Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-02-01


lyzed. The government was forced to
accept the socialists demands as to
food, communal woman suffrage and
nOnmilitarism of war industries. and
ed to their work. The trouble was
only partly allayed. however, and the
radicals made further demands and re-
iterated their call for a general peace
by understanding.
The Austrian masses are determined
that at least peace shall be made with
Russia, and If this Is not done their
words and actions betoken a revolu-
ton that will remove the dual o
archy from the alliance of the central
powers. Germany is awake to the
danger of this detection and the mill
tarists there are manifesting great irri-
tation toward Austria because they
think Emperor Charles and his govern
ment have fostered democratic inter-
nationalism.
The troubles of Emperor Charles
realm are aggravated by the attitude
of Bohemia. At a great meeting In
Prague a resolution was adopted de-
handing independence for Bohemia.
Hungary, also, is doing its bit in the
general %upheaval, having absolutely re-
fused to give cereals to either Austria
or Germany. The Roumanian stocks
of grain are exhausted and the food
situation in Austria is most acute.
Ia
The reasonable peace advocates in
Germany have not by any mean sur
rendered to the Increasingly arrogant
pan-Germans, and have been holding
meetings in Cologne and elsewhere,
and the radical socialists are keeping
up the fight with vigor. There is no
doubt that the proletariat of both Ger
many and Austria has been immensely
heartened and inspired by the proDa-
ganda of the Russian bolsheviki spread
by means of the determination of sol
diers on the east front.
-n-
All this sounds good, but it would be
foolish to base upon it any strong
hopes of an early peace with victory
for the allies. The German army prob
ably was never before so strong as
now, and If the indications may be
trusted, the long expected offensive on
the west front may be under way be-
fore this review is in the hands of
readers. All last week there was In
tense artillery action In France and
Flanders, with numerous feeling out"
raids and much activity by the air
forces. Great concentrations of troops
at several points continued and it
seemed evident the kaiser was about
ready to strike. French military ex-
perts believed the Germans would at
tack the British lines in Flanders and
also the French in the region of Nancy.
It was In the latter sector that the
raid was made on American troops.
Whether Pershing's men still are help
ing hold the line there has not been
revealed.
Having lost to the French some i'm
portant positions on Monte Tomba, the
Teutons in Italy were compelled to
evacuate considerable territory west
of the Piave river, moving back to
Monte Spinoncia. They seem to have
given up hope of forcing the passage
TO the plains along the west bank of
the Piave and are constructing de-
lenses in the e
On the sea the Turks suffered a con-
siderable disaster in the loss of the
cruisers Medullu and Sultan Selim,
formerly the Breslau and Goeben.
These vessels emerged from the OAR
danelles to attack certain British mon
itors, but were seen and at once en-
gagged by British destroyers and driven
into mine fields. The Breslau was
blown up and sunk and the Goeben,
badly damaged, was run aground at
Niagara point, where for several days
and nights it was subjected to bomb
ing by British air craft and rendered
useless. The British lost two moni-
tors.
The number of British vessels sunk
by submarines In the week was given
as only six large and two small ships.
In it's efforts to supply tonnage to
meet the submarine depradations, the
United States scored a point by get
ting a large number of vessels from
neutral nations, especially Sweden, for
use in American coastal traffic. This
brought forth a howl of "unneutrality"
from Germany, coupled with a threat
to sink all such vessels that its sub
marines could reach.
Ia
Belgium made a dignified reply to
the pope's peace note, stating that its