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Show MS REVIEW -OF THE PAST WEEK More Than Jen Million Young Americans Register for National Army. PERSUING REACHES ENGLAND British Start Tremendous Offensive in Belgium, First Blowing Up Messlnes Ridge Japan Warns Russia Against Withdrawing From the War Food Scarcity Worries Wor-ries Germany. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. More than 10,000,000 men between the ages of twenty-one and thirty years responded to the call of the nation na-tion on Tuesday, June 5, registration day for the national army. Thus the first step in the execution of the selective se-lective service law was completed witli gratifying success and the predictions of the Germans and of the traitors in America who side with them that the registration would be a failure were proved false. That there would be opposition to the registration was a foregone conclusion, con-clusion, but it was sporadic and on the whole was of no importance. Such hostile demonstrations as there were generally took place in strongholds of the I. W. W. and the Socialists and w-ere promptly squelched. Returns from some states were below be-low the estimates of the census bureau, bu-reau, but In other states those estimates esti-mates were exceeded. A large proportion pro-portion of those registering claimed exemption, usually because of dependent depend-ent relatives, and the war department officials, as a result, intimated that the rules governing exemption would be tightened. The considerable number of claims for exemption really does not mean that so many young Americans desire to avoid service. Such a conclusion would be most unjust, for everywhere there were evidences of unbounded patriotism pa-triotism and loyalty, and the indica-'tions indica-'tions of exemption claims arose mainly from the necessary answers to questions ques-tions that were merely statistical. As soon as the machinery of registration regis-tration is readjusted, 1,500,000 names will be drafted, the exemption boards will do their work and 625,000 men will be called for immediate service. Pershing Arrives In England. The safe arrival of General Pershing Per-shing and his staff at an English port was announced on Friday. The naval collier Jupiter, laden with grain and other supplies for the Pershing Per-shing army and escorted by American warships, arrived at a French port ; a squadron of our warships arrived at Rio de Janeiro. Brazil, presumably to relieve the British navy of the patrol pa-trol of the South Atlantic ; and more hospital units landed in England -and proceeded to France. So much the government allowed to be known of the movements of our armed forces. Military expediency demanded the suppression sup-pression of much more interesting news. Preparations have been made for the reception of American troops in France. A number of bases have bcn organized, camps for Infantry and artillery ar-tillery have been laid out, and aviation parks established. From France came the news of the exploit of the American steamship Sllvershell which encountered an enemy ene-my submarine In the Mediterranean. The two vessels fought for an hour and a half, exchanging many shots, and then one shell fired by the naval gunners on the Silvershell found Its mark and the U-boat was sent to the bottom. British Offensive in Flanders. After a smashing bombardment lasting last-ing three days, the British began their expected offensive In Flanders early Thursday morning with an explosion that was heard by Premier Lloyd George at Walton Heath. 1-10 miles away. Nine miles of German positions along the Ypres Armentieres front were blown into the air by 20 charges of high explosives, totaling a million pounds. Instantly the Englishmen, Irishmen, Australians and New Zea-i( Zea-i( landers that inake up the British army in Belgium sprang forward in successive succes-sive waves, and one of the fiercest battles of the war was on. The nttack was directed at the Mes-sines Mes-sines ridge, between Messines and Wytscbaete, where ever since October of 1914 the Germans had maintained themselves In a sharp salient that always al-ways threatened Ypres, only three miles to the north. The morning rush resulted in the capture of Messines - and Wytschaete and the enemy's defense de-fense systems on the nine-mile, front, and later in the day another forward movement took the British into and through the village of Oosttaverne. The entire salient was straightened out and all the counter-attacks were repulsed. re-pulsed. Any considerable further advance ad-vance in this sector will threaten the German hold on Lille, which is about five miles from the nearest British position. po-sition. Large numbers of prisoners already have been taken. The Germans must have, known that the attack of Messines ridge was intended, in-tended, for the preparatory bombardment bombard-ment was terrific, and yet reports from prisoners indicated that they actually were taken by surprise. In preparation for tbe operations In Flanders the British fleet co-operated with the land forces, subjecting Os-tend Os-tend to severe bombardment. The British air forceL also were in action, repeatedly raiding the German bases at Zeebrugge, Ostend and Bruges. In retaliation a squadron of German airplanes air-planes attacked the British naval base in tile Med way, close to London, on Tuesday, but was driven off with the loss of eight machines. Several times during the week the Germans made vicious attacks in the Aisne nnd Champagne sectors and even gained possession of some French positions; but the gallant poilus almost al-most immediately recovered tbe lost ground, inflicting severe losses on the enemy. The Austrinns claimed to have effectually ef-fectually checked the Italian advance 1 toward Trieste, and announced that the Italian losses in the offensive were 180,000 men. On Tuesday the Italians were forced back south of Jamiano. Dispatches from Rome revealed the fact that Italy had proclaimed the independence in-dependence of Albania. Once more the British admiralty issued is-sued a very, satisfactory report on the work of the submarines, showing but 23 British vessels sunk in