Valdez daily prospector., 1913-04-28
MONDAY, APRIL 2S, 1913.
THE GERMAN EFFORT.


 ches picture two nations making unheard-of sacrifices to prepare for war-Germany because her ruler realizes, somewhat tardily, that the, primacy his army held six months ago is no longer un- disputed, and France because she feels forced to meet the danger involved in the action of Germ any.
 The reasoning of the states men of Germany is fairly clear. A very poweffl aulliance has sprung up unexpectedly in the Balkan Peninsula and the islands of the Aegean. Its future attl- Jude toward the Triple Alliance, of which Germany is the head, is entirely obscure. For the pres ent it's relations to Austria are marked by distrust and resent ment. That, perhaps. was un- avoidablc, for at the outset Aus tria has an immensely important and difficult part to play. She has long stood as the guardian of western and central Europe against what her rulers and those of Germany regarded as the "Slav Peril" the aggression and ultl- mate domination in Europe of Russia, with an organized follow ing of Slav states and SlaN pco- ples in Austria and in the Bal kans. In that role Austria set out at the start of the Balkan conflict to limit the spells or war that. in case of success, should fall to her neighbor, Ser via. She succeeded in getting Scrvia to abandon her claim to a military and naval stronghold on the Auriatic, and to accept certain not clearly defined rights of transit to an outlet on the wa ter. And to this Russia sdrnS to have aSSented.
 Plainly Germany does not re- gard the understanding thus reached as complete or Slanl' If she did >ha would not resort to an extreme and almost d"Sp"r- ate increase of her armies. Her rulers must think that possible danger is far greater, or they would not strain every nerve to prepare for it. And they must think that their own part in meeting that danger is likely to be much greater and mor" ardu- olS. They are arming because they believe either that their all lies can not give the aid they were once relied on to give. or that new sources of menace have arisen which will demand more force than they and their allies now have al their disposal. Prob ably they have reasoned along both lines. It is obvious that Austria in case of SlaN rombI- nation under the lead of Russia would be relatively weaker than a year ago. It is possible. though by no means certain. that the Balkan allies, SlaV in part. and with SIrun" SIaN syInpalhirS. may enter such combination, and that Russia is prepared |" lead if. On Inc other han,i, the exact n place upon Italy iS nul clear. in" posses ion of iripuli. which was originally planned ln >lr"nGt 'l"ll tine Triple Alliance in lhr eastern Mediterranean. may prov" a source If NrakmrSs. if Austria rannni cu-uprral" with Italy. hlh it iS even conceivable that Italy might seek an undrrsIauding with England and France. d"S"rlrlG the Triple Alliance altogether
 These are the new elements ln the situation that may D" sup posed in influence Germany i'll her new and unprecedented effort to strengthen herself. In view of ihrm the German gnNrrnmrnl will claim that it is acting wholly and sincerely on the defensive that the surest--practically the only--way to prevent attack vii be to prepare to make attacl hopeless. Nor is this reasoning without justification in reason and in precedent Germany is