progress of the republic. The United States was confident of its ability to work out its own destiny, and did not seek any part in directing the destiny of the Old World. "We do not mean to be entangled. We will accept no responsibility except as our own conscience and judgment in each instance may determine.'

CABINET. The following members of the cabinet were nominated and promptly confirmed by the Senate in special session: Secretary of State, Charles Evans Hughes of New York; Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew W. Mellon of Pennsylvania; Secretary of War, John W. Weeks of Massachusetts; Secretary of the Navy, Edwin Denby of Michigan; Secretary of Commerce, Herbert C. Hoover of California; Secretary of Labor, James J. Davis of Indiana; Secretary of Agriculture, Henry C. Wallace of Iowa; Secretary of the Interior, Albert B. Fall of New Mexico; Attorney-General, Harry M. Daugherty of Ohio; Postmaster-General, Will H. Hays of Indiana.

DIPLOMATIC SERVICE. The following diplomatic appointments were made early in the administration, and confirmed by the Senate: Ambassador to Great Britain, George Harvey; Ambassador to France, Myron T. Herrick; Ambassador to Italy, Richard Washburn Child; Minister to Chile, William M. Collier; Minister to China, Jacob Gould Schurman; minister to Roumania, Peter Augustus Jay; Minister to Salvador, Montgomery Schuyler. A new regulation was announced, March 24, requiring the dismissal from the diplomatic service of all non-American attachés. In the autumn eight new diplomatic appointments were made, namely, Lewis Einstein of New York, Minister to Czecho-Slovakia; Edward E. Brodie of Oregon, Minister to Siam; Charles L. Kagey of Kansas, Minister to Finland; Roy Davis of Missouri, Minister to Guatemala; Charles S. Wilson of Maine, Minister to Bulgaria; Dr. John Glover South of Kentucky, Minister to Panama; John E. Ramer of Colorado, Minister to Nicaragua; Willis C. Cook of South Dakota, Minister to Venezuela. See above under Embassies and Legations of the United States.

UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD. The special House Committee appointed to investigate the activities of the United States Shipping Board made its report, March 2. In this it was recommended that the duties of the Shipping Board should be transferred to an executive department. As to the work of the Board as a whole, the Committee commended it, saying that in respect to the number of ships built and the time within which they were delivered, it was the most remarkable achievement in shipbuilding ever accomplished. While the Committee reported a certain amount of waste, it believed this was due to war conditions. The committee recommended that the surplus ships should be sold without delay. See SHIPPING.

RAILROAD LABOR BOARD. On April 14 the Railroad Labor Board ordered the abrogation of the labor agreements which defined the working conditions on the railroads that had been under Federal control. This decision involved the reference of disputes over rules and working conditions to a conference between each road and its employIn arguments before the Railroad Labor Board presented by the railroad unions on the one hand and the operators on the other it was charged by the former that the roads had suffered

ees.

serious loss owing to poor equipment and extravagant management, while the latter claimed that the bad financial conditions of the roads was due to the large increases in wages. The Railroad Labor Board decided on June 1 to order a reduction in wages by an average of 12 per cent to go into effect July 1. This affected thirty-one labor organizations in the employ of over one hundred railroads, and was said to reduce the annual pay rolls of the roads by about $400,000,000. See RAILWAYS.

TREATY WITH GERMANY. For an account of the disputes over the question of a separate treaty with the Central Powers, see preceding issues of the YEAR BOOK. The long-standing discussion of this subject brought out strenuous opposition in both political parties to a separate peace with Germany, which was held to be an act of infidelity to the Allies. These objections, however, gradually disappeared and in August the treaty was framed and submitted to Germany. It was signed at Berlin August 25, the American representative being Mr. Ellis Loring Dresel. The text of the treaty was then made public. It was not long because it was based on other documents to which it referred, namely, the armistice of Nov. 11, 1918, the Treaty of Versailles, June 28, 1919, and the joint resolution declaring the end of the war, passed by Congress and approved by President Harding, July 2, 1921. The last-named resolution expressly reserved to the United States and its citizens whatever rights or advantages had been accorded to them by the armistice, by the Versailles Treaty, or as the result of the war. Germany accepted in the treaty the reservations of this joint resolution and the applications of the sections or paragraphs of the Versailles Treaty to which reference is made. The treaty declares that the United States is not bound by any of the provisions of the Versailles Treaty that relate to the League of Nations, or committed by any subsequent actions of the League unless the United States should expressly give its assent; and that while the United States was privileged to take part in the work of the Reparations Commission, it was under no obligations to do so. treaty was signed just after the beginning of the recess of Congress which ended September 21.

