The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-05-16
DEADLOCK HAS
DEVELOPED ON
WESTERN FRONT
Russian DemOraIizatiOn Haa
Brought About Oainolls
Situation.
HARD FIGHTING GOES IN.
HARD FIGHTING GOES 0N
Internal Conditions in Ger
many Are Growing Stead
ily Worse.

The Generalization Of the RuSllAn
army and the consequence withdrawal
of German forces from the eastern
front are having their effect in France.
The heavy reinforcement Of men and
guns which Field Marshal Won Hindens
burg has been able to throw into the
defense of his sorely battered line nave
for the time being at least caused 9
deadlock which the most furious ets
fort of the French and British have
failed to break. These first fruits OF
the chaos in Russia are the most more
ominous in the hints they oter q t1s
ture possibility.
On the front in France the hard
fighting has been confined to the Rnlle5
court sector and the region north 81
the Scarpe in the Arras battle area
and to strip of about two and oneshall
miles in length on the west end Of the
Aisnt front. Correspondents dis
patches from the Bullecourt region re-
port Gen. Haig's troops as having re-
claimed virtually all the ground they
had lost within the confines Of the
ruined village and to have established
new posts west Of Bullecourt,
AS to the fighting north Of the.
Scarpe which British press bureau n
ports as severe in character, there i
nothing in the official account 70 give
clue to its definite import or the way
it is trending.
A new German attack on the French
line was delivered along q four lilo'
meter stretch in the region Of the las.
faux mill where French 'front.' bends
northward west Of the Chemin-de.
danes plateau. The French positions
there were maintained In spite Of re-
peated assaults by the Crown Prince
troops.
The Council Of Workmen and Sol:
diers' delegates in Russia seems TO
have been aroused at last to the peIiln
of the course 1t has elected to follow
The soldiers in the ranks evidently
have the bit In their teeth and II -.
mains to be seen II there 10 o hand
strong enough to check them frpm
bringing about practical anarchy.
The hopefuf side Of the picture .
drawn by the multiplied signs that che
political and economic crisis IN Ger
mary is as acute as ever. The extra
ordinary measures taken by the Ger
man censorship to prevent the outside
world from learning conditions IN the
empire have been largely successfully
but some facts could not be concealed.
Possibly for the first time the reyolt.
ton and German republic have been
openly talked about in the Reichata
and most significant Of all apparently
the authorities do not dare to check
the growing audacity Of the radicals.
In fact the pressure Of the malcontentq
has become so great as to force the
government to hastily withdraw its 81
fusal to permit radical Socialists dele
gates to attend the international So.
cialiSt conference at Stockholm.
The food situation In Germany op-
pears to be growing steadily worse and
alarm is expressed in various quarters
that the available supply will not SUIT
flee to feed the nation until the next
harvest. The ELUSIVE promises with
which the administration checked the
May day strike agitation have proved
hollow and there are complaints IS the
attempt to substitute meat for bre q
is seriously diminishing the counttJs
stock Of milk animals.