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AMERICA'S PART IN GREAT VICTORY IS RELATED BY BELLOC Cutting of Important Rail roads Jeopardized Entire German Front HARD FIGHTING DID NOT SHOW ON MAP Italian Victory Must Be Considered as Military Achievement and Not Simply Result of Political Development * By HILAIRE BELLOC. Author of “Elements of the Great War” and Britain's most distinguished military critic. (Special cable dispatch to the Tribune.) Copyright 1918, New York Tribune, Inc. At the moment of writing there are four points of strategical interest. They ere the further advance on Audenarde, the Canadian passage of Valenciennes, the French-American advance of the j “containing wing” upon the Meuse, and j the great victory of Italy in the second j battle of the Piave. Of these the last j is the most important, bnt both because j it » liable to misinterpretation and be- | cause it particularly concerns American 1 readers, I will begin with the affairs of ! the “containing wing." I explained last week the function of | this wing and why slight progress there j or even no progress at all, but a mere j maintenance of pressure was of vital im- j portance to the whole front. It is here ; that the American First army stands j nearer by far than any other troops to the narrow track railway communication by which all the German troops between the Oise and the Meuse are supplied. It is a matter of life and death to the German line to prevent this railway get ting under the range of fire anywhere west of Montmedy. CUTTING OFF RAILWAYS The nearest point on the railway, Brou euves, about five miles west | of Mont- j medy, is at a rahge of 18,000 yards from the most advanced American posts at Clery-Le-Grand, or, say, 24,000 yards from the nearest American heavies. At such a range all the country through which the railway runs can be reached by the long range fire, but of course Jit such a distance as not to interrupt communications. The experience of this war has shown :hat a line is hardly put out of use until he most advanced posts of attack are < ivithin 5000 yards and the heavies be lind them are, say at 8000 or 9000 yards iway. Even at such ranges the Haze* >rouck railways were precariously used >y the allies during the £«ys offensive )f the Germans last April. But though the railway is still safe, my allied advance down the Meuse val ey toward it is so much the more per lous to the whole German position. Everything is done, therefore, on the German side to keep this paVt of the |( ront, the belt in front of Montmedy, lecure. The enemy is compelled, even, in >rder to check the allied advance, to put n fresh units continually, and in his >resent state of exhaustion he cannot lo this without gravely weakening oth r parts of the line. The action on this sector, therefore, de ermines all the successes to the north, t has helped the French to go for vard at Audenard and the British to mss Valenciennes, and when to more iressure an actual advance is added it iummons the enemy strength in such imounts that the enemy is led to a break dsewhere. PART PLAYED BY AMERICANS On November 1 the ccQfS'ned French tnd American attack achieved a serious , idvance, or which the American part was he more important and must first be lescribed. The American First army here stands >n a line about 15 miles long, going near y due east and west from in front of Buzency to the belt of woods against the ipper Aisne. which is the . last woods lorth of the ArgOnne forests, it is the Vmerican right, next to the Meuse, which jives the enemy the most concern. Every rard of advance here is an increased nenace to his communications. There ore, it was h$re that his resistance o last Friday’s American attack was he most desperate. So the advance from ibove Brieulles to Clery-Le-Grand was lot more than from 4000 to 5000 yards, vhile further east the maximum prog ress was 50 per cent greater. But this slight advance was neverthe ess full of meaning for the reason that here Jies overlooking the Meuse from ^lery-Le-Grand and Anderanne a posi ion of the greatest importance tp all his region. It has no name, but may >e called the position of Dun, though t does not include that little town, which s below it and on the other side of the iver. This position is a horseshoe of heights, vooded on the north side and bare on he south, possession of which gives com pete observation to the whole Meuse val ey beyond Stenay. It corresponds in this region to the fa nous little hill of Cuvelet, the capture )f which by the French last September ed to the relief of Rheims and the gen eral enemy retreat to Vouziers. The position above Dun is now sharply gripped by the Americans, though not y'et taken by them. Another advance of iOOO yards up hill from Clery and 4000 yards northeast of Anderanne and the whole position would be as good as taken. No one can say it will be taken, but what is more important is that the threat to it will compel the Germans to sacri fice yet another mass of men, which they cannot afford to lose. With the Americans already at An devanne and Clery you may be certain the most peremptory orders went out on Friday night for reinforcements from the north and west, that the command ers on the north and west, along the , middle Aisne and the upper Oise and Scheldt, reported that they could not j spare the men, that the commanders of the broken units resting behind the lines reported their units w'ere unfit to" take up the task, and that none the less these units had to go. Let Us Increase Your; Weight Become1 Plump and Pleasing Gain Flesh, Get Calm Nerves, Build ; Up. 