Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-10-22
ME- IKE ANIMALS GIVE KAISER A YEAR
American Army Officers Think He
Is Sure to Be Beaten.
Say Germans Would Have to Be Super
human to Win Against the Re-
sources of the Allies.

Washington.-"The war in Europe
will last from nine to eighteen
months
Germany, unless she Is superhu.
man. will be defeated"
The foregoing is the consensus of
opinion entertained by more than two
score active army officers ON duty
in this city and it's environs.
Mindful Of the presidents order to
government officers not to comment on
the war, and his plea to his fellow
countrymen not to engage in discus
sions, there was addressed to more
than three score officers the following
two questions, with the understanding
that their names would not be used in
setting forth their replies, and that
their answers were to be wholly
academic, from a military standpoint,
and without regard to personal SYM
pathies:
/. How long will the war In Europe
last?
2. Which side will be the victor
Germany and Austria or the triple en-
tente?
From the replies and the reasons
attached the two answers given were
the result On the question Of how
long will the war last, majority of
the officers estimated one year
In all about 60 officers were seen.
OF the number approximately 20 fol-
lowed literally the presidents instruo-
tons and would not discuss In any
manner the questions asked.
or the 40 officers who made replies,
some Of whom were general officers, q
number of the rank Of colonel, one
officer said that Germany had fight
ing chance to win. The remainder
shook their heads-many of them gray
and said 1t was impossible for Ger
many to win, that to do so she would
have to be superhuman.
The one thing upon which all agreed
was:
"This Is a war not only Of ready re-
sources, but of all resources, and until
one side has about exhausted all It's
resources the fighting will go on"
The following, the consensus of sew
eral military opinions, views the strug-
gle as far as it has gone and touches
ON the resources of the belligerents so
far used:
Germany has thrown into the west
ern theater Of warm France-the
flower of the great military machine
which she has been building since the
Franco-Prussian war, and which mas
been the admiration and envy OF the
military world, At first nothing seemed
to be able to check the onward march
Of the tremendous power. Held up q
few days by the heroic courage OF the
Belgians, this wonderful machine lit
orally sped to within 40 miles OF Paris.
What happened then? Despite the
greatness of the organization, the per-
feet working of the integral parts or
the machine, and not the miscarriage
of a single one of the complicated
plans for the taking of Paris, and the
feeling on the part of every of1cer
and man of the German main army
that 1t was superhuman, 1t was found
the whole thing was flesh and blood
and that it could not do the almost inn
possible.
There must be the material as well,
as a fighting spirit in the armies OF
victorious nation or alliance, and
close study of the resources shows
that the members Of the entente, IN
money, men and geographical location
are better equipped for q long war
than ia Germany"