davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09

payne. st. Quentin. Ypres and mari
time Bectors-regarded as less prob
able points Of attack?
OLD SCENES or ACTION
NOT FAVORED FOR ATTACK.
As to three OF them, the Verdun.
Champagne and Ypres sectors, the
reason they are thought on the whole
as less likely to receive the shock Is
that each OF them, having been the
scene of a highly developed system
OF attack or defense in the past is
now provided with a mass OF local
communications and concentration
points, which are the chief strength
of a modern defensive.
To renew the attempt on Verdun,
for instance, would be to attack
deliberately on a twenty-mile front
every inch OF which has been studied
for months and learned in the prac-
teal school of the great battle now
eighteen months past. IL would be
to attack on sector where hundreds
of miles Of roads and railways have
come into being behind the French
lines through that great battle, and
where the best points for concentra-
tion, whether for munttionments or
men, are known by heart and have
all been tested by experience. 1t
would be attacking over ground
broken by the original enormous
struggle.
What is thus true OF Verdun is
true OF every sector In which one
Of the great actions Of the west has
taken place. The argument against
an attack in the St. Quentin sector
is that an advance there would take
the enemy over ground he has HIM
self raVaged and desOlated during the
retreat from Noyon. il has in its
favor, however. the fact that it is the
junction place of the two allied
armies and, politically. that an ad-
vance there would be a direct threat
to Paris.
In the maritime sector the fullest
effort Of the Germans was made and
failed long ago, when they were i'm
mensely stronger in proportion to the
allies than they are now. 1t is a
sector Of peculiarly difficult ground,
from its Intersection with water
courses and from being subject TO
inundation.
There remains the sector Of Cam
brai, the open sector between the
Meuse and the Vosges, between Metz
and Toul, which may be called the
sector Of Nancy; the sector Of Lille,
and the sector Of upper Alsace.
Cambria has the advantage that
1t is the best served in the way Of
communications Of all points on the
enemy front. There can be gathered
most rapidly and most continuously
the reinforcements necessary for a
great action. The sector immediate
ly to the north-the sector Of Lille
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09
(By Hilaire Belloc.)
Copyright, 1918, by The Trfbun
Association.)

copyright, 1918, by The Tribune
Association.)
The great war at this moment
is halted in a suspense which is
only a preparation for the great
action Immediately impending.
Snow has fallen upon the Low.
er Alps and checked the Aus.
trian pressure upon the flank OF
the Piave line. The crest OF
Monte Tomba, the only point on
the last mountain wall which the
enemy reached, and therefore
the only good observation point
whence the enemy could com
mand the plains to the Adriatic,
was retaken by the French, and
since the supplementary Italian
success action in this sector
would seem to have come, for
the moment, to an end.
Upon the main Western front,
through France and Belgium,
there is no great action proceed
ing. Both parties are summing
up their strength for the strug-
gle of the approaching fighting
season, which each hopes to
make final and decisive.
The time at which IWrite this,
the first of my weekly summaries
for The Tribune, is therefore
suited for a general review of
the situation.
How do the opposing forces
approach the fighting season Of
19187
The outlines are of common
knowledge: the collapse of Rus
sia; the continued activity of the
enemy's submarine offensive /;
the certainty of an indeterminate
period before the full strength of
the United States can be brought
to bear, either in men or in
materials or in building power
that is, tonnage; or in counter
attacks against the submarines
by sea.
The Two Phases of
The Submarine Campaign.
But these general outlines,
with which all the world is
familiar, need precision. The
severity of the submarine cam
paign cannot be clearly defined,
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09

