Klpr^sid^nt Wilson States U.S. War Aims |
Wash.n.gtc.ii, D. C„ Deo. 4.—The pres
9 [dent spoke as follows:
• Gentlemen of the Congress—
%f. ■ Eight months have elapsed since I
K lfi;.L liad the honor of addressing you.
■ I y!:':v have been months crowded with
R t.v nts of immense and grave signifi
V e for us. I will not undertake to
K detail. or even to summarize, those
■ events, or the part we have played in
H y_thtm. This will lie laid before you in
p the reports of the executive nepart
^ mints. I shall discuss only our present
outlook upon these vast affairs, our
pr sent duties and the immediate means
of accomplishing the objects we shall
hold always in view.
War Aim Is to Win.
"T shall not so back to debate the
•causes of the war. The intolerable
wrong's done and planned against us
by the sinister masters of Germany
have long since become too grossly
obvious and odious to every true Amer
ican to need to be rehearsed. But I
shall ask vou to consider again and
with a very grave scrutiny our objec
tives and the measures by which we
mean to attain them for the purpose of
• discussion here in this place is action
and our action must move straight to
wards definite ends. Our object is
of course to win the war. and we shall
not slacken or suffer ourselves to be
diverted until it is won. But it is
w, rth while asking and answering the
question 'when shall we consider the
war won?’
Safe to Let Pacifists Strut.
“From one point of view it Is not
necessary to broach this fundamental
matter I do not doubt that the Ameri
y vnu people kno what the war is about
I end what sort of an outcome they will
& regard as a realization of their pur
T pose in it. As a nation we are united
\ir, spirit and intention. I pay little
heed to those who tell me otherwise.
I hear the voices of dissent—who does
not? I hear the criticism and the clamor
of the noisy, thoughtless and trouble
some. I also hear men here and there
flmg themselves in impotent disloyalty
e, i:nst the calm, indomitable power of
a tli" nation. I hear men debate peace
ak t who understand neither its nature nor
■P'S tiie way in which we may attain it,
f ''■'*•!>.uplifted eyes and unbroken spirits.
■ But I know that none of these speaks
■ for the nation They do not touch the
BL ''fart of anything. They may safely be
E^ left to strut their uneasy hour and be
’ forgotten.
"But from another point of view I
believe that it is necessary to say plain
ly what we hero at the seat of action
consider the war to be for and what
part we mean to play in the eettlement
of its •Searching issues. We are the
spokesmen of the American people and
they have a right to know whether their
k purpose is ours. Thev desire peace by
the overcoming of evil, by the defeat,
H once for all, of the sinister forces that
interrupt peace and render it impos
sible, and they wish to know how close
ly our thought runs with theirs and
what action we propose. They are im
patient with those who desire peace by
any sort of compromise—deeply and
indignantly impatient, but they will be
equally impatient with us if we do not
make it plain to them what our objec
tives are and what we are planning for
1 In see,king to make conquest of peace
by arms.
Peaco Terms Are Stated.
"1 believe that ) speak for them when
0* 1 ■'•'•'iv two things:
Fit'sl. that tiiis intolerable thing of
w which the masters of Germany have
jjfe shown tin ti e ugly face, this menace of
combim d intrigue and force which we
:J now see so clearly as the German
power, a thing without conscience or
I honor or capacity for covenanted
peace, must be crushed, and if it be not
Utterly brought to an end, at least shut
out from tile friendly intercourse of the
nations; and. second, that when this i
thing a: I its power are indeed defeated
and tuc linn: eou.es that we can discuss
pence-—when the German people have
spokesmen whoso word we can believe,
and when those spokesmen are ready
in the name of their people to accept
the common judgement of the nations
as to what shall henceforth be tiie bases
of law and of covenant for the life of
' he wo: I I -tv sl.nl! lie willing and glad
o pry the full i rice for peace and pay
jt .ir.gradgin iv. We know what that
pro o will be. it will be full, impartial
(justice—ju^iiee done at every point
■1 to otery nation. The final settle
nt must affect our enemies as well
s our friends.
