The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-16
ALLIES ATTACK
IN The BALKANS
and WIN GROUND
Serbs and French Drive Bull
garianS Back.
Take Strongly Fortified Posi-
tiOns From Enemy.
Bull WARKS OF BULGAR Line
Had Been Held by Foe for Sew
eral Years.
Peace Move a Hun Effort To
Avoid a Decision.
BULWARKS OF BULGAR Line

ALI troops are on the offensive on
the Macedonian front. Reorganized
Serbian forces aided by French units,
are attacking the Bulgarian positions
in the mountains on the Serbo-Greek
border east of Monastir.
Three important hill pc sitions which
had w;thstood allied efforts thru sew
eral years. already have fallen to the
Serbs and the French.
Take Important Heights.
The heights are Sokol. Dobropolie
and Teak Vetrenik. Sokol is twenty
miles east of Monastir. The captured
positions are about midway between
the. Cerna and Vardar rivers and
command the upper course of the
Cerna after it makes a wide curve
southeast of Monastir. Several hun
dred prisoners have been taken in the
advance which continues. Meanwhile
the French and British troops on the
main battle front in France. continue
their progress. Between the Disc and
the Aisne the French are pressing on.
North of the Aisne they have taken
the town of Vailly and nearer the
Chemin des Danes have stormed Mont
Des Singes, an important hill position
Astride the Scarpe the British have
pushed forward new posts, Wh1ie
along the 1pi cs-Ccmines canal SOUTH
east of YpreS, they have advanced on
a front of two miles. West of Cam
brai around St. Quentin. the activity
has died down with the British cap
ture of Maissemy.
The aerial and artillery arms have
been active on the new American front
southwest of Metz. The enemy guns
have been hammering the American
lines but no infantry attacks have de-
veloped. Allied aviators have bonn
barded railroad centers and other
military targets in the Metz area while
enemy airmen have bombed some
places within the American lines, in
Guiding st. Mihiel.
Speaking unofficially in London to-
day, A J. Balfour, the British foreign
secretary. declared that he did not see
the slightest hope that a real peace
could come from the latest Austrian
peace note. The note has not yet been
received formally in any of the allied
capitals and no official comment on it
has been made. Reports from enemy
sources are that the note was issued
at the command of the Austrian en-
peror and without consultation with
Germany. Leaders of the German
rcichstag are reported to be discussing
the latest Austrian move.
tBy tie Associated Press)
While Austria was preparing her
note to the belligerent nations propos-
ing that they meet in informal discus
sion of peace terms in a neutral coun-
try. Germany was making ready to
make another offer of separate peace
in Belgium. 1t is announced that the
Belgian government has been ap-
preached with a proposal that if she
will remain neutral during the re-
mainder of the war. Germany is ready
IN, n fn he I,
violated in August, 1914.
1t is affirmed from Berlin that the
Austrian government acted on its
initiative in sending out its proposals
but the offer of Germany to Belgium
points to what may be said to be more
than a coincidence and probably =
desperate peace offensive is now
well under way.