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Show 1915, is said to have been selected tn lead it. Allied aviators report that the kaiser has gathered about 2,100,000 men there and that elaborate rehearsals rehear-sals are going on behind the . lines. Where the blow will fall has not been revealed, but the commanders of the allied armies evince no fear that it cannot be repulsed. They have made every preparation that their skill and resources permit, and are sitting tight. All feeling-out movements by the enemy ene-my have been checked and the French, in their turn, have been making some strong raids that carried them far Into In-to the German lines. In every way possible the Germans have been seeking seek-ing to test the strength of the American Ameri-can forces, and there are indications that Pershing's men will be in the thick of the fighting when Hindeuburg orders the forward movement. It is believed in London, and hoped by naval men, that Germany plans to combine a naval drive with her spring offensive. The kaiser is supposed to have a number of "supersubmarines'' which have not yet been in operation and which may then be put to work. Switzerland is growing very nervous nerv-ous with fear that the kaiser will determine de-termine to tear up another scrap of paper and Invade her territory in order or-der to attempt to turn the right flank of the French armies. There have been large concentrations of German troops near the Swiss frontier, and Teutons in Zurich have openly boasted boast-ed that the conquest of the little re public would be a matter of but i few days. It waw said skeleton governments govern-ments for the cantons already had been prepared by the authorities in Berlin. Just in case his spring drive doesn't succeed, as the allies are determined It shall not, Wilhelm has been constructing construct-ing most elaborate and extensive systems sys-tems of defensive works back of his present lines all the way from the North sea to the Swiss frontier. Vice Admiral Sims went to Rome last week, presumably to confer regarding re-garding plans to clear the Mediterranean Mediterra-nean of U-boats, which have worked havoc there with allied shipping for a long time. ka NEVIS REVIEW OF THE PAST WEEK President Wilson More Hopeful of Austrian Peace Than Is Lloyd George. AGAIN SETS FORTH DEMANDS Bolsheviki Perplex the Germans by Abandoning the War Without Signing Sign-ing Treaty Ukraine Makes Separate Sepa-rate Peace All Ready for West Front Offensive. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. President Wilson believes Count Czernln meant what he seemed to say In his recent speech on peace, and still hopes Austria-Hungary may be separated from Germany and that the var may be brought to an end without with-out a great deal more of fighting. Premier Lloyd-George believes that m Its real substance the Czernln address ad-dress was as uncompromising ns that of Chancellor von Hertllng and that Hie allied war council at Versailles was right when It declared peace must be won by force of arms. In his address to congress on Monday Mon-day Mr. Wilson enunciated the four cardinal principles to which he said the enemy must agree before general peace pourparlers can be begun. Briefly, Brief-ly, these are: Each part of the final settlement must be based on essential Justice to Insure permanent peace. No peoples shall be bartered for the gain of any sovereignty or to retain the now discredited "balance of power." pow-er." Territorial settlements must be for the benefit of the people and n?t of neighboring states. All well defined national aspirations must be satisfied. Until a pence based upon these principles prin-ciples Is secured, the president asserted, assert-ed, America has no choice but to go on, and will continue its mobilization of its resources until the whole strength of the nation has been put Into In-to this war of emancipation. He denounced de-nounced the stand of the Imperial chancellor, but seemed to Invite Count Czernln to lead Austria away from Its autocratic ally. which the German parties are powerless." power-less." PS-According PS-According to an American correspondent correspon-dent in France, the peace program of Hindenburg, Ludendorff and the crown prince, forced on Von Kuehlinann and the emperor, includes the extending of the East Prussian frontier, making an autonomous protectorate of the Baltic provinces, dismembering Belgium and annexing or otherwise controlling the Briey-Lougwy Industrial region of northern France. The question of Poland apparently is left to Austria. fa Meanwhile Trotzky, and his bolshevik bolshe-vik comrades have handed Germany a hard nut to crack. Flatly refusing to sign a peace treaty, they declared the war with the central powers, so far as Russia is concerned, has ended. They decline to fight longer against the workers and peasants of Germany and Austria. Simultaneously, the complete demobilization of the Russian Armies was ordered, although It was reported that this order was immediately countermanded coun-termanded and that the reorganization of the Red guard was begun. At first the people of Germany and Austria hailed thfs great "victory" with extravagant extrav-agant joy, but in a few hours they and their governments began to wonder what it would avail them. They cannot obtain treaty recognition for their intended in-tended annexations on the east front, and they are far from sure that it will be safe to move to the west all or nearly near-ly all their troops. As the bolshevik leaders long ago admitted, the Teutons can easily push a long way into Russia, Rus-sia, but what ultimate good will that do them? The bolshevik! always have maintained main-tained that they are operating, not for the benefit of Russia or any other nation, na-tion, but for the workers and peasants of all nations, and they are persistently continuing the spreading of their propaganda prop-aganda all over the world. Whatever may be the real motives of Lenine, Trotzky et al, they appear to have the Prussian autocrats up in the air just now. SB Ukraine, one of the Independent governments gov-ernments into which Russia has split, has presented a complication