The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-19
WAR ECHOES


 the minds of kings and ernperors is ob- seured. but there is no difficulty in be- | lieving that their points of view are ire quently opposed to the wishes of the na- | tion If the heart of the Italian people had been with Germany and Austria, it | is easily conceivable that her statesmen | would have discovered that what they now hold to be a defensive alliance re quired offensive assistance. and Italy would now be getting her full share of casualty lists and other striking remind | CTS of the glories of war. Had Roumania l followed the desire of it's late ruler, who seems to have been kingly more than most of his kind. it's people would prob ably be now receiving the earnest at tention of one or more of those Balkan states which appear to have war desires and abilities in about equal measure, and that q large one
 | Additionally, Americans do not like kings. Current events have not lessened | their dislike
 Baltimore Sun: With the tide of war | running against the allies in France and Belgium. Austria and Poland. the war cloud in South Africa throws another sinister shadow on their fortunes. It may soon disappear, but, on the other hand. 1t may increase, and we wonder as we see it whether similar troubles may not arise in India and other British pos sessions acquired and held by conquest. The remotest parts of the British dominion on land may be strewn, like the North sea, with German mines, and the explosion of instruction follow the British drum | beat of empire through all it's vast range of subjugated territory.
 None of these forebodings may be real l ized, but that they are possibilities is shown by the unexpected and startling | situation in South Africa. Lord Kitchener was right when he predicted that this would be long war, and Lord Curzon, former vceroy of India, was right when he warned British audience few nights ago against indulging in the hope of a 1 speedy peace. The task of inding the German giant is greater even than was anticipated at the outset, and it may be that he will pull down the British empire with him if he falls.
 1 Leslie's: That gun, the Belgian rattle sna<e, as it came to be called on the | firing line, because of it's deadly rattle in action, is an American gun. It is the invention of a retired United States army officer. It is the most ferocious small death machine ever known, and yet one | man can carry and operate it.
 Two years ago Col. Isaac Newton Lewis, U. s. A., retired, late of the United States coast artillery, offered his inven- tion on an automatic air-cooled ma chine gun to the United States govern ment, and it was tried out by United States aerial war craft in an official test at College Park. Md.
 Rear Admiral Frank r. Fletcher U. s. N. then chief of naval ordnance, made the observation that 2oOO of these air craft could be purchased and equipped with the new machine gun for the price of a single battleship.
 Precisely this is what the present Euro pean war has disclosed, with the Lewis machine gun being used by the Belgians first and now, from the latest reports from the front, by both British and Rus sian troops, against the Kaisers men.
 
 our government. Colonel Lewis was told that he might dispose of his military
 moving machine'' elsewhere, and the very first place he went to was Germany. After several trials of his gun in the field and in airships by the German army corps, Colonel Lewis was asked to sell the sole rights to the use and manufac- ture of his machine gun to Germany. This he refused to do, and he next tried England. The British government con- sented to his selling the guns to her all l lies, but at the time would not guaran- tee to take all that Colonel Lewis could manufacture. Colonel Lewis then went over to Belgium, and there he sold his guns without any restrictions, and, lucky for the Begians, up to the time the war broke out he had been able to make only enough of the guns for their use. The result was that they were the only soldiers in the world possessing this most certain modern instrument of death when the Germans stormed Liege To this gun Is due in a considerable degree the ter rible slaughter of the Germans in the 1 invasion of Belgium.
 | This gun is new departure in ordnance It is the only machine gun capable of l rapid continuous fire under service condi- | tions without change of barrels, and with | out the use of water cooling. It is simple in construction and operation, and on the firing line requires no tools or special equipment of any kind The gun can | be assembled or dismounted in 30 seconds l with no other tool than the point of a bullet, and it can be fired singly or in the full extent of the magazine, which can be placed in position in two seconds, and which can be adapted for any ex- isting service ammunition. The normal ] rate of firing is 5000 rounds per minute, but this may be increased or decreased by simple adjustment.
 Chicago Tribune: The German defense for It's invasion of Belgium seems to be as mobile as it's wonderful army. The most loyal pro-German must move live ly" to keep up with it.
 As we have understood the German po- sition, it is about like this: In the first necessity knows no law. and. regretting the wrong done her and Luxembourg, compensation would later be given Sec ond Germany invaded Belgium because 1t
 was certain that France would in-
 wade Belgium to attack Germany
 France had invaded Belgium first Fourth,