The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-10-15
DIE LIKE AN|MALS| GIVE KAISER A YEAR
American Army Officers Think He
Is Sure to Be Beaten.
Say Germans Would Have tU 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 its 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 understand ing
| 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:
1. 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, a majority OF
the officers estimated one year.
In all about 60 officers were seen
OF the number approximately 20 fol
lowed literally the presidents instruc'
tions and would not discuss in any
manner the questions asked.
OF the 40 officers who made replies
some of whom were general officers, a
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 it was impossible for Ger
many to win, that to do so she woulc
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 unit
one side has about exhausted all III
resources the fighting will go on"
The following, the consensus of sev
eral military opinions, views the strug
gle as far as it has gone and touches
on the resources of the belligerents 81
, far used:
Germany has thrown into the west
, ern theater of war-in France-th
flower of the great military machine
| which she has been building since tn
Franco-Prussian war, and which ha
) been the admiration and envy OF tn
J military world. At first nothing scenes
} to be able to check the onward marcl
) Of the tremendous power. Held up
D few days by the heroic courage OF tn
Belgians, this wonderful machine Iii
r orally sped to within 40 miles of Paris
: "What happened then? Despite tn
d greatness of the organization, the pei
n feet working Of the integral parts
j. the machine, and not the miscarriag
v of a single one of the complicate
plans for the taking of Paris, and tn
r feeling on the part OF every Office
d and man of the German main arm
e that it was superhuman, 1t was foun
r the whole thing was nesh and bloc
and that it could not do the almost in
II possible.
l. There must be the material as we
e as a fighting spirit in the armies OF
(. victorious nation or alliance, and
8 close study of the resources show
e that the members Of the entente,
d money, men and geographical locatio
n are better equipped for a long w'
than is Germany"