Mexico Missouri message., 1916-01-06
THE EUROPEAN WAR

ne year 1910 uhS Dben bO
tive from a historymal1ing viewpoint
THAT in all the ages to come it will
stand apart from those that have pre-
cedl ed it and from those which are
to Hollow. During its entire length,
thej greater nations of the European
continent have abandoned themselves
to ia policy OF bloodshed which has
fallen little short OF delirium. To
thh neutral onlooker it has been a re-
viFal on huge scale of the irration-
al land murderous activity which char
ac(terized the earlier ages of mankind.
ItE has been the complete overthrow Of
afl the pacific theories which had APP
1arently gained SO strong a foothold
az the time Of the firing of the fret
efun In the present conflict.
At the beginning of the year, it was
Avident that it was to be a struggle
no the death. It was plain that the
e@Teutonic plan TO force a speedy set
lement by dint of superior armed
preparedness had failed. Six months
had elapsed and the Teutonic allies
were still faced by three great ma
tions, their strength unbroken and
their determination inhexible. Aus
tria had been driven repeatedly by her
Russian invaders and twice the Serbs
had routed Austrian armies sent
against them. On other fields, also,
Teutonic efforts had been futile. Thus
far Turkey had been of little assist
ance and the holy war had failed to
come into being. German Southwest
Africa had been lost and German in
fiuence in Asia had been smothered
by the Japanese.
As an offset, the Germans still held
practically all the conquered territory
which had fallen into their hands.
Their lines still held firmly in Po-
land, in Flanders and in France. 1t
was apparent that as yet the Teutonic
combination showed no sign of weak
ening, and war of attrition seemed
inevitable. Both in the east and
In the west the military operations
of the early part of the year were
practically without decisive result.
The fighting in Poland had resolved
itself into a complete deadlock. In
January, the French-E English combine
AlldQHl .bl1CO .EILlCAhPL6 w OAOdh NAAO
Teutonