Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-08-10

LNOLN W.
on January 9 a bill introducing IL
passed its first reading in the house
OF commons by a large majority. The
bin was finally signed by King George
May &c.
Allies Get Together.
Their defeats finally taught the al
lies that their efforts must be co-Or-
dinated, like their enemies, If they
we're to be effective. A new war
council, with all the allies represented,
met in Paris December Z and a kind
of international general staf was or
ganized. 1t is known that General Jo-
seph Joffre, French commander in
chief since the beginning Of the war,
and the hero of the battle Of the
Marine, was the presiding genius. The
effects of the council were not to be
seen for several months, but now they
are being realized in full measure.
To check q simultaneous allied Of
f%ensive, which they clearly saw COM
ing, the Teutons decided on two at
tacks of their own. This follows the
well-known axiom Of German mill
tary strategy that the best defense Is
an energetic attack.
The first Of these offensive defen-
slves was the attack on the French
fortress of Verdun, where the works
were subjected to q whirlwind of fire
beginning February 21.-The gains of
the first week were great, and German
critics foretold the collapse OF the
French. Two of the defending forts,
Vaux and Douaumont, fell, and impor-
tant positions were taken west of the
Mouse river as well.
But Joffre rallied his men In splen-
did fashion and sold each yard of
ground at an awful cost in German
blood. Step by step the crownp princes
men pushed forward, but today they
are still more than two miles from the
ruined fortress town and the resist
ance of the French is as strong as
ever.
Austrian DFIvC OneCkeus
The second Teutonic offensive was
organized by the Austrians in the
Trentino, and they struck in the di-
rection of Vicenza with the object
Of cutting off the northern end Of Italy
from the main portion. On May 26,
as the result of several days VIC
lent artillery fire followed by infantry
rushes, they were able to announce the
capture of $4,000 Italians.
General Count Cadorna hurried
about q hundred thousand men in mo-
tor cars to the scene, while many more
arrived on foot or trains. Just when
it seemed the Austrians must reach
the lowlands the counter-attacks were
delivered.
On June 80 Rome announced a splen-
did victory. In bloody fighting the
Austrians, perhaps weakened by
drafts to bolster up their Russian
front, were driven from peak to peak
almost to where their lines had stood
throughout the winter.
In March the Russians delivered
vast but futile attacks on the Ger
man front at many points, probably tt
distract attention from Verdun. The
Germans seemed to have been lulle(
into security by these efforts, which
they probably considered the best thu
} czar could do. But the tens Of thou
sands of Muscovite bodies lining thu
Germans barbed wire were but a pat
ter Of rain compared with the storm
that was brewing behind the Russian
: lines.
At the beginning of June this storm
? broke with full force and, following
the principle Of attacking the weakes
: point, the Austrians holding the lin
l from the marsh district southwark
7 were forced to bear the brunt of il
, Russia's Big Push.
Millions of shells, manufacture
largely in British, Japanese an
American factories, blasted away wire
trenches, dugouts and observation
: points. Then the hordes of SIDE
rians, Cossacks and others swep
over the field. The Austrians coul
not withstand the impact and the
> gave way steadily.
June G., General Brusiloff announce
!, the capture of 1900 Austrians; Jun
! 8, the number for the three succeed
! ing days alone was $4,000, and tn
{ numbers kept mounting until on Jul
20 General S%hoovaietf, Russian mir
. lister of war, estimated the number c
? Austro-Hungarian prisoners at 270
' 600. The Killed and wounded are I'll
+, told, but the number must be larg
= enough to bring the total loss we
over half a million.
German support was rushed to tn
Austrians, but the foe captured Luts
. and Dubno, and reached the Stokho
y and Lipa rivers in Volhynia; overra
, all Bukowina to the Carpathians an
. sent patrols of Cossacks into Hungar
; to ravage the country.
{ That the car is anticipating furth'
great gains of territory is seen fro
Russia's action in modifying II
II males of the island of Saghalien, Tu
, kestan, and one other district to buil
: roads, dig trenches and do other wor
: of organizing the ground o
Allies Drive in Somme Region.
d Almost a month to a day followir
IL the beginning of the great Russian 0
fensive French and British opent
n their drive in the vicinity of Il
\ Somme river. They have gained gra
ually but steadily, and the official r
IS ports assert the losses of the attac
t ers are comparatively small.
a. 1t is also the claim Of the allies tn
the Franco-B British offensive can
kept up ut its present rate indefinit
ly, and will not have to be slacken'
Is for lack Of shells, guns or men. III
10 rate of progress is much greater th'
~ tho Cermnns' Mt Verdun. but the cOl