Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-02

ernment. which opened the coun-
try to destructive German propagan-
s-a and the rise of the anarchy
known as Bolshevism. The moral
and material grievances of the
United States against Germany cul-
minated in a series of revelations
showing the latter's criminality. On
January 81 she proclaimed her in
| tensified U-boat campaign. repudiat-
ing the promise of May 4, 1916, and
on February % came the revelation
of the Zimmerman note to Mexico
and Japan. Up to the time the
United States declared war this
country had lost by the illegal opera
tion of U-boats twenty-five ships,
amounting to more than 10000 tons,
together with hundreds of lives,
most of which, however, had. met
their death on other neutral ships
or on the passenger ships of Ger
many's enemies.
1G17-19IS
Early in the fourth year of the
war, November I, 1917, saw the col
lapse of the Russian Provisional
Government and the dominance of
the Bolsheviki. They finally drove
Russia from the war by the betrayal
at Brest-Litovsk, which eliminated
in the treaty of peace of March 3.
1918. Rumania was forced to make
peace on May 6, at Bucharest.
Other events which occupied the
closing months of 1917 were equally
discouraging for the Allies. whose
morale, however, was kept firm
through the rapidly augmenting evil
dences of American aid. which
would be decisive. Even here there
was fear that this aid could not be
brought overseas. due to the intensi-
fed action of the U-boats, whose toll
of merchant shipping for 1917 had
been in the first quarter 1,619,3l3
tons; in the second, 236,934; in the
third, 1.494,473; and in the fourth,
2,272,S43. And as yet there We're
no sure grounds TO believe in the
great victories which came to the
Allies a year hence.
: On the western front the battle OF
Flanders. which had been begun by
the British on July 81, ended with
the capture of Passchendaele Ridge
on the sixth of the following NoVem-
Der. There was the abortlve battle
of Cambria, November 2O-Decemner
5. In October Petain secured the
Chemin des DANES on the Alsne
front. Italy advanced over the BAN
sizza to within thirty-tive miles OF
Laibach, between August 70 ana oc-
tober /. only to be defeated at Ca
poretto and driven back to the Pave,
losing a large part of the keslohe
of Neneto.
The allied front in Macedonia con-
tinued to remain inactive save Tor
l,A of Greek
whose new government had entered
the war on the side of the Allies on
July 2. The war against the Turk,
however, showed encouraging signs;
in Palestine General Allenby cap
tured Jesusalem on December 22; IN
Mesopotamia General Marshall, who
had succeeded to the command on
the death of Maude on November
lis, extended his advance to the
Euphrates, and was still ascending
the Tigris toward Mosul.
1t was known before 1917 closed
that Germany, released from war
with Russia, was preparing srea
offensive. The Austro-German reply
to the Pope's peace note or August
l revealed merely readiness 10
talk peace on the basis of the MILL
tary status quo. President wilson,
in his reply to the Pope on Septem-.
Der 27. reaffirmed the great moral
issues at stake, but in the Chancel-
leries of the Allies in Europe men
like the Marquis of Lansdowne low
cred the morale by constantly ask
ing for the war aims of the pei
ligerents, and there was deteatSt
propaganda abroad. France had her
Caillaux and Bolo Pasha, Italy her
Giolitti, and England her Sim rem.
With these distracting and dls-
couraging influences lightened only
by the hope placed in the Uniteu
States and the faith that the U-poa'
campaign was being neutralized' the
combat was carried for three mohths
into the present year with forepoo-
ings for a long war.
The Closing Scenes
Then Germany on March Il began
her great offensive on the western
front with the object of separating
the British and French armies py
reaching the Channel ports at the
mouth of the Somme and then ce-
! feating each army IN turn anu oS
cupying Paris. Between March "a
and July 15 her offensive had passed
| through four>phases, giving her Lys
! the Picardy, and the Marine sallehts
She had stretched 195-mile FROM
to one.of $50. However, the Allies
held the sectors which bound the
salients and also strategic posluons
on their perimeters. Germany
| hinge losses prevented her from pro-
! caedine further UNLESS at a giver