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Get your CERTONE at once, then watch your mirror. Note your dally gain. Feel better and look better, get good solid flesh and lasting good health. pounds through TONE. Miss 25c TM,wST 25c Twenty-five Cents to Thin or Nervous People. ThiB Coupon, with twenty - five cents coin or stamps, to cover cost of packing, for warding and advertising, en- j titles you to one fifty-cent 1 s. i I do a oi ai. me Greene Drug Co.. First avenue and Twentieth street. Birmingham. Ala., or send coupon and twenty-fire cents direct to CERTONE COMPANY, Inc.. Dept. D. K.. 23 Duane St.. New York City. Write name and address plainly. This offer is limited to one Coupon to a perse For Sale by Greene Drug Co., Ffret Avenue and Twentieth Street and Leading Druggists Everywhere. EFFECTS OF FATIGUE This process of fatigue is one that can not be seen on the map and, therefore, escapes the public eye. But it is the one the enemy most dreads, for every such exceptional demand brings him near er to the breakingpoirrt. The Italian victory may also be mis understood if read exclusively in the light of the political situation. If the political breakup of the- Austro-Hun garian empire is the cause, it is also the effect of what is going on in the field. There was no practical dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian army during the first week of the fighting. The two halves of that force, though now completely separated were still intact. It is true the military success was due to two causes. One was the necessity i the enemy was under of withdrawing troops in order to repress insurrection and watch his now open frontier on the Danube. The other was the surprise et | fected especially by the Tenth Italian army, supported by the British contin gent under the command of Lord Cavan, when on the night of October 25 the large gravel banks which stand in the broad bed of the middle Piave, at its issue [ from the mountains, were secretly seized and a small but efficient bridgehead was consolidated on the further side. FORCED FLOODED RIVER We know what followec. At dawn the Eighth Italian army forced the flooded river and broke the first Austrian line on the further bank. It was the first main day action. The rest came rapidly. October 28, the Tenth army reached the little Montriano river and advanced a full day’s march, which threatened to envelop all the enemy line to the south on the lower Piave. That line had to retire precipitately, and its doing so shook the whole Austrian organization on the right. The next day thfe enemy showed the last piece of effective re I sistance on Monte Grappa. On the mor I row he broke down, and with the loss | of Monte Grappa the enemy forces could no longer maintain unity. Monte Cosen, west of Feltre, was under the Italian fire, and the enemy army in the hills was definitely and finally separated from the plains. The former could and did retreat north 1 ward by the Alpine valleys, but the army YOU NEED ONE NOW Heaters I are just the thing for these i cool evenings and morn 5 ings, and for sometime to come they will keep you | comfortable and save you | many a dollar that other | wise would be spent for | ^,-coal—and especially now t " when our government is in I such dire need for every £ pound of coal it can secure I for war purposes. BE A PATRIOT AND BURN OIL We Sell the Two Best Makes THEY COME IN ALL SIZES AND PRICES Perfection Oil Heaters.$ 5.90 to $ 8.75 Barber’s Ideal. .$10.00 to $17.50 This Stove la Equipped With Bra.. Burner and Tank. It Costs But a Few Cents Per Day to Operate Either GET ONE WHILE THEY LAST . Robt. Prowell Stove Company 1920 THIRD AYE. ISSEY TO ENTER UPON DUTIES AS Jefferson County Man Well Qualified for the Work to Which He Has Been Assigned , ^ Charles E. Massey of Birmingham has been appointed senior examiner of farm labor for the state of Alabama under the general supervision of State Director George B. Tarrant of the United States employment service. Ills headquarters will be in Birmingham, but he will spend the greater part of his time in the farming sections in the' inteiest of the department he is serv ing. Mr. Massey is a native of Jefferson CHARLES E. MASSEY county, a member of a highly re spected family of agriculturists and is n well known throughout the county. He is thoroughly familiar with agri- ^ cultural conditions in the state and r with their needs in the way of labor. The employment service is one or' J the most important branches of gov- c] ernment work and while it was created for the specific purpose of supplying essential war industries with labor, it J will probably be retained as a part ^ of the permanent governmental es- * tablishment after the war Is over. It * is realized that the European coun- r tries will rely upon the United States ‘ for several years for all kinds of sup plies, including food stuffs, and the farmers will need all the labor they e can get in order to meet the demand c for their products. jt \t is only within