but we must clearly recognize It's
various parts. 1t is directed
against two main obiects-the
military communications of the
Allies and the civilian supply.
mainly of the British Isles
(which depend for their life up
on overseas materially, and to
some extent of the other West
ern powers for example, the
supply Of Italy with coal.
These two objects of the sub
marine campaign are closely in
terconnected and overlapping
they are none the less dis
tinguishable. 1t is in the eie-
ment Of supply, rather than in
the element of communications,
that the submarine offensive has
produced its most noticeable eff
fects, and this for the reason
that military communications
have been rightly regarded as
vital to the campaign-and ser
ious interference with them is
disastrous, while there was and
is very large margin of safety
for civilian supplies.
The submarine offensive conducted
by the enemy upon an extensive scale
for eleven months has passed through
two main phases. There was first
the phase, in which the sinkings were
not only absolutely larger than they
were during the second, but In which
they were also relatively much great
er compared with the rate Of replace
ment
This first phase ended with early or
middle summer of last year The sec
ond phase has been one in which
while the curve Of positive loss has
f1uctuated its general average has
been declining, and during which the
corresponding positive factor against
the negatiye-has regularly increased,
but at a rate which has not been com
municated TO the public, and there
fore is not open to discussion.
What we hope for what we can
not phophesy and what only the future
will confirm or deny is that the third
phase, in the net result of loss and
gain, will show a declining curve.
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09
AN ESTIMATE or THE
CHANCES ON LAND

With the second element-action by
land-it is otherwise. Here we can
deal with figures fairly precise and
estimate the chances OF war more ac-
curately.
First, we must regard the Bulgarian
and Turkish armies as occupying
their own field outside the critical
sectors. They are faced and held
in Macedonia, Syria and Mesopotam-
la. There are two, possibly three,
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09
Getting Rid of coIda

The easiest and quickest way to
get rid Of a cold is TO take Chamber
lain's Cough Remedy. This prepara-
tion has been i'm use for many years
and its value fully proven. No mat
ter what remedy you use. however
care must be taken not to contract q
second cold before you have recover
ed from the first one. and there is
serious danger Of this. A man OF
and stay in bed until fully recovered.
It is better to stay in bed three days
at the start than three weeks later
nn.-AdVt.
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09
LIMIT OF REDUCTION
OF EASTERN FORCES.

The east front includes great
spaces of marsh and lake regions,
which permit of a very thin obser-
wing line. But there Is a unit to its
reduction. 1t is generally conceded
that if the German empire can ulti-
mately draw upon further half
million men for the west and add
another so per cent of the quarter
million of Austro-Hungarians Csup-
posing that present political condi-
tions Btand), it is a maximum.
At the present reduced rate Of a
German division, the equivalent of
at the most fifty such divisions of
first class men might be drawn up
on.
A little sample of the way the en-
emy has used this relief of pressure
on the eastern front may be of in
terest. Taking ten selected days
whereof we now have full informa-
tion (about eight weeks ago), we
find four German divisions coming
from the east to the west: the Gath,
1st and 107th reserve divisions and
one active division, the 1st. We
find in the same short period the
18th Landwehr sent back to eastern
front after a comparatively short
period in the west, and probably a
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09

lation, so far as reinforcement Of the
Western line is concerned.
Reinforcement of material from
%B East TO West, though it is con-
siderable, cannot be upon anything
like the scale of one-third to two
thirds. 1t is not generally appreciat-
ed, for instance, that in aeroplanes
the Germans were using more than
ten in the West TO one in the East
The proportion Of heavy artillery
again Is very much less upon the
East than upon the west.
- There have already been with
Sm drawn from the East in the
course of the last years and particular
ly since the final collapse of Russia
in the summer before TarnopOl, a
considerable, though unknown, pro-
portion of the younger and more Wig
orous elements. Apart from the
movement of divisions as a whole,
there has been continuous with
drawal of younger men from the East
to the West. New battalions We're
continually being formed of selected
men and sent westward-the trans
fer taking, as a rule, about twelve
days. ..
n However thin you make your
Tu curtain of men who are mere
ly watching u doubtful situation. you
cannot reduce it beyond a certain
minimum. The Germans and Aus
trians between them are watching
in the East a line which in all its
sinuosities is little short of a thousand
miles in length. They have had per-
haps one man to the yard for this
duty, counting everything within the
zone of the armies. They might
Ss 4 VafrTY11NpY-
and much more than half its value by
leaving for this minimum only the
older or. fatigued portions of their
ForGau
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09

