Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-14
RISING WATERS AS HOPE OF ITALIANS
Conflicting Accounts of Civil War Struggles
SUMMARY OF WAR
EVENTS UPON ALL
OF BATTLE FRONTS

OHiCidi ENCOURAGEMENT Is Iudut ny
the Bolsheyik government at Petro-
grad that the Russian delegates TO
the armistice conference now in prog
ress at Brest-Litovsk are empowered
to begin peace negotiations with the
central powers If an armistice Ia
signed.
Meanwhile the struggle for power
in interior Russia is growing more
bitter. Advantages in the civil war
fare are claimed by both sides. The
Bolsheviki assert success In the fight
ing with General Kaledines' Cossacks
in the vicinity OF Bielgorod, some
three hundred and fifty miles south
of Moscow, while the Cossaeks are
reported victorious at Rostoy-on-the
Don, capturing the city and forcing
the Bolsheyiki troops to retreat across
|, the Don.
Attention is attracted by the fact
that the German press is being per-
mitted to predict a German offensive
on the western front, a rather unusual
prelude to any new aggressive move
| by the Germans, especially immedI-
ately preceding one.
This front. however, is admittedly
more active as whole on the German
| side than for long time with brisk
artillery battles and accommodating
/ thrusts in force. An artillery action.
| it is to be noted, has broken out in
the Champagne which has been point
ed to as one field where the Germans
might attempt an offensive in an eff
fort to break through in the direction
of Paris.
OF actual infantry fighting there has
been little in the last "a hours. Lon
don announces that the British were
successful in improving their posi-
ton as the result of their local OPP
| GRAFTON In the Cambria area, east
Of Bullecourt. Berlin declares the
British were beaten back in an attack
at this point.
BoIsheviki troops apparently have
been successful in the first clashes
with the counter revolutionists and 1t
is reported they have captured the
towns of Tamanovka and kaluga.
& General Ka1edines is besieging Ros-
toy-On-the-Don the largest city in the
Don province and heavy fighting has
been in progress there since Sunday
! Tamanovka is near Bielgorod, 800
miles south of Moscow and near where
} the forces of General Korniloff, also
a counter revolutionist, are reported
to have been engaged in heavy bat
tie with the Bolsheviki
Severe fighting has been going on In
Z and around Rostoy, which is only q
miles southwest of Noyo Teherkask
: the Don Cossack capital. Kaledines
. troops besieged the city while Cos
sack forces within Rostov attacked
the Bolshevik. The losses are re.
ported heavy on both sides.
Artillery and local infantry fighting
has been in progress on the western
front, to which the Germans are still
rushing troops and supplies. The en-
: envy has attempted no further masseC
attacks since Wednesday and there il
still no outward sign Of where his ex
pected blow is to come.
In the Cambria yesterday the Brit
ish stormed German post on th'
southern end of the sector German
artillery has been especially activl
!, south of the Scarpe, in the Arras are;
. and northeast of Ypres in Flanders
Intermittent artillery activity eontin
/ ues along the French front
East of the Benta river. on tn
4 northern Italian front, there has beer
further bitter fighting. Austro-Ger
man troops, reinforced by fresh re
serves, attacked the italian position
in valleys descending toward the rive
from the Col Della Beretta region
Italian resistance held the attacker
and forced them togiye up the effor
= after having suffered heavy losses
,Other violent attacks in the same reg
:, ion brough no gains for the enemy.
German bombs have killed a mum
= Der of American railway engineers il
q town behind the British front. L
another town German bomb fell in
> street through which American troop
were marching. Although the missil
= fell very close, no injuries resulted.
The peoples commissaries cor
s tinue to attempt to carry out tibet
program. It is announced that cleo
i tons Of officers Of the army. 70
which all men are eligible, will begi
l. today. A decree aboiishing all rank
and titles becomes effective tomorrow
t. The commissaries have declared a
agricultural implements a goyernmer
= monopoly and all machines will i
distributed for the equitable farmin
i1p