, have notified Leon Trotzky, the Bolsheviki foreign minister, that they are on the way to Brest-Litovsk to begin negotiations for a "general European peace." The Petrograd newspapers say Trotzky has notified the allied embassies that the armistice lias reached definite results and that peace negotiations will begin, and has asked them to participate or to state whether they wish peace or not. Snow has fallen heavily on the British front in France and only small isolated raids have occupied the infantry during the past twenty-four hours. The gunners on both sides are active. Except for artillery work there has been no activity on the French front from St. Quentin to Alsace. In upper Alsace the French have repulsed a German attack near Aspach Le Bas. The governors mansion at Sacramento, Cal., was partially wrecked by the explosion of a bomb late last night. The governor and his family, who were asleep in the house, escaped injury. Without a clew to guide them, police and state officials are making a rigid investigation. Two men were seen fleeing from the liou.se after the explosion. Investigation of the delays in building the American merchant marine by the shipping board and emergency fleet corporation was ordered yesterday by the Senate, which rushed through a resolution offered by Senator Harding of Ohio, after vigorous criticism by several senators of the failure to produce ships. Ambassador Fletcher arrived in Washington yesterday from Mexico and conferred with Secretary Lansing preliminary to participation in the conference between Luis Cabrera and other Mexican commissioners with the war exports board regarding export of food, principally corn, to Mexico. Former Premier Kerensky has been elected a member of the constituent assembly from the province of Samra, it was learned yesterday. The latest advices from the interior show that the revolutionary Socialists have a lead over the Bolshevik! candidates for the assembly. A vote on the woman suffrage amendment in the House on Thursday. January 10, was virtually assured yesterday when the rules committee of the House agreed on that date. A trial vote showed seven more thaii two-thirds of the members in favor of the amendment.