Against Punitive Indemnities.
"Vou catch, with men, the voices of
humanity that are in the air. They
grow daily more audible, more articu
late, more persuasive, and they come
%fon .the 1'-;u ts of men everywhere.
■They insist that the war shall not end
itk vindictive action of any kind: that
' no nation or people shall be robbed or
punished b' C'. se the irresponsible rul
ers of a i ingle , (.entry have themselves
done drop and abominable wrong, it is
tiiis till, i. h: that has been expressed in
tin* furumia, no annexations, no con
tribute' is, no punitive indemnities,"
just lie ..'’m this crude formula ex
presses the instinctive judgment as to
right of plain men everywhere, it has
beta made diligent use of by the mas
ters of G.u-man intrigue to lead the peo
ple of Russia astray—and the people
of every country their agents could
read), in order that a premature peace
\ might lie brought about before outo
i craov lies been taught its final and con
vincing lesson, and the people of the
world put in control of their own des
tines.
Declares idea Is Good.
"But the fact that a wrong use has
been made of a just idea, is no reason
why a right use should not he made of
i it. It ought to be brought under the
patronage <>f its friends. Let it be
, said again that autocracy must first be
j shown the utter futility of its claims
to power or leadership in the modern
world, it is impossible to apply any
standard of justice so long as such
forces are unchecked and undefeated
as the present masters of Germany
command. Not until that has been
done < an right be set up as arbiter and
1 peacenia r among nations. Hut when
S trtl.t l as been done—as God willing, it
N . assuredly will bo- we shall at last be
ii) free t" do on unprecedented thing, and
this Is the time to avow our purposes to
do it. We shall be free to has peace
on generosity and justice, to the ex
clusion of all selfish claims to ad van
e, oven on the .part of victors.
Determined to Win War.
. “Let there he no misunderstanding.
Our present and immediate task is to
win the war and nothing shall turn us
aside from it until it is accomplished.
Every power and resource we possess,
whether of men, of money, or of mate
rials, is being devoted and will continue
; to be devoted to that purpose until it is
achieved. Those who desire to bring
peace about before that purpose is
achieved I counsel to carry their ad
> vice efacwhere. We will not entertain it.
"We el#.i regard the war as won only
whei>3i<he German people say to us, 1
throu^t properly accredited represent- j
at iyes. that they are ready to agree to a !
fipG’ement based upon justice and the j
i re, at ion of the wrongs their rulers j
have done. They have done a wrong ■
to Belgium, which must be repaired.
Tbfw h«ve established a power over]
other lands and peoples than their own
— over the fit empire of Austria
Hungary, over hitherto free Balkan
states, over Turkey and within Asia—
which must be relinquished.
Germany’s Exploits Reviewed.
"Germany’s success by skill, by in
dustry, by knowledge, by enterprise, we
did not grudge or oppose, but admired
rather. She had built up for herself a
real empire of trade and influence, se
cured by the peace of the world. We
were content to abide the rivalries of
manufacture, science, tmd commerce
that were involved for us In her .suc
cess and stand or fall as we had or did
not have the brains and the initiative
to surpass her. But at the moment
when she had conspicuously won her
triumphs of peace she threw them
away to establish in their stead what
the world will no longer permit to be
established, military and political dom
ination by arms, by which to oust
where should could not excel the rivals
she most feared and hated. The peace
we make must remedy that wrong. It
must deliver the once fair lands and
happy peoples of Belgium and northern
France from the Prussian conquest and
the Prussian menace, but it must also
deliver the peoples of Austria-Hungary,
the peoples of the Balkans and the peo
ple of Turkey, alike in Europe and in
Asia, from the impudent and alien dom
ination of the Prussian military and
commercial autocracy.'
