The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-31

r lG the first time in history hostile
forces have been opposed over
battle front Of some three hun
bred miles and neither side has
gained any definite advantage in three
months OF continual fighting There
mus. be some explanation Of this ex-
traorl.nary occurrence.
Il Is true that outflanking Is impos-
shlc for one end Of the far flung line
rests on Switzerland, a neutral coun-
try and the other on the sea. 1t Is
the fact too that the numbers OF men
engaged on each side are greater than
ever before; but such a deadlock has
never presented itself in the past even
on o small scale and It is therefore
certain that some new factor or factors
mus, have entered into the usual war
problem and altered its very nature.
The battle Of Waterloo, like that Of
Gravelotte, lasted a day; some encoun-
tiers in the Russo-Japanese war were
not decided for several days; but it is
unheard OF to get no result in three
months.
What is the explanation Of the dead
lock?
The only new factors so far as I can
Gee are the action Of airplanes and the
fact that the war news now is 1eins
censored.
The first Of these. the action Of air
planes. may be summarly dismissed.
In ordinary weather these aerial scouts
inform Generals Of any new massing Of
troops or any concentration of force on
a large scale, and so tend to simplify
strategy and tactics. But the simplie-
cation OF war must tend rather TO in
crease than diminish holiness in attack
and so the knowledge brought by air
plares would be apt to hasten rather
than retard the final issue.
At first blush the censorship VIII
seen, IN have still less than airplanes to
do with the fighting; how can the CEN
sor he made responsible for the perpet-
nal -talemate Of drawn battiesE
FRS. let us recall how the censor
cam. into being and what his real rune
tIon is. 1t happened, I believe, once IN
th, Franco-German war Of 1870 tha'
nov. had been telegraphed by a CORE
sp,ndant with the German army to Lon
don and from there rewired to Paris anc
the front in time to convey valuable IN
formation to the French commander u
the field. Clearly such an occurrence
Is very exceptional and could easily d
guarded against and rendered impos
sha
IN The South African war, where N
similar occurrences were to he reared
the .rnsorship was made rigorous am
tho war correspondent practically muz
2lad for the first time, The colonia
corr, -pondents complained bitterly o
H., ,.7rt If reason In the restriction
pm, nn1n them; some OF the Lohoo'
rlr.. followed suit. The worst blunder
WEI 4sorlbea to the fact That the cen
sar as Lord stanley man OF qulcI
tenn p and an overweening sense
.. IAN inheritance: and N was hope
r... . new censor would be more rea
SOP. But after Lord Kitchener ha
tall The place Of Lord Roberts an
the u,,r army had been dispersed
wl.. here was no longer any eNcus
wn...,cr for censoring the news ever
m.-..- 90 was censored more rigoronsl
thIu yer.
What was the reason of tn
departure? The newspapers grumbleo
IL. respondents threw up the
paD.s and returned home In indigna
Ito, Lord Kitchener, however, stuc
to MS methods; and II seems to m
thu here ia only one possible explains
tIon ~ his resolve: he didn't inter
to lave his Paardebergs described
H. uelicy OF "block houses" and "coi
ccuration camps" freely criticised. ar
frow his point of view he was justine
y. the muzzling OF the British pref
mu-, be ascribed the fact that he n
4 turned from the war with reputatio
hardy diminished, though he had bee
beaten to a standstill In the only bait
he atd fought and beaten In spite
an v"rwhelming superiority In nun
n bcrs BESIDES he had utterly failed vii
400 900 men at his command to rour
up nr drive out the handful OF Boer
II VIII amateur commanders, who kel
II thu ID against him for over year.
II TIE fun significance of this exper
y enc viii he seen later. II N enoul
n No" 90 state that the English were Il
= hr' "Op!e VITO without any reasS
n W." Yer established "a censorship