HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH LXXXV1 — No. 70 20 PAGES ARMIES CLASH FOR BIG BATTLE OF WAR THUNDER OF GUNS MARKS OPENING OF GREAT NEW ATTACK Main Forces of French and German Legions Clash For Opening Struggle of What Promises to Be One of World's Decisive Battles; Paris Has Hope Hindenberg's Plan Has Been Killed By Forcing of Wedge Into New Front; Teuton Retreat Stopped at Line Prepared in Advance I By Associated Press Irench troops are in contact with the main German army and what may prove to be the initial stage of the greatest battle of history has opened before the gates of La Fere. For the first time since the great German retreat began patrol and rear guard fighting has given way to the thunder of artillery and the clash of major forces. The Germans are making a stand on a line running north and south of La Fere, from St. Simon to the forest of CDUCV, a distance, roughly .estimated, at about twenty miles. The position selected by the Germans is protected by the Crozat canal and the Ailette river, a tributary of the Oise, but in this line the French have driven a great wedge directly in front of La Fere and reaching to within two miles of that important town. On this wedge is based the hopes of I rench military critics that General Xivelle has outmaneuvered Field Marshal Yon llindenburg and that La lere is doomed and with it the whole of the famous llindenburg line. Paris believes that the extraordinary speed with which the French have advanced has discon certed the German plans and renders probable a continuation of the retirement to the Belgian frontier. 1 he official Berlin reports throw no light on the situation, but it seems certain that a few days or even hours must decide the fate of La Fere. v Ihe situation on the British front is somewhat more obscure owing to the rather vague char acter of the British official reports. The latest reports from London say that General Haig has pushed ten miles east of the Somme at some points. Measured from Peronne this would place the British within four or five miles from the vital point of St. Ouentin and this estimate is supported by U unofficial dispatches from the front. The German retirement is pivoting from their positions east of Arra9 and in this pivotal region General Haig reports steady progress but no locali ties are mentioned which might give a clue to the relative Importance of the advance. Apparently the spasmodic fighting in the Champagne and Verdun sections has ceased, for the time being at least, but Important news coines from an other and far distant field of the world war. The Russians, driving forward from Persia, have crossed the Mesopo tamian border at one point while a second army is continuing its advance from Kermanshah in support of the British advance from Bagdad. This means that the retreating Turks are boing menaced from three sides, and according to allied military observers, [Continued on Page 10] Cavalry in Action For First Time Since 1914 By Associated Press Berlin, Tuesday, March 20 (by wire less to the Associated Press via Say ville, March 22). —German cavalry is now in touch with the French and British mounted troops which have been in action for several days in the territory evacuated by the Germans, so that for the first time since the fall of 1914 cavalry on both sides is being employed on the western front. This is regarded here as an indication that great events are taking place and that a great battle is in prospect, trench warfare being over fot the time on this part of the front. The French and British attempted to use cavalry on the Somme last year, as well as at the time of the Cham pagne offensive, but the employment of these forces in the face of en trenched troops with machine guns re sulted in very heavy losses. The pres ent situation is a different one because neither side is now protected by trenches. THE WEATHER- For Harrisburg anil vicinity: Fair (■■■•l Hiirmpr to-aight anil Fri day! liinnt tempt- rill lire to-nlKbt about 311 degree*. For Kastern Pennsylvania: Fair, warmer to-nixht and Friday; Kentle to moderate shifting wind*. River The Xorth Branch will rise sliKht ly. other streams of the ayatem will fall slowly or remain nearly alatlonary. A ntngr of about • feet In Indicated for Harrisburg Friday uornlnis. General Conditions The moderate disturbance thnt was central over the Ohio Valley, Wednesday mornlnar. hns moved off the Virginia eoast. It caused IlKht rains In the last twenty-four hours generally south and east of the Ohio river. Including Penn sylvania. The disturbance from the Far Xortbweat has been di vided by an area of hlich pres sure from the Pacific ocean, bne center being located over West ern Kansas and the other over Alberta. Temperaturei 8 a. m., 30 degrees above aero. Sun t Rises, Hso3 a. I*l. Moon■ Mew moon, March 22. River Staßet 6.0 feet above low water murk. Yesterday** Weather Highest temperature, 43. l owest temperature, 34. Mean temperature, 38. Aormal temperature, 40 French and German Armies Meet For What May Be War's Dcr GERMANS REACH VON HINDENBURG LINE OF DEFENSE British Join French in Pressing Close to Teuton's Heels By Associated Press Paris, .March 22. —The German re treat to the Arras-St. Quentin-La Fere line is