New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-07

parts and overthrown, then the inner
wall-to use n somewhat medieval
metaphor-should be preached; and
finally the German citadel should he
invested and reduced by the concen'
trated force of all the besiegers.
To knock Out Turkey First.
put this in popular language TO be
gin with, but shall soon show that II
represents a powerful and definite Goa
cepton Its main Idea was that Turkey
should be decisively assailed anc
knocked out Of the struggle as soon as
possible, that the very vtals OF Austria
wot,ld then be attacked, and that Ger
many. deprived Of her Eastern ambl-
tons as completely as Of her colonies
and the sea, would be brought to rea
son.
The Allies would be making sure OF
something all the time-lnstead OF be
ing disappointed everywhere by trying
TO do too much at once-and woulC
progress steadily and surely toward
their final aim.
That was at the back Of the attempt
at Constantinople by way OF the
Straits and Gallipoli-a splendid con
ception ruined by the weak and fun
bling execution which issued from d.
vided counscls and conflicting authorl-
ties.
The Eastern plan was never thor
oughly supported because Il seemed to-
slow. As a matter Of fact. with strong
er handling. as every one now admits
IL would have shortened the W9r by q
year. The longest way round to apply
the homely proverb. would have been
the quickest way home
Conditions Are Altered.
The Western plan therefore held the
field IN theory and practice until re.
Gently. do not say it is yet dlslodged
but conditions are altered. There IS
a. least an end Of blind kicking against
the pricks. and plain facts are recog.
nized in the manner for which some OF
US have never ceased TO plead since
the western operations stifencd into
trench warfare on sector after sector
down the whole line from the sea 10 the
Vosges and solidifed ss II were into
the long deadlock.
Even soldiers are human and there
fore much subject to the universal
human failing which makes the wlsn
father 70 the thought The passlonless
intellectual genius for war is rare, and
short Of that IL is by no means UNI
known for clever generals 70 he as i'm
questionable as dramatic critics.
They were possessed by precor-
ceived visions. The Germans had
dreamed % reaching Paris and Petro-
grad of outdoing Moltko BY irres'st-
ible marches. sweeps, flank movements
and encircl emente. Tho French had
dreamed equally Of reyivnS tho glorle7
of Napoleouic movement and fighting
at an early stage the concIcr,ng bat
tie in Lorraine. The British dreamed
OF stopping the cnemy's ugly rush or
the extreme left and then routing the
Germans.
In all the armies The professional
leaders rebellcd for long against the
grim mockery by which The siege-war
reduced everything to a strategica'
.standstill in the west amidst the end
less bitches and dug-out7.
Germans First TO Face Truth.
The Germans were the first 10 face
the miserable truth Early last year
they settled down 10 the defensive on
the west. only hoping and praying
that our side would launch a general
offensive, which the enemy was con-
fident of being able TO dash TO pieces.
The Germans were holding ground
they had seized and could wait with
more competency.
For the Allies the moral and men
tai problems were much more difficult.
The French burned to clear their own
soil and Belgium; the British were as
ardent Both the stats i'm the west
ern field et first abhorrcd the Cat
lipoli adventure annd grudged every
man and gun diverted TO it,. They
fully counted a year ago on being
able to break the Germans in the
west.
Had they been right, all the men,
guns and ammunition which France
and Britain could muster ought 20
have been concentrated on the west.
Complete success there would OF
course have realized all subsidiary
aims i'm other theatres. just IS q felled
tree comes down with all its branches.
The reasoning which rejected the
whole theory and conceived the Ger
man crash IN the west as the great
deciding event Of the final stage Of
the war. but an event possible only
when well led up to by other opera
tons was for a long time silent or
but confdentially expressed. The
result of experiment. had TO be
awaited.
Neuve Chapelle was the first ex-
pertinent, but there was no Through
break Again the attempt was made
on a far larger scale, and with des-
perate and sustained energy by the
French i'm the hattlcs % Artnis. There