Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-26
Reports in Rome Become Live.
Topics of Speculation in
Capital Of United States
Says Correspondent, !
GREY AND Won BUEL0W
SAID TO HAVE MET
Break in Deadlock Of Defense
Declared to Involve Un-I
thinkabIe Slaughter for
Either Side.

ESPECIAL coRaEsPonotscs TO MORNING JOURNAL
Washington. April 25.--The runor
emanating from Rome OF approach
ing peace negotiations has reached
this capital II Is being repeated eau
tiously in diplomatic circles and ap-
pears to come from German sources
usually highly reliable. With 1t, as 1t
is circulated in Washington. is the eN-
traordinary assertion that part Of
the recent vacation Of Sir Edward
Grey was spent in Rome where he
met Prince Won Buelow, the German
plenipotentiary.
According to the terms of the ru-
NOR, as il travels here. an armistice
may be declared at any moment ana
arrangements cOnsummated Tor the
formal peace negotiations. The rumor
also is that from Rome. Grey went to
Sweden and Norway before returning
to England and that this portion Of
his trip had something to do with
the coming effort TO restore peace.
Further War "a Futile Slaughter.
It is claimed these negotiations are
being considered because it is realiz-
ed on both sides that the continuance
OF the war will have to be pursued
under conditions that will involve
such a slaughter Of men that the rest
of the civilized world will be con-
strained to refuse all relations with
people capable Of such a world crime.
Across the entire battle front, be-
tween the North sea and switzerland,
it is said, each side has constructed
line after line Of defenses, one behind
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possibility for the allies to penetrate
Germany or Germany to advance
farther into France.
on the German side it Is openly
stated by men who have been on
the ground that half a mile behind
the advanced trenches where the
present fighting is going on, there is
another complete line of deep
trenches all the way from the North
sea to switzerland, protected by
harbed wire entanglements. etc, and
that a mile TO the rear of this is an
other just like IL; two miles to the
rear is another: five miles to the rear
another, and ten miles to the rear
of this another.
Behind and supporting all these
lines are the German frontier fortiti-
cations. said to be fully as massive
and impregnable as those on the
French side which the German army
has been unable to take. That the al
lies have similar lines of trenches Is
said to be true
Odds Against Successes % to I.
1t is claimed to be demonstrate
with mathematical accuracy, that
the odds against the attacking side
in carrying these positions before the
main Notifications are reached is not
less than 25 to /. That is to say, the
attacking party must sacrifice the
lives of twenty-five soldiers for every
one soldier of the enemy it drives
through all these lines of trenches,
into the forts behind If this is true,
it is obvious that neither side has the
men with whom to pay the price,
even though willing to pay II.
In East Prussia and Poland, the
same conditions are claimed to exist,
while on the Austrian front it is as
serted that if the Russians do not
win through into Hungary within the
next ten days they will never do so,
as they are operating in country
where il is possible to make war only
when the ground is frozen solldly
The spring thaw already has started
and in ten days it will not he possible
to move horses or guns until next
winter.
Russ Army TO BE Swamped.
The Russian army will be swamp
ed, il is claimed, and viii be lucky TO
extrcate itself without immense
losses from natural causes. And, OF
course, it will he equally impossible
for the Germans and Austrians TO
make any headway.
Whatever there may be in this ru-
NOR it certainly is being taken seri-
ously by those Germans who have
become cognlzant of it. They say they
will not be surprised to learn at any
moment that the armistice has been
declared.
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