Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-25
SERENE IN CONVICTION
OF COMPLETE VICTORY
Russia Absolutely United, AS Neve,
Before, to Purge Nation
Of Invader.
VIEWS OF PRINCE DENIIDOFE
In Frank Summary Of Present s,itu-
alton, Imperial Minister to Greece
Fails to See Upon What German
Claims Of Victory Are based.

, is warning quite as much against mill
tarism I'm Russia itself ms In Germany
| is the declaration of Prince Demidofr,
the Duke Of San Donate. who is i'm
! pcrial Russian minister to Greece In
Il frank summary OF the present situa-
! ton i'm Russia, Prince Demidoff told
/ the Associated Press correspondent
that he could not see upon what tho
German claims to victory over Russia
! were based. AMI he developed a view
of his own of the situation. which left
the central empires in Il perilous. rather
j than a satisfactory. position. following
/ their successful drive on the imperial
| forces of Russia
! Prince Demidon's family is popularity
! supposed to he the richest in Russia,
: IT'S foundations having been laid in
! The time Of Peter the Great by Nikita
! Demtdof. who opened up some i'm
/ menscly productive mines mt Ncvian-
SKY. in the Ekatcrinenbourg district
/ OF the empire, in 1899. The first OF the
DemtdoGs became the krupp OF this
! Jay. having been intrustci by Peter
I the Great with the manufacture of
cannon for the imperial armies.
From every standpoint" said Prince
: Demdon. the German drive on Kussia
seems TO have been ns much of fail
urc as the German drive on Paris a
! year ago. II had two definite objects
. to crush the Russian army in a great
! pincers. and TO force Russia TO sue
! for Il separate peace
| The first has patiently failed. The
! Germans have given it up. They are
| digging themselves in, as they did i'm
II, France. and arc preparing to transfer
/ part OF their troops elsewhere. 1t was
/ Il mad thing To attempt, anyhow--you
! might as well call il a drive on Irkutsk
! :s anything else, for all the definite
, object II may he said to have had
, Founding at immense Russian
! force. withdrawing with admira BILE or
der across the Russian steppcs is like
! chasing u will-o'the- wisp through a
swamp--thc farther YOU 20 the wors.
! II gets. and the less chance YOU have
TO get out safe and sound Russia Is
ike pi!low-you can make "a hollow
4 In II by punching II with your list. but
| when YOU take your fist away slowly.
inevitably. it comes back"
! "But suppose the fist Is kept there
| How long do you suppose the Ger
mans can do that? It's simply a prob
lem in mathematics. Remember one
! thing. the farther an army extends it's
INC, tn" more men are required TO hold
the cline; and the farther the limo is
''''i ''H PhSc viz more men are re-
CURED to feed and clothe and supply IL
with munitions. And the increase is In
Scomct"ic. not arithmetic. progression:
while. at the same time. the process OF
extending the dine in the face of a
series OF dnily rear-guard actions IT
self reduces the effective with which
the movement is made. For there is
no advance without It's price in men
dead. permanently disabled and those
taken prisoncr-as we'll rs in the fresh
ness Of the troops engaged
PROBLEM IN SUBTRACTION,
KEY TO WHOLE SITUATION
Now with the Austrians and Ger
mans there is :, definite. known. maxi
mum number OF men available. II may
he as great YOU please. but !, is
liked Every German killed pcrma :
ncEtly disabled or I: keE prisoner is
one available German less. That is the
key TO the whole situation: II is a
problem in subtraction. SO long as
the Austrians and Germans have not
succeeded in crushing Russia, the pro-
cess of subtraction goes on indefinitely.
Extending their line only hastens the
inevitable end because ii increases the
. numbcr Of m.cn essential merely to
hold the line.
VII WV Wei Siuf, gu iliNt
two cardinal elements of the situation.
neither OF which Is an element of vie
tory: Il price paid in men and strength
without definite. concrete result. and
an evcr-incrcasinG price to pay In the
necessity for supplying and victualing
an Immensely extended line. On the
Russian side YOU have two FREEDOM
inant elements neither of which is an
element Of defeat: an unbrokcn. un-
discouraged, determined force and an.
as yet. scarcely seriously touched
reservoir of fresh troops
The same analogy holds true of the
financial situation Of the central en- :
pires IN relation to the allied powers.
and especially to Russia. Our re-
sources. our borrowing capacity. II you
please. is virtually unlimited, because
the security we have to offer is un.
limited. The resources Of the central
. empires are very limited indeed, and do
not become less with time.
1T Is in the knowledge of this that
we are serene in our conviction of final
and complete victory.
The second purpose of the German
: drive on Russia was to force Russia &c
conclude n separate peace 1t only
shows how the Germans have who'll,
misunderst the Russian character
as they wholly misunderstood both the
French and the English. They thought
tho French were Il degenerate people
I who had no fight left in them. Sine,
{ the battle of the Marine they have
, abandoned that theory. They thought
that Great Britain wns sadly divided
on tho verge Of civil war. Instead. tn,
entire British empire is in the struggl,
heart and soul And instead Of forcing
l Russia TO separate peace, the Ger
{ mans. by their very drive on Russia
L have unified the Russian people as they
e have never been uniied before. Yol
have to-day spectacle In Russi;
which is truly grandiose: 175.000.O0
people absolutely united, with hut on
= thought their Emperor In person Il
;. their head. determined to purge Russi
Of the invader forever il 1t takes gen
: Grafton. There is, as Il matter OF fac,
Il more unity OF understanding and con
q fidencn among the allies at this momen
. IMAM there is among the German