El Nuevo mexicano., 1916-03-02

w." -NI ~ .#1
Mzerum Is me wpqt important saqeeHs fol
RusRia-apd for tbe a9lies since Pfzsmysl
lPrzenysl ylelded A larger number of pIls
onefs- R0'000aodd. as compared with 400.
l000. but IN all other REFLECTS the capture
oi Erge8um stands out AS a more fruitful
and brilliant military achievement
Przeniyel was Aktaryed out It had been
Isolated for several months. lks fall did
mot materially affect the AtrRtegical situa.
ton on the Russian west front. It liberated
100000 81 more second line troops for use
elsewhere In Ruseia's battle line, But II did
mot make ii any easier for the Grand Duke
Nicholas to push bis armies aoroas me Gar.
pathian barrier into Hungary. Nor did II
IforestaII the Observation-Disclosures Of
lfensive which two months later swept the
Russians far beyond the San, cleared Poland
and forced partial evacuation Of the Baltic
provinces.
From the military as wen as the political
point of view the fallr of PrzemysI had only
! 4 limited local effect, But the fail Of Erze-
Irum opens up wide strategic and political
vistas. The Armenian capital was the key
to the Turkish defence on the Caucasus
front. Kars used 70 be- that KEY. but Kars
was taken by the Russians in the war Of
l1s77-78 and became Russian under the
terms Of the treaty Of Berlin Erzerum was
thereafter converted into Turkeys mnln
military base on the northeastern frontier.
Its loss will therefore compel a considerable
retirement ON this front TO the north Tre
bizond, on the Black Sea. becomes dificuit
to hold, the more SO as the Black Sea is I'M
der Russian control; while to- the south, In
the Lake Van region, the Turkish position
ID outflanked, and Turkish ACCESS to Persia
froom that direction may b9 speedily shut
on. A retirement west fN6m Lake Van
al -. 49, -i-AIg-AAAH ~ Az ntsa~ftYa
campaign in Persia, fomented BY Turkish
and German agents., and bring that country
safely under Russian and British Influence.
The reverse at Erzerum will also weaken
Turkey on the Irak, or Megopotanlian, front
where Turkish prospects have recently been
brightest. Ii new efforts are to be made IN
Armenia. no Reinforcement can we'll bC
SHARED for the MesOpotamian army o
holding one British force besieged IN Kut
el-Amara and another relieving force al
most stationary further down the Tisrla
river. Bagdad may even have to be evacuatz
ed II British pressure up the Tigris is re.
newed with fresh troops.
The Turks have fought very successfully
against tho British both IN Mesop0tamia
and on the GalIipoll peninsula. In those
two arenas they have ~fegained some Of the
prestige which they lost iii the disastrOus1
Halkan wars But against Russia in the
Caucasus they have failed to redeem Them
selves. Their many defeats In this region,
eliminating III the loss Of their most i'm
portant fortress base Indicate that the Turk
ish army REORGANIZATION is still inadeQuate
in spots and is infdanger Of succumbing to
the continued strain OF war.
AN these considerations make intelllgible
the rejoicing IA all the allied capitals over
the fall Of Erzerum, 1t is the first deeisiye
allied victory for many weary months, ~ -
q victory for hWnanity, too as we'll as for
the allied cause. There Is no HQacker chap
ter in all the history Of Turkeys ruthless
treatment OF subject races than the chapter
Of Armenia's maFtyrdom, The savage cruel
ties of other years have recently been sup
plemehted BY 4 deliberate program Of ~extef~l
imitation. Armenians have been massacred
wholesale In compliance with what Count
Won ReventlOw and other German apologfsts
have flippantly described as an internal
policy. Call it what you will the nm
speakable Turk has simply acted on the
theory that the only good Armenian IS 2
dead Armenian.
Humanity has cried out against this orgy
of murder-prphably the last great orgy
which civilization Is going to allow the Turk
to indulae.in at the expense Of helpless sub
ieet peoples To the Armenians the RUS
SLAMS come as protectors and lberators. Err
zernm, once Wrested from tho Sultan, must
never revert to his possession. Christian
must be freed forever from Turk
rule, and that consummations 80 devout
" wished BY the civilized world, has at
been brought within reach Of r~ealiza,
tion BY the Russian deliverer.
For that reason the news Of the fall OF
Erzerum should carry JOY not alone 70 FUR
enemies, but to every race or nation
in the world which abhors oppression
and stands for government actu
ated by justice and humanity,