The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-08-13
FRANCE AT WAR
WITH AUSTRIA.
Official Announcement Made BY
French Government
AUSTRIAN TROOPS At BlSLE

FToHtteT RItSF FaVtn9 violated Neu
traIity of SwitzerIand-Prepare tt
Attack French Rear In AIsace
Picked Soldiers From TyroI Trough
West Before War Was Declared.
Paris, Aug. II. Austria Hungary
having failed to satisfactorily eXplai,
the presence of Austrian troops OF
the French border at Basic, SwitZer
land, France has declared war on tnA'
nation and has handed his passports
to the Acknowledgements amhassZ71 O
in Paris. This action has been TX
pected for several days, and why tie
rupture did not occur sooner will II
main one Of the secrets of diplomacy
for the present.
Eight Austrian regiments are re
ported from Basic as having violated
the neutrality Of Switzerland and to BE-
now on the Alsace border preparing
to attack the French rear In Alsace
These men are picked soldiers from
the Austrian Tyrol, mountaineers, WHO
will be able to harass the French.
A statement issued by the war de
partment says that numerous skir
mishes are taking place along the en-
tire front OF the French army. One
clash with the Germans was violent
and the losses on both sides were Sc
rious.
The army sent into Alsace from Bel
fort and commanded by General Joffrt
is moving in a formation shaped like
huge fan from the Jura mountains OF
the Swiss border through all of Al
SAGE to point east of Colmar The
forces that are engaged in this inva
sion form the second mobilization cen
ter of the French army with head
quarters at Langres.
Detachments of the famous TurcOs
native troops from the French colony
OF Algeria, penetrated upper Alsace.
The Turcos are Arabs recruited in
Algeria, where they are almost con
stantly on active service in the south
ern provinces against the rowing tribes
of Arab horsemen, who continually
harass the French troops. Half theiI
officers are Frenchmen and the other
half rise from the ranks OF the natives
They are remarkable sharpshooters
and showed great bravery in the Cri
mean war as we'll as in the Franco
Prussian war of 1870-u.
1t is admitted that the German army
is concentrating on General Joffre's
front. Neu Breisach, to the east OF Col
mar, and Strassburg, 10 the north, are
the centers of the German advance. 1t
is believed certain that the German
army OF the upper Rhine is already
marching against the French and that
a general battle, which will settle the
control of Alsace, has already begun.
German troops are moving on france
through Luxembourg, the main column
being reported at Esch. 1t is reported
that the German army which is operat
ing through Luxembourg will be very
heavily reinforced in view of the
check at Liege. While no facts are or.
tainable regarding the exact number
of Germans, it is recalled that the orig
insl German plans were believed to
call for practically the entire active
German army with the first and sec.
ond line of reserves, a total of nearly
100000 men.
Nish, Servia, Aug. 1.-THE Austrian
bombardment OF Belgrade has contir-
ued for the past tOu; days. The heavy
guns caused severe damage to private
property, but wGrr less effective VII el
the firing was from a greater distance,
The Servian army is being rapidly
organized and has begun to take the
offensive by penetrating Bosnia neal
Pribol and Vioegrad.
The Montenegrin forces occupied
Spizza, Pachtrovitz and Budua on the
Ddlmatian coast and also carried by
assault Netalk and Sienekos, sur
rounding heights.
st. Petersburg, Aug. 1.-THE regu.
lar troops of the German army who
hitherto had been scattered in small
detachments along the frontier are
now concentrating near the Russian
border in brigades composed of two
or three regiments each, all in readi-
ness to take the field.
The positions in the border villages
have been occupied by units of cavalry
and infantry of the German army re-
serve. No serious encounters have oc-
CURED yet on the frontier, but fire.
quent skirmishes between 0utposts
are reported, while German military
aeroplanes fly daily in the direction Of
KeVne