“We owe it, however, to our
selves to say that wo do not wish
in any way to impair or to rear
range the Austro-Hungarian em
pire. It is no affair of ours what
they do with their own life, either
industrially or politically. We do i
not purpose or desire to dictate to
them in any way. We only desire
to see that their affairs are left in
their own hands, in all matters,
great or small. We shall hope to
secure for the peoples of the Bal
kan peninsula and for the peoole of
Turkish empire the right and op
portunity to make their own lives
safe, their own fortunes secure
against oppression or injustice and
from the dictation of foreign courts
or parties. And our attitude and
purpose with regard to Germany
herself are of a like kind. We in
tend no wrong against the German
empire, no interference with her
internal affairs. We should deem I
either the one or the other abso- I
lutely unjustifiable, absolutely con- '
trary to tho principles we have
professed to live by and to hold
most sacred throughout our life
as a nation.
No Threat Against Germany.
“The people of Germany arc being
told by the men whom they now per
mit to deceive them and to act as
their masters, that they are fighting
for the very life and existence of their
empire: a war of desperate self de
fense against deliberate aggression.
Nothing could be more grossly or wan
tonly false and we must seek by the
utmost openness and candor as to our
real aims to convince them of its
falseness. We are. in fact, fighting for
their emancipation from fear, along
witli our own, from the fear as well
as from the fact of unjust attack by
neighbors or rivals or schemers after
world empire. No one is threatening
the existence or the independence of
the peaceful enterprise of th German
empire.
“The worst that can happen to the
detriment of the German people is this,
that if they should still, after the war
is over, continue to lie obliged to live
under ambitious and intriguing mas
ters interested to disturb the peace of
the world, men or classes of men
whom the other peoples of the world
could not trust, it might be impossible
to admit them to the partnership of
nations whieh must henceforth guaran
tee the world’s peace. That partnership
must be a partnership of peoples, not
a mere partnership of governments. It
might be impossible also in such un
toward circumstances to admit Ger
many to the free economic intercourse
which must inevitably spring out of the
other partnerships of a real peace. But
there would lie no aggression in that;
and such a situation, inevitable because
of distrust, would in the very nature
of tilings sooner or later cure itself by
processes which would assuredly set iri.
Germany Is Protected.
"The wrongs, the very deep wrongs,
committed in this war will have to be
lighted. That, of course. But they
cannot and must not be righted by the
commission of similar wrongs against
Germany and her allies. The world
will not permit the commission of sim
ilar wrongs as a means of reparation
and settlement. Statesmen must by
this time have learned that the opinion
of the world is everywhere wide awake
and fully comprehends the issues in
volved. No representative of any self
governed nation will dare disregard it
by attempting any such covenants of
selfishness and compromise as were
entered into at the congress of Vienna.
The thought of the plain people here
and everywhere throughout the world,
the people who enjoy no privilege and
have very simple and very unsophisti
cated standards of right and wrong,
that is the air all governments must
henceforth breathe if they would live.
It is in the full disclosing light of that
thought that all policies must he con
ceived and executed and executed in
this midday hour of the world’s life.
German rulers have been able to upset
the peace of the world only because the
German people were not suffered, un
der their tutelage, to share the com
radeship of the other peoi lea of the
world, either in thought or in purpose. |
They were allowed to have no opinion
of Iheir own which might be set up as
a rule of conduct for those who ex
ercised authority over tlum. But the
congress that concludes this war will
1'c‘ei the full strength, of the tides that
run now in the hearts an l consciences
of free men everywhere. Its conclu
sions will run with (hose I!’os
All these things have boon true from
the very beginning of this stupendous
war; nnd I cannot help thinking that
if they had been made plain at the j
very outset, the sympathy and enthus
iasm of the Russian people might have 1
been once for ail enlisted on the side
of tlie allies, suspicion and distrust
swept away and a real and lasting I
union of purpose affected. Had they
believed these things at the very mom- ;
ent of their revolution had they been '
confirmed in that belief since, the sad '
reverses which have recently marked |
the progress of their affairs towards a
stable government of free men have j
been avoided. The Russian people have
been poisoned by the very tame false- ;
hoods that have kept the German peo- ;
P’e in the dark and the poison has been 1
administered by the very same hands. |
The only possible antidote is the truth, j
It cannot be uttered too plainly or too
often.
Insures Germany Freedom.