recent years that i Alabama farm products have been ui- I versified, but the crops of grain and peanuts and beans, as well as fruits j and vegetables, will require more and ! more labor, while for the cotton fields, there is always a scarcity in the cuiti- { vating^ and gathering seasons. The 1 farn. division of the employment serv- i ice will devote its efforts to stabiliz- ■ ing as well as mobilizing farm labor to i the end that it may be available for | use where and when most needed. in the plains was now at the mercy of j the allied pursuit, acting without fear of , interruption behind it and virtually en- j gaged in a separate operation against a foe now half of his original strength. For the original large army was now divided into two smaller armies, each doomed to precipitate retirement, and whichever wras pursued, to the heaviest losses, even if it remained in being. FOLLOWED VENETIAN PLAINS In this case pursuit followed the army cut off on the Venetian plains. It reached" Livenza by Thursday night, and by Friday had already counted 80,000. prisoners and 1600 guns captured. ! At this point it is necessary to consult 1 I the map in order to see what happened, : I how the enemy’s army was thus cut in [ two portion*?. The general maps are sut- j ficient. On such a map you see that to the north I of Monte Grappa is the town of Feltre. Now, this town of Feltre is the very | point of the utm6st importance. As the map shows there is a road running from the rail head at Feltre to the hills west ward, and so to the Trentino by way of the Val Suzan. North of this point there is no way by which a single wheeled vehicle can cross the tangle of high mountains until you come to the great Dolomite road, five days’ march away. Through Feltre, along the road sup plemented since the war by a light railway, all the communications be* tween the armies of the enemy in the plain and the continuation of the line in the hills had to pass. When, there fore, Feltre came under close range fire of Wednesday evening, or allow ing for the time needed to bring up the heavies, Thursday morning, the enemy retreating from the Piave was a sep arate body from the enemy retreating beyond the Asiago back into the Alps. EVENTS IN FRANCE The two other incidents of the ad vance to Audenarde and the capture of Valenciennes can bo told more brief ly. The former is important because It brings the northern French army right up against the water line of the Scheldt by a sudden advance of seven miles. It is npt a movement ofpdecisive effort for it does not show whether the wate$ line can be forced immediately qr not, but it prepares such a passage. It followed on an enemy retreat in which no very great number cf prisoners, but probably a very considerable quantity of material was taken. • The capture of Valenciennes, on the other hand, forced action. The enemy did not retire at his own moment. He was compelled to retire by the action of the preceding days which reached the railway south of the town and out flanked the whole place. We must guard against expecting an immediate strategical result from the opening of Bavarian and Saxon fron-7 tiers by the breakdown of the Aus trian monarchy. These frontiers look on the map not only yulner&blo by their length but*as though they opened to attack the most politically vital places of Dresden, Munich and Berlin itself. But that is only on the map. To reach them, even with all the roads and railways freely at our disposal, which ihey are far from being, would be a very lengthy piece of organization, a matter of months The end will come before that, long before, and it will come through the present exhaustion of the German armies in the west. No divisions now get their full fort* night’s rest and many not a week. No j division’s establishment reaches the I average, but is rather less than half' the old reduced establishment, and the j strain for materials is even more se vere. Meanwhile, the political sltua-1 tion behind the Gorman armies is of a j gravity which wo can guess, but can- i not measure. (Since writing the above' news has come that the Americans on November 2 captured Busancy and Vil lers. The Dun position will now fail.) To Stimulate Gold London, October 9.—The British gov ernment has appointed a committee to j stimulate the production of gold in the j British empire. It is composed of Lord j Inohcape, Sir Thomas Elliott, Sir Charles • Addis and W. H. N. Goechen. RAINBOW DIVISION LUNCHEON WILL BE LARGELYATTENDED Mrs. Bickett’s Address to Be Feature—Committee Mem bers Will Make Four Minute Speeches Mrs. W. D. Stjiith, general of the Bain-! bow division, and her aides, are arrang ing for a very large attendance at the luncheon to* be held in the Tutwiler ball room at 1 o’clock tomorrow, at which time the women of Birmingham and Jef terson county will make linal plans for the great united war work drive. The women will make a house-to-h$use can vass and will use e\rery means in their power to assist in raising the sum allotted to this district for the seven war causes represented. Mrs. W. P. McAdory, county chair man of the woman's division, will pre side at the luncheon and will introduce Mrs. T. W. Bickett, wife of the governor of South Carolina, who will be the chief speaker of the occasion. The address of Mrs. Bickett will he followed by a number of four-minute speeches by members of the executive committee, including W. Carson Adams, state chairman; Mrs. William Walker, state chairman woinan’s division; W. C. Bonham, county chairman; Frank Rush ton. field marshal allied armies; W. S. Stallings, secretary Y. M. C. A.; Mrs. W r>. Smith, general of the Rainbow division. The musical features will include se lections Mrs. Houston Davis and pa triotic songs by the Liberty chorus. Mrs. Ross 01 Smith and Mrs. John Builder have charge of the decorations. The generals of the Rainbow, division will constitute the reception committee. The ushers, appointed under the chair manship of Mrs. Harold Sanson, are as follows: Mrs. Warner Shook, Mrs. Wil liam Hood, Mrs. John Caldwell, Mrs. H. P. Heflin, Mrs. Felix Drennen, Mrs. Key Milner. The J^ainbow division will attend this luncheon in full uniform and active work will begin immediately 'after adjourn ment. Headquarters 'for the Rainbow division have been established on the mezzanine flooA of the Jefferson County Bank building, and all workers will re port to Mrs. W. D. Smith, who will be at her post each day of the campaign. Those assisting Mrs. Smith at head quarters are as follows: Mrs. William ITood, secretary: Mrs. William Worthing ton, distribution committee chairman;; Mrs. J. R. .Hornady,." press chairman; Mrs. J. M. Cartwright, diplomatic chair man; Mrs. Felix Dl^hnen, general pub licity chairman. Investigations show that women op eratives on drill presses and milling ma chines are from 25 to 50 per cent faster that men. “ Joseph Is Representative of War Service Committee For Alabama Merchants Local Merchant Will Or ganize State Merchants for Use of Government When Needed The foresighted business men of America are beginning to awake to the fact that the coming of peace will j bring some tremendous problems for them to solve and so they are taking time by the forelock and preparing to be ready for it. This is true of every line of busi ness from the greatest industrial cor porations all along down the line of the varied industries to the retail mer chant not only in the great department stores in the busy centers^but at the cross roads. There is no line of business so sus ceptible to every change of mood and weather as is that of merchandising, and therefore it is well that the brainiest men in America have already got down to studying the situation with a view to conserve both their own and the public interest. The National War Service committee of the Retail Dry Goods and Department Stores of America, has for chairman Herbert J. Tilly, of Stawbridge and Clothier, Philadelphia, and the otheA'* six men were chosen not merely be cause they were connected with some of the greatest stores in the United States, but also with regard to the dif ferent sections of the country. PERSONNEL OF COMMITTEE On it are such men as William H. Mann of Marshall Field and Co., Chi cago; George W. Milton, Jordan Marsh Co., Boston; S. Wr. Reyburn, Lord and Taylor, New York; and o'thers from Detroit, Dayton and the far west. Its a strong committee with a big purpose, and they have called into counsel the big men of the retail business in the various states. It is not surprising that, in wanting a representative in Alabama that they selected 3^1. V. Joseph, president of Loveman, > Joseph and Loeb, for he stands out not only in Birmingham knd over the state, but all over the country as one of the best merchants in the land. But he was chosen not merely for his ability as an executive but because of the fact that he has always related his great private in terests to the welfare of the com munity. Birmingham merchants as well as all citizens who appreciate unselfish service ought to take pride in the se lection of Mr. Joseph. He asks the hearty coopration of all the merchants big and small in Alabama so that he may render a real service to them and the country at large. The following M. V. JOSEPH President of Loveman, Joseph & Loeb letter gives an outline of the task which confronts Mr. Joseph: MR. TILY’S LETTER Philadelphia, October 22, 1918. Dear Mr. Joseph: You have been unanimously elected by the National War Service commit tee of the Retail Dry Goods and De partment stores of the United States to act. as state representative and chairman for Alabama. This War Service committee was created by bal lot taken at a meeting' of merchants held in Washington October 2 and 3; said meeting being called by the Ohamber of Commerce of the United States, acting upon request of the War Industries board, the National Council of Defense and other govern mental agencies. The fundamental need for the cre ation of a War Service committee was that the government should have the benefit of the experience and know ledge of the merchants of the nation upon all problems the government might be considering relative to the conduct of our business, of which price fixing is today probably first and foremost. To likewise give the gov ernment officials and agencies the facts surrounding retail distribution that will accomplish the desire of the government and at the same time protect arid preserve our business. To make the work of our committee effective both for the purpose of the government and in the interest of our business, we must be thoroughly or