Arizona republican., 1918-07-16
Government Officials High
 ly Pleased With Story of Valiant Stand By Ameri-
 can Troops On Marne
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

WASHINGTON, July 15.-An air of |elation was apparent in government circles tonight as Associated Press dis patches from France unfolded the story of the valiant stand of American troops along the Marne against the re- neWed German offensive.
 Official advices were slow and no formal report on the German effort to drive the jaws of the great pincer movement about Reims on a 65 mile front was available at a late hour. Press reports made it clear the enemy had been hurled back by American counter attacks along the Marne, where they hold the left flank of the army aided near Reims by Italian di- visions, stood fast over the far greater extent of the line they defended against fierce assaults by the enemy. President Greatly Interested At the White House the president read the account with interest that did not wane. At the war department, Secretary Baker, General March, chief of staff, and other high officers at the department received eagerly the '~'ef glimpses of the battle flashed across the country in press bulletins from the battle front. Every line of the Associ- i ated Press report, which was promptly relaved to them as the wires brought it in, was studied with growing deligh, as it became evident that the enemy had met with a decided check in the first rush of his greatest effort thus far.
 The fact that credit for stopping the heaviest parts of the a~-nult thus far reported belongs to men of the first | American army corps added to the lelation.
 Secretary Bakers Statement After reading tonight's reports
 Secretary Baker made the following statement to The Associated Press:
 The attack made by the Germans is evidently the result of careful prep arations. It covers a wide front and is made in force. We are at the end of the first day of great battle. The reports so far are encouraging and Iseem to indicate both heavy fighting land effective resistance along the en- tire front"
 The prompt and hard driven counter lattacks of the American troops, at two
 points sent a glow of enthusiasm through the whole war department
 when the word first came. Before the
 results were known. the fact that the
 tounter attack had been launched was cheering. It showed the Americans
 were meeting their first great test like veterans and that the German attemp
 to overrun them had failed to disor. ganize or demoralize their fightin; power.
 Late News is Good Then came word that at NauX no only had the enemy been stopped. bu his advancing infantry had collidet
 with Americans who first deluged thei . opponents with machine fire, thel I leaped forward to disrupt completel,
 the blow at this section that had beei , in careful preparation for not nor, r than thirty days.
 , Meanwhile, meager reports froT
 London said that the Marne had bee , crossed by the enemy at several point: , Details were awaited with considerabl 7 apprehension. Hour by hour the stor filtered in, but the bulletin that tol | of the hurling back of the foe in tn
 Condo sector did not come until to
 night.
 , Its message set all doubts at res , as again the enemy had been out matched by the Americans. He wa
 driven back to the river rim and man l prisoners. trapped probably by tn Continued on Page Threey