now practically complete, since the French are now within artillery | range of St. Quentin and La Fere. The movement has been carried out by i echelons, according to approved prin ; ciples, one section holding firm while j the next fell back. The allied op- I erations are now concerned with driv ! ing in the last of these sections which are still resisting. They art situated! | respectively, south of Arras, southeast j and east of Peronne. east of Ham and the valley of the Ailette and north of Soissons. Just in the middle of the line, east of Peronne and between the plain of Cambral to the north and the plain of the Somme to the south, is one of the few positions of defensive value running to the east of Roisel and Ver mand. The Germans showed signs of intending to cling to this salient, but it is now, too. gone, the British being close to both Roisel and Vermand. An other strong section which is still holding out occupies a formidable de fensive position formed by the forest of Coucy, but, from the signs of de struction in the rear of the defenders, apparently resistance is only being made to secure the retreat to the prin cipal line at St. Gobain. Germans Ix>ot Banks As the result of Wednesday's op erations the British line is now level with the French which runs along the Crozat canal from St. Simon to Ternnier. At the latter point the | French positions are less than two and a half miles from La Fere. Part of the road from Ourscamp to Noyon which was paved with granite, has been unpaved by the Germans, but in less than a day the French engineer corps had repaired the road, rebuilt bridges and put the railroad in work ing order as far as Ourscamp. The military commissariat has sent 200 bullocks to Xoyon and distributed 10,000 bread rations. Before leaving the Germans made a clean sweep of the Xoyon banks, sending to Germany securities valued at 18,000.000 francs. Teuton Retreat Releases Homes of Many Frenchmen By Associated Press Paris. March 22.—The total amount of French territory liberated from the German Invaders by the Somme offen sive up to March 21 is 853 square miles, situated in the four depart ments of Pas-de-Calais, Oise, Aisne and Somme. It includes 366 towns and villages, the homes of 181,93 a! Frenchmen. The Germans are still in possession of 7,126 square miles of France. Dr. Henri de Rothschild has given 100,000 francs for the relief of the inhabitants in the liberated sections of I Plcardj HARRISBURG, PA., THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 22, 1917 FRENCH JOYOUS AT RELEASE FROM GERMAN BONDAGE Others Show Spirit Broken at Hardship Suffered Be hind Lines "War Correspondents' Headquarters with the British Armies in France, March 21.—(From a Staff Correspond ent of the Associated Press)—"We would have starved if it had not been for tiie American Relief Commission," declared a French woman in the city [Continued oil Page 10] Girl Knocked Down and Dragged by Automobile in Serious Condition Miss Bessie Jackson, 647 Boyd street, an employe of Wilsons Con fectionery Store, Third street, who was struck Tuesday niyht by an automo bile at lteily and Sixth street, is stili in a serious condition. Miss Jackson was severely cut and bruised about the body, several ribs broken and the skin stripped from parts of her body when she was dragged along the concrete street. The owner of the machine is unknown to the police. In a crash at Third and Boas streets last night between a taxi and a touring car one driver, Harvey Fort ney, of Whitehill was cut about the body. Both cars are wrecks. J. Coul ter, driver of the taxicab was unin jured. According to'the story told the police one car was coming down Third street and another going up. Neither one turned out but ploughed together head on. An automobile badly wrecked was discovered this morning at Division and Second streets. It had been hit by a street car. The owner had not re turned for the machine and he is un known to the police. Swaps Stones For Potatoes, But Read the Story "Potatoes are much too high to buy stones instead," said Mrs. G W Carpenter, 1139 Melrose street, whe-i she returned three perfectly good stones to a farmer at market and de manded potatoes in return. Mrs. Carpenter purchased 9. half peek of potatoes last Saturday. She noticed that they were a trifle heavy for so small an amount. When the potatoes were poured into a tin pan she noticed a hard metallic sound. In vestigation proved three of them not "spuds" but "sinkers." Mrs. Carpenter said she was ac customed to getting stones for pota toes but never in such a big ratio. She returned the stones to the farmer and was given three potatoes. However, she decided that if Mr. Farmer wanted to sell stones he should at least l>e given the trouble of prying them from the frozen ground . The stones were retained and one of them brought to the HARRIS BURG TELEGRAPH, to be preserved as she said "a relic of high prices and crooked methods." 