Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-09-16
MiUSCoYITEs
RALLYING.

. ".
Dispatches from the eastern wal
zone show that the Gear Is agar
en- the offensive. The Russians have
during the entire summer been fight
ing under great disadvantages. While
the Germans have been supplied with
an abundance of ammunition, the
Muscovites have been compelled tc
retreat from place to place for want OF
the same. 1t is now learned that
their only plan was blown up in April
by German sympathizers. The Car
has, therefore, been simply fighting
for time. Conditions, however, are
improving and we may expect to see
a more stubborn resistance shortly.
Lord Kitchener, summarizing the
military situation in the British
House of Lords yesterday said:
"The German armies appear al
most to have shot their bolt. The
Russian army is still intact. All the
Germans can claim in the east is that
at enormous sacrifice they have cap
tured certain fortresses. Their al
vance in Russia, which at one time
avenged five miles day now, has
diminished to less than one mile a
day:
With forces estimated at more than
100000 men, Won Hindenburg is en-
erting every effort to take Wilma,
Dvinsk and Riga and gain control
of the Dvina River and the Petrograd
railroad. The Russian defense mas
been so successful that on a wide
front the defensive has been turned
to an aggressive in which the Cars
troops are striking at Grodno, the
Polish fortress evacuated before Him
denburg's initial advance.
Had any other of the European
helligerents suffered the reverses
which have befallen the Russian arms
and lost territory as extensive as the
Muscovite territory now in the hands
of the enemy there would be good
ground for assuming that the end OF
the struggle, so far as that particu
lar nation was concerned, Twas in
sight. But as the New York Journal
of Commerce points out, the kingdom
of the Gar is in class to itself and
IS not to be considered in terms that
would apply to any other country IN
Europe. Yielding only to the British
Empire in superficial area, the Rus
sian is the greatest compact empire
On the face of the globe. 1t is lar
ger than all North America, exceed
ing in area the whole of the United
States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Cen
trail America, Cuba. Porto Rico. Haiti
and other islands of the Caribbean
It is larger by 100000 square miles
than the whole of South America; 1t
is more than twice as big as Europe,
three-fifths of the surface of which
continent it occupies; it is half as big
as all Asia, two-ffths of which II
covers and its Asiatic possessions are
three times as large as those of Great
Britain. In fact, Russia lacks gut ten
degrees of stretching half way round
the earth; it possesses one-siXth OF
the land area of the globe, and one
twelfth of it's inhabitants. In 1S7S-7s
the subjects of the Gar numbered
o6,OOO.OOO, in 1899 they had reached
129 100000, and in 1912 they were
10000, OOO-a gain of 33,Doo,oo0 II
g single generation. Of this popula'
ton eighty-fve per cent. live on anc
by the soil and of male population
of S5,OO0.OOO there are 100000 Of
fighting age.
Measured with reference to this
vast population and the vast extent
of this colossal empire, the losses II
men and territory so far suffered BY
the Muscovites are comparatively
negligible as affecting their powers
of resistance. Russia is rot only I'm.
conquered, but practically uncon-
ouerable.