OCR Text |
Show 1 Scene at a divisional headquarters of the British during one of the big battles on the west front. 2 Members Mem-bers of an American college girls' trench candle brigade making candles of rolled paper boiled in paraffin. 3 Gen. Herbert C. 0. Plumer, appointed commander of the British forces sent to aid the Italians. HEWS REVIEW OF THE PAST WEEK Interallied War Conference in Paris Opens With Russia the Big Topic. 1ENINE DEALS WITH EOCHES 'Germans Accept Bolsheviki Proposal of Armistice Signs of Collapse of Radical "Government" Italian Ital-ian Crisis Considered Over Supreme War Coun- . cil for United States. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. The great interallied war conference opened in Paris on Thursday and the world is justified in expecting momentous momen-tous results from it, though tliey may not be immediately evident. Aside fromi the question of unified control of the war, one of the most Important matters considered by the conference, of course, was the Russian situation. This was rapidly moving .to a climax, for during the week the representatives of the bolsheviki government gov-ernment crossed over to the German side and made their proposition of an armistice on all fronts of the belligerent belliger-ent countries. Since this plan coincides coin-cides with Germany's desires and doubtless was inspired by her, the German authorities accepted the suggestion sug-gestion and set December 2 for a conference con-ference on the subject. Meanwhile members of the German general staff were in Petrograd advising Lenine and Trotzky. The conference in Paris took under consideration the issuance of a "reasoned "rea-soned statement for the guidance and warning of the Russians as to the serious results that are likely to follow fol-low if a separate peace is concluded," to quote the conservative language of Lord Robert Cecil. This means nothing noth-ing less than that the Petrograd radicals, rad-icals, and Russia if they are able to impose their will on the country, will be recognized as enemies of the allied nations. The ambassadors of the allies al-lies and of the United States were said to be waiting for the meeting of - the Russian constituent assembly, elections for which were held last week though the results were not known at the time of writing. Hope In Southeastern Russia. There are growing Indications that, when the froth and spume of the present pres-ent bolsheviki revolution in Russia have blown away, the original revolutionists revolu-tionists of last March, men like Mil-youkoff, Mil-youkoff, who have brains and experience experi-ence as well as ideals, will come to the surface again and regain a control that may save their distracted country coun-try from the talons of the Prussian eagle. The beginning of the end for Lenine was reported to have come on Friday, when, according to dispatches from Petrograd, his cabinet was succeeded by a coalition ministry of advanced Socialists and other factious, with the Bolsheviki in the minority. Despite the fact that the second and fifth armies last week gave their adherence ad-herence to the Bolsheviki "government," "govern-ment," Lenine and Trotzky have shown no slightest evidence of their nbility to rule Russia, and whether or not they be knowingly agents of Germany, their actions are all for the benefit of the central powers. pow-ers. If the armistice they ask for were followed by the kind of peace they advocate, Russia would lie open v to Germany as a ripe field for merciless merci-less exploitation and the Germans would gain infinitely more than they possibly would lose In western Europe. Eu-rope. The hopefulness in the situation lies far away from I'etrograiU A great organization or-ganization known as the Southeastern union has been formed, embracing the Don territory, most of Little Russia, the lower Volga region and Turkestan. This is the great grain-growing part of Russia, the territory that feeds the rest, and steps are being taken to add to the union the corn-producing part of Siberia. In all this territory, roughly rough-ly speaking. General Kaledines. het-lnan het-lnan of the Cossacks, is in control, and he, in turn, is controlled by leaders who have not yielded to the dictation of Lenine and his bolshevikists. Moreover, More-over, the immense gold reserve of the Russian empire, which was removed from Petrograd to the Kremlin in 1913, has been taken still further into the interior and is out of the reach of the maximalists. Whether Kaledines and the Cossacks will chose to support the social democrats or will aid in a restoration res-toration of the monarchy is not clear. But sane friends of order, democracy and freedom feel that anything would be better than the reign of anarchy and civil war that threatens Russia now. The soldiers who remain at the front are wailing bitterly because of the shortage of food, and there is a fine prospect of hundreds of thousands of these fighting men turning back into in-to their country half-starved and ready to pillage and ravage it without restraint. Italy's Danger Lessened. The heroic Italian troops having demonstrated their ability to hold back about four times as many Teutons along the Piave front, the fears of a more extended invasion of Italy and of the capture of Venice are lessening. During the week great numbers of re-enforcements re-enforcements arrived from the British and French armies on the west front, many of them having marched eight days through the mountains. They brought with them ample artillery and supplies. Italian reserves in great masses, young, well-equipped and full of spirit, also moved north to relieve those who have been combating the invaders, and in some places the Italians Ital-ians took the offensive. The fighting, especially between the Piave and the Brenta, continued fierce and unabated throughout the week, and the losses on both sides were heavy, but the Aus-tro-Germans made no further gains. Down toward the Adriatic they made repeated attempts to cross the river and the flooded lands in pontoons, but were completely routed by the Italian . artillery. As the week closed the situation situ-ation in Italy was still serious, but improving im-proving each day. Gen. F. B. Maurice, chief director of . military operations in the British war office, was especially well satisfied satis-fied with the week's developments in Italy. From the fact that Germany had not brought up vast re-enforcements to follow up the initial success with a decisive blow, he concluded that Germany was unable to send them. It is now time, he declared, to say definitely that