Powers upon their Eastern line; a
| rather larger number Of BulgaTians
north of the Danube, or in the neigh
borhood of its mouth, on the southern
bank; but the great bulk of the
Turkish and Bulgarian forces may be
counted out of the main problem.
That problem lies upon the Italian
and French fronts, and what we have
to consider is the effect upon those
| fronts Of Russia's having ceased to
fight for now a full year. What are
the rough figures of the enemy's sit
uation in this regard? They are as
follows:
The Austrian forces (Which means
Of course, all the various groups OF
peoples, Magyar, Slay, Rumanian,
German, subject to the Hapsburg
rnonarchies, and conscripted willing
ly or unwillingly) are not two-thlrds,
but are more than one-half, as large
as the German forces. The Germans,
roughly, are somewhat over 5,ooo'eoo
strong: in the field they are about g.
OO0, 900. OF the Austro Hungarian
forces actually fighting, rather more
than half are. at present upon the
Italian front, rather less than half
facing the Rumanians and the Rus
SLAMS. IL one counted by units the
Eastern forces facing Russia would
be the larger, but the divisions in the
East have been 'milked" to REM
force those in the West. -.
HOW GERMAN FORCES
ARE DISPOSED
The German army is the kernel of
what we have to consider. OF its g.
O00, 900 men upon the two fronts. the
general figure to retain is that two
thirds are upon the West and one
third upon the East, so far as num-
bers of divisions alone are concern
ed. There are about 100 German di-
visions on the West front (the most
precise and recent estimate, which
cannot of course, pretend to be exact
ly accurate, is 157, There are the
equivalent of eighty German divisions
on the east front GO numbered divi-
sions and certain extras)
A superficial and false conclusion
would be that, since what was once
the Russian army may now be count
ed out, the German forces upon the
West can be reinforced during 1918
by the extra so per cent from the
East Such view would be a great
" exaggerated one, for the following
reasons:
The Russian front has now for
&m nearly twelve months been US
ed as a sort of rest camp. Units
which could not be used in the fur
mace of the West are sent there to do
the work of police, which is all that
is required. At least a quarter Of the
German divisions in the East are
landwehr or the kind which will new
er be used in active service against
the French, British or Americans.
Another portion (fiuctuating but al
ways considerably is made up of di-
visions which have been hammered
on the West front and sent to the
East, where there is no fighting, to
recover. At any one moment these
resting" divisions are out Of calcu-
The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-09

second reserve division going back
a few days later.
The whole position, therefore, may
be compared to a man using 157
pieces of standardized machinery
only by the continual employment
OF which can he prevent the break
down of some plan. Each of these
pieces Of machinery, when fully
occupied, wears out very rapidly,
and has to be withdrawn for repair
Each piece has to be kept out Of
line for a longer time to be repaired
altogether, or foF a shorter time
while snare parts are being renewed
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
Almost 4 thousand lore Nen.

The military registration on
Thursday of last week Of men be
tween the ages Of Is and 46,
placed 973 more Fulton County
men at the disposal of General
Crowder. The first registration,
June 5, 1917, of men between
the ages of Il and 81, yielded
672 men; the second registration
on the 9TH of June 1918, of men
who had attained the age of Il
during the year, productivity. that
of the Oath of August Of those
attaining the age of q since the
9TH Of June, brought in but 10
more; but the registration last
week, with its greatly widened
scope of age. added 973 to the
list, thus making a total of 1854
men. Of this number, 1873 men
have been sent away for servive
IL for limited, and l72, for gen.
eral service. As far as we have
information. but one Of thai
oumber has lost his life in the
service-Norman Clevelan c
Raker, who went out on The
2lst of last September; in tht
second increment composed o.
20 boys. Norman's father, Johr
Raker, OF Licking Creek town
ship, received a telegram from
the War Department on Tuesday
informing him that his son hat
died on the 29th Of July from
wounds received in battle. Thi
is the first death among tn
drafted men.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
Some Liberty Loan Slogans.

Wear your old clothes and buy
Liberty Bonds.
Liberty Bonds or German bond
age.
Come across" or the Kaiser
will.
The soldier gives; you must
lend.
Liberty Bonds or German taxes.
Buy over here to win over
there.
It's billions for defense or bill
lions for indemnity.
For Foch and freedom; buy
bonds.
A bond Stacker is the Kaiser's
backer.
A man who won't lend is the
Kaiser's friend.
The more bonds you buy the
fewer boys will die.
Let all get on the bond wagon
Be one of the millions to lend
the billions.
Dip nm the coin and bury the
Hun.
Buy bonds before it's verboten'
Idle dollars are pro.German.
Put the pay" into patriotism
Bonds speak louder than words
If you can't fight, your money
can.
Freedom buys bonds; slave
wear them.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
Soldiers Letter.