ganized. Such an organization will furnish the means of carrying the re gulations promulgated by government agencies and the work of your com mittee to all the merchants of the country whose cooperation is, as you can readily realize, absolutely neces sary. COMMUTE OF THREE MEMBERS Our desire is that you represent the War Service committee in Alabama, creating at once an organization, for the state by appointing a War Service committee for your state of not less than three members and from such a central committee complete your or ganization by the appointment of a county chairman in each county who snail have a local chairrpan in each city, town and village of his county, if it seems to him advisable. Your appointees should bp pledged to faithful, conscientious service. Our committee will work through you, for warding from time to time such in formation., as is to be transmitted by you through your organization to all the merchants of Alabama. Your or ganization must be used to give to our committee the opinion of Alabama merchants in all their problems aris ing during the continuance of the war and the reconstruction period follow ing. The obligation to do this work has been clearly pointed out to us by gov ernment officials. The opportunity is here, the value of the work has been thoroughly demonstrated by other in dustries—this is a most patriotic serv ice. May we count on your coopera tion and work? Please reply at once to me bv wire. Yours very truly, HERBERT J. TILY, Chairman. Mr. M. V. Joseph, Loveman, Joseph and Loeb, Birmingham, Ala. Claude R White Dies in Pennsylvania Mrs. A. J. Ridley of the Margaret apartments, Highland avenue, received word yesterday that her brother, Claude R. White, died last Sunday, November 3, at Samokin, Pa., of pneumonia. He was 29 years of age, and formerly re sided in Birmingham, where he was connected with the Underwood Type writer agency for several years. He left here about two years ago. Miss Mary Jones Tells How Cuticura Healed Tetter “I had been troubled with tetter for twelve months. It was in pimples and my face was very badly disfigured. The skin was sore and red and my clothing would stick to my arms at night so that I had to grease them. The breaking out itched and burned so that I could not rest, and it caused me to irritate the affected parts by scratching. “Then I used Cuticura. They afforded relief in twenty-four hours and Lused one cake of Cuticura Soap and a box and a half of Cuticura Oint ment when I was healed.” (Signed) Miss Mary Lizzie Jones, R. S, Box 30, Buena Vista, Ga., Dec. 2, 1917. Use Cuticura Soap for toilet pur poses, assisted, now and then, by touches of Cuticura Ointment to soothe and heal any tendency to irri tation, redness or roughness of the skin or scalp. By using these deli cate, fragrant, super-creamy emolhacts for all toilet purposes you may pre vent many'skin and scalp troubles. luipli Sich Trm by Kail. Addrvaa post-card: "Ontlcnra, Daft. H, Boston." Sold evcrywhero. Soap 26c. Ointment 25 and 60c. Talcum fee. HOOD & WHFFLER 2013 FOURTH AVENUE HOOD & WHEELER 2013 FOURTH AVENUE W X z w > < X H Oi X O b. n o #s u X Z u > < X H 0! X O bu n X u J Wi w X £ Ten Per Cent (10%) Off If Your Purchases Here Are Paid In 30-60-90 Days A great many people often buy goods on long terms and then decide they want to pay for them in two or three months. Without making invidious comparisons, why this store does is to refund or give a discount of 10 per cent, because we ckll all sales paid for in 30-60-90 days, cash sales, and as such are entitled to the cash price. Could anything be fairer? Trade at the store of square deals. Discount of 10 Per Cent on Purchases Paid in 30, 60, 90 Days. Easy to Get Here. Trol leys and Cars Half a Block Away. A good line of well m'de Baby Sulkies. Com« in good quality reed, with leather or reed top. Also large line Baby Carriages. Sold at lowest prices and on the easiest terras. Beautiful 3-Piece Mahogany Davenette Suite for Cash or Oh Our 30, 60 or 90-Day Terms---Regular Terms $110.00. This makes it easy to entertain guests—give them your room and make yourself comfortable in this beautiful Davenette Suite—always ready for such an emergency. Don’t confound this with the cheap, inferior type daven ette suites. This is massive and well made. We are showing a complete line of Baby Beds in all sizes. They are strong, pretty and conven ient. Come in either wide enamel or Vernis Martin. The best make has a slip lock which enables you to lower the side with your foot, as shown in the illustration. Also a large line of Wood and Iron Beds at special prices, on easy terms—with 10 per cent off for cash or if paid in 30-60-D0 days. This strongly built Step Stool is 24 inches nigh; comes in maple finish and is really Indispensable. Special at 91.7b. • Comfortable Bedroom at Night This charming suite consists of a big Easy Chair, a big Rocker and Davenette, all in mahogany, all upholstered in imitation Spanish leather. Living Room During the Day This same suite in slightly . different designs may be had in fumed oak. \ 8 Special At tention Paid to Out - of - Town Funt- \ iture Or den. , OOD & WHEELE FURNITURE CO. 2013-201S Fourth Avenue Don’t For get — Old F u r n iture E x changed for New. HOOP * WHEELER 2013 FOURTH AVENUE HOOD 4b WHEELER 2013 FOURTH AVENUE | \