The Washington times., 1915-06-25
THE FALL OF LEMBER0

city of about 100000 inhabitants;
one of the landmarks Of ancient
Poland, full Of fine old cathedrals
which tell the story of that marvel
GUS congiomerate Of races, Ian
guages, religions and intellectual
ideals that was Old Poland. 1t was a
Polish city until the first partition,
when it fell to Austria and has been
held by that country ever since.
During the middle ages it became
a commercial place of considerable
Importance, because in those times
the commerce with the Far East was
largely conducted over the old cara
van routes. Here east and west
came in contact, and the Jews and
Germans made Old Poland COM
mercially important down to the
time when the Turks took Constan-
tinople and closed the southern
routes to the east, while the Tartars
by their continual irrnptions inter-
fered with the traffic of the north
ern routes. Lembers saw long
period of unimportance; but with
the advent of the nineteenth century
era Of new industriaiism it was re-
stored to a considerable significance;
not, however, so much as a COM
mercial as an industrial community.
1t is a rising center of metal indus
tries, which include especially agri-
cultural machinery, engines and boil
ers, as we'll as clay products, musical
instruments, -four and other food
products Of the agricultural region
surrounding j..
In the extreme northeast corner
of Austria, it fell before the Rue
SLAMS at their first incursion into the
dual empire last September, and
they have hell it until this week.
I'ianted firmly at Lemberg, and with
the railroad lines in their rear re-
stored, the Advertisements are far
east of the parallel OF Warsaw;
Iemberg being about $50 miles
southeast from the capital Of Rus
sian Poland.
With Lembsrz in their possession,
much will depend. as to the future
course Of the war in the east, on
the policy Of the Austro- Germans.
They will be strongly tempted now to
try to outflank Warsaw and overrun
all Russian Poland. Their position
is ideal for the purposes of such a
gigantic enterprise, for they seem
to be pretty firmly planted in the
Russian Baltic provinces and to hold
a secure grip once more on extreme
East Prussia. But the conquest Of
Warsaw is yet vast and dangerous
project. 1t will require very great
forces, and to employ these in the
east is to keep them away from the
western lines. Driving Russia back
upon herself has always been a COM
paratively simple task for the highly
organized populations of Middle Eu-
rope; but piercing Russia in any
vital spot has been desperate VEN
ture because the country may be
said to have no vitals.
Therefore it is not safe to assume
that the reconquest Of Galicia, and
the presence of a victorious and
overwhelming Germanic force far
out to the eastward Of Warsaw is a
sign of collapse Of Russia as a great
factor in the war. If the Germans
press on, they must lengthen their
lines into a country whose railroad
facilities are bad, and roads worse.
They will be in the enemy's terri
tory; territory that has been so
stripped Of everything useful for
maintenance Of an army that COM
munications would become absolute
ly necessary in order to feed the
invading force. They would, more
over, have their back to the Car
pathians, and therefore occupy the
same dangerous position that the
Russians were in when they passed
the range and, expecting to swoop
down on the Hungarian plains, found
themselves forced back and pounded
to pieces against the barrier Of this
natural fertilization.
In view of the situation on the
western field, it is probable that the
German policy will be to hold what
has been conquered in the east, to dig
into the earth, build Notifications
and attempt no grandiose advance
upon the illimitable areas of Russia
at the same time withdrawing 9
great share of the force which has
made the Galician campaign anG
hurling it against the Franco British
allies in the west.
The fact that the Germans have
been able so well to hold theil
ground in the west while directing
the magnificent campaign into the
east which has overwhelmed Russia