Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1916-01-05
WAR AS THE YEAR ENDS.
While the Central Powers Have Suffered
They Have Won More Than
They Have Lost

For the enemies of Germany the year
is ending badly on the field OF battle.
In Mesopotamla a British army is re-
treating to escape destruction. In
Macedonia an Anglo-trench force is
falling back from Serbian territory,
having failed to succor the gallant
Slavs and being now IN danger itself.
Allied prestige IS shattered in the Near
East and shaken IN the Far East.
Looking back over the twelve months
it is impossible to view them as other
than months IN which German success
in the field has rivaled that of Napole'
on or Louis XIV. Poland, Serbia, and
Lithuania have been conquered, a road
has been opened to Constantinople ana
to the Osmanll ally, and Bulgaria has
been persuaded to cast her lot with the
Central Powers.
On the west, half a dozen Allied at
tacks have been halted; and the battle
lines remain but little changed since
the closing shots of the Battles OF
Flanders put term to German oHen-
slve effort IN France and in Belgium.
In half a dozen places the Allies nave
made progress. They have taken VII
lagos and hills. North of Arras and
east of Rheims they have progressed
for several miles. But these advances
have been meaningless, save as they
have indicated an vergrowing Anglo
Frenc!, strength and have establlshe'
the conviction in Paris and London
that the deadlock in the west can be
broken. when ammunition is avallable
IN sufficient quantities.
Hut east and west it is necessary to
<rsmss.:. out that the success mas Deen
w1,yfh Germany. In France and Bet
g;nm she undertook to hold her enemies
n check and she has held them. In
Rnss,a she planned to take Warsaw ana
ro,, hack the Russian masses tron"tne
Carnathians to the Niemen and beyo"o'
and che has done this. F1naily' she
broke new ground in a campaign TO the
Golden Horn: and here she has accom-
nrshed with ease and rapIdlty that
fullest measure of possible success
O. which was denied her IN Russia as IL
had been in France IN 1914
As the year closes it shows Germany
.,d ber allies still triumphant, IN pet
FOR military posture than year age
and endangered only by economic pres
sure within her boundaries and pros
raot,ve shortage in numbers, by h'
means assured and not yet reVealeo VI
the firing line.
WHAT IS the Allied statement 1or th'
+welve months? First OF all, the Oer
man advance in the west has peeh per
manently checked Neither IN fafi
nor Rerlin IS there the 1aintest though
that a new campaign Will carry lh
Germans to Paris or to the ohahne
The destruction Of France and the az
nroach to Britain are no longer poss1
h;lities of the war. superiority
mo, and munitions on the wester
front Is assured to the Allies Tor III
period of the war.
.The security of France and Urea
Britain thus made certain, the work
the British fleet has shone forth
full splendor. German commerce Is.
thing of the past; and Germany Is
ALI ,ntents and purposes beleagure
fortress, not yet perhaps facing starV'
t,on. but plainly suffering from
shortage of certain kinds OF food, al
many of the materials needed to mai
war. Not yet possessing on the Con'
nent the influence or the power OF N
poIeon l, at the moment OF the meet'l
at Tilsit, William II IS facing the san
d,tt;culties. the same economic pre-
snre which brought Napoleon to
Lnees ultimately, because he nev
cou,d reach Britain or destroy the br
ish fleet. .,
Germany has indeed occupied %
sonare miles of France, twenty-n1
of the area of the country, which
fora the war maintained some 2,5OO,l
peopie. but was cleared of men py II
bil,zatjop IN advance of the occupatl1
But France and Britain have clear
German colonies, have conquered lo
and Southwest Africa, and are at
mint of ending German rule IN
Kamerun, while Japan and Austrai
have lowered the German colors IN