Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-29

to the succor of the vietors," as
sumed that the end, if not actual
Offensive Soon at End.
And now. within the space of six
weeks, we have seen the end Of the
Rumanian offensive. collapse even
more complete than that of the French
offensive in Alsace and Lorraine In Au-
gust. 1916. We have seen fresh Ger
man army under Falkenhayn push out
of the darkness of Hungary southwark,
sweeping before it the routed Ruman-
ian armies and passing the old Ru-
manian frontier, and we have seen an
other victorious army, under Macken-
sen. push up into the Dobrudja. cut the
Observation-Disclosures railroad. take
ConstanZa, as well as Silistria and
Turtukan. We have heard the appeal
of Ferdinand of Rumania, unhappily
recalling the similar appeals of Albert
Of Belgium and Peter of Serbia. which
preceded the occupation of their lands
by German invaders.
Six weeks ago there was general
discussion of a change of alliance by
Bulgaria, Of the change of heart of
Constantine and of the entrance of
Greece into the ranks of the foes OF
the central powers. But in the six
weeks Bulgaria has recovered another
lost province. the Dobrudja, added
one more fraction to that Greater Bull
garia which was In the hearts OF all
Bulgars from. the date Of the treaty
of San Stefano onward. In the same
time the allies have found 1T necessary
to occupy Athens and disarm Greece to
escape a blow In the rear.
sarrail Has Done Little.
As to that army of Sarrail at Salon
Xxi, of which so much was hoped. 1t
has pushed a Serbian column within
sight Of Monastir, but 1t has not sue
ceeded. either about Dorian OF east
ward about Sores. in making any sub
stantial progress. and winter is now
coming to the Balkans and the hope of
thrust northward to that Berlin-vf-
enna-Constantinople railroad which Is
the spinal column of the central pow
ers seems to have gone glimmering for
another year.
We are then. in the presence Of a
reverse. Of disappointment. as COM
plete as that which came to the allies.
when. at last they perceived that Cal
1ipoli was not to fall. that Constanti-
nople was to remain Mohammedan.
that the Osmanli were still to hold the
u D
campaign which had opened with such
splendid prospects of the destruction
of Turkey. the enlistment of all the
Balkan states. had ended in the defeat
Of the British and French armies and
fleets. the crushing Of Serbia, the en-
1istment of Bulgaria under German
and not under allied colors.
New Story Of Bungling.
How should one explain this ap-
proximats disaster? There is. 1t seems.
q new story of bunglinZ and stupidity
to be unfolded. which will bear I'M
happy resemblances to the stories of
Mesopotamia and Gallipoli. It ie
again. not a case of somebody blum
dered." but a case Of everybody blum
dering. to Judge from the little that
We know. There has been a British
failure in the matter of transport to
left unprepared to strike when the
great moment came. There has been
Rumanian laundering. an obstinate in
sistence upon the invasion of Transyl-
vania instead Of an attack upon the
Teuto-Turk-Bulgar army at the out
set. AS for Russia. it seems unmis-
taxable that Russian aid has been
fatally slow in arriving in the Do
',udja. and that this hardness ex-
plains much of Mackensen's success
let us take the Rumanian failure, 70,
~ %aS the most important: When al
LIST isUmania decided to strike she had
70 deal with two problems Northward
Tralsylvania was practically ernrty. OF
German ard Austrian troops. and the
great province across the mountains
with its hundreds of thousands of Ru.
snanian population lay undefended. Fo,
weeks, for month, at the least, I,
WAS a fair guess that tho central pow.
eFs would be unable to send troops
10 defend this province. Thither am.
httion. opportunity. racial aspiration
oeckoned.
Chance to Strike South.
But to the south. in the corner OF
Bulgaria between the Danube and the
Black sea and facing the province Ru.
mania had taken from Bulgaria IN the
second Balkan war. was an army, com.
posed mainly of BuIgars, but contain.
ing Turks and German artillery. Thu
army had been watching the Black
sea coast of Bulgaria against a pos
sible invasion by Russia, coming from
Odessa and Sebastopol. It consisted OF
seven or eight divisions. perhaps l5o, 08(
bayonets. 1t could not be heavily re.
inforced at once. because the balance
of the Bulgarian army was occupied
against the Saloniki army and the
Turkish troops were far away ant
lacking IN easy municattOn6.
Rumania was able to put In the helt
very promptly a force of not much lesi
than 100000, and Russian troops wers
either ready or coming up. Every con-
sideration Of sound strategy, as con.
trasted with sentimental appeal, de.
manded that this Bulgar army shouIt
be disposed of before any serious effor,
was directed northward. II this army
were disposed of all Bulgaria wouls
be open to invasion, the army facing
SarraiI In Saloniki would have to re
treat over the mountains to save SOD,
and northern Bulgaria. Thus the roaa
would be opened and perhaps Bulgarian
allegiance might be shaken.
Despite all the counsels Of the allies
we are told. Rumania elected to g
Forth In the Dobrudja she left no
more than two divisions, into Transyl
wanna she sent not less than ten. Mean
time she relied upon Russian aid I,
defend the Dobrudja, with the vita
railroad from Bucharest to Constanxa
which crosses the Danube at Cerna
v0da on the one bridge which span
the great river between Belgrade an,
the sea. Vie may conjecture that tn
Russians were delayed in arriving; WI
DO not know about this
Nackensen Acted Swiftly.
But Whatever happened In the mat
ter Of the Russians. the aefiop Of III
GAFnsan OoxcaaHdar. Mhc1eengAn ma