"From every noint of view, therefore, J
It lias seemed to be my duty to speak ;
these declarations of purpose, to add |
these specific Interpretations to what l
I took the liberty of uaylng to the I
Senate in January. Our entrance into .
the war has not altered our attitude
towards the settlement that must come j
when it is over. When I said in January j
that the nations of the world were en- j
titled not only to fr^e pathways upon
the sea, hut alao to assured and unmo
lested access to those pathways I waa
Blinking, and I am thinking now, not
of the smaller and weaker nations
alone, which need our countenance and
support, but also of the great and
powerful nations, and of our present
enemies as well as our present asso
ciates In the war. I was thinking, and
am thinking now, of Austria herself,
among the rest, as well as of Serbia
and of Poland, .lustico and equality of
rights can be had only at a great price.
We are seeking permanent, not tem
porary foundations for the peace of the
world and must seek them candidly
and fearlessly, as always the right will
prove to be the expedient.
“What shall we do, then, to push this
great war of freedom and justice to its
righteous conclusion? We must clear
away with a thorough hand all impedi
ments to success and we must make
every adjustment of law that will fa
cilitate the full and free use of our
whole capacity and force as a fighting
unit.
Recommends War on Austria.
"One very embarrassing obstacle
that stands in our way is that we are
at war with Germany but not with her
allies. I therefore very earnestly rec
ommend that the congress immediately
declare the United States in a state
of war with Austria-Hungary. Does
it seem strange to you that this should
bo the conclusion of the argument I
have just addressed to you? It is not.
It is, in fact, the inevitable logic of
what I have said. Austria-Hungary is
for the time being not her own mis
tress, but simply the vassal of the Ger
man government. Wo must face the
facts as they are and act upon them
without sentiment in this stern duty.
The government of Austria-Hungary is
not acting upon its own initiative or in
response to the wishes and feelings of
its own peoples but as the instrument
of another nation. We must meet its
force with our own and regard the cen
tral powers as but one. The war can
be successfully conducted in no other
way. The same logic would lead also
to a declaration of war against Turkey
and Bulgaria. They also are the tools
of Germany. But they are mere tools
and do not yet stand in the direct path
of our necessary action. Wo shall go
wherever the necessities of this war
carry us, but it seems to me that we
should go only where immediate and
practical considerations lead us and
not heed any others.
Urges Check or. Aliens.
"The financial and military measures
which must be adopted will suggest
themselves as the war and its under
takings develop but I will take the lib
erty of proposing to you certain other
acts of legislation which seem to me
to be needed for the support of the
war and for the release of our whole
force and energy.
"It. will be necessary to extend in
certain particulars the legislation of
the last session with regard to alien
enemies; and also necessary I believe,
to create a very definite and particular
control over the entrance and depar
ture of all persons into and from the
United States.
'legislation should be enacted defin
ing as a criminal offense every wilful
violation of the presidential proclama
tions relating to alien enemies promul
gated under section 4067 of the revised I
statutes and providing appropriate I
punishments, and women as well as
men should be included under the
terms of the acts, placing restraints
upon alien enemies. It is likely that
as time goes on many alien enemies
will be willing to be fed and housed at
the expense of the government in the
detention camps and it would be the
purpose of the legislation I have sug
gested to confine offenders among
them in penitentiaries and other simi
lar institutions, where they could be
made to work as other criminals do.
Wants More Price Limits.
"Recent experience has convinced me
that the congress must go further in
authorizing the government to set
limits to prices. The law of supply
and demand, I am sorry to say, has
been replaced by the law of unre
strained selfishness. While we have
eliminated profiteering in several
branches of industry it still runs im
pudently rampant in others. The farm
ers, for example, complain with a great
deal of justice that while the regula
tion of food prices restricts their in
comer;, no restraints are placed upon
the prices of most of the things they
must themselves purchase; and similar
inequities obtain on all sides.
“It is imperiatively necessary that
consideration of the full use of the
waterpower of the country and also
the consideration of the systematic ard
yet economical development of such of
the natural resources of the country as
are still under the control of the f d
eral government should be immedia'ely
resumed and affirmatively and con
structively dealt with at the earliest
possible moment. The pressing need
of such legislation is daily bee mlng
more obvious.
