The Washington times., 1915-08-08
THE BALKAN CATS JUMP


critic and commentator who is COM
monty clear and plausible, if not
necessarily convincing in his analy-
ses of war developments, has ven
tured the opinion that the Franco
line has now been made so
nearly impregnable that great ad-
vance on either side is impossible.
Wherefore he concludes that, when
this fact is fully realized and ac-
cepted, peace will be measurably in
sight.
1t is quite beyond the possibilities
to agree with this diagnosis. If the
western line is strengthened, now, to
the point where it would be bootless
slaughter to lead either side in a
general assault against the others
trenches and redoubts-and we are
strongly disposed to agree with Mr..
Mason to this extent-then it is
merely confirmation Of the opinion
that the wars next major opera
tions will be in the near eastern
field. For months past Germany has
been able to keep a great part of her
forces in the east, leaving little more
than a skeleton of former forces to
watch the line in the west. In that
period the allies have made no ad-
vances Of importance, and indeed
%Lo;~ xlopoon 81 <ro&;opc bovo rothor
suggested their willingness to do no
more than maintain a show of pur-
pose to make the "big push" that
England still talks about.
But there is widening range of
reasons for believing the "big push"
will never be made. Private COM
munications from England justify
this belief. For months past letters
have been coming to this country,
indicating, what the censors seem to
have kept out of news dispatches,
that the Kitchener army's destina-
tion is a mystery; that very likely it
would not go to France; and repeat
edly suggesting that it was expected
to 20 to the Mediterranean.
The needs of Russia for free ac-
cess to the Mediterranean in order
that she may get supplies, the ne.
cessity to isolate Turkey from the
possibility of getting re-enforce.
ments and munitions from Germany
the obligation to sustain Italy anc
not let her, in turn, be crushed al
Russia has been-all these consid
erations point to the probability that
the south will be the direction from
which the great effort of the allies
will be made. Beyond all these con
siderations is that of Balkan poll
tics.
1t is impossible to believe that tn
allies would sit tight on the west
ern front, and permit Austria ant
Germany, after their victories in tn
east, to turn against Italy and wip'
out her power. Kitchener's army i
a factor not to be lost from sight
1t is going to be used where, in tn
opinion of the general stats, it viii
do the most good. That does no
mean in France; at least, 1t prob
. ably does not. If not in France, the,
it may go to the Adriatic, to tn
: Egean, Cor to a new front in tn
: north of Europe, to be opened up b
getting Holland or Denmark into tn
: war. Among all these possibilities
the elements decidedly favor a Med
iterranean operation, or two opera
tions; one, the Dardanelles cam
paign; the other, a cooperation wit
Italy and Serbia, to force way int
Y Austria from the south. There
: just one thing that can be set dow
s as very sure. 1t is that the fall {
S Warsaw has not brought any one {
0 the allied peoples to think any mol
a of peace than before Warsaw ha
0 fallen. To the contrary, it has bee
: followed by a renewal Of pledge
assurances, resolutions, that will
j. mutually reassuring. The idea (
l. Russia being driven into separa
o peace is ridiculous. Suppose &c
l. many proposed to give back Polar
:. as the price of separate peace; al
l. suppose Russia would accept. VIII
n would be the effect in Germany
il Nothing less than a national expl
It sion of Indignation that the har
.e won prizes of the eastern campaii
% were to be given up for nothin
le The German public thinks Russia
e, out of the way anyhow; it sees
t, reason to be generous to foe {
e. ready beaten and almost helpless.
The present is no time to ia
,e about peace. Any that Germa
es would make today would leave her
n nation of 1OO,OOO,00O people; wor
IS, give her the best mineral and ind,
lie trial sections of France and Russ
a would, in short, give her policy
he insurance that in another decade S