the crisis in Italy has passed, this being due entirely en-tirely to the efforts of the Italian army. "Anglo-French troops are now available in sufficient quantities to satisfy us that the situation is secure," se-cure," he concluded. Hard Fighting Around Cambrai. The war has seen no more desperate fighting than has followed on the heels of General Byng's sensational thrust toward Cambrai. Crown Prince Rup-precht Rup-precht seemed determined not to let that city fall Into the hands of the British, or at least to make it a costly prize, and his constantly re-enforced troops were sent against the British in Bourlon wood again and again and In the village of Fontaine, which changed hands several times. Byng's men held on tenaciously and usually had the best of it in the hand-to-hand fighting as well as In the artillery combats, com-bats, and the tanks continued to play their part. These monsters often cleared the way for the infantry, and Iu at least one instance, when they were themselves held up by superior forces, the British airmen, living daringly dar-ingly low, routed the enemy with machine ma-chine gun fire and permitted the tanks to go on. Altogether, it has been the most spectacular battle of the war. and It has cost the Germans a great many of their best men. General Byng last week seemed to be endeavoring to break through to the north of Cambrai, a movement that probably would compel the enemy to fall back on a wide front. Cambrai itself it-self seems doomed to destruction. General Pershing last week sent over his second casualty list. It gave the names of two privates who were killed in the trenches by German artillery ar-tillery lire and of five severely wounded. U. S. Supreme War Council. While urgently advising upon our allies more unified action in the prosecution prose-cution of the war, the administration is not overlooking the need for similar co-ordinated effort at home. On Tuesday Tues-day a great step toward centralized control of all the couutry's resources was taken in the appointment of a superior su-perior war council through which all the war activities of the government will be enabled to work together. This council is made up of the members of the council of national defense; Secretaries Secre-taries Baker, Daniels, Lane, Houston, Redfield and Wilson Secretary Mc-Adoo, Mc-Adoo, Chairman Hurley of the shipping ship-ping board, Food Administrator Hoover, Hoov-er, Fuel Administrator Garfield and Chairman Willard of the war industries indus-tries board. Director Gifford of the council of national defense will sit with this superior council, and President Presi-dent Wilson will meet with it whenever when-ever he thinks it advisable. The government is making a determined deter-mined effort to settle the troubles of the railways and its own problems in the matter of transportation, and just now the plan of a railroad pool for all lines east of Chicago is being tried out. If this is not successful, it is predicted, predict-ed, the government may take over the operation of all American railways. President Wilson proclaimed a new embargo on the importation of many articles that are essentials of munitions muni-tions of war, without the express permission per-mission of the government. This will operate to conserve American tonnage for war purposes and to facilitate the importation of raw materials and other oth-er supplies necessary in the manufacture manufac-ture of munitions. This assumption of control over imports, provided for in the embargo act, gives the government govern-ment a powerful weapon for the economic eco-nomic war on Germany and can be directed also against neutral traders suspected of supplying the central powers with American goods. President Wilson on Monday approved ap-proved a recommendation of Mr. Hoover reducing the alcoholic content of beer to 3 per cent and reducing the amount of grain used by brewers to about 70 per cent of the volume hitherto hither-to consumed. Prohibition of all brewing, brew-ing, the administration believes, would divert tipplers from the comparatively harmless beer to the consumption of whisky, brandy and gin, of which there is in the country enough to last seve-eral seve-eral years. No War on Austria Yet. Vigorous enforcement of the orders restricting enemy aliens made things rather lively last week for German residents, especially of the large cities. But the hope that the administration would make easier the checking of espionage es-pionage by having congress declare war on Austria went glimmering. For reasons which could not be made pub-Ire, pub-Ire, President Wilson and his cabinet agreed that no declaration against the dual monarchy should be made unless it commits some further especially hostile acts. The president pointed out the fact that the enemy alien law could be amended to include the subjects of countries allied with Germany, as was done in the trading with the enemy act, and Attorney General Gregory at once began the preparation of such an amendment. Vatican Replies to Critics. Unusually bold criticism of the course of the Vatican by a number of papers, and assertions that the pope had been fostering the cause of Austria, Aus-tria, had been far from neutral and should be called on to make his position posi-tion clear, brought forth indignant denial de-nial from Cardinal Gasparri, papal secretary of state. Said he: "To say that his holiness favors, or has favored, fa-vored, or will favor an unjust, unchristian, un-christian, and unendurable peace is not only false but also absurd. Any propaganda for such a peace, alleged to be conducted at the Vatican's inspiration, in-spiration, especially in certain nations, is the product of pure maliciousness." He asserted that the disruptive propaganda that began to affect the morale of the Italian army could not be laid' at the doors of the Vath-an. and that "I lie shoulders on which rests the responsibility for the reverses re-verses are well-known, a responsibility which certainly does not tom-h Catholics, Cath-olics, the clergy and least of all the august person of the sovereign pontiff." pon-tiff." His eminence made no reference to j the Sinn Fein rebellion in Ireland. I One of the first matters taken up by ' the interallied conference in Paris was J the need of speedy diplomatic action ', iu regard to Switzerland, where Ger- ! man intrigue is imperiling the neutrality neu-trality of the country and gait. ing economical eco-nomical domination through control of the Swiss railways. The Swiss federal council is becoming anxious over German Ger-man military movements on the frontier. |