Warns Against Waste.
"The legislation proposed at i e last
session with regard to regulati l com
binations among our exporters a order
to provide for our foreign trac. a more
effective organization and n chod of
cooperation, ought- by all me . as to be
completed at this session.
"And 1 beg that the meml ers of the
House of Representatives v ill permit
me to express the opinion iliat it will
he impossible to deal in any way but
a very wasteful and extravagant fash
ion with the enormous appropriations
of the public moneys which must con
tinue to bo made if the war is to be
properly sustained, unless the House
will consent to its former practice of
initiating and preparing all appropria
tion bills through a single committee
in order that responsibility may be cen
tered, expenditures standardized and
made uniform and waste by duplication
be avoided as much as possible.
“Additional legislation may also be
come necessary before the present con
gress adjourns in order to affect the
most efficient co-ordination and opera
tion of the railway and other transpor
tation systems of the country. But to
that 1 shall, if circumstances demand
call the attention of congress upon an
other occasion.
Devote Session to War.
"If I have overlooked anything that
ought to be done for the more effective
conduct of the war, your own counsels
will supply tlie omission. What I am
perfectly clear about is that in the
present session of the congress our
whole attention and energy should be
concentrated on the vigorous and rapid
and successful prosecution of the great
task of winning the war.
"We can do this with all the greater
zeal and enthusiasm because we know
that for us this is a war of high prin
ciple, debased by no selfish ambition
of conquest or spoliation; because we
know, and al the world knows, that we
have been forced into it to save the
very institutions we live under f.om
corruption and destruction. The pur
poses of the central powers strike
straight at the very heart of everything
we believe in; their methods of war
fare outrage every principle of hu
manity and of knightly honor; their
intrigue has corrupted the very thought :
and spirit of many of our people; their
sinister and secret diplomacy nas
soughttotak^iui^er^Jfijrl|jiij^^j^^y
from u» and disrupt the union of the
states. Our safety would be at an end.
our honor forever sullied and brought
Into contempt tvero we to permit their
triumph. They are striking at the very
existence of democracy and liberty.
Declares Purposes Holy.
“It is because it is for us a war of
high, disinterested purpose. In which
all the free peoples of the world are
banded together for the vindication of
right, a war for the preservation of our
nation and of all that it has held dear
of principle and of purpose, that we
feel ourselves doubly constrained to
propose for its outcome only that which
is righteous and of irreproachable in
tention, for our foes as well as for oui
friends. The cause being just and holy
the settlement must be of like motive
and quality. For this we can tight, but
for nothing less noble or less worthy
of our traditions. For this cause wo
entered the war and for this cause will
we battle until the last gun is tired.
"1 have spoken plainly because this
seems to mo the time when it is most
necessary to speak plainly, In ordei
that all the world may know that even
in the ardor of the struggle and when
our whole thought Is of carrying the
war through to Its end we have not for
gotten any ideal or principle for which
the name of America has been held in
honor among the nations and for which
it has been our glory to contend In the
great generations that went before us
A supreme moment of history has
come. The eyes of the people have been
opened and they see. The hand of God
is laid upon the nations. He will show
them favor, I devoutly believe, only if
they rise to the clear heights of His
own Justice and mercy.”
Mobilization of Banks.
From the Bixehe Review.
The mobilization of the banking forces
of the country into the federal reserve
system Is going on. From October 1 the
number of state banks and trust com
panies which have Joined the federal re
serve system is approximately 40, repre
senting combined capital and deposits of
about $1,843,000,000. On November 1 there
were 50 applications for membership by
state banks and trust companies in the
hands of the federal reserve agents In
the several districts, and the boards of
directors of 33 state banks and trust com
panies passed resolutions authorizing ap
plication.
It is fair to assume that this Increase
will continue as a war measure, if for no
other reason, until practically the whole
banking force of the United States Is in
cluded In the federal system—a consum
mation which would make it the most im
pregnable fortress for national financial
defense ever erected since the beginning
of civilization.