that may be more serious for the allied cause than the quitting of the bolshevlki. It lias signed a separate peace treaty with the central powers which opens to them the possibility of obtaining Immense stores of food from that rich grain country. However, as pointed out In these columns some time ugo, the transportation trans-portation system of that part of Russia Rus-sia Is so utterly Inadequate that supplies sup-plies can be got out only extremely slowly, and besides, the crops have been sadly neglected ever since the war begnn. The treaty gave Ukraine quite a slice of Poland, which aroused the Poles to bitter opposition. Efforts of the government to recruit n great army of shipyard workers are meeting with considerable success, but the work of building our mariue was threatened by a prospective strike of 50,000 members of the marine woodworkers' wood-workers' union. They demanded $6.40 a day Instead of the $4.80 allowed by the shipping board, and the govern ment got busy at once to try to settlt the dispute. Chairman Hurley of the shipping board sent a telegram to the union heads warning them that the fathers who have sent their sons to war will not long permit continued Interference with the shipping program and urging that the workmen continue their labors and trust to the fairness of the wage adjustment bonrd. I r. Though hailed as a sign of weakening weaken-ing by most of the Teutonic press, the president's speech Is not so regarded by his fellow countrymen. Many of them may believe ho Is overoptimistlc concerning Austria, ns does Lloyd-George, Lloyd-George, but they accept at Its face value his statement of the nation's determination de-termination not to stop fighting until the results be demands have been achieved. They feel no harm can result re-sult from leaving open the door to possible pos-sible negotiations with any one of the central powers, provided there Is no letup In our war preparations because of the bare chance that they may not be needed. . Premier Lloyd-George's stand In supporting sup-porting the Versailles council and maintaining secrecy concerning the plans decided on by It was Indorsed by parliament, which gave him a vote of confidence by an overwhelming majority. ma-jority. The German press warns Mr. Wilson again that his efforts to separate Germany Ger-many and Austria-Hungary will be futile fu-tile and calls his references to American Ameri-can mobilization mere bluff. The kaiser, It may be noted, also delivered de-livered a speech, In which he said any peace must be preceded by an admission admis-sion of German victory. Tho outsldo world Is not permitted to know much of what Is going on In Austria, but such Information ns does escnpe the censor really Indicates that President Wilson may not be far astray In his hopes. It Is said Austria shows Increasing reluctance to Hendlng hi" troops to fight against the British mid Americans In France. The lier-Mnor lier-Mnor Tageblatt admits that the Inter-imI Inter-imI situation In Austria Is serious and hat govenm t "Is no longer possible, .luce I he Czechs, Jugo-Slavs and Poles .'orm an Important majority, against ia Germany during the week attempted to put the screws on Itoumania, demanding de-manding that it accept peace terms within 24 hours or suffer the consequences. conse-quences. But the Roumanians defied the kaiser, declaring they still had unshaken un-shaken confidence In their allies and would continue to fight to the finish. Their armies now occupy all of Bessarabia, Bessa-rabia, where they have repeatedly defeated de-feated the -bolshevik! troops. It is believed be-lieved they were nerved to take this determined stand by prospects of an allied offensive In -the Balkans which they might aid by attacking the Bulgarians Bul-garians and Austrlans from the north. There are Increasing evidences That such a drive, to cut o(T Turkey and reduce re-duce Bulgaria, Is contemplated. A new Kounianlan cabinet Is headed by General Gen-eral Avareseu. fain fa-in southern Finland, where the Bed guards are m t 111 holding out against the government, horrible conditions prevail. pre-vail. Murders and all other crimes are committed openly and the bolshevlki are running aiiniek. Sweden still fears to violate neutrality and send help to the government. Jiwcent reports from Stockholm said retain Bed guard leadr ers hnd asked General Manncrbeln: t; consider peace negotiations. lea-There lea-There Is little to say of the Italian front except that the lighting there was mainly by the artillery and aviators and that neither side had any marked advantage. US Seemingly Die Miige Is set for Germany's Ger-many's supreme military effort on the west front, and Field Marshal von Woyrsch, (bp Invader of Poland In Charges of gross mismanagement and reckless spending of money in connection with the new government shipyard at Hog Island, Ph.. having been made, the president ordered an investigation to determine whether there hnd been any criminal misuse of funds. Bear Admiral Bowles, general manager of the Emergency Fleet corporation, cor-poration, said he was confident all expenditures ex-penditures ordered by the board would be vindicated. Iteorganlzatlon In the war department depart-ment reached the general stuff Inst week. It has been restored to Its former for-mer power and under General March as acting chief of staff are now live new members Generals Pierce. Jer-vey Jer-vey and Graves, and Colonel Keteban. r.-i Owing to good work by Director General McAdoo and bis assistants and milder weather, trallic conditions have greatly Improved, and Fuel Controller Con-troller Garfield felt warranted In rescinding re-scinding the order for Meatless Mondays. Mon-days. The railroads are now giving much attention to the transportation of corn and wheat, for the former must be marketed anil the distribution of wheat and flour still Is very faulty. Cat Ilolo Pasha, the Levantine financier who conspired to break down the. French morale and to bring about dishonorable pence nnd who wim llnauced by Germany, was found guilty of high It-canon nnd sentenced to death. "They order those things better In France." an Uncle Toby used to May, |