The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-08-31
WHY RUSSIA
EVACUATED
. P OIL A n D
FULFILLING PROGRAM DECIDED
UPON IN 1910 RETREAT IS
MERELY AN ASSURANCE OF
VICTORY.

Petrograd, Aug. 31.-(Correspond-
ence OF the Associated PTess).-The
evacuation of Poland was decided
upon by Russia in 1910, declares the
Russky Invalid, the Russian military
organ, in discussion of the general
staff's before-the-war plans for the
defense of the western f.'ontier
Before the war" says the journal,
Russia anticipated that in the event
of war Austria and Germany, be-
cause of their rapid means Of mobili-
zation and immense technical resour.
ces, would turn their attention first
of all against Russia. To Illustrate
this plan it was decided IN 1910 that
the Russian territory juttilg into Ger
many and the fortified places west of
Brest-Litovsk should not be organized
for a state of war. The region further
east was chosen for the concentration
of the Russian forces.
attribute too great an Importance to
and to have held on TO the Narew and
Vistua, with their fortified towns. 1t
is better to take advantage of the
depth of our theatre of war to draw
the German armies far from their
base and to force them to exhaust
themselves. To this end it was nee
essary to sacrifice the Polish salient.
Three months have elapsed since the
Russian army started to pvt this plan
into execution. Constant marching,
fighting and privations weaken the
enemy. There are already evidences
that the moral force of the German
army is weakening in its attack, and
prisoners confirm that this weakening
is not only moral, but physical.
This war will be decided by the
armies in battle, and it is OF no i'm
portance where this battle will take
place. Thus our retreat assures us
victory, for our armies are only now
beginning to develop, while an abun-
dance of munitions of war awaits us
in the near future, thanks to the mo-
of the national industry and
to the orders placed abroad whereas
for the moment the enemy is in a
favorable position in this regard.
"A glance backward shows that at
the beginning of the wa, the Ger
mans threw the mass of their army
against France. This leap forward on
their part had happy results for us,
for we advanced into enemy terri
tory, notably in Galicia; now the ia
bles are turned However, it is i'm
possible to hamper the liberty OF
of the Russian army III
any particular region or on any par
ticular frontier, and it would be i'm
to waste garrisons in de-
Tending fortified towns which are
none too safe as the Austrians did
in Przemysl. That is why examining,
after a year of war the map of the
Russian front, we see the necessity
for the living Russian armies to man.
euver and deploy on their base line.
This would be the most Useful object
to aim at, especially in view of the
situation which has prevailed since
the month OF April.
"At the present time we have
against us nearly all the German cav
airy, nearly all the Aust'ian army,
and more than half of the total Ger
man forces-about 20 divisions
the enemy artillery has numerous
guns of all calibres. The Russian
army is Offering a heroic resistance;
it is not only standing NJ under the
most hellish fire, but it is infiictlng
losses upon the enemy, and
wearing him out, Notwithstanding his
perfection. We are getting
nearer to our supplies of ammunition,
by meaOs of which we will correct
our line and throw back the enemy.
If only for this reason We can say
that the evacuation OF Warsaw, the
line of the Vistula-Ivangorod-Nolo O.
Georgievsk will make certain that
the Russian offensive this time will
be definite and irresistible.
"At the threshold of the second
wear of war Russia has the most
definite plans for the issue of the
while maintaining at the
same time the firm resolution to wage
this fight to a victorious end"