Crusoe’s Relics.
A biography written in the early part
of the last century by Dr. A. W. Davis,
of Tenbury, Eng., tells of the good doc
tor's visit to Largo in Flfeshire where
he saw a chest that once belonged to
Alexander Selkirk. This Selkirk was
none other than Robinson Crusoe, and
the chest was that which had been
with the redoubtable adventurer on the
island of Juan Fernandez. It was an
heirloom that had been handed down
in the family and was then in the pos
session of a poor woman, also named
Selkirk. She had a drinking cup that
had belonged to her distinguished an
cestor, made of cocoanut shell and
tipped with silver.
Dr. Davis was convinced that both
relics were genuine. The chest was of
a kind commonly used by seamen and
had “A. H.” ?ut into the lid at several
places. This' same woman also had
owned a musket of Selkirk’s, but she
gave it to the laird of the parish. Dr.
Davis notes that visitors were permit
ted to see the weapon upon request.
Valuable Stuffing Evidently,
From Answers, London.
A certain millionaire presented to his
native city a fine collection of stuffed
birds and animals.
The attendant, escorting a visitor
through the silent halls, noticed that lie
was yawning, and ventured to say:
“Perhaps you're not aware, sir. that
this is one of the richest taxidermist ex
hibits on earth. Yes, sir, this collection
of stuffed animals and birds is worth
£100,000!"
“Is that so?" said the visitor. “What
the dickens are they stuffed with?”
High prices for fuel have led to tha
appointment of two committees in Peru
to report on the coal fields of the cen
tral and northern sections of that coun
try. If the investigations prove that coal
exists in considerable quantities rail
roads will be extended to reach the new
fields.
NAMED ASSISTANT
TO WAR SECRETARY
i ___1
Z?—'
Maj. Benedict CrowelL
Maj. Benedict Crowell of Cleve
land has been appointed assistant
•secretary of war to succeed William
M. Ingraham. He was associated
with the general munitions board of
the council of national defense short
ly after that body was orgi.M7?o
Recently, howeve., he has been ir
charge of the Washington ottice oi
If SLOWLY I
Austro-German Forces Take
Mountain Peaks, But Ital
ians H:pe to HJd
Passes.
KAISER TAKES OFFENSIVE
With Hundreds of Thousands of
Men From East Front He
Prepares Mightiest On
slaught in West.
Petrograd, Dec. 8.—Germany ap
parently is to be permitted, under
the Russo-German armistice plan,
to transfer all the troops she desires
from the Russian front for use
against the allies. The full text of
the armistice agreement, signed by
the Sixty-seventh Russian and the
Thirty-first German infantry di
vision commanders, as published
here today in the newspaper
Pranvda, shows no stipulation
that German troops must not be
used against the allies on the other
fronts. Such a stipulation was spe
cifically pledged by Foreign Minis
ter Trotzky in a recent speech.
By Associated Press.
While tin- tremendous effort the Aus
tro-Hungarian army in the eastern
Trentino is muking to gain the passes
into the Italian plains resulted yester
day in the pushing back of the Italian
line at one point, the vital front re
mains unbroken.
The advance was scored just to the
east of Asiago, where, according to to
day’s official statement from Berlin,
the eminence of Monte Sisemol was
stormed. The capture may have been
one result of the recession in the Italian
line just to the east the day previous
after heavy fighting for Monte Fior
and Monte Castelgomberto. Dispatches
from Italian headquarters have reflec
ted confidence there that the new line
in this sector was capable of holding
the route to the passes.
German wedges driver, into the
salient before Cambral have compelled
the British to evacuate exposed points
and they have given un to the Ger
mans several villages west of Cambral
as well as the Bourlon wood.
The British line has been shortened
and made more capable of strong de
fense.
Berlin in its latest report claims the
occupation of Marcoing, about four
miles southwest of Cambral. Minor
German attacks south of Bourlon wood
nnd near La Vacquerie have been re
pulsed by the British.
