Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1917-05-10


ly completed and France and Italy and
Russia will get their share soon. Most
of the money, 1t is understood, will be
expended in the United States,
The commissioners agreed that,
next to supplying money, America
could give the best help by continuing
to furnish food and by finding the YES
sells for its transport to Europe, and
they were pleased with the plans for
building a great fleet of wooden ships.
General JOffre, however, expressed the
hope that in the near future a large
contingent of American troops would
be on the fighting line under the Stars
and Stripes, holding that the moral
effect of that would be tremendous.
All Of the commissioners concurred
in the statement that they were here
not to attempt to dictate to our gov
eminent, but to advise and assist 1t
to the best of their ability and with
their wealth of experience.
President Wilson, in a conference
with Mr.. Balfour, voluntarily gave as
surances that the United States will
fight until it achieves victory, and
thereupon the head of the British mis-
sion declared that the entente allies
would seek no treaty of alliance, no
signature of the entente pledge not to
make separate peace with Germany.
Germans Resist Desperately.
"This is the last and deciding push,
for we soon shall be able to hold out
no longer" reads the diary of Ger
man officer who was captured last
Monday, and that seems to be the
opinion of the German commander in
chief, judging by the desperate opposi-
ton he is putting up against the drive
Of the allies in northern France. Re-
Stunning their part of the offensive at
the beginning of the week, the British
have made considerable progress, es-
pecially along the roads from Arras
and Bapaume to Cambria. In the semi
open fighting their heavy howitzers
were of little use, but their field guns
and machine guns were handled with
wonderful skill and rap!dity and the
Germans suffered enormously. Won
Hindenburg threw his reserves into
the battle with u prodigality that as
tonished his adversaries, and the Teu'
tons gave ground slowly and made re-
peated and fierce counter-attacks
which, however, were of little avail
and left the ground covered with theiI
slain. The German line, thanks tc
the astounding numbers of men Vor
Hindenburg has been able to bring up
is still unbroken, but it Is badly bat
tered and is being pushed back fur
Their and further toward the frontier
The superiority of the British in thu
air was demonstrated on Monday II
the most spectacular manner. INT
men of the Royal Flying corps met thu
air squadrons of the Germans at al
altitude Of $4,000 feet and put then
to rout, destroying 40 of their air
planes, with the loss of but two o
their own machines. The young Brit
ish pilots then carried out series o
daring bombing raids,
The French devoted much of tn
week to destructive artillery fire Il
preparation for their next part in tn
"see-saw" that is being carried on wit
such skillful cooperation by Haig an
NivelIe, and by Thursday their infar
try was again in action.
On the Italian, Macedonian and Rot
manian fronts little of moment ha
taken place. In Mesopotamia tn
British are still advancing but the e1
|. peditlon from Egypt that is moving u
! through Palestine has found the n
.. enforced Turkish forces holding
strongly intrenched position extendin
from GAIA toward Beersheba. Portl
: gal, having decided to take a MOI
active part in the conflict In Europ
has sent large contingent Of trooI
to northern France.
There has been some stirring ach'
: ity recently in the neighborhood
the Straits of Dover. Two British d
stroyers encountered 1otilla of s.
e German destroyers and after furlol
s combat put the foe to rout. The &c
n man boats were rammed and torp
= doed and raked by gunfire and at lea
e two of them were sunk. The Britii
t vessels suffered severely but were alb
2, to return to port.
t wednesday morning German d
O stroyer flotilla bombarded Dunkil
n but was driven of by the coast be
y teries and the allied patrol boats. o.
= French torpedo boat was sunk.
: Russian Situation Dangerous.
Il The course of events In Russia
l. being watched with renewed anxiei