The Idaho Republican., 1914-10-30

| IL Is 0Nlu6uC LHdC IL Inc DdILle up
on the Vistula had gone in favor OF
he Germans they would have been
able to bring such new bodies in
very great numbers back from the
eastern theatre of war to the western,
for all the main German railways
are designed thus to carry troops
east and west, but the fighting upon
the Vistula, in all the phase at least,
has turned out in favor of the Rus
SLAMS, and this conclusion, if it is
maintained, will make a very great
difference in the future of the cam
paign in the west.
Battle of the VistuIa
What happened was this:
The Germans to the number of
at least 100000 (probably nearer
1,0O0,00O), composed, for the most
part, of good, but not first-line re-
serves, advanced rapidly through
western Poland right upon the line
of the middle Vistula, which term
it is usual to apply to the river be-
tween Sandomir and Warsaw. To
the south of this German advance
the Austrians in Galicia, reforming
after their last defeats, also advanc-
ed in similar numbers. The Rus
slams retreated before this Austro-
German advance and took up posi-
tions behind the middle Vistula-
that is, on the right or eastern bank
of the stream, and also upon the east
ern bank of the San, its great south
ern tributary.
The Line of Battle
The line was more than $50 miles
long and stretched from the Car
pathians, where the siege of Pre-
mysl was still partially maintained,
up to Warsaw, and even to the north
of that town.
The Germans desired to do two
things. One was to force a pas
sage of the Vistula or of the San,
or of both, and at the same time
with their troops in the north to
occupy and hold Warsaw. The po-
litical effect of such an occupation
would be great.
1t would protect the left or north
ern flank of the German line whether
they are successful in crossing the
Vistula at any point or the Austrians
are successful in crossing the San
at any point. We are not informed
whether they made very vigorous at
tempts at such crossing or not.
At any rate the Russians held
firmly all along the rivers. A very
large force composed of the best Ger
man troops advanced to within ten
miles of Warsaw from the south and
west. This advance was checked by
superior Russian numbers which, in
turn, pushed the right wing back
along the railway which runs from
Warsaw to Posen.
The German retirement here un-
der Russian pressure was as much
at its western extremity as thirty
miles, and was even at the pivoting
point on the eastern extreme more
than ten miles,
1t is evident that such a movement
threatens to outflank the German
lines along the Visit la and it is GER
tain that if this flank movemen can
be maintained the German lines
along the Vistula will have to fall
back. In any case it has become i'm
possible for the Germans to send any
numbers away from the
eastern frontier.
The pressure there is too severe
and we must further remember how
all important it is for Germany to
keep the enemy out of her eastern
which in the north are
the homes of her ruling class and
in the south form one of her most
important industrial districts.
The Last Reserves
But though Germany could not
bring any considerable reinforce
mentsfrom the eastern to the west
ern fields, she did raise very con-
new bodies, both by call
ing upon her last reserves of men
almost beyond age for military SER
vice and also by calling upon classes
of very young men or boys, not re-
garded In normal times as sufficient
ly mature for training, and with
these levies she powerfully increased
during the course of the last week |
her forces in Belgium.
Strong in such reinforcements,
the German commanders on the
Franco-Belgian frontier are fighting |
what their own critics have rescribed
as perhaps the first decisive action |