liability to service, with subsequent increments of equal force. The Senate on April 4th and the House on April 6th passed resolutions declaring that a state of war existed with Germany.

In the middle of April both houses passed a bill authorizing the loan of $7,000,000,000 bond and note issue, the biggest war loan ever attempted by any nation. Three billion dollars of this was to be loaned to the Entente nations.

Affairs now were fast shaping themselves throughout the country for a state of war. Plans were rapidly being formulated for the raising of the large army and increasing the navy to capacity service. A Committee on Public Information was appointed by the President to serve as a Censor Board. The Council of National Defense appointed a Munition Board, and also a Committee on Food Supply and Prices. Throughout the country there grew a wide realization of the necessity of conserving resources and cutting down waste.

Turkey severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 20th. On April 21st, the British Mission to America, of which Foreign Secretary Arthur J. Balfour was head, arrived in the United States. Three days later, the French Mission arrived. At its head were ex-Premier Viviani and Marshall Joffre. Both commissions were received with great enthusiasm by this country. It was felt that the United States could profit by the mistakes already made by its allies in its own preparations.

United States destroyers under Admiral Sims began to co-operate with the Allies in the war zone beginning May 4th. The President appointed a mission to Russia at the head of which was Elihu Root. In the meantime, Foreign Minister of Russia Milyu

koff resigned and was succeeded by Mr. Kerensky, the strong man of Russia, and soon to become the premier.

On May 18th the President signed the Conscription Bill. The National Army was to supplement the Regular Army and the National Guard; all men between the ages of 21 and 30 inclusive, were to be registered on June 5th. From an estimated 10,000,000 registrations, the first contingent of 500,000 men was to be selected for training. The President announced that a division of regular troops (25,000) would proceed to France as soon as was practicable, under command of Major General Pershing

On June 5th, Conscription Day, about 10,000,000 men between the ages of 21 and 30 inclusive registered for war service. Nowhere was there any report of serious trouble.

On June 15th the subscription books closed for the $2,000,000,000 Liberty Loan. The loan was oversubscribed by $800,000,000; but the Secretary of the Treasury announced that only the prescribed sum would be used.

The President appointed a War Council to co-operate with the American Red Cross. The Red Cross made a strenuous campaign throughout the country for financial support and concentrated on the third week in June. The sum desired was $100,000,000 and was easily secured.

In the meantime Congress was giving more and more power to the Executive. The Council of National Defense co-operated with the Secretaries of the Navy and the Army. Congress passed a bill authorizing the expenditure of $600,000,000 for aerial preparedness.

The Government, too, while preparing to send men who were trained and who would be of service at the

front was loaning money to the various governments. General Pershing and a large number of troops landed in Europe and were given a wonderful greeting. These American troops were to be trained for immediate entry into the field of operations.

Race riots occurred in East St. Louis, Ill., due to the importation of negroes from the South to do the work that had been done before by immigrants. Twenty-nine persons, of whom twenty-five were negroes were killed, scores were injured and three hundred houses burned to the ground. Similar race riots occurred in Chester, Pa.

Congress passed a bill which prohibited the use of any food or feeds in the production of distilled liquors and also forbade the importation of distilled liquors from foreign countries.

On Friday, July 20th, Secretary of War Baker conducted the drawing of 10,500 numbers in the lottery for the national draft. The numbers that were drawn first were those of the men who would be summoned first for military service. In this way 687,000 eligible recruits were secured.

Trouble raised by the Industrial Workers of the World (I. W. W.) throughout industrial and farm sections brought about action on the part of the legal authorities, in many such localities. In Bisbee, Arizona, the lawless conduct of these agitators who were terrorizing all who attempted to run the copper mines, was met by equally lawless action on the part of the authorities. Without legal formality the agitators were forced to leave Bisbee and no provision was made for them elsewhere until they were taken in hand by the United States Army and given temporary quarters at Columbus, New Mexico. Flat River, Missouri, a mob of native American laborers forced some 700 aliens to leave the lead min

At

ing districts. Their grievance was that the employers were discharging Americans and putting aliens in their places at lower wage rates.

President Wilson approved the formation of a War Industries Board of seven members to have supervision of our national provisions of munitions, food and navy supplies. At the head of this board he placed Frank A. Scott, the then chairman of the Munitions Board.

Plans came to a successful head for a system of indemnity insurance as arranged by the Treasury Department. This would do away with much of the pension graft, which had always been the result of previous wars.

"The whole proposition is based on the fundamental idea that the Government should, as a matter of justice and humanity, adequately protect its fighting men on land and sea and their dependent families. It aims to hearten the families of the men who go to the front and at the same time to give to our soldiers and sailors the comforting assurance that whatever may be their fate, their loved ones at home will not be left dependent upon charity. It is proposed to impose on the public treasury the obligation of indemnifying justly the men who have entered, or are about to enter, the American Army and Navy to fight in the cause of liberty. With our men on the soil of France and hundreds of thousands of others about to enter the service of their country, the question is one of justice and fairness and the plan should be as liberal as it is possible for a just and generous republic to make.

"Under the plan discussed it is suggested that provisions be made for the support of dependents of soldiers and sailors by giving them an allotment out of the pay of the men; and also an allowance by the

Government; that officers and men be indemnified against death or total or partial disability; that a system of rehabilitation and re-education of disabled men be inaugurated; and that the Government insure the lives of sailors and soldiers on their application at rates of premium based upon ordinary risks."

Throughout the country considerable agitation was raised by pacifists, I. W. W. and German sympathizers. This took the form of propaganda of peace. Many of these people were earnest in their desire for peace, but many took the cry of peace as a means to further lawless ends or to help the enemy. The Government felt strongly that such agitation was helping the enemy in that it discouraged conscription and patriotism. For that reason the Department of Justice took severe steps to discourage anything that had the semblance of "aiding the enemy."

In the meantime the President had taken a firm stand to have one man in absolute control of the food supply who should be known as the Food Controller and whose duties would be to hold the prices down, eliminate as far as possible all waste and intensify the growth of crops and other food. The members of Congress desired that a committee be put in charge of this important work and many of the members felt that altogether too much power was vested in the Executive. However, the bill was passed as the President desired, and Herbert C. Hoover, who had been the head of the Belgian relief work and who was also in charge of the food propaganda up to this time, was appointed by the President.

At this time race riots occurred in Texas, where colored troops stationed there for training became mutinous and killed several of the officers and citizens of Houston, Texas. They were quickly con