Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-08-06
Berlin Reports a Council Is
to Be Held Sunday to For
mulate Proclamation.
SEEK POLISH SUPPORT
German Prince Will Prob
ably Be Announced Gov
ernor of Captured City.

London, Aug. with the great Rus
sian fortresses of Warsaw and Ivan
gorod captured and the fall OF Riga,
the capital of the Baltic provinces, i'm
mineut, the Austro-German onslaught
has reached its height in the east, and
the next step Will be the German en-
peror's triumphant entry into the Pol
ish capital That event is likely soon
TO be followed by the pronouncenent of
a united and semi-autonomous Poland,
embracing not only the territory wrest-
ed from the Russians, but the Austrian
crown land OF Galicia.
Meantime the Russian armies are
fighting their way backward toward
Russia proper, inficting blows on the
invaders wherever possible, trying to
tend them off the railways running
north and south in order that the ends
Of the German nippers may not meet
and in closing bring disaster to Rus
sian arms. The position of the army
of Grand Duke Nicholas now is a mat
ter of solicitude. as the occupation Of
Warsaw is believed to be a prelude to
Ia greater purpose, that of enveioping
the retreating forces.
Russ Army IN Danger.
The Petrograd reports show the
grand duke has retired to the right
hank of the Vistula both at Warsaw and
Ivangorod, destroying the bridges at
both points and contesting the German
advance across the river.
Back of the retiring Russians is the
vast morass of central Poland with few
railways and private roads, making
virtually impossible quick movement
Of guns and supplies; while back Of
Warsaw. the only fortress available as
q rallying point for the Russians is
Brest-Litovsk. Thus the Russians ara
menaced by General Won Buelow's coll
umns bending southwark and by Field
Marshal won Mackensen's southern
army bending nOrthward.
The fall of Ivangorod proper, fore
cast in the Russian retirement from
the west Of the city is officially report
ed today in bulletins both from Berlin
and Vienna.
Plans for Poland.
The occupation Of Warsaw now is
ceutering attention on series of i'm
portant events that are being arranged.
First Will be the selection of a German
governor Reports indicate the APP
pointee viii be a German prince, pos
sibly a son Of the German emperor or
an Austrian archduke, who will be
vested with authority akin 10 that
which Napoleon gave to his brothers
and to his marshals as kings Of occu-
pied territory.
Berlin reports a council to be held
on Sunday will formulate proclama-
tion declaring Poland to be a semi
autonomous state under joint Polish
and Austr0-Hungari8n rule. This con-
forms with a recent decision Of Pol
ish congress held at Piotrkow, Russian
Poland which proposed a Joint Polish
and Austro-Hungarian rule with a
separate Polish army and the fullest
Polish autonomy consistent with the
strategic interests of Austria-HunRa
Want Polish support.
The German offer Of autonomy is re-
garded as a bid for the support Of the
population Of Poland, as against SIM
liar declaration of Emperor Nicholas
promising eventual Polish autonomy
under Russian suzerainty. The cut
come Of these events in Warsaw prob
ably will determine the political
status Of Poland during the war.
What the Germans will do next in
military way after attempting TO COM
plete their enveloying movement is a
matter Of much speculation. If this
campaign against the Russians is not
energeucalIy pushed there is the pos
sibllity Of the present victories being
undone, while If an offensive in the
east is continued, the Germans face the
rigors and dangers OF a winter cam
paign In Russia
Conservative students here think IT
VIII result in compromise, in which
the Germans will withdraw part of
their eastern army, leaving enough
men to maintain and secure the de-
fensive positions when they have dug
themselves in.