Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-10-24
FRENCH MAKE BIG
DRIVE ON GERMANS
Smash Foes Front And Capture
$500 Prisoners
TO PUSH LIBERTY LOAN OVER
Great Stores Of German. Owned Com
modities And Accumulated Deposits
Await Confiscation.


In one Of the swiftest and most
dashing blows of the war the French
troops, attacking on a six-mile front
yesterday smashed through the Ger
man lines north of the Aisne, about
seven miles northeast of scissors, TO
a depth of more than two miles al one
point. inflicted heavy losses on the
enemy. and captured more than $500
prisoners and twenty-five heavy guns
and field guns
Several important villages also fell
into the hands of the French, accord
ing to the War Office announcement.
Despite the rain and mist which
shrouded the battlefield when the at
tack began at 5.15 A. NJ. the French
infantry rushed forward with splendid
enthusiasm in the face of crack Ger
man troops, supported by heavy ar
tillery. and carried Malmaison Fort.
on the centre of their offensive, and
the villages of Allemant and Vaudes-
son on the left. They also seized posi-
tions dominating the village of Par
gny-Filain Later in the attack,
ed their victorious attack to Chaving-
non, the capture of which marks their
furthest advance about two one
fifth miles.
From Allemant, on the left of the
front over which the attack was made,
to its eastern limits at Pargny-Felain,
the distance is about four miles.
Loan Drive Is On.
With the unofficial estimate of sub
scriptions placed at $2,500.000, 600,
and the official statement, based on
the fullest returns from the twelve
Federal Reserve Banks. placed at ST.,
sol 1892 $50, Liberty Day finds the pros
pect strengthened that the minimum
quota of the war loan will be entirely
subscribed and probably oversub-
scribed, and the chances distinctly
possible that the maximum quota will
be taken by Saturday
Treasury officials expected that to-
day would witness the completion of
the minimum quota. II that result is
attained, the three following days will
count heavily toward the subscription
of the maximum of $5,000,000,000 An
element Of uncertainty is complained
of in that the interior districts do not
report fully, and some do not report
at all, to their Federal Reserve Banks.
To Seize Enemy Property.
One billion dollars is unofficially
estimated to represent the German
owned money or other property sub
ject to confscation by this government
under the Trading with the Enemy
Act. All available. officials point out.
for investment in the next Liberty
Loan.
Until A. Mitchell Palmer, as Custo
dian of Enemy Property, has received
returns from corporations and individ-
uals, it will be impossible to determ-
inc the total value of the assets he is
required to take over Letters receiv-
ed by him, however, indicate that the
war chest will be enormously swell
ed Agents of the Department of JUS
tice, the Department of Commerce,
and Secret Service operatives have
been working on the problem for
months, and their investigation has
uncovered immense values in cotton,
steel, oil, and other materials held in
storage in this country by German
firms.
One letter which came to Mr.. Pal
mer indicated the possibilities An
almost unknown firm informed the
custodian that it owed 100000 to a
German concern which it desired to
place in his custody at once. Reports
from Pittsburg were that Pittsburg's
assets. representing deposits in banks
by German citizens; royalties due to
German-owned patents of steel pro-
eesses, and bills due to German COM
panies, would exceed $1,000.000. In
banks in New York, Cleveland. Gin
cinnati, Milwaukee, and other cities
it is estimated that hundreds of mil
lions due to Germans are deposited