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Show BAKER TELLS , OE BATTLES i i; , Great Offensive Starts at St. Mihiel and Goes Forward at j Rapid Pace. j f WASHINGTON, Oct, 13. "The bat- f tie of St. Mihiel started the present 5 triumphant advance of the allied arm- jj ies. From a fortified hill overlooking a the battlefield, I saw General Persh- " ing's army advance Into the salient 1 while more than 2000 big guns silenced I the German artillery and pointed the wedge which finally cut off the salient A and rescued from German occupation of French soil which for four years had S been in their possession. 2 "The next day I went into SL Mihiel B and saw the people at the end of their captivity singing the national songs of A France and having a festival of H thanksgiving for their deliverance. The c blow was sudden and the victory com- A plete. H "For a few days there was a lull, s Then by a concerted movement the A French and Americans opened a new attack from the Meuse to the west, c covering the Argonne forest and later the battle was taken upon the entire. I front, stretching to the channel. "I witnessed the start from one of the forts of Verdun and again saw di- H visions of American troops pressing forward with irresistible dash through a defenses which had for three years H seemed impregnable. Th,e stream of German prisoners and thc captured ft war material told of the surprise and ftj rout of the enemy. The cheers of our c soldiers ac they pressed on Into the baftlc and the bravo happiness of our Q wounded in tho hospitals back of the s line told the same story. The Amorican t army had shown it is irresistible and $ Its spirit is unconquerable. s "The allied armies now are in the t full tide of victorious advance. Ameri- $ can divisions nro fighting with the British, with tho French and in their jfe own sectors and everywhere the vuvmy is in reircai anu disorder. Accompanying Mr. Baker on his re- t turn trip were Assistant Secrctarv John D. Ryan, now at the head of the army aviation program In which con- g nectlon he visited France and Eng- I land; Brigadier Genoral Hines, chief of ? tho embarkation service and Waltor Gifford, director .of the council of na- I tlonal defense, who has bceif in France f some months In connection with the i formation of the inter-alJicd and Am- V erican economic council. Surgoon Gen- r eral Gorgas. who accompanied Mr. 1 Baker to France, will remain abroad V for some time. Secretary Baker could I not sufficiently praise the spirit of tho 1 American army in France.. It was a 9 smiling army he said that now made ' a France literally brown with the khaki.' B In hospitals, in the trenches wherever' ' he went he found the troops smiling I and doing their work with enthusiasm. 0 The secretary brought only the mes- sage that the Liberty loan "must go 7 over the top," whatever the result of peace proposals. His own explanation of his trip shows that it was taken to pave thc way for war on a greater scale. "The army has done and is doing all that a proud and grateful country could ask." Mr. Balcer said tonight "and the time has come for us to put m every ounce tof our strength to assure as-sure its complete victory. The people at home have a solemn responsibility for their share in tho final result. "The Liberty loan must go over tho lop. I s success is both our message of gratitude to the boys who are brav- ing war's worst perlols in defense of our liberties, and a message, to Germany Ger-many that our people at home aro as resolute as our soldiers are brave. "Whatever the result of the peace proposals, the war department must proceed at full speed with men and supplies and the people must support the army until the boys are back with the fruits of victory safe and assured. If every American could have seen our boys in khakf as thev stormed the German trenches, assailed with shrap-nel, shrap-nel, high explosives, and machine w , , mm,ma guns he would be eager to subscribe Aiy trip abroad was principally for the purpose of arranging further cooperation co-operation in the matter of shipping for troops and. supplies. It was entirely successful and a complete understanding understand-ing was reached which assures the American army adequate cargo tonnage ton-nage for its support. The matter was taken up with the inter-alilcd maritime mari-time transport council and tho co-op-oration of the British, French and Italian Ital-ian governments was heartily given. "Many questions injolvinff co-op eration on the part of the several governments were taten up and satisfactorily satis-factorily settled. The attitudo of both the governments and peoples for the European allies toward America is cordial and every question Is ap-proached ap-proached from the point of view of uniting our strength in the common which have been reached with regard to shipping, air craft, ordnance and other parts of the allied program tho contribution which the Unitld States his all to the Liberty loan. can make is rendered definite and the f means of accomplishment are arrang- B "The Amorican soldier has won his way in Europe and has helped to cem- iw Vs cnt for all time the good will and good m ugfc feeling which unites our countries. In W ukt England, France and Italy the knight- if f; A: . llness of Amorica and her soldiors in Mk JH( this war has won the admiration of the J 2Njn people and in turn the sacrifice of the mi Q"-ti European allies and their great arm- flKl ies have been an inspiration to Amer-. , |