Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-08-04

passed its first reading in the house
of commons by large majority. The
bill was finally signed by King George
May 26.
Allies Get Together.
Their defeats finally taught the al
lies that their efforts must be co-or-
dinated, like their enemies, if they
were. to be effective. A new war
council, with all the allies represented,
met in Paris December Z and a kind
of international general staff 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
Marne, was the presiding genius. The
| effects of the council We're not to be
! seen for several months, but now they
are being realized in full measure.
To check a simultaneous allied Of
fensive, 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-
sives was the attack on the French
| fortress of Verdun, where the works
We're subjected to a 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
Meuse 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 crown 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 Drive Checked.
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 vio-
lent artillery fire followed by infantry
rushes, they were able to announce the
capture of 24,0OO Italians.
General Count Cadorna hurried
about 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 30 Rome announced splen
did victory. In bloody fighting the
Austrians, perhaps weakened by
drafts to bolster up their Russian
front, were driven from peak to peal
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 t.
distract attention from Verdun. The
Germans seemed to have been lulleC
into security by these efforts, which
they probably considered the best the
car could do. But the tens of thou
sands of Muscovite bodies lining thu
Germans barbed wire We're but a pat
ter of rain compared with the storm
that was brewing behind the Russian
Mines.
At the beginning of June this storm
broke with full force and, followin,
the principle of attacking the weakes
point, the Austrians holding the lin,
from the marsh district southwar,
ware forced to bear the brunt Of ii
Russia's Big Push.
Millions of shells, manufacture,
largely in British, Japanese ant
American factories. blasted away wire
trenches, dugouts and observation
points. Then the hordes of Sibe
rians, Cossacks and others swep
over the field. The Austrians coul
not withstand the impact and the
gave way steadily.
June 6, General BrusilOff announce,
the capture of 1900 Austrians; Jun
s, the number for the three succeed
ing days. alone was $4,000, and tn
numbers kept mounting until on Jul
20 General Shoovaieff, Russian mir
lister of war, estimated the number 0
;, 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
: and Lipa rivers in Volhynia; overra
all BukOwina to the Carpathians an
sent patrols of Cossacks into Hungar
to ravage the country.
That the czar is anticipating furtht
great gains of territory is seen frol
: Russia's action in mobilizing ii
: males of the island of Saghalien, Tu
kestan, and one other district to bull
roads, dig trenches and do other wor
i of organizing the ground won.
Allies Drive in Somme Region.
4 AlD2ast a month to day follOwir
i the beginning of the great Russian 0
n | TeDSlVo tTeI1Cn anu DIIIISH OpeuS
n their drive in the vicinity Of Il
l. Somme river. They have gained gra
3 ually but steadily, and the official r
5 ports assert the losses of the attac
+ ers are comparatively small.
/ It is also the claim of the allies tn
% the Franco-British offensive can
e kept up at it's present rate indefnit
IT ly, and will not have to be slacken
Is for lack of shells, guns or men. II
20 rate of progress is much greater thi
II the Germans at Verdun, but the cou
try traversed is less difficult. On t
D. other hand, the Verdun assailar
ID have the advantage of attacking frC
in the outside of a curve, while t
" French and British now attack frC
is inside the salient they have made
t. the line. Meanwhile the Verdun Offe
n sive of the Germans continues.
Outside of Europe the Germans ha
ut lost their CAMERON colony on the w
be Minnesota farmers in four ye;