New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-21
German Defeat.

been beaten. The article was Wloe4y CIS-
cussed, both in this country and abroad,
the foreign comment naturally flowing
from the satisfaction Allied journals de-
rived from an American expression OF
opinion wholly favorable to their cause,
German comment and the comment OF
German-American journals was derisory
and for reasons equally patent.
1t is perhaps pertinent now to extend
the discussion to other than strictly mill
tary considerations and emphasize again
the extent to which the war has already
been disappointment to German expecta-
ton, has been, in fact, q defeat, and Is
developing into something which may soon
turn out TO be true national disaster.
In entering the war Germany hoped and
expected TO defeat France and Russia with
ease. Her statesmen counted not perhaps
upon permanent British neutrality, but
upon a temporary paralysis Of British
craftsmanship, which would permit her
generals to repeat the success of 1870 and
enable her to confront Great Britain with
O stupendous accomplished fact.
The prompt entrance Of Great Britain
into the war wholly transformed the situa-
ton and, despite the military failure Of
the British to the present moment, has
been the dominant factor in the defeat of
Germany; that is, in the foiling and
thwarting of what were the main purposes
Of German craftsmanship at the beginning.
In losing control Of the sea, or rather
In losing the ability to use the sea, Ger
many lost a decisive battle far more
serious than that at the Marine. The final
suppression of the submarine campaign,
which survives now only as sporadic raids
succeed in sinking an occasional ship Of
relatively small Importance, ended the
naval phase of the war and brought what
is, so far, the only decision in any cam
paign that has been opened.
German craftsmanship and military
command alike reckoned that it was essen
tial to destroy France promptly, before
Russia came up. But this was the calcu-
lation before Great Britain enlisted. After
Great Britain came in there were twice as
good reasons for eliminating France, be-
cause unless France were eliminated Ger
many would presently have to deal with
both France and Great Britain on the
Western front.
Now, taking the war as a contest be-
tween France and Great Britain on the
one hand and Germany on the other, what
has happened? First of all, Germany has
occupied some 8,4O0 square miles of French
territory. That area had q population Of
some 100000 before the war, but all the
men were cleared out before Germany
came, by the mobilization. 1t contained
the busiest industrial plants, the richest
coal and iron mines. The possession Of
both has been of great advantage to Ger
many, and France has suffered severely
by the loss Of them.
But, on the other hand, Germany has lost
all Of her colonies: most Of them have been
actually conquered; only German Eas;
Africa is still practically intact, and even
here the British have occupied the coast
All German colonial investments have been
swept away. This Is, however, only a
relatively minor loss compared with the
loss Of the use Of the seas. Germany is
above al else a country highly Industrial
lied, which lives by exporting its products
Of Germany efficiency, 70 al. parts OF The
world She Is not self-supporting in the
sense that France is, but, like Great Brit
ain, she IS primarily u factory, her ma
ticnal income depends on the returns she
gets for her manufactures, plus the freight
her great merchant marine earns in trans
porting these products and bringing back
raw materials and food
The right to use the sea Germany can
only regain in two ways-by compelling
Great Britain 70 rclinquish command Of
the seas or by complying with the terms
fixed by Great Britain as the price Of the
use Of the seas. One would be the conse-
guence Of victory, the other Of defeat. But
up TO the present moment Germany has
not been.able in the smallest way TO exert
any force upon Great Britain TO compel
her TO give up the mastery Of the seas.
Every effort made by the Germans has
ended In decisive defeat
If you set against the German occupa-
ton Of s,40O square miles Of French terri
tory the British control Of the sea, you
have measured the exact condition be-
tween the contending powers Of the West
II is plain that no hardship Of France is
comparable with that Of Germany, because
France, thanks 20 British sea power, is
able 10 get coal and iron from abroad
She has row been able TO reorganize her
industrial establishments in such fashion
that what used 10 be made at Lille and
at Roubsix, at ST. Quentin and Tour.
coing-that Is, the things essential 20 ma
tional life and confort--sre made else
where.