Berlin (via London), Dec. 8.—Four
thousand more Italians have been cap
tured In the new Austro-German offen
sive on the northern front, bringing up
the total to 15,000, according to today's
official communication.
Monte Sisemol was captured by
storm, the statement says.
German troops stormed La Justice
farm and cleared Marcoing of the
enemy, today’s official statement from
the Cambral sector said. North of La
Vacquerie, German troops maintained
their positions. The enemy penetrated
them for a time, but was thrown back
by counter attacks.
Vienna, Thursday, Dec, 6.—(via Lon
don, Dec. 7.)—The Austro-Hungarian
general headquarters today issued the
following official communication:
"The enemy has suffered a heavy de
feat. Early Tuesday, after powerful ar
tillery preparation, in which German
batteries cooperated with the troops
under Field Marshal Conrad, we
launched an attack against the moun
tain positions in the Meletta region. The
deep snow and severe cold rendered
progress difficult, but the careful
preparation for the attack nnd the
bravery of the attackers—natives from
all parts of Austria-Hungary—were
able to overcome every counter meas
ure.
“Early Wednesday Monte Badenecche
and Monte Tondarecar fell and at mid
day kalserjaeger regiment No. 3 stood
on Monte Gifla. Toward evening the
Italian resistance on the Meletta ridge
broke down before our encircling nnd
storming attacks. Enemy reinforce
ments coming up from Vnlstagna were
taken on the flank by the fire of our
batteries.
"During the morning hours yesterday
the enemy, after a bitter struggle, lost
Monte Bello and the rear positions near
Foza. At 2 o’clock in the afternoon the
brave Italian defenders, who had been
completely cut off for 24 hours on
Monte Castelgomberto, laid down their
arms. All the terrain north of Fren
zela ravine is in our hands."
Rome, Dec. 8.—“On the Asiago
plateau the battle is continuing without
interruption,” says today's official re
port.
By Associated Press.
Italian Headquarters In Northern
Italy. Thursday, Dec. 6.—The big
operation which the enemy is attempt
ing in the north is virtually a repeti
tion of the turning movement he exe
cuted six weeks ago in the great offen
sive above Gorizia. At that time he
broke through the upper end of the
line and thus endangered the lower end.
This is exactly the situation which is
being repeated today.
It has been estaldished that while
Field Marshal Conrad Von Hoetzendorff
is directing the movement, General
Von Krobatin's forces also are cooper
ating. In addition to the superiority in
numbers, the Austro-Germans are tak
ing advantage of the backward season
and are striking before the mountain
snows Impede operations. This weather
this year happens to be favorable to the
enemy. The snow is only a few inches
deep, whereas in December the snow
usually reaches a depth of from four
to 10 feet. One such snowfall now
would be worth divisions. Gray skies
today indicated snow, but the fall was
light.
The importance of the fighting
around Asiago is not underestimated,
but it is believed the line of resistance
on which the Italians have retired is
capable of holding the Franzella and
Gadena passes leading into the Brenta
valley and the open plain some miles
below. The fighting has been of the
most desperate character and while the
enemy has paid dearly for hiB success,
the Italian losses also have been very
heavy.
An eye witness from the si ene of op
erations gave the correspondent details
of the extent and bloody natuie of the
fighting. Enemy reserves were poured
in until the Italians were far outnum
bered. They continued to struggle des
perately, however, and in one case a
small detachment of Bersaglierl met
the shock of an entire Austrian regi
AMERICANS EXPECT
TO ENTER BATTLE
Men Wonder If Training Will
Not Ee Cut Short So That
They May Aid in Crisis.
By United Pres*.
American Headquarters in Prance,
Dec. 8.—The American soldiers are be
ginning to wonder whether their period
of training will not be shortened so
that they may be sent into the fray to
strengthen their allies, tho British and
French, now battling with the Germans
around Cambrai. News came from
home today that the American Con
gress Is about to declare war on
Austria. This heartened them greatly.
