Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-12-03
WAR WILL LAST
FOR Three YEARS,
SAYS KITCHENER
Secs No End of Struggle Until
Germany Is Thoroughly
Beaten.

Irwin S. Cobb reports, in the cur
rent issue of the Saturday Evening
! Post, an Interview on the war with
! Lord Kitchener The interviewer
/ encountered a man who asked more
| questions than he answered, but hav'
| ing pumped his questioner dry eX-
pressed his own views freely in the
only talk, Mr. Cobb declares. which
Lord Kitchener has given for publ
cation since the war began.
"rhe war will last not less than
three years" Lord Kitchener said
TT will end only when Germany is
thoroughly defeated, not before-de-
feated on land and on sea. That the
allies will win is certain. That for
us to win will require a minimum
period of three years ] think prob
able. 1t might last longer-this war
might. 1t might end sooner 1t can
end in only one way.
"That it will end in month from
now. or six months or a year, / do
not think likely: so, to be on the safe
side | say three years-at least three
years.
''If Germany gives up sooner, so
much the better for Germany and for
us and for all the world. II three
years are required for the undertake
ing, or more than three years, the
world will find that we, for our part,
are prepared to go on, and ready to
go on, and determined to go on, and
certain to go on. In any event this
war can have but one outcome-one
ultimate conclusion.
1.-THE Germans still think they VIII
win" said Lord Kitchener, speaking
with the infection that made the re-
mark part plain statement and part
question. 'I wonder how long a time
they think it will take them to
win"
"They are still fully confident" Mr..
Cobb replied, but they have changed
their schedule-their time card"
Here Lord Kitchener made use OF
the one outright gesture he used.
He brought his fist down hard on the
table in front Of him with thump.
It was a big, sineWy fist-put 1t IN
glove and il would make you think
of a bucks haunch-and the thufnp
was audible and solid.
"They are right in one regard, he
said slowly; lit will take longer than
a wear to end this war. But they are
wrong in another regard; they are
wrong when they think they are GO
ing to win-if, indeed, in their hearts
they honestly think that. They al
not going to win.
''Their campaign in the west is a
failure. 1t is a failure already, ana
IL will become more and more a 1ai-
ure as time passes. When an army
OF invasion ceases to invade, that
army has lost its principal function
and has failed in its principal o.
iect. When that army hides ltself
in trenches and fights at long range,
II is doing nothing except waste
itself; and especially is this true
when that army having reached us
of strength and efficiency
and aggressiveness months peioTe' Is
now losing in all those essentials.
"ro lie in that unending chain of |
trenches which stretches across
northern France for hundreds OF
miles. like a long, gray snake-tnat
Is not waging q successful campaign:
That is not even waging war, as
conceive war to be. For an army OF
defense? Perhaps, yes; though
under certain circumstances, 1t might
he a mistake for an army of defense /
30 10 dispose itself. For an army OF |
invasion? Well, events-the future
will Justify my belief. Of that l am |
as sure as 1 am sure that l am
alive. -,
whether those cities be defended or |
undefended, is not waging war. It |
Is a costly, specta cular byplay which |
counts for naught in the final result, |
and really does not count in the de-
tail of momentary advantage.
paris might be captured, and still
the war would go on. England might |
be invaded-though l believe the |
enemy has not yet worked out COM
plete plans for that undertaking
and still the war would go on. Ger
many might take and keep the other
side of the channel, as she has al
ready taken Antwerp, and still the
war would go on. Belgium might be
made a captive province for the time
being, and still the war would go
on.
This war is going on until Ger
many has been defeated. There is
no other possible contingency"