3Thf Star- 3ni>cprn&fnL GROUND GAINED BY ALLIES IN FRANCE Jjpi; SCALE. O-£ MILES HWUV*A* This map shows the extent of the allied advance following the German retirement in France. The lighter shading shows the progress made by the British (north of Ham. - roughly) and French troops on ihe first day of the general retirement: the darker shading? shows the advance reported on the second and third days of the withdrawal. The "Hindenburfc line," where the Germans are expected to make a stand, is also shown. Tills is the line which the Germans are said to have been pre paring for months; but late news dispatches report fires behind this line, which would indicate that the Germans may abandon even this naturally and arti ficially strong defensive position. WHOLE STATE BEING PLACED ON WAR BASIS I Preparedness plans moved forward in the State capital to-day when legis lation to provide for quarters for or ganizations of the National Guard and ;to save positions of men connected with State, county or city govern ments who might enter the service of the country was presented iri the ; Legislature; an inventory of all mili .tary stores to ascertain just what'the i National Guard requires to fit it for j active service was started and Gov | crnor Brumbaugh called upon the men appointed to the State-wide com mittee qn safety and defense to organ ize as speedily as possible and begin MOTHER AND SON~ ARE SEPARATED ON WAY TO FUNERAL Boy Mysteriously Disappears From Train; Parent Left Penniless | Half a hundred policemen of the j Pennsylvania railroad are to-day searching for John Sposilone. He dis appeared from a train at Johnstown last night. In the meantime a funeral scheduled for to-day at Passaic, N. J., had to be postponed because of John's mysterious disappearance. There is also a brokenhearted mother, Sebronae [Continued on I*age 10] ELECT ANTI-WAR MAN By Associated Press London, March 22.—Dr. Franz Meh rlng has been elected to the seat of Dr. Karl Liebknecht in the lower house of the Prussian Diet, according to a Berlin dispatch to Keuter's by way of Amsterdam. Dr. MehrinK is a members of the Socialist minority I which is opposed to tho >var. Ac cording to the dispatch he was op i posed in the election by a number of Ithe Socialist majority, but received 341 votes out of a total of 427. the work for which they were ap , pointed. Many telegrams accepting places on the Governor's committee were re j ceived at the Capitol during the day jand the co-operation of the State gov ; ernmental departments was formally ; tendered, while the Governor suggest ed that the new committee get into prompt communication with the na ; tional defense organizations. While this is going on the com jmandcrs of the National Guard units , will take steps to locate all men who served in their organizations on bor • [Continued on Page ll] IIN EVENT OF WAR EIGHTH REGIMENT NEEDS MORE MEN Local Companies Will Accept Fifty Recruits at Once; In spection Under Way According to an announcement by- Colonel Maurice E. Finney, com mander of the Eighth Regiment, Na tional Guard of Pennsylvania, with headquarters in this city, fifty more recruits are needed by the local com panies at present under general con [Continued on Page 6] GROCERS HOI.II MEETING A meeting of the Retail Grocers' Bu reau of the Chamber of Commerce was held yesterday afternoon. Various questions of interest to the bureau only were discussed. CANAI. BOATMEN STRIKE Mageri>town. Md., March 22.—About a hundred boatmen on the Chesapeake and Ohio ranal, between Cumberland. Md.. ana Washington, have abandoned' their boats and gone out on a strlkr at the time set for the reopening of the waterway. They demand a tlfty-celit rate per ton for hauling coa' Single Copy. 2 Cents HOME EDITION GERMANY MAY ASK AMERICA TO ARBITRATE Neutral Nation Plans to Submit Offer From Berlin That War Be Averted; United States Will Not Consider Offer As Long As U-Boats Carry on Ruthless Warfare; Hurry Plans to Get Country's Armed Forces on Wa" Footing By Associated Press \\ ashington, March 22.—Offers of mediation to prevent actual war between the United States and Germany arc expected among tlie next developments. Administration officials heard to-day that a European neutral was contemplating such a plan and tliey frankly regarded it as another effort backed by Germany to divide sentiment in Congress and embarrass the President. It was declared authoritatively to-day that no proposals of medi ation or for discussion will be considered unless Germany first abandons the campaign of ruthlessness. All administration officials from the President down take the position that the United States never has, and does not now, desire war with Germany but is being forced into it to protect lives and rights of its citizens against unlawful aggression. Unless Germany is prepared to com pletely change her position, it was de clared to-day, offers of mediation and discussion are useless. Germany, It was recalled, never accepted former Secretary Bryan's proposal to sign one oi his "peace investigation" treaties, which would have bound the United States to inaction for a year, wnile a commission investigated the situation. Meanwhile every preparation for an eventuality is being carried forward by the army and navy, and the Presi dent is aawiting the assemblying of Congress. Unless there is some great change in the situation before April 2, it is ex pected ho will detail, in his address, how Germany has in fact been making I WILL WORRY- PRESIDENT CONSTANTLY Vt v Y rk, March 22. —David Starr Jordan in behalf Envr