Officers and men seem to realize the
doings of the next week or two prob
ably mean much to them and tfielr
allies. The success or failure of fha
Germans at Cambrai and in Italy, Ulf Y
believe, will determine in large mea
sure the length of the war. They are
anxious to get into it, believe thpy
have had enough training and hejjeva
that now Is the psychological tnue to
make the step.
By Associated Press.
With the American Army in Kmnce,
Thursday. Dec. 6.—The greatest scljwi
of war the American army has ever
known and which when fully under
way w’lll probably he the greatest ot
any army, began operations to<toy In
and about a French town, the hjstory
of which dates back 1,000 years. AJMthln
field glass range of the old Roman Walls
surrounding the town in which tha
headquarters and staff college ara
established, there are numerous locali- .
ties where already many men are Jje
ing trained in the science of war and
all its finer details. When the sbftOot is
in full progress more than 10,(TOO stu
dents will be in training here.
ns well as bayonets In fierce hand to
band fighting.
Surrounded, They Fight Qn.
But the greatest single instance of
heroism and loss wras In the case o^sev
eral detachments of Alpini, which held
Monte Castelgomberto against over
whelming odds until surrounded. Thus
encircled, they made repeated chargee,
but the heavy surrounding lines held
and the entire party was still on the
mountain when the remainder of the
Italian line fell back.
In another case one brigade of Ber
saglierl lost a great number of officers
and men in the same proportion. The
extent of the enemy reserves iashown
by their concentration in the average
number of a division for every Jdlo
meter. The artillery fire also has been
the heaviest since the new Italian line
was formed.
Up to Them to Hold.
Conditions this morning \\eije vir
tually unchanged. Much depeniHhn the
ability of the Italians to hold thtf^wsses
to which they have now retlrejdi com
manding the Brenta valley ahd the
plains.
TRY BLOW AT FRENCH.
Paris, Dec. 8.—Two attempts were
made by the Germans to brrfik the
French lines east of the Meuse in the
Verdun region last night, after a heavy
bombardment. The attacking forces,
the war office announced toduy, were
drive off by the French fire.
By the United Press.
With the British Armies in the Ifield.
Dec. 8.—British army officers expect
Germany's biggest and perhaps final
effort of the war shortly. General
Byng's retirement from Bourlon wood
is regarded as a precautionary measure
for the British to withstand the shock.
As the British see it Germany is at
the zenith of her military power. With
Russia out of the way the (Airmans
have been able to draw on her man
power along that front. She is prepar
ing, evidently, to throw every ounce of
her man power into the stroke about to
he delivered in her final attempt to
attain a military victory before) the
American troops arrive on the fighting
line.
On the Bourlon sector there were'but
two alternatives for General Bync. One
was to push ahead and the other to
step hack to a more secure footing.
U. S. AIRMEN
WOUNDED
Washington, D. C., Dec. 8.—American
airmen fighting the German planes on
the western front have suffered their
first easuality. Two men. a corporal
and a private, were today reported
wounded.
No report of the engagement in which
the Americans were wounded was for
warded. They are:
Corporal Walter A. Warren, Dublin,
C.a.
Private Edward F. Ebsen, Buffalo.
N. Y. _ _ _
AUSTRIANS RELEASE
RUSSIAN PRISONERS
Captives Taken by Italians Say
Emperor Didn’t Wait on
Slavs.
Rome. Dec. 7.—Austrian prisoners
taken in the last few days say that the
release of Russian prisoners held in
Austria began 10 days ago. Austria
took the initiative in this without
waiting for Russia to release Austrian
prisoners. _
SAYS HE SAW U. S.
SAILORS AMONG DEAD
Truro, N. S., Dec. 7.—A telegraph
operator sent here from Halifax by the
Western Union Telegraph company
said today that he saw the bodies of
several sailors of the United States
navy who lied been killed by the explo
sion yerterday.
No accurate statement of the num
ber of persons killed and wounded was
available early today. Rsthn.ites made
by hundreds of survivors who came
here during the day and night varied
from 3U0 to '-',000 killed. The property
damage, chiefly along the water front
and in the manufacturing, wholesale
and residential districts, will reach sev
eral millions of dollars.