Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-12-01
EVENTS OLA WEEK

Americans with new force on Friday when the Official
announcement came over the Associated Press wfresAhat
National Guard troops FROM every state in the union had
reached the soil of France, and that some of them were
already in training within sound Of the guns at the front.
This announcement came as a surprise to the entire
country, for. while It has been known that troop move
ments had been under way for some time, and most peo-
pie probably supposed that small numbers Of men had
been crossing the ocean, there seems to have been little
suspicion that the transports had been, nearly as busy
as the dispatch indicated. It is not to be understood that
all, or nearly all of the National Guard has yet been sent
abroad, but q large number Of the men have gone. and
every state is represented by some of its soldiers. The
gratifying fact is stated that this great movement was
carried out without the loss of a man.
.
Sentiment in this country has needed the final touch
OF the knowledge by American families generally that
their own kin o. personal friends were actually at the
seat Of war, participating r awaiting the order to par
ticipate in the great events across the ocean. That per-
sonal element is now supplied. No father knows dehn-
itely that his son is actually at the front. But he does
know that men from his own state are there, and that
his own son is as likely as any other to be annonx. them.
In the twinkling Of an eye the situation has changed in
thousands of American homes from one which, in. spite
of its possibilities and it's certainties, still remained some-
what vague and impersonal, to one in which the indiv-
dual at home realizes that his own flesh and blood is part
and parcel of the war, and is 10 become, perhaps within
a few days, one Of the moving figures in it Y
Hs~ = . s.s \ /5 IN
The tremendous drive by the British at cambrua has
been followed by stiff fighting near the city. The Ger
~lqans have recovered from their panic,e and have made
desperate. but Intellectual efforts to regain some of Inc
lost territory, and the British have been consolidating
their positions and pushing a little farther forward at
several points. An interesting fact in connection with
the Cambrai drivefis that American engineers and con-
struction men who went across. early In the summer have
been busy for weeks building railroads in the rear of
the British positions in the Cambrai sector, and the trans
portation facilities thus provided contributed in no small
measure to the remarkable success of the great drive.
. =
The Teutontc invasion Of northern italy has made
no further progress during the week. The italian line
along the lower Piave and sktrting the mountains On the
Trentino border still holds, although tremendous. efforts
have been made to break it. In the meantime British
and French reintorcements have arrived with guns and
ammunition, and every day that passes should add to the
strengthen the allies in that section. A fact which may
be regarded as signihcant>i is that the Germans and Au6-
trians are now constructing strong defensive works along
the line of the Tagliaamento. apparently as a provision for
their safety in case they are forced back from the Piave.
An eastern military writer notes the interesting fact that
while the German armies have won initial successes IN a
number Of movements which, IL successful, might have
been decisive. each of these has failed just whom success
seemed to be assured. He cites a number Of cases, such
as the initial success and ultimate failure in ths drive
toward Paris; in the drive on Calais: in the Werdun onen--
sive he wonders II the Italian offensive is to- be pl4ced
IN the same class
The Bolshevfd ''sovernnent' in Petrosrad has made
overtures to Germany and Austria for an >armistices
Negotiations with Austria have been begun, and the Ger
! man chancellor indicates q wiHingnesa to- negotiate with
port came from Petrosrad through one of the usual tdrtu-.
ous chanenls that the sLenine government had far1eng and
that st had been succeeded by q Socialist eolnniskon ON
which the Bolsheviki were represented. The news axen-
cies did not guarantee the correctness Of the ruuaor, but
Sapassed it on for what It was worth.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. S&H8s&N s-s $50 ~ &H& (SsS@|NS 81
h Pafiss there is in prosrea = conference 81 al the
4alltessi In which Is nations are represented. This 10 70 be
Followed Immediately by the hrst regular meetInr of the
central war council Of which the United stats, Great
8EBritain. Italy and. France are members. Tfie work Of
1.-The council will be confined according to ule4repsAtsd
1 statements Of the delegates, to . consideration 4of military