The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-04
WHAT RELATION
 ID STRATEGY HAS
 NATIONS CAPITAL?
Is It More Important to Strike Blow at Army and Neglect Capital or
 Vice Versa?
By PHILLIP EVERETT

London, April 3-(Special.) .)-Who would have thought at the beginning of the war that Constantinople should mark one stage of the march toward Berlin? It was the Germans, of course. who decided this in the first place, when they appealed to decadent Turkey, which they hoped to be able to infuse with new strength, suf- ficient to strike blow at England in Egypt.
 After Brussels, after Paris and Belgrade. Constantinople once more raises the ques- ton of the relations of capitals to strat- egy, discussed when Won KluclS was ad- vancing toward Paris eight months ago.
 Is 1t wiser to neglect the capital in or der to destroy the enemys army or should one leave the army alone in order to seize the capital?
 This, of course, depends on various cir cumstances. The question which the su- preme military chiefs must ask them selves is, Where Is the vital point of the enemy? If it is the army one must con- centrate all efforts against this, and the occupation of the capital becomes a sec ondary object This was the case in Bel gium. Servia and France and the German
  September last.
 If countrys centre of strength is lo- cated in the capital. everything must be done to capture this.
 Now, Constantinople is the very heart and brains of Turkey, for many reasons, and it is therefore essential that the allies bring about the fall of the Ottoman capi- tai, which will create an enormous effect not only among the still vacilatinS Bal kan powers, but throughout the entire Mohammedan world.
 Constantnopie is not only the seat of the Ottoman political government, but also of the religious government to which the Turks attach an enormous importance. Once the Sultan is definitely driven out of Constantinople the Ottoman empire will crumble into dust
 The second reason why Constantinople should be taken is that the entire Moslem world will realize that it's downfall was caused by Germany and this will more ef- fcctively than anything else put an end for good and ever to German dreams and ambitions in the east this side of India.
 The military weddings which have been ono of the features of tho war have caused all increase in the marriage rate In England. in spite of the fact that in- creased cost of living and higher taxes havo probably caused a good many cou- pies to postpone their weddings until times become normal once more. Simultan- eously there is slight increase in tho death rate as well as in the birth rate.
 Unfortunately, there Is a section of pco- pe in this as in every country, who label themselves as pacifsts. The British pa cifists are lying low at the present mo- ment, but they may be expected to ;.how their heads the moment when Germany and America, begin to shout, Enough.
 That way lies the danger for the allies. fact which has been generally realized in France. The pacihsts will bob up and talk glib words about chlvalry to a fallon foe. words to which Englishmen with their innate sense of fairness are partic- ularly susceptible, about the sin of crush ing an enemy completely
 Those who are at present in charge of English policy, particularly perhaps Lloyd- George and Winston Churchill, are quite convinced that there must be no magnan- unity or chivalry toward Germany or all the fighting will have to be done over again in a generation or two.
 In the mind of all while EnIlishmeR there is no doubt that the final goal of the war must be the complete destruction of the German military machine. By de- struction of the military machine is meant this:
 1. The sinking of her German fleet.
 2. To smash up the German confedera- ton, and put Prussia in her proper place.
 With no fleet and the German empire disintegrated, split up Into the original series of kingdoms, each standing by It. self and it's independence guaranteed, there would be no possibility of another machine such as Germany Is now using being built.