The following letter was writ
ten by Rody Gibson to his moth
er Mrs. J. w. Gibson at Wells
Tannery on the 18th of August.
Your letter received on the 8th
found me well, and enjoying life
fine. | have gotten three letters
from you and sis" since land
ed, but | don't think that is all
you have written. 1t seems too
bad that the news is a month old
when we get it; but then the war
will soon be over, and when it is,
| think, I'll be ready to stay on
the farm the rest of my life, at
least, that is the only place |
have ever been where was my
own boss.
One Co. of Martins Martin
Barley organization is located
about two miles from here. He
is about eight or ten miles; also,
about a month ago. we passed
through the town where he wa:
stationed then, but still we have
never seen each other.
We are seeing a little of the
war, but there hasn't been any
real danger to us yet. Some
times Germany sends over a mes
senger to bid US the time Of day
but it dosn't amount to anything
because the Americans general.
made him a permanent residen
of France by giving him a rea
estate lot about six feet long
There is more news from tha
side, so I'll expect a longer lette
from you. Write soon with low
to all at home.
Address-Pvt. RoDEY GIBsoI
(l524O94) Co. B l36 M. 6. Br
American E. f. A. z. 0. 763.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
DRAFT SUICIDE.
Worrying About The Draft Caused
Edward Parker Of Mercersburg to
Take His Life.

Edward Parker Of Mercers-
burg aged about AZ, did not like
the idea of being drafted and
having to go into the army, and
this thought preyed so much up
on his mind, that last Sunday he
took his own life.
In the morning he asked his
wife in what part Of his body his
temples were. She showed him
and thought no more about it,
and about 9 O'Clock she saw him
cross the field going towards the
Mercersburg Academy grounds.
He did not return for dinner and
when his wife discovered that he
had taken his pistol with him she
became alarmed and search was
made.
About five o'clock his dead
body was found in the lane at the
end of the barn on the Harmon
Shives farm. The body was on
ly ten feet from the road ant
was lying face down with botl
arms doubled under him and
pistol in his right hand. Hi
brain was oozing out of a bulle
wound in his right temple. Abou
4:30 Parker was seen stepping in
to the bushes near the scene o
the tragedy.
He is survived by his wife, VIII
was Miss Ottie Kreps. daughte
of the late John Kreps of Mer
cersburg.
Coroner Kinter was notified o
Parker's death and after making
an investigation decided that a
inquest was unnecessary.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
Trying 10 Save Others.

Russell C. Jones, aged ~ years,
son of Mr.. and Mrs. Jesse jones'
of Me cersburg, was killed al
Port Arthur, Texas last Wednes-
day, while trying to rescue per-
sons trapped in a burning hotel.
Russell enlisted in the navy at
Kansas City in June, 1917, anc
since that time had made several
trips across the Atlantic. His
last message to his parents was a
card, mailed in London under
date of August 6 A telegram
from the war department to his
parents told of his heroic DEATH
He had succeeded in saving 9
number of lives when he was
trapped and burned to death.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
Had Nice Trip.

On Tuesday, August 8, 1918,
at 5 p. m. Mr.. John Lachman
and family, namely, Mr.. and
Mrs. Lachman, Misses Martha
and Pearl Lachman, Elmer and
Raymond Lachman accompanied
by Miss Sarah MaChesney,
started from their home in Brent
wood, Pa, in a 7-passenger
Chandler, following the National
Pike TO Hagerstown, where they
spent the first night; next day,
went to Gettysburg, viewed the
battle field, thence to New Ok
ford. The third day of our trip,
we drove over 200 miles and
spent the night at Wildwood N.
J. after a scjourn of 10 days
there, during which time we
visited Cape May, Atlantic City,
Ocean City, Stone Harbor, and
other seaside resorts. On our
return trip we were accompanied
b. Mrs. VIM. Stanun. Onreach-
ing Philadelphia Miss Martha
| Lachman went home by rail, on
account of taking an examination
next day.
We then went to Allentown
and spent a few days with Mrs
Lachman's sister, Mrs. S. S
| X sapp, who was just out of the
hospital where she had under
gone an operation a few weeks
before. Thence to Harrisburg
viewed the Capitol and grounds
passed through Shippensburi
and took a view of the c. V. S
IN. S. where Mrs. Lachman grad
uated, thence to McConnellsburg
where we spent a few day
among relatives and friends.
Outside of a little tire troubl
now and then, we had yer,
pleasant and profitable trip an
returned home 1O:3Op. m, Angus
25th.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
ACREAGE COMPARISONS
StatiSlician While Points Ont NsCeS'
sity For Increased Acreage Of
Grain Crops.

