Norwich bulletin., 1918-11-06
FACTS AND COMMENT

This weeks election is particular 1 ly important in that it decides the control of the National Congress for | the last two years of MT. Wilson's presidential term. The administration | has only been able to command bare
 majorities in House and Senate thus 1 far. The Senate has been divided l between 52 Democrats and A Repub- 1 licans, while in the House neither of the great parties had an actual ma | jority, the Democrats numbering 214
 to the Republicans 210, the mere 1 handful of independents being able to turn the scale. It was in hopes of adding to this very slender majority, too slender altogether to be relied on, 1 that the President issued his appeal l to the American voters that has ! brought aim so much adverse criti- cisn. It was at least questionable
 taste for the chief magistrate of the 1 nation to charge the elected members l of a coordinate branch of the Gov
 ernment with deliberately hampering
 him in the execution of his plans.
 Such charges are in place when ut
 tered from the stump, but not when | officially issued from the White
 House. The American people natur-
 ally resented this criticism of their 1 chosen representatives and this dic- tation as to how they should cast their votes. It is hardly likely taht the President won more votes than he lost by his surprising appeal.
 1 The present Congress expires in | March, 1919 and it's successor would regularly meet for the frstti me in December of the coming year. It is highly probable, however, that the wen Congress will be called in extra session in the spring to act upon the many questions that will grow out of
 the war. Especially likely is it that the new Senate will have to act on one or more peace treaties. AS two- thirds vote is necessary to ratify
 an evenly divided Senate would have it in it's power to refuse to sanction any arrangement that the President might have made and an adverse
 House through it's right to withhold moneys needful for the execution of
 a treaty has an undeniable check on any legislation of this sort. A Con gress safely Democratic would give the President confidence that he
 would not be left in the lurch after
 making settlement with any of our
 enemies. However things are moving so fast in Europe that il is not at all unlikely that the present Senate may
 have the decision in the dealings with
 Austria and Germany.
 It is hard to say on which front the
 military success is greatest but per haps the most spectacular event, even as it was the most unexpected, is the
 Austrian defeat in Italy. For four
 months Foch's right wing-fOr the - great French general controls all the l Allies forces from the North Sea to the Adriatic had been absolutely quiet, and it was hardly time to be- gin military operations at the foot ol the Alps with winter close at hand Yet this is just what has occurred l and with perhaps the most sweepine 3 success of the whole war. The frs : blow was struck due north in tht I gap between the Brenta and PiaTC
 rivers just where the Austrian line I bent from it's course along the foot hills of the Alps and followed tht
 course of the Piave to the sea. Coalt this neck be broken, one of the twt r supply lines would be cut and thu entire fifty miles of the Piave lint { would have to be abandoned. Italians q British and French took part in th' n surprise attack of Oct A, and valu
 able positions and 5000 prisoners re
 warded their first efforts. Then whil a the attack was gradually extendinl r, westward and the Austrians with ire . uuent counterattacks were striving t o regain the lost ground. General Dia , shifted both the place and the direc
 tion of his onslaught and win ful
 force struck eastward, and forced tn t Piave' on a wide front.
 II With the Austrian line definitel t broken, part of the Allies swep t. around to the north and back agai 2 to the west thus severing the lifelin tt to Austria and cutting off the whol It Austrian army between the Brent la and Piaye rivers But this was no # the whole success. Once over tn ,N river, the pursuit drove east an II northeast toward the Austrian border IS The Livenza and Tagliamento wer
 Successively reached and passed an l. Udine the Italian railway center near 2 est to the border is now in the hand Is of it's rightful owners. On tn ,A mountain line too the AUstrians hay |, given way and the long, coveted cit tl of Treri is Italian once nor -9 Everywhere the enemy is in flight nc
 an orderly flight such as the German
 have in the main maintained
 France and Belgium. but regula
 rout Vast stores Of material hay ,n been lost, 5000 guns. and 300, ,0C =, prisoners, while the fields are covere ,. and the valleys choked with Austria N dead.
 T.. With revolt and revolution at hon y and defeat at the front. Austria WE le forced to plead ior ar armistica ar
 be thankful for any terms she cou to obtain. The agreement was signed ( sh Sunday and took Cffect the folloWir
 day Thus at r. m Monday aftel 5r noon Germany's last ally definite at passed out of the war. The tern oe include the surrender of all the stroT ol Alpine posts that Austria has he
 for years the possession of whie ne has always been a menace to ltal! e. the loss of the Austrian Tyrol near 1g to Innsbruck; all the territory fro
 the Italian frontier eastward to il ,s summit of the watershed overlookir ,,' Laibach; thence dropping down 1ii the sea the entire penlnsular of Istr an including the great city of Tries
 and the naval base at Pola lasI1 to the islands Of rT1e Adriatic and Il f. coastland as far as the summit of u ha mountain range. Austria must flu
 thermore give up practically all
 her navy and her aircraft, send bat II all prisoners without receiving h ch own in exchange, demobilize her arr Its ies at the orders of Gen. Foch SCI
 home all German troops that raey y is- be within her borders and gra it free use to the Allies of all her rt ca and waterways together with rollii I've stock and vessels there on. She al
 agrees to permit the Allies to occuI any strategic points within her teri nis tory and to conduct therefrom al lat military operations they may desi is RuInaria rtafinifaIv nassad n1,E of |