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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY t Everything indicates that the first terrific German rush has spent itself, paralysing losses having H"1 the kaisers program of a headlong lunge to sudden victory. As reports come in from various sources, it becomes more and more evident that the Cermaii casualties have been fearful. Army corps literally were cut to piei-es. One reiiort from neutral sources puts the German losses as high as 500. 000 men since the offensive was launched. 1nder such conditions it has been necessary to move up new corps and reorganize those which have been in action, before they again can become effective combaf units. In this connection a British headquarters dispatch says. "According to prisoners, the Two Hundred and Eighth Oertnan division since the beginning of the offensive, has suffered losses of seventy i»er cent. The Twentieth division lost fifty per cent. The Eighty-Eighth division lost thirty per cent the first day and forty |ier cent in an attack on Mezieres March 29. In the First division the average strength of the companies was reduced to forty men by March 2S. The Guard Ersatz division suffered twenty-five per cent loss between March 21 and 28. The Fifth division had fifty per cent casualties at Ham and additional heavy losses in crossiug the Somme. In an attack north of the Scarpe river, one regiment of the Twenty-Sixth division lost twenty-four officers." The brigading of American battalions with the British and French forces will, according to competent authority at Washington, bring altout a change in the plans for calling drafted men to the service. The new situation makes possible the following: The number of men to be railed this year may lie doubled, dependent upon the facilities of troop transportation to Europe. The call for troops through the next draft may be so large as to make it necessary to go beyond class 1 in order to fill the training camps, a course which draft officials had not desired to pursue if possible to avoid it. April, May and June quotas, now being prepared, may be swelled to- twice their pronosed size. Instead of 800.000 men being called this year, as many as l.ttOO.000 men may be called; this, it is believed, would exhaust available material iu class one. Training in the camps and cantonments probably will be shortened, men to be sent abroad as soon as they master the fundamentals. To empty camps rapidly. With the second stage of the battle of Picardy still to develop. Washington yesterdav was simulating what the next move would be. Army strategists ar" somewhat puzzled because the rolling -up movement, which seemingly was started by the British and French, has lx-en abandoned. It is lie-lieved that there has been a distinct change ill the plans of Ceneral Foch. the supreme comma nder- in -chief, and no one at Washington would be surprised should the entente launch an offensive against the Germans at a point far removed from the present scene of the fighting. The series of battles which tlw Serman assault precipitated must last for months, officers say. They declare there is a decided chance that this summers campaign can I* made the final one of the war. Germany now is at the maximum of men. these officers say. and it has lieen demonstrated that the allied forces now ill France can hold the Cermaii armies. Springfield will o|m-ii her third Liberty Loan drive with a mass meeting to lie held in the auditorium of the new high school. Thursday evening. April 4. Sergeant Kdwards. one of the fifteen survivors of the famous "Princess Pat" Canadian regiment, will lie the principal speaker. Accompany inn Sergeant Edwards will he Carl D. Yrooman. assistant secretary of agriculture and other members of the team of the LilxTty Loan campaign. The meeting will lie under the direction of the Sangamon County LilM-rty 1 an Committee, of which James A. llarley is chairman. The party will arrive from Washing ion. It. C. at 4:."iO p. ill.. April 4. and will depart al 9 oclock the following morning. t The following statement has been issued by chief of staff. General March, regarding the manner in which publication will be given to war news in the future: "The War Department has been notified by cable that Secretary Baker has prescribed the following rules for handling publicity of matters pertaining to troops and operations: First, all matter | ertaining to events, persons, policies or ojiera-tions hereafter will only officially be given out from the headquarters of tlie American e_x|H ditioii-ary forces in Franco; second, similar matter affii-t-ing the forces at home will be given out by the War Department." Belated returns from Tuesdays lectin confirmed the victory of Irvine L. Lenroot. Republican, for Senator of Wisconsin. His plurality at noon yesterday was 8.575. With nineteen counties complete and comparatively full reports from all but four others, the vote stood: Lenroot. 130.50S; Joseph E. Davies. Democrat. 121.933: Victor L. Berger, Socialist. 88.038. Charley Mitchell, former English middleweight champion prize fighter, is dead at Brighton, England. Mitchells most famous fight was with John L. Sullivan at Chantilly. France. March 10. MOO. He held the famous American heavyweight to a draw in thirty-nine rounds. Five years later Mitchell was knocked out by James J. Corhctt in three rounds. A German attack south of Moreuil last night was repulsed by the French fire and the enemy was unable to gain a footing in any part of the French positions, the French war office announces, except at one point. The French also broke up a German attack near Rollot and gained ground north of Pleaiont. Loyalty won at the polls in Chicago Tuesday. Wherever socialism showed its head in the alder-manic election the patriotic voters swatted, and swatted hard. Socialists had injected the disloyalty issue in numerous wards and they were given a knockout blow. Not a socialist candidate was elected. One of the German long-range guns bombarding Paris burst, according to prisoners captured on the French front, five of the gun crew being killed. This announcement was made officially at Berlin Tuesday night. A dispatch from Tokyo says: It wa« learned from an authoritative source that an agreement has lieen concluded under which Japan will turn over to the Inited States 450.000 tons of shipping. The British Tuesday night stormed and captured a strong Ccriuan MM south of llebuterne. which menaced the defending positions, says a dispatch of Wednesday from British headquarters in France.
