Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1914-10-30
AS WAR PROGRESSES
WEEK OF OCT. "a SEEMED TO
SHOW UP BETTER FOR
THE ALLIES.
GERMANS FIGHT IN FRANCE
Have Been Unable to Make Advances
There or In Beigium-Great Ar
mics Of British, French and
Russians Growing Daily.

The week that ended October "a was
a good week for the Belgians, British
and French and not a bad week for
the Russians. The temper and Ian
guage of the French and English an
nOuncements about the progress of the
campaign were those Of men who feel
that they fight winning battle, but
those Of the German communications
were those of men who fear that their
campaign against France has been
frustrated and becomes futile.
In the battle of Flanders, as the
fighting in western Belgium and
northwestern France may be named.
along the Aisne, on the Mouse and
adjoining Switzerland the allies have
not merely held the Germans in check
but have made significant and SUBJ
stantial advances. The German effort
to improve their confessedly unsatis.
factory position in Belgium through
trying to occupy the coast of the Brit
ish channel from Ostend to Boulogne,
| to straighten, shorten and SO strength
en- their line from Metz to the sea, and
so thrust the French and the British
far back to the south, has so far fail
ed. The allies Illustration of the new
German offensive is no small achieve
ment.
| Could the Germans capture Dunkirk,
Calais and Boulogne they would be
little better off then than now. They
could not make these ports bases for
an effective, that is, for an overwhelm
ing invasion Of England, for the Brit
ish navy so effectively blockades
large naval operations by Germany
that transportation of any consider
able German force across the channel
is impracticable. Nor could they use
these ports as bases for another at
tempt upon Paris, for what they could
not do in August, when all odds were
in their favor, they can still less
achieve in November, when the advan-
tage rests with the allies. The reason,
probably, for their renewed offensive
in the northwest, which only loses
time and wastes men, is that their CEN
ter and left have been dangerously
weakened, that their line of retreat
by Maubeuge and Mezieres has been
impaired and that it is matter of
life and death to hold the Mons and
Brussels line.
While the allies have checkmated
the Germans in the north the French,
to the south and east, have delivered
heavy blows which, while not attract
ing the attention they deserve from
American observers, are symptomatic
of great developments to come.
The military strength of Germany
begins to pass it's maximum, whereas
that of England, France and Russia
grows constantly. The majority of the
100000 German soldiers now in the
i field, east and west, consists of Sec
ond and third grade troops, and the 10
divisions of the landstrum recently
sent from Germany to the German
right in France. are the last reinforce
ments it can receive from home. On
the other hand, France is about to put
100000 more first-class soldiers into
the field at once; England, by next
February, will be putting hundreds of
thousands of well-trained and we'll
equipped forces upon the continent
every month, and the German inva-
sion of Russia, as German strategists
have always acknowledged, is fore
ordained to failure. Russia has not
met with any real reverse the last
month, the Russian winter will soon
force the Germans and Austrians 10
retreat-an expensive expedient for
invaders, as Napoleon learned to his
cost-and the Russian soldier is at
| homo in, x,rirt n, oil