The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-02
Several Germans Killed and
Taken Prisoners During
Night Venture Over No
Mans Land.
PROMISE BY THE KAISER
Tells Turkey She Can Have Holy
Land Back, But Unable
to Deliver Rein
forcements.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service
LONDON, Jan. 2.-British troops
in the neighborhood Of Mericourt
yesterday evening turned an at
tempted triple raid by the Germans
into q rout. Field Marshal Haig re-
ported today.
Under cover Of heavy lombard
ment, the enemy tried the raid In
three sections. Their artillery, how.
ever, was disorganized and the raid
ing parties failed to reach objectives
While the Germans were still on No
Mans land. the British attacked. In
flicting many casualties and taking
some prisoners.
South OF Lens, in the neighborhood
Of the Menin road and north Of
Passchendaele. other attempts wore
repulsed.
submarine Program.
LONDON, Jan. 2.-Germany Is max
ing her greatest effort Of uhe subma-
rfne war now, in the hope of further1ng
her peace projects.
The United Press is permitted to
make this statement today, In advance
of the usual weekly official announce
ment as to British ships sunk during
the week past.
1t Is possible, according to the Unit
ed Press information, that Germany
has organized her submarine warfare
on an offensive scale hitherto un-
known. The results Of her concentrat-
ed drive are not yet available, but they
may show indications OF temporary
success.
British authorities, however, are GER
tain nothing more can be achieved
than this temporary success.
kaiser's Mythical Army.
[By j. w. T. Mason, Written for The
United Press.l
NEW YORK, Jan. German re-
ports of a large reorganized army un-
der command Of General Won Falken-
hayn, preparing to block the British
advance in Palestine, are discredited
by the continuance Of General Allen
lby'S forward movement north Of Je-
rusalem.
1t is becoming apparent that the
kaiser is being driven to making ex-
travagant promises to the Turks which
he cannot carry out. General Allen
by's procedure since the capture Of
Jerusalem has shown a large degree
of caution, but at the same time the
uninterrupted activity of the British
army demonstrates that there is no
intention Of the allies Palestine Of
fensive being halted.
Necessity for making one display of
vigor in Palestine, however,
is becoming increasingly insistent for
the kaiser if the pan-Germans are to
retain any postwar influences at Con-
Nevertheless, the need
for strengthening the German lines in
France and Belgium is even more i'm
perative in view of Americas rapidly
looming power along the western line.
The kaiser has had to make his
choice between using troops released
from Russia either for helping Turkey
or bolstering his western front. He
has chosen the later alternative.
General Won Falkenhayn's gigantic
force to reconquer the Holy Land and
restore Turkeys prestige, is mythical.
The Christmas and New Year ora
tions of the kaiser appear as sadly
bombastic in relationship to the new
collapse of pan-German ambitions in
the Holy Land.
Every mile of additional progress
General Allenby now makes is one
more blow to the kaisers mittel-Eu-
ropa dream. The continued Palestine
offensive of the allies, though attract
ing little attention, must nevertheless
cause new despair to Prussian militar-
ism.
Battle In Palestine.
WASHINGTON, Jan 2-One thou
sand Turks and Teutons killed siy
hundred prisoners taken and twenty
machine guns captured in the latest