The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-12
WAR ECHOES

1 1udfcrousness and pathos in Portugal 8 declaration that she will if it be- comes necessary. assist Great Brit ain in her war against Germany. lSuch a statement is 1udicrous be- cause there is no conceivable situation in which Portugars aid would be of service. It is pathetic in indicating the nations of Europe, which feel that their very existence depends the outcome of war in which they are not participants.
 Germany. it is said demanded of Portugal and the other small nations exact expressions as to their attitude toward the war. Under such a demand lit was easy for most of the countries to affirm their strict neutrality. Por- tugal has declared neutrality with a provisional clause.
 One need not question the honesty of the Portugeuse government to hold 1 that such a declaration would not have been made except for the governments confidence that England will be the final victor. The Portuguese would not have courted punishment and possible national destruction by declaring against a power which they believed to have an even chance of success. | It is well known that Germany has long coveted Portugars vast colonies in Africa. That the Kaiser intended to appropriate these domains has been considered likely. No excuse beyond Portugal's present declaration of friend ship for England will be required if Germany is victor in the European war. | Of the other small states Belgium has already been forced into the war by the invasion of her territory. Her Kongo colony will surely be taken by the Kaiser as part of the sRoils if he triumphs over the allies and Belgium will be fortunate to escape involuntary incorporation in the German empire. Holland. which so far has managed to remain absolutely neutral, also has a colonial empire which Germany would like to possess. Spain, Switzerland, Nor way and Sweden have nothing which Germany desires. Denmark has three insignificant West Indian islands, but as logical geographical part of Ger many.
 | The position of the little nations of western Europe is one of difficulty del- icacy. Belgium has been made party to the war. Portugafs declaration is unnecessary and not at all heroic. The other nations are following the wiser policy of attempting to attend very strictly to their own affairs.
 l Washington Times. Give me English soldiers and French officers and l will whip the world" said Napoleon.
 And again:
 "A century hence. Europe will be all | Cossacks or all republicans"
 The century has passed, and Europe awaits to see how far either or both of these familiar prophecies will be verified.
 Special to Cincinnati Enquirer: Argen- tina, cut completely off from her supply of German goods, and partially so from British and French outputs, is cabling to this country for shipments of many ar ticles which are produced here.
 It is stated that owing to cessation Of coal shipments from Great Britain that several of the railways of Argentina are in danger of having to cease operations, and one advice is that Argentina alone will need 1,0000 900 tons of coal in the next six months, and that it's people look to the United States to furnish them this fuel. The Italian naval and merchant marine, those of Spain and of France, of Holland and Belgium, and many of the British steamers are thrown to seek coal supplies from the United States, as the British admiralty has placed an embargo on shipments from Wales, having deter mined to conserve that output for its own naval war uses
 Latest advices from Great Britain are that her military and naval leaders ap- prehend ong-continued period of hos tilities and they are preparing for the same in money, munitions of war, pro- visions and all other kinds of supplies. Nearly 100000 of men taken from the lands. the shops, the factories, the mines and other business affairs of Great Brit ain, and placed in quarters ready for hostilities, makes a deep and vital cut in the producing capacity of the island king dom.
 It will force very extensive purchases from the United States.
 The pathetic appeal of the French pre- mler to the women ana children of France to do their utmost to save the cinta ge and the crops of the present season dur ing the absence of the men in the fighting lines discloses the urgent needs of France and when he adds, as he does in his ap- peal, that he earnestly urges them to pre- pare the lands for the crops for the next year, he discloses his thought that the ca mpaign will be on for many months to come.
 Washington Special to the St. Louis Giobe-Democrat: Keep calm. use the nations credit ad business stanchness to the fullest extent withhold cotton from nations credit and business stanchness to 1, warehouse facilities for grain," is the , advice oi the department of agriculture to- } day to farming interests of the country as means of relieving threatened crop congestion on account of the European kwar. The office of markets has been . making careful investigation into the } situation with a view to affording re- lief.
 cotton Is the most important factor in the situation" said Charles J. Brand, in charge of the office of markets in a
 statement cotton is the international , crop and the only crop that goes into the Industries and is used only in manufac- tured state The continental situation is