The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1915-08-26

"A Jung aAAoA OAnOoocy Couoy S0Vo Wv Az
publication a review Of the first year
Of the war from the standpoint Of the
Teutonic and Turkish allies. The mat
ter as issued by the embassy was de-
scribed as IA Summary of the Net Re
suits of the Conflict to Date, and it
came to the conclusion that "the posi-
tion Of Austria Hungary and Germany
is most encouraging from a military,
economic and financial point Of view,"
and that the second year of the conflict
had begun under the most promising
auspices for the allies Of central Eu-
lrope.
A partial text Of the matter given out
is as follows:
IA survey Of the most important
events Of the war at the end of the
first ~ months of it's widespread oper-
atoms leads inevitably to the conclu-
sion that Great Britain and her allies
were the victims Of an astoundingly
gross miscalculation when they en-
barked upon an adventurous undertak-
ing in the belief that an easy victory
would be theirs. The position Of
France today is especially deplorable,
in view Of the fact that the craving for
revenge in that country had subsidized
with the advent Of generation free
from personal memories Of 1870; but
the efforts of the German government
to establish closer relations with the
westerly neighbor were frustrated by
the growing influence of the English
and the Russian jingoes. As far back
as 1912 the military party in the French
republic openly inaugurated aggressive
preparations, including the projects for
bringing the colored troops Of the
French colonies into line against Ger
many and for the increase Of the stand
ing army by the bill known as the
"three-year service law" which was
enacted by the French parliament in
1913.
"The aggressive attitude of Russia
was apparent even to the casual OBJ
server for many months before the fir
ing Of the first gun. The subversive
agitation carried on by Russia in
Austria Hungary, and especially in Ga
licia; the tariff was inaugurated
against Germany in 1913; the thinly
yelled military preparations dating as
far back as 1909, under the guise Of the
so-called "trial mobilization and fin
ally the conclusion Of loan of two
billion francs for the sole purpose Of
the construction Of a network of
strategic railways directed against Ger
many and Austria Hungary, gave the
lie to the official assurances from St.
Petersburg that the Russian empire
was bent upon preserving the peace Of
Europe in the face of German provca-
tons.
Offers to Austria Hungary.
Gin anticipation of the conflagration,
the resources Of the triple entente had
been employed to their utmost in an
endeavor to secure the cooperation of
other countries against Germany; to
tamper with established loyalties and
disrupt traditional friendships. Di-
plomacy, press campaigns and the lever
of the powerful Franco British finan-
cial groups were applied to the task of
encircling the rising German empire
with ring of enmities. The late King
Edward spared no efforts to entice
Austria Hungary from her treaty al
lance with her western neighbor
With French support, financial, politi-
cal and other advantages were offered
to the rual monarchy as unavailing in
ducements to an act of international
|treachery which finally has been COM
mitted by Italy. In the light of these
facts, now recalled by tragic events, it
would be futile to deny that plot to
crush Germany had been carefully and
tenaciously prepared by the triple en-
tente, and the protestations of the
British, French and Russian govern
ments that the war had been forced
upon them will not bear scrutiny.
In August, 1914, Germany and Aus
|tria-Hungary found themselves face
to face with the most powerful coali-
ton in history. The military achieve
ments of the two central powers are,
therefore, all the more remarkable.
With the sole exception of strip of
the eastern part of Galica, which is
being evacuated by the Russians, the
territory of Austria Hungary is abso-
lutely cleared of the enemy. The raids
and incursions of the ruge Russian
armies on the eastern front, like those
of the French in Alsace, have proved
disastrous to the invaders. These two
striking failures illustrate the mega
tive results of the mighty offensive
launched simultaneously in the east
and the west against the dual alliance.