Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-18
OUTCOME IN BALKANS
FATEFUL FOR BRITAIN
Either Will BE Grave OF German
Ambition or Grave Of
English Hopes.
DELUsIONs STRIPPED AWAY
II Efforts Fail, There Will Be No
Thorough Victory Over Central
Empires, and Issues Will BE Moth
ing Better Than n Draw.
ny JOIN l.. CALVIN.


Editor OF the London Pail Mall Gazette.
LONDON. October 17.-We know two
things. One serious disappointment
after another has stripped away the
last vestige of certain decisions which
misled our minds and awakened our
action.
Firstly, we now know 1t must be
Britain's job in the Balkans. Secondly.
not only that. but IL we want to mako
sure work of ii, we can trust TO moth
ing but our own right arm.
In the Balkans an infinitely fateful
week is before us. Either II Will be
tho grave of German ambition or the
grave Of British hopes.
II we fail in tho Near East there
will he no thorough victory over the
central empires. The issue OF the
struggle will be nothing better than
a draw, followed by a patchcd-up set
Element. an armed nightmare or
sham peace. and German onslaught
few years hence on Britain alone.
We will not go under in the present
struggle, but VIC shall have to fight
for our lives in another struggle I'M
less we do the job thoroughly now.
The British government holds the
issue in her hands. II our leaders
tumble 1t: II they cannot seize the es-
sential at last and concentrate upon
il with decision. daring and their whole
strength. then unreasonable will be
the disgrace of their INCOMPETENCE. the
unpa rdonable guilt of their weakness
and cXecrable will be their names and
memories for the disastrous conse-
quences of their shame to Britain and
her empire in the years to come.
There are ways to win the war;
there are ways to lose 1t. The condi-
lions are such that if only we are
strong and prompt enough we can
wrcst good out of evil and turn the
Balkan struggle entirely and fatally
to German disadvantage.
The Germans at present have block
AIDED France, blocked the Italian from
tier and blocked Russia: in all three
directions the Germans have reached
their limit. If they block the Balkans
during the next few weeks the CEN
trail empires. with their known limited
numbers and by coming to the of
their last reserves, will have stretched
their fighting line to the longest and
thinncst. II they but hold that line
it can the more certainly be rupturcd
at the weakest point. and then crushed
in all sides by the accommodating
strength of the allies.
Germany in the Balkans is playing
her last card. The allies in the west
can keep their front impregnable.
Under the new conditions they can
postpone their offensive IL they choose.
SO as to make 1t the more crushing In
the later stage.
RUSSIA ALREADY RELIEVED
IN REMARKABLE DEGREE
On the east, Russia Is already re-
lieved in remarkable degree by the
transfer to the Balkan front OF the
armies under Mackensen, Gallwitz and
Eichhorn.
The Immediate need on which all
other chances depend Is to turn tho
adSe OF German strategy against the
Germans and make clean work on the
Balkans.
With the failure OF her Serbian en-
terprise. Germany would have shot her
bolt in a wider sense than Kitchener
meant when he used the phrase. The
next thing is 10 neutralize the Bulgars.
This can be done by working night
and day to throw 100000 or 800 900
British and French troops in the
Balkans.
We must act in Bucharest and Athens
as we failed TO act in Sofa. We must
guarantee Roumania and Greece that
with the allies they will be on the
winning side. Roumania in the end
must move either one way or the other.
She would rather so with the allies.
and she must have full inducements.
There must be no more pcddling di-
plomacy on the part OF the allies.
The adhesion of Roumania means
that the Russian forces Will be linked
up through the Roumanian railways
Russian troops will pass into Bulgaria.
That will mean n complete political
revolution in Bulgaria. sweeping away
Ferdinand and his dynasty and the re-
turn OF the Bulgarian army TO the
Slay cause.