The Washington times., 1915-04-23
THE SWORDP OR THE,pENp

1t would be a revelation, beyond
serious doubt, if the world could
know to what extent, right now, and
for many weeks past, diplomacy has
been conducting the most import
ant operations of the war. The CEN
sors have allowed a little news to
filter out to the public, concerning
the military operations. To the ex-
tent that these facts have been re-
ported, the information may be set
down as reasonably accurate. Long
experience, now, has enabled expert
students of the different general
staff methods of announcing mill
tary results, to piece together the
data from Paris, Berlin, and Lon
don, and make pretty good guess
as to what has been happening.
But the censors have not had to
deal much with the diplomatic ex-
changes that have been going on, it
might be said, behind the screen of
military operations. The war, it be-
comes evident, is going to last a
long time if it is to be fought out
with the present alignment, and with
both sides willing to fight to the bit
ter end, making the sacrifices neces-
sary to that purpose. A war of at
triton, such as was glibly talked
and written about in the early
months, before the meaning of twen-
tieth century war was understood
by even the general staffs-say
nothing of the publicists-is proving
so slow, expensive and fearfully de-
structive of life, that there cannot
but be dread in every cabinet of
pressing national sentiment to the
point of acquiescence in all its
horrors.
The alternative to this is to play
the game out on the diplomatic
chess board; to line up the powers
on one side in such overwhelming
and convincing array that the other
will be forced to realize the hope
lessness of the contest. Thus far
there has been no great advantage
to either side from this effort. Ger
many, at the beginning, did not ex-
pect that Britain would participate,
and her declaration of war was a
shock to Berlin. But then, the al
lies did not expect Turkey could
come in. By doing so she vastly ex-
tended the scope of operations. Tur-
key by no means provided a counter
poise for the Germanic alliance
against the British participation;
but it helped.
Nobody doubts that the allies
have been long trying to move some
more figures out into the playing
area of the board: to bring in Italy,
Roumania, Bulgaria, Greece, at
least; perhaps Portugal and Holland.
They have brought none of these
into the European field as yet. If
they succeed at length, it is likely
that they will bring in their re-
endorsements in spectacular fashion,
making as big smash as possible. |
Thus it is announced that Italy and
Roumania will act together; which
means new enemies on two sides of
Austria. Bulgaria, it now seems ap-
parent, is the Kaiser's check, so
long as it can be played, against this
combination; but it is increasingly
evident that real sentiment in Bull
garia favors the allies, even though
1t hates Serbia. 1t can safely be !
assumed that Sir Edward Grey is
working quite as hard on the diplo-
matte campaign as Kitchener is on
the military; and so long as there is
reasonable hope of a diplomatic
achievement Of the first order, the
"spring drive" in all it's bigness and
costhness may reasonably be ex-
pected to wait. There will be moth
ing like a cessation of activities:
that is not to be expected, and as a
matter of policy it would be poor
support to the diplomatic effort. But
yet it must be doubted whether the
full force oc desperate determination
will be put back of the allies often
sive so long as there is yet hope of
demonstrating the hope
lessness of the German cause.
The D. A. R tempaStS uyrackad