The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-12-28
MARKED CHANGES
IN BATTLE FRONT

(From the Associated Press.)
christmas tide Of 1917 finds the
. armies on all the major battle fronts
virtually inactive except where the
teutonlc allies are endeavoring te
ovewhlm the Italians and force =
passage through the hill country OF
northern Italy out upon the plains OF
Neneta.
The battle lines of today are mark
cdly changed from those of the yes-
1er-Near The Russian front from
the Baltic to the Black Sea is yir-
tually non-cNistant, the ltalians are
standing miles from whore they were
a year ago along the lsonzo front:
from Belgium to the region around
Nefdun, great salients have been
driven into the German lines bv Brit
ISM and French armies, and in Asiatic
Turkey the British have made gains
IN M"sopotamia and Palestine.
Nortlward through the latter reg
ION General Allemby's forces have
maze great progress against the OF
toinans and Christmas of 1917 finds
the Christians once more i'm control
OF Bethlehem, the birth place or
ChrlSt, and OF Jerusalem, and the
holy scpulcher.
Although the sound of peace j. in
sthe Alf, seemingly there is no pros
poet OF ending the struggle at AN
early date. The Teutonic allies ana
the Russians are endeavoring to cf-
feet Il cessation of hostilties ON tho
eastern front, and probably will reach
some KIND OF agreement that for the
moment at least Will render the
counter revolutionary forces in Rus
sla inactive and throw a greater bur
den on their former allies.
The enemy for weeks unorfic1al1v
has been proclaiming his desire for
peace, but no terms have been ad-
Vanced by him which would Indicate
a Willingness to bring the war to
an end along lines that Wou)d mako
the world safe for democracy" On
the contrary, the German emperor.
IN his latest utterance, made before
the second army last Saturday, boast
ed of the success of the Teutonic al
lies during the last year, and exult-
lngly proclaimed that the victories of
the central powers had been so man
lfest that it was useless to waste
words on the tactical and stratcgical
advantages gained.
Apparently, however, while strenu-
GUS efforts are being made in the
united States to get an nvincibIc
army in the field to aid Great Britain
and France and their allies in finally
BRING ing success to their arms tbn
icrman emperor has made final on
1eavor in his latest address to his
.roops to frighten people unafrajd
With the following declarations:
III the enemy does not want peace,
hen we must bring peace to the
World by batteriny it in with the iron
1st and the shining sword the doors
If those who will not have peace"
Meanwhile his armies and those Of
lis ally, Austra-Hungary, finding that
heir attempts to break the Italian
me between the Brenta and pioyc
lvers in northern Italy We're without
csult, hay shifted their attack again
o the Asiago plateau. Here small
ans were made. but the Italians i,
titfening their lines, held the enemy
rom further progress and at last ac
cunts were delivering successful
ounter attacks against him. On the !.
)Wer Pave river the enemy trOons :,
no forced a crossing of the river ;,
lst week have been compelled to re- j,
eat to the east bank of the stream