Mexico Missouri message., 1918-10-03

tin was the goal of race between the
British and the French, the former
winning Vermand, Attilly and Wendell
les and closing in on the important
city from the northwest, while the
French southwest of the objective
crossed the Crozat canal and took q
number of villages. A little farther
south the French forces captured
Travecy on the Oise, Just north of La
Fere, and from its heights were able
to dominate the latter town, which was
reported to have been burned by the
Germans. This operation, together
with the French advance eastward
from Coucy-le-Chateau, threatened to
flank on both sides the forest and mas
sif of st. Gobaln, the chief defense of
Laon. Withdrawal of the enemy frou1
that forest, which is full of guns in
strong defensive positions, might thus
be compelled without direct attack,
which would be expensive and diff
cult.
At the western end of the Chemin
des Danes the Germans were fighting
furiously In the region Of Laffaux,
where they were trying to regain pos
session of the dominating ridge which
the French and Americans had taken
from them. Many fresh troops were
used In these attacks, but their efforts
were all in vain.
Ia
Although the stupendous German re.
treat of the past eight weeks has been
conducted skillfully and the enemy line
has not been broken through, his ar
mics maintaining contact with one an
other, II has been in every way a most
expensive operation for the Huns. In
addition TO the loss of great numbers
OF guns and immense quantities of ma
terial, captured or destroyed, they
have lost more than 100000 men, the
majority of whom, fortunately, were
killed. The morale of the army is
, being gradually broken by relentless,
continuous and successful blows de.
livered by the allies, the supply of
hghting electives is getting low, and
the people Mt home are becoming daily
more dissatisfied and restless. Cap
tured orders reveal that the wounded
men are put back in the ranks before
they are cured, and prisoners released
by Russia are not given time to re-
cover their strength and health. Aus
tria has reluctantly responded to the
call for aid and in the Quieter sectors
Austrian divisions are placed between
German divisions, or Austrian soldiers
are used to fill out depleted German
regiments. This is taken to mean that
there will be no renewal of the Teu-
tonic offensive in Italy this year, IL
ever.
A considerable advance made last
week by the Belgians in the sector
north of Ypres was significant, mas
much as some military critics expect
that Marshal FOch will strike there
in force before long.
Ia
The war department announced that
Americans have been landed at Arch
angel to take part with the other al
lied forces there in fighting the bolshe-
Wiki and re-establishing order in north
ern Russia. These troops are from
some of our northern states and Rany
of them speak Russian. Hitherto the
only Americans there were marines
and sailors.
In Petrograd, Moscow and other
cities of Russia proper the bolshevik
government is struggling desperately
against the ever-increasing counter
revolutiOnaries, slaughtering the latter
mercilessly whenever they fall into
their hands. Petrograd is reported to
be given over to massacres and flames
ana to have been captured by revolt
ing peasants; Yaroslav and Yologda
have been burned by the soviet troops,
and Moscow is threatened with the
same fate by Trotsky. Two attempts
were made on the life Of Doctor Helf.,
ferich, the new German ambassador to
Moscow, but he fled back to Berlin.
The soviet rulers, persistent shout
ers for peace without annexations and
indemnities, have just paid TO Ger
many 250,000O0O rubles, the first in
stallment of the indemnity exacted
from the unhappy country by the
| Huns.
In Siberia the allies, with the
Czecho- Sloyaks, Cossacks and loyal
Russians, have been making satisfac-
tory progress, but the Austro-German
ex'rrisoners and the bolshevili are
putting up so obstinate resistance
that Japan is contemplating sending
a much stronger force in order to in
sure the safely Of the expedition and
its allies before the winter sets In.
The japanese government is convinced
that the AYerican government viii