The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-08-16

lets thus far gained. Even so, if Pc.
rome led somewhere, and were on the
road 10 some important city, the move
would explain itself. But the direction
of the Franco British attack, northeast
from the bend of the Somme, leads no
where The line, extended, passes
through nearly 80 miles of open country,
clear of all great centers, prizes, routes
or barriers, to the Belgian frontier at
Msubeuge.
The French and British keep driving
their blows upon this line. With the la
Dor of week and the expenditure of
million shells, more or less, they gain
a scant mile A year at the present pace
would hardly put them within range of
Maubeuge. and that strong place, with
its defenses modernized. would hardly in
vite attack unless previously enveloped.
Notwithstanding all this, the French
troops. preceded by the storm of French
shells, are at this moment busy filling in
the little fve-mile gap, from Clery to the
Bots de Trones, between the British and
French salients. They have just reached
Maurepas, in the center of this cup
shaped depression, and threaten Clery to
the southwark, toward Peronne. The
British. two miles north of Maurepas,
are striving for Gullemont on the north
ern edge of the same depression. Ap-
parently the gap is TO be filled in with
allied troops Combles. a considerable vii
lage, lying just eastward, to be taken, |
and Peronne at the southern edge of the
front of pressure, to be stormed from
the north
Military enterprises. like all other un- |
dertakings, fall into two sorts according I
to whether the main object is immediate 7
or distant The Somme offensive is an
operation without any sufficient immedi-
ate object. Assuming that Jotfre has
nevertheless an object, it must be dis
tant one There is presumably a pur-
pose, or there are a group of purposes,
served indirectly by the effort Those
must be evident to the Ger
mans, since otherwise they would find it
easier TO effect gentle gradual with
drawal. similar to that of the French be-
fore Verdun last spring, in the confidence
that slight losses would bring the oppo
nent no advantage On the contrary,
The Germans in the Somme region are
attacking with utmost violence, Il
which means that they are doubling the
est of their defensive, or even, at points,
striving to retain or regain ground, re-
yardless of cost.
The French, on their side, regard the {
lorthea stward line of advance as of
rhine Importance. Otherwise, they would
doubtless, from behind the Somme, con-
ent themselves with the secondary sue
oss of moving southwark from their |
resent salient and thanking the perma-
tent German trenches so as to roll back z
he German line between Chaulnes and
Soyon. This move they have put off |
he main advance evidently outweighs
in the French strategic estimate,
Instead of using their slight present G
alient for a thanking purchase upon Ger
nan lines north and south of the Somme,
be allies are simply pressing the salient I
eeper in. Thereby they plan to extend
nd make more sure the gains that are "
ldirectly to result. Their present sa q
ent. extending five miles beyond the
rofile Of their front, tanks strip of the
erman positions southwark, in the bend
I the German Paris-ward salient, some :
miles long and five miles deep, for in
ance. Let the Somme position be ad
inced another five miles, however and
le same German salient is pried loose to
depth of ten miles, so as to include in
lie menaced territory the important Ger
an centers of st. Quentin and La Fere.
ct the Somme position be extended 20
lies and the whole German line along [
lie Aisne as far as the Argonne would
'obably have to be vacated.
To the north the indirect effect of the
rust from the Somme would be even
ore important. That part of the rich
dustral region of northern France. held
r two years by the Germans, would be
enaced from the south by 20-mile ex
nsion of the salient Cambria and Douai
ould be hanked. Lens, for which the
ench year ago shed much unavailng
cod. might fall without a blow. Lille
,uld be in peril
Such are the possibilities of a deep sa
mt blasted by persistent artillery. With
e entente ostensibly the stronger in
e west, as everywhere at this moment,
salient is relatively safe from counter
tack. II stretches the length of the
mt, and calls more and vet more Ger
IN troops into the firing line. 1t rakes
2 old highly organized German trench
es, threatens their rear and eventually
implies them in.
Such is at least the distant object
itch Joffre appears to pursue on the
NINE. The future will show whether
lie and St Quentin can be recaptured
the open fields of Picsrdy.-New York
ening Sun.