The area of the principal field
crops seems to tave increased
about 10 per cent. or ESQ. III
acres since 1909, which seems to
be substantial, but it is we'll to
bear in mind that if the popula-
ton ofPennsylyania has increased
as rapidly since 1910 as it did
from 1900 to 1910 the approx
mate Increase since 19l0is l6 per
cent. Established population
now $3.50, coo as against 1865, :
600.
Making an allowance for the
barley and vegetable area, which
are now included in the above
statement there must be approx.
mately four million acres of i'm
proved farm land in pasture dur
ing the present year. Word
comes from the food administra-
tor at Washington requesting the
farmers of this state to sow L.
575 COO acres to wheat this fall,
To reach these figures statisticiar
L. II. While, Department of Ag
riculture, figures that it will bt
necessary to increase the arei
over eight per cent. This seems
to be a material increase but oul
farmers are ready and willing t
do their part. They are anxious
to make doubly sure that our sol
diers at the front will have al
abundance of good white bread.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
Buildings Will require
i. S. Permits Now

To elimin5t9 unnecessary
building and conserve labor, no
construction and repair work, the
cost of which will be more than
S2500.00, may be undertaken
hereafter without the consent OF
the Pennsylvania Council of Ma
tional Defense.
This action, which complies
With the request of the war in
dustries board, will necessitate
the appointment of local directors
of construction an d material,
who will grant permits for con-
truction work.
Persons desiring to engage ir
building contraction will here.
after be required to apply, witt
a full statement Of facts, under
oath, to the local director Of thC
state council of defense, who viii
investigate the necessity of the
proposed construction and make
a recommendation. This recon-
mendationtion will be sent to thu
non-war section Of the prioritie
division of the war industrie
board, which will then take &C
ton.
In this county M Mr. M. II
Shaffner, a member of the FuI
ton County branch of the Penn
sylvania council of national de
fense and Committee of PubIl
Safety, will be in charge of thi
matter. The details of which h
will announce later.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
Foreman.

Mr.. Harold Reese and Miss
Una Foreman, both of Burnt
Cabins, were quietly married on
Tuesday evening, September 10,
1918 at the home of the cflicia-
ting minister. Rev. Ira r. Duvall,
of the M. E. Church. The groom
is a highly respected and indus
trious young farmer, and the
bride is an accomplished young
lady. The happy couple start
out on life's journey with the
kindest wishes Of numerous
friends.
The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-19
RECORD OF DEATHS.
s,,t Sketches Of the Lives Of Per-
sOus Who Have Recently
Passed Away.
MRS. MARY SCHooLEY.

MRS. MARY oCHooLEf'
Mary. the third wife of veteran
1 rohn Vincent Schooley, died at
tSo residence Of James Hess l!
mile southeast of Andover in
| Licking Creek Township, at an
unknown age Of Pulmonary dis
ease superinducediby a aparalytlc
slroke onSunday night September
Sth, 1918. =,
Mrs, Schooley had been in fail
ing health for sometime. She sus-
tained paralytic stroke on Sat
nrday preceding her demise. -
There being no records nothing
can be definitely given of her
Garth relatives, marriage and
nativity. She came into Lick
iDg valley with the said veteran
and built up a little home near
Apdover, a number of years ago,
where they lived until about
two years ago when he deserted
ber.-and she was recently put
ia the care and keeping of said
James Hess.
Funeral services were held at
Sloan NJ. E. Church conducted
by Rev. E. j. Croft. -lnterment
in the Sloan cemetery, on Tues
day September 10, 1918.
RUTH MAY RICHARDS.
Ruth May, daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs. James Richards, near Big
| Cove l'annery, aged 3 months and
| 10 days, died at their home on
Wednesday, September a, 1918
| The funeral was held on Friday
| the following, and interment was
| made in Union cemetery.