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Show ON VERDUN FRONT. 'JThe first American army has in-fKeteJ in-fKeteJ on the Germans total casualties of 70,000," including more than 20.000 unbounded prisoners, in the battle north of Verdun. According to the best information in-formation obtainable our own losses in .killed and wounded have been far less than those of the enemy and comparatively compara-tively few of our men have been cap-furcd. cap-furcd. The first American -army, under command of Lieutenant General Hunter Jjlggett, is composed for the most part of veteran troops, is splendidly officered of-ficered and is fit to cope with the best soldiers anywhere in the world. Just now they are meeting with desperate resistance upon the part of the Germans, Ger-mans, for if our boys break through the Huns will be compelled to double-quick double-quick to the new line far in the rear if they hope to escape capture. The weather is becoming much colder on the western front, but so far the allied troops have been going forward in spite of rain, sleet and snow. How long they will be able to keep it up is a question. ques-tion. It would be too bad if winter should set in and compel General Foch -fo wait until next spring before making mak-ing the final onslaught, but that must be counted among the possibilities. Perhaps the unwillingness of the Berlin Ber-lin government to surrender at this time is due to this fact. But another yar winter has not the same terrors for "the allies that it has for the Germans, who are short of food, clothing and mu-Jliftions. mu-Jliftions. So if the decision is to be postponed until the return of warm weather it will nob take lony to complete com-plete fte job, the Caimans will suffer the figrjfs of winter in vain and the peace terms may be much more onerous nnd harder to bear. In any event the demands for reparation and restitution Iwill not be lessened because of the delay. ' The Americans are helping to bring matters to a climax. The attack northwest north-west of Verdun is a real offensive movement move-ment and that the German high command com-mand realizes tho danger i3 shown by a document captured by the Yankee troops, which read" as follows: ''The enemy 's crossing of the Jleuso is to be prevented absolutely. Should he succeed suc-ceed in crossing he i3 to be thrown bak into the Meuse at once. The ' enemy must not get a foothold on this I. side of the Meuse under any circumstances." circum-stances." The crack German divisions -in front of our boys arc endeavoring to firry out this order at an awful sacrifice sacri-fice of life and without hope of accomplishing ac-complishing anything more than delaying delay-ing the hoar of retreat. Since tho first of October the British feorth army, under command of General Gen-eral Rawlinson, has captured more than ZQflOO enemy officers and men. Other British and French armies have done equally a well. The total German !)Bfis for the month muat run up into the hundreds ot thousands nnd the men cannot bo replaced. It is thcreforo difficult dif-ficult tn ijnder.-triijd how the limn will io able to bold out unless they arc .iSrved by the wind an 1 snow of winter, fcit. whatever happens there will bo no Opportunity f''r Hi" Germans to escape. J the war i to bo prolonged until It fSffmo time next suinmc Ihere "ill be ixovr or five million American IdkKon ;in the field and further resistance upon -f.hc part of the Germans will be impos-nrible. impos-nrible. Tn this connection it. may le naiil !hat ship loaded with troops, foodstuffs f v JKUd munitions of all kinds are still being sent over the ocean and just now we 'srs ablo to adopt the English jinti' boast, "we've got'the fhips, we've got the men, and we've got tho money, 'too. ' ' |
