Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-28

its only real achievement, from the
standpoint of higher strategy, has been
to keep actual lighting largely in
enemy territory and to round out the
| first year with both Austria and Ger
many practically free from invading
armies. Beyond this the operations
have stopped just short of success.
Hirdenburg and Mackensen now seem
on the point of taking Warsaw, the
capital of the ancient Polish republic.
but this is the fifth drive at this OBJ
| jective. On the four earlier attempts
the Teutonie armies were driven back
| with staggering losses. The showing
made on land by Britain has been even
more disappointing, and as far as the
general public is concerned this is the
great mystery of the war. Parliament
has authorized the enlistment of an
army of 100000 electives, yet the
| British hold less than fifty miles of
front in the western theater of the
war, and the English war Office ap-
pears to be an indifferent observer of
the distress of the Russian armies. The
world expected Britain to make a
demonstration of such a character as
would relieve the pressure on Russia
and Britain will have to give an ex-
tremely clear and satisfactory eN-
planation of it's conduct at the present
juncture if the feeling, once strongly
held. that English armies are ex-
tremely selfish and unsatisfactory allies
in war in continental Europe is not
to be revived in a way that will do
incalculable damage to the moral pres
tige of that great empire.
On the sea Britain has made a much
better showing. There the expected
has happened but the fact that 1t has
the Germans. Britain continues to
rule the waves while the fine German
high seas fleet, the second naval force
in the world. is in hiding. Much is
being made of the German underseas !
operations, but for all practical pur- !
poses they are negligible. Vessels en-
ter and leave British ports by the
thousands each day and the loss the |
hostile submarines have been able to |
inflict has been trifling in comparison. |
Yet by some fatuous whim the Ger |
man government has been willing to
risk the standing of Germany as a
civilized and law-respecting nation for
the sake of maintaining intact the
TirpitZ policy of submarine attack. 1t
is difficult at this time to understand
why this is so, but it would not be sur
prising If it should develop that the
Hohenzollerns, who began this war
without fear of God or man in their !
hearts, have learned to fear German
public opinion more than they fear
their present enemies or the verdict of
posterity. 1t may be that they are
compelled to keep up a pretense that
this submarine warfare is highly i'm |
portant lest the German people sus-
pect how nonimportant it really is and /!
thus another addition be made to the /
dissatisfaction and unrest which is !
beginning to make itself felt in that |
country.
During the year Germany has lost
practically all of the colonial posses
sions which were acquired at so much !
expense and labor and terrible blow !
has been struck. at all commerce car
ried on by the countries of Europe, !
but the noncombatant nations have
not made corresponding gains, for the !
reason that coincident with the begin |
ming of the war there was a CONNER
cial and financial upheaval of un-
precedented proportions, and from this |
the world has not yet fully recovered.
These disturbances may be expected |
to last for a long time after actual |
hostilities are suspended.
AS matters stand now, from a mill |
tary standpoint the Teutonic allies !
have all the better of it. and if they |
can hold out long enough in the same |
relative position they may be able to |
secure, if not actually impose terms |
that are favorable to themselves. But J
from a financial viewpoint the advan-
tage is all the other way. Economic |
pressure has been the determining fac
more important each day in this one |
Already debts that defy the Imagination |
of man to determine what they mean |
have been contracted. and there are |
signs that the credit situation is being
strained to the limit all over the world. |
But however it ends or when it ends,
Germany and Britain will have to pay
the bill. France and Belgium have |
covered themselves with imperishable
glcry and it is safe to predict that
there can be no peace terms that in
volve penalties of any character for
either of them.