Mexico Missouri message., 1917-12-20

who have not yielded to the dictation
of Lenine and his bolsheyikists. More
over, the immense gold reserve of the
Russian empire, which was removed
from Petrograd to the Kremlln in 1913,
has been taken still further into the
interior and is out of the reach of the
maximalists. Whether Kaledines and
the Cossacks will chose to support the
social democrats or will aid in q res
toratlon of the monarchy is not clear.
But sane friends of order, democracy
and freedom feel that anything would
be better than the reign of anarchy
and civil war that threatens Russia
now.
The soldiers who remain at the
front are wailing bitterly because of
the shortage of food, and there is a
fine prospect of hundreds of thousands
Of these fighting men turning back in
to their country half-starved and
ready to pillage and ravage it without
restraint.
ItaIys Danger Lessened.
The heroic Italian troops having
demonstrated their ability to hold back
about four times as many Teutons
along the Piave front, the fears Of a
more extended invasion of Italy and
of the capture of Venice are lessening.
During the week great numbers of re-
endorsements arrived from the British
and French armies on the west front,
many of them having marched eight
days through the mountains. They
brought with them ample artillery and
supplies. Italian reserves in great
masses, young, well-eQuipped and full
of spirit, also moved north to relieve
those who have been combating the
invaders, and in some places the Ital-
ians took the offensive. The fighting,
especially between the Plave and the
Brenta, continued fierce and unabated
throughout the week, and the losses
on both sides were heavy, but the Aus
tro-Germans made no further gains.
Down toward the Adriatic they made
repeated attempts to cross the river
and the flooded lands in pontoons, but
were completely routed by the Italian
artillery. AS the week closed the stu
alton in Italy was still serious, but i'm
proving each day.
Gen. f. B. Maurice, chief director
Of military operations in the British
war office, was especially well salts
fed with the weeks developments in
Italy. From the fact that Germany
had not brought up vast reinforce
ments to follow up the initial success
| NJ ofs,fu hn Id
that Germany was unable to send
them. 1t is now time, he declared,
to say definitely that the crisis in
Italy has passed, this being due en-
| tirely to the efforts of the Italian
army. "Anglo-French troops are now
available in sufficient quantities to
satisfy us that the situation is Sc
cure" he concluded.
| Hard Fighting Around Cambrai.
The war has seen no more desperate
fighting than has followed on the heels
Of General Byng's sensational thrust
toward Cambria. Crown Prince Rup-
precht seemed determined not TO let
that city fall into the hands of the
British, or at least to make it a costly
prize, and his constantly REINFORCED
troops were sent against the British
In Bourbon wood again and again and
in the village of Fohtaine, which
changed hands several times. Byng's
men held on tenaciQusly and usually
had the best of it In the hand-to-hand
fighting as we'll as in the artillery COM
bats, and the tanks continued to play
their part. These monsters often
cleared the way for the infantry, and
In at least one instance, when they
were themselves held up by superior
forces, the British airmen, flying dar-
ingly low, routed the enemy with ma
chine gun fire and permitted the tanks
to go on. Altogether, it has been the
most spectacular battle of the war, and
1t has cost the Germans q great many
of their best men.
General Byng last week seemed tC
be endeavOring to break through to the
north of Cambria, movement that
probably would compel the enemy tC
full back on a wide front. Cambrai It
self seems doomed to destruction.
General Pershing last week sent
over his second casualty list. 1t gave
the names of two privates who were
killed in the trenches by German ar
tillery fire and of five severely
wounded.
v. s. Supreme War Council.
While urgently advising upon oul
allies more unified action in the prose
cutiOn of the war, the administration
is not overlooking the need for similar
eo-ordinated effort at home. On Tues
day great step toward centralized
control Of all the countrys resources