The

THE SIMS CONTROVERSY. The history of the dispute arising from the charges made by Admiral Sims against the policy of the Navy Department during the war was recounted in the last YEAR Book. The testimony taken in the various hearings before the Senate Naval Committee was voluminous and the decision was not rendered until July, 1921. There were majority and minority reports expressing opposed views. The majority report censured severely the former Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Daniels, ex-President Wilson, and Admiral Benson, former chairman of the United States Shipping Board. As to Admiral Sims' principal charge that administrative delays caused the loss of half a million lives and fifteen billion dollars, the majority report said that it was impossible to escape the conclusion that but for these delays the American Expeditionary Forces might have won the victory earlier than they did. The report further declared that the administration had not as its principal motive after the entry of the United States into the war the execution of every measure possible toward winning the victory, but rather concerned itself

with the future of the United States apart from the Allies in case the Allies should be defeated. The minority report pronounced Admiral Sims' charge monstrous and without foundation, saying that the evidence proved that the American army had been transported as fast as it was ready. It admitted that a few charges appeared to be justified, but that they were so trivial as compared with the vast work carried out by the navy during the war as hardly to deserve consideration.

WEST VIRGINIA LABOR DISTURBANCES. For two years the efforts to unionize the coal fields in Mingo county, West Virginia, had caused a bitter struggle between operators and miners. On August 20 the miners and their supporters gathered in the neighboring counties for the avowed purpose of entering Mingo county and obliging the men to join the unions. They were reported to be armed, and the number was placed as high as 10,000. The operators on their side were supported by bands of hired detectives. Shooting affrays occurred, and the counties of Kanawha, Boone, Fayette, and Logan were in a state of disturbance as well as Mingo. State and citizen forces were hastily got together to oppose the miners, and finally the danger became so threatening that the governor called on the Federal government for help. President Harding issued a proclamation, August 30, ordering the insurgents to disperse by noon, September 1. The order was disregarded. But a small body of Federal troops having been sent into the disturbed area, the trouble subsided instantly and with practically no resistance. By September 10, peace was fully restored, and a number of the troops had been ordered back to their quarters.

STATE BONUS ACTS. On August 31 the New York State Bonus Act was declared unconstitutional by the State Court of Appeals. New York was the first State to take this course. In nine States bond issues had been sold_amounting to $69,500,000, and in eight other State issues of $191,500,000 were awaiting public approval before going into effect. In twenty-one other States laws were pending which provided for is sues amounting to $370,939,200.

UNEMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE. The conference on unemployment began its sessions at Washington, September 26, with a brief address of the President who then turned the proceedings over to Secretary Hoover. After deliberations, the meeting recommended on September 30 an emergency programme for immediate relief of the unemployed, who were estimated at between 3,500,000 and 5,00,000. The chief points in it were that private houses, offices, etc., should have their repairs, alterations, and cleaning done during the winter; that the municipalities should undertake public works to the greatest extent possible in the circumstances and on this point it was taken as a sign that circumstances were favorable to this course; that a larger amount of municipal bonds, namely, $700,000,000, had been sold in 1921 than ever before. It was further recommended that each governor should unite all the State agencies and to do his utmost to expedite such public works as could, with advantage, be carried out. That the Federal authorities should also do so; that a Congressional appropriation for roads, together with State appropriations already made, should be employed for this purpose; that immediate relief could best be offered in the construction

industry which had been artificially restricted during and since the war. Besides these recommendations for immediate emergency, a programme was to be formulated, October 11, containing the following chief features: Readjustment of railway rates on a fairer basis; speedy completion of the tax bill with its reduction of taxes; settlement of tariff questions and of the financial relation between the government and the railways; limitation of world armament; stabilization of exchange; measures for the elimination of waste; measures for hastening the recovery of industry; and many other recommendations of this general nature.

