Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-06
VICTORY IN SIGHT FOR NO ONE
Eleven Months of Unprecedented Slaughter Leaves Germany
Checked in Spite Of Brilliant Successes in the Field and
the Allies Are Still Far From Triumph.
By FRANK H. sIMoNDs

TN FORMING any estimate of the real as
i contrasted with the apparent condition of
things, it is essential first to avoid any sem
blance OF minimizing the extent and the
reality of the German successes in the war
to date. We are now approaching the end of
the first year, and there Is every prospect
that when the anniversary comes the Ger
mans will have cleared the Russians out of
Austrian territory, while they will retain in
France in Belgium in Poland territory
which before the war was the home of
upward of 2O,OOO,OOO of people, including the
great industrial regions of Belgium, France
and Russia and the even more valuable min
eral districts in France and Belgium.
Germany's Unprecedented Achievement
Since the Napoleonic Wars there has been
no such achievement by any nation. 1t is
well then to accept the fact that so far the
success and the achievement have been Ger
man. Assailed by three great and two small
States, to which a fourth great Power has
lately been added, with the seas closed to
her and having as allies two nations whose
incoherency has become proverbial, whose
military history stretching over recent CEN
turtles has been little more than a monoton-
GUS record of defeat, Germany has not
merely held her own she has carried the
contest to allen soil on all frontiers. she has
conquered Belgium half of Russian Poland
and is stretching out her mailed fist toward
the other half.
The Russian reverse in Galicia has been
achieved by the greatest campaign since the
Germans made their initial drive at Paris.
In a few weeks some $4,000 square miles OF
territory have been cleared of Russian
armies, several hundred thousands of Rus
sian soldiers have been killed wounded
or captured. The Russian menace on the
frontiers of Hungary has been abolished.
If the success came too late to prevent Italy
from enlisting 1t has availed to keep Ru-
mania neutral to give the necessary force to
the German diplomacy at Sofia, at Athens,
at Bucharest It is not too much to say
that Germany has saved both Constantinople
and Budapest by victories on the San and
the Dniester
No Decisive Victory Anywhere
But here it is essential to emphasize the
first Limitation in the German success.
When one man or one nation undertakes
to fight several it is absolutely necessary
that he should obtain a decision over one
or two Of his enemies promptly. Napoleon
in his long series of wars frequently de-
feated the other European nations in de-
tail When, at last. he had to face them
combined finally furnished with armies
modelled on his own, he succumbed. The
real Limitation to the German campaign In
Galicia so far is that II has missed a de-
cison. how narrowly we do not know More
than this the German official bulletins are
the best evidence that the Russian resist
ance has steadily stiffened and the huge
captures Of the early days have ceased.
A Russian menace has been thrust back.
but a new Russian drive Is sure to attend
the first slackening of German effort In this
field.
Turning now to the British failure, It is
again necessary to concede that the allied
disappointment here rests on solid founda-
tion. At the present moment Great Brit
ain must have close 10 10000 troops in
France. But they are holding less than 80
miles OF front. against more than 400 for
the French. and are holding this with ex-
treme difficulty great loss and on the
whole with slight but actual recessions.
Meantime It has devolved upon the, French
TO make the serious effort to break through
the German lines.
Failure of British Commanders
Had the British been able to make an effort
proportionate to the number Of men which
their enlistment estimates and their train-
ing camp statistics indicate they must
have. It is fair to say. that the German
thrust In Galieia would have had 70 be
abandoned or the Germans would have
been compelled to shorten their lines in
France Instead there has been no real
British drive" But there has been a grow
ing suspicion in British and neutral circles
that British high command has proved in
adequate.
NOW, while this Is present fact # Is
not an enduring condition. II Sir John