the week, five of which were fishing vessels. ves-sels. The American destroyers completed com-pleted their first month in the war and have proved themselves most valuable valu-able aids to the British naval forces. Russia Is Warned. Conditions in Russia remain chaotic, though they may be straightened out somewhat by the work of the Root commission and the American railway engineers. The revolt of the garrison of Kronstadt, which declared the island is-land fortress Independent of the government, gov-ernment, caused considerable concern in Petrograd, but as the action of the garrison was denounced by the Petrograd Petro-grad council of workmen's and soldiers' sol-diers' delegates it collapsed, and the garrison bowed to the authority of the provisional government. Following President Wilson's example, exam-ple, France replied to Russia's statement state-ment of her pence plan by setting forth in a general wfiy the demands of the French. These, embodied in a vote of the chamber of deputies, Include In-clude Ihe liberation of the territories Invaded by .Germany, the return fo France of Alsace-Lorraine and just reparation for damage. Japan also took official cognizance last week of the Russian crisis, informing in-forming the government at Petrograd that if Russia withdraws from the war Japan. In consultation with England and the United States, will consider what measures to adopt. The provisional pro-visional govenimenfwas warned that if Russia accepts a separate peace It will become another Austria under the' domination of Germany, will lose Poland. Po-land. Lithuania and Finland and will be stripped of many of her outlying possessions. Furthermore, Japan Informed In-formed Great Britain that while, in case of Russia's withdrawal from the entente. Japan would prefer to send her troops lo France rather than to undertake military chastisement of Russia, if the new situation seemed to threaten Japan the latter would take measures for self-protection. This means she would declare war on Russia Rus-sia and take away Manchuria and possibly, pos-sibly, outer Mongolia. The best informed opinion is that the entente allies have little to hope from Russia in the way of further active ac-tive participation in the war. If she can be persuaded to reject a separate peace and to hold the Germans buck from further invasion, that is about the limit of reasonable expectation. The provisional government seems utterly ut-terly lacking in cohesion and its power is negligible. The strike of munition workers in Petrograd was averted on Wednesday, but only by granting the demands of the men, including the six-hour day. General Brussiioff was made commander com-mander in chief of the Russian armies, and General Gurko again resigned as commander on the western front. Two Things Worry Germany. Two tilings are causing especial anxiety in Germany. One is the persistent per-sistent demand of the masses in Austria-Hungary for a peace on the Sclieidemann plan of no annexations and no indemnities a separate peace if Germany remains obdurate. The German Socialists are aroused to anger an-ger by the prospect of this breaking up of the alliance of the, central powers, pow-ers, and lay all the blame on the pan-Germans. pan-Germans. The other cause for German worry is the scarcity of food, which admittedly admit-tedly is increasing throughout the empire. em-pire. Food Controller von Batockl told the reichstug that the potato crop is smaller than was'expected, and that the crops In the occupied territories are a great disappointment, as seed will hardly germinate in ruined soil. In Turkey, Bulgaria and Austria,, he admitted, the food situation was desperate. des-perate. The cities and towns over there are suffering far more than the country districts, for the peasants retain re-tain much of the meats and other foodstuffs food-stuffs they produce, despite the efforts ef-forts of the officials to force them to disgorge. In some parts of Germany the townspeople have been conducting regular expeditions into the country to seize food, by armed force if necessary. neces-sary. The war and the question of China's participation therein are causing a lot of trouble for the rulers of that so-called so-called republic. The situation is confusing con-fusing to occidentals, but the concrete results have included the revolt of 11 provinces, which formed a provisional government, and the resignation of the vice president. Germany undertook to appease Spain by apologizing fQr the sinking of a Spanish vessel and offering to pay damages, but the Spaniards are still angry and the food situation there is bad. King Alfonso last week made a demand on the central powers that the abuse of Jews in Palestine be stopped, and In this was backed up by the Argentine Ar-gentine republic. Northcliffe Comes to America. An interesting development of the week was the acceptance by Lord Northcliffe of the position of head of tho British war commission in the United States in succession to Arthur J. Balfour. The great editor and publisher pub-lisher is, next to Lloyd-George, the most influential man in Great Britain and it i.s predicted that his work In America will be momentous. A neat example of German methods of oppression Is supplied by the treatment treat-ment of Mons. That Belgian town was fined .$100,000 last week because a Belgian paper, printed In Holland, announced that Crown Prince Ru-precht Ru-precht of Bavaria was in Mons when that city was bombarded by allied airmen air-men also, probably, because the Germans Ger-mans needed the money. The finance committee of the senate put In another strenuous week revamping revamp-ing the war revenue bill, and finally got It in shape for consideration by the senate. The campaign for the sale of Liberty Lib-erty bonds is still being carried on with vigor and the greatest success throughout the country. Why 'it should he necessary to urge people to put their money into these absolutely safe and very desirable securities Is not easily understandable, but since It Is the men who have the work In charge are to be highly commended for the j sl-.il!, persistency and Ingenuity with wh.ch they are pushing the cami.aiiiu. |