PANAMA TOLLS. The Borah bill which gave the American coastwise shipping the right of free passage through the Canal was passed by the Senate, October 10, by a vote of 47 to 37, after a final debate of five hours. The bill was attacked on the floor by the Republican leader, Senator Lodge, while the Democratic leader, Senator Underwood, supported it. The vote broke through party lines, 35 Republicans and 12 Democrats voting for it and 20 Democrats and 17 Republicans voting against it. It was attacked on the ground that it was an unwise and unsound policy and that although it might be technically legal it was a sign of bad faith. On the other hand its supporters held that its purposes were chiefly domestic in character and were therefore not the concern of other nations.

WAR TIME LEGISLATION. The question of the ultimate disposal of German property was discussed at a meeting between President Harding and the Alien Property Custodian. The latter said that according to the peace treaty with Germany property now in the hands of the custodian would be held until provision was made by Germany and Austria for satisfying the claims of American citizens against those governments before the entry of the United States into the war. The largest single group of claims arose from the sinking of the Lusitania. The property involved consisted of industrial establishments which were being operated under the Custodian and also of many millions of dollars' worth of securities which, however, on account of the state of the market were at a low figure. The treaty with Germany also affected various other war and emergency measures and in the summer time a report on the subject was in progress. There were still various war time laws and resolutions which had not been repealed and the situation in this respect was confused. See above under Congress.

RAILROAD STRIKE. The threat of a railroad strike in October caused consternation throughout the country and was the main subject of discussion during the month, but on October 27 the heads of the unions canceled the strike orders after a conference in Chicago between the union leaders and the Railway Labor Board.

THE REVENUE BILL. The Senate passed the Revenue bill, November 8, which then went to a conference committee of the Senate and the House for the harmonizing of the differences between it and the House measure. The Senate bill repealed the excess profits tax and all transport taxes, beginning from Jan. 1, 1922, and reduced surtax rates on individual incomes, fixing the maximum at 50 per cent instead of 65 per cent. It contained a novel feature in a graded tax on all gifts of money or property in excess of $20,000.

The attempt to provide for a soldiers' bonus failed, as did also a proposal made by Senator Smoot for a 3 per cent manufacturer's levy, a 10 per cent corporation tax, a 32 per cent maximum individual surtax rate, and tax on capital stock. Among the specific features of the Senate bill was the repeal of taxes on parcel post packages, toilet articles, proprietary medicines, insurance premiums, moving picture films, ice cream, chewing gum, sporting goods, etc. On incomes of $5000 or less the exemption was increased by $500 for the head of the family and $200 for each dependent. The corporation income tax and the taxes on large estates and medicinal liquors were increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. The reduction of income taxes by the Senate measure was criticised as insufficient and as not preventing wealthy citizens from taking shelter in securities that were exempt from taxation. So far as the higher incomes were concerned, it reduced the existing tax of $170 on incomes of $6000 to $160; the existing tax of $590 on incomes of $10,000 to $520; the existing tax of $2880 on incomes of $25,000 to $2560; the existing tax of $31,190 on incomes of $100,000 to $30,140, etc.

NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. The general result of the elections indicated a favorable attitude toward the administration whose strength appeared to be greater than the year before. The contests were mainly local and the most conspicuous one was that of the municipal election in New York City. See NEW YORK. In Kentucky where State elections were held the Democrats returned majorities in both branches of the new legislature. In Virginia the campaign for governor resulted in the victory of Mr. E. Lee Trinkle, the Democratic candidate. In Maryland the Democrats elected the legislature and a State Controller and carried the city of Baltimore. In New Jersey the Republicans gained strong majorities in both houses of the legislature. A significant municipal election was that of Cleveland which resulted in a majority for the city manager form of government. (See MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.) In Ohio the voters authorized a bonus of $25,000,000 for ex-service men. In the western States the most important change occurred in North Dakota, which had hitherto been under control of the Non-Partisan League. See NORTH DAKOTA.

POLITICAL AMNESTY. It was learned on December 23 that the President had commuted the sentences of twenty-four political prisoners, including Eugene V. Debs, who had been convicted under the Espionage and other wartime acts and served sentences in prison. The case of Debs was a matter of national interest and wide discussion involving sharp differences of opinion. There was no question of his technical guilt under the law for he had purposely obstructed the draft and had admitted so doing in his trial, but he had never advocated the violent measures or taken the extreme courses that many others had done. About one-third of the prisoners belonged to the I. W. W. The Debs' case may be briefly summarized as follows: He made a speech at Canton, Ohio, June 16, 1918, which was interpreted as a direct attempt to interfere with recruiting. He offered no evidence in his own defense, but sought to justify his action on principle. His friends began measures on his behalf from the first. His case was carried to the Supreme Court, and a conviction on one count was affirmed, March 10,

1919. An attempt to secure a rehearing in April failed. After that the friends of Debs made frequent appeals to President Wilson, but in vain. Attorney-General Palmer toward the end of the Wilson term appealed to the President for the pardon of Debs, but the latter again refused. Renewed efforts were made on Debs's behalf after President Harding assumed office. Debs was called to Washington soon afterwards for a conference with the Attorney-General. His conduct in prison won him the praise of the prison warden, and he was described as a model prisoner and an influence for good. He had been placed first at the Moundsville prison in West Virginia, but after two months was transferred to the Atlanta Penitentiary. For an account of the Disarmament Conference and the relations of the United States with Foreign Powers, see WAR OF THE NATIONS. See also HAITI; DOMINICAN REPUBLIC; MEXICO.

UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY. A government institution for the practical and theoretical training of cadets for the military service of the United States; situated at West Point, N. Y.; opened in 1802. At the beginning of the academic year, Sept. 1, 1921, the total number of cadets at the Academy was 1263, divided as follows:

First Class, 103; Second Class, 297; Third Class, 453; Fourth Class, 410. The commissioned personnel (faculty) totaled 197. The library contained about 108,000 volumes. The Academy being a component part of the Regular Army of the United States is maintained entirely by Army appropriations. The amount appropriated by Congress in the Military Academy Bill, covering the period from July 1, 1921, to June 30, 1922, was $2,357,259.80. The Superintendent repeated his recommendation of the preceding year that the corps of cadets be expanded to a strength of 2500 and submitted plans and estimates for the necessary construction, of which the cost was estimated at $6,000,000. He pointed out that "the basic idea which led to the foundation of the Military Academy was the desire to have a nucleus to train the great body of our citizens in time of emergency rather than to be forced to keep large bodies of men continually under arms. Over a century ago, with a population of scarcely more than five millions of people, the American government authorized a cadet corps of over two hundred and fifty. To-day with that population increased twenty fold the number of cadets in training is scarcely four times the original number authorized. With the passage of time the splendid nucleus of veterans of the World War will go, and a wise policy should be prepared to fill the gaps as they occur. The larger the number of men throughout the country educated for war the smaller need be the actual number held in continuous readiness." Superintendent in 1921, Brigadier-General Douglas MacArthur.

UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY. A school for the training and education of naval cadets at Annapolis, Md.; founded in 1845. The students at the academy are styled midshipmen, and under the present law each Senator, Representative, and Delegate in Congress is allowed five appointments. Five appointments are also allowed from the District of Columbia, and fifteen each year from the United States at large, which are made by the President. The law also authorizes the appointment of one hundred