The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-09-06
az Associated Press.

Eeiea,. REssta's principal Baltic port,
has been abandoned to the Germans
under the threat of an offensive by
Lard and sea, in which the deciding
str,.e on the land side was delivered
by the G;e~rsnanssiast saturday.
The tate of Riga Mas virtually sealed.
WHEN German troops forced a. crossing
of sthe DNina splfheast Of the city and
BEGAN 10 Yt,fsb northwara after making
good iaehr. fuothold On the right hank OF
tie ssreAfn.
" erlaced also by the attack of a
column of Ieutonic forces moving from
Mita,t. southwest of Riga. and blythe.
s,er,na,i naN;as' forces recently reported,
ifoye-in.3iR the Vicinity Of the Gulf OF
fss.:sf,. Tie ilgss.an military authorities
evidently SnrasiGered the city no longer
tenatSte ana decided to evacisate 1T.
Consequences Not Estimated.
The possible ultimate military cons
sequence OF this Development are diff
ficilt 10 estimatc. The right flank Of
tho ef,tige Euss:iun western front was
anchored tn the Gulf of Riga at 81
puirt 10 the west OF the city, and with
This anef.dIage apparently lost the pos
s.i,ie ~si.ategscai develoii naerlts Of the
situaai N .5casis indefinite.
Muail DEPENDS on the purpose OF the
Germans ;saG the size OF the forces at
..tleir disposal for erations in this
waf. tiaeafer. IL is too early yet for 1t
TO he made apparent whether they will
oe content at present With occupation
81 ttlts Baltic seaport the Russians have
left To them, or il the advantage is to
be pushed and 81 attempt TO swing
pack the entire Russian line on this
front. cre;s.,ne ar openin for an opera
ton by land AND water with P~etrogfad
rs the objective.
Many GermaEs There.
Riga. oap4ial of the government OF
-.ivenia.si,ad 4 population of than
,OO,DV1 persons before tie war, and
5ertant Russian commercial and In
austria town having access to the
Baltic. IT is situated II the southern
sna snf TIE tsuif OF Riga a p6dy OF
w. tel about 100 miles long and ~ miles
wide. fuga laying at tile ppili8 Waere
The Ilsina esnp.ies into the gulf. The
or.t8is. ieebound during Virtually one
third If the { III had a very large
German pop,Balion before the opening
IF hustiiities. IL is interesting thatIit
was iauiiGeG in 1855 by German mer-
chants as a store house. the city pass
.,s through the control Of various
Observation-Disclosures during the CEN
turies untilit finally, in 1T.el. was incor-
porated With the Russian empire. Its
commercial standing issindicated by the
fact That it was the third seaport OF
Russia, only Patrogiad and Odessa ex-
cpss,;lss5i, III Importance. assaaaa
Loru Sought by Teutens.
1rhe Germans long have had their
eyes 4 ponsItisa and at tie close CT the
greal campaign u lal5, when PolaIp.
was uvert,1il and large sections of RLs-
SIAN soil occupied by the Teu,onic for
gsss, All efiart was made by Field Mar
sf.al Won H~indenburg to break the line
OF the DYina between Riga and Drinsk.
ITO miles 10 the southeast. The Rus
Sia,is 1T that time, however, were able
10 hold tncis grip on the line, being
aided by advent of winter. During last
year no serious offensive was under
aiken by the Germans Or the northern
front, their energies in the eastern war
theater being directed elsewhere in re-
sistil,g IL, Brt,ssiloff and in the Ruman-
iD, t~anipajsn.
Ever since the Russian revolution
with its siisorga-i2sar effect@upon the
Russian armies s>ss.se the military sit
untie., favorable II the Germans. there
nav. sac.l hints t'sat Il descent was to
be ,h,aae upon :,e Russian northern
fISnt AMI several alarms have been
sounded in Petrograd that such an
ey~entuality was planned
beNf% 49, .Esss5N eS- o. Tg481rtE sME AZ .l
ps&roarsd to Fall Next,
Washington. d c.. Sept. 3.--Abandon-
nlent sc Ieixa in the face of the new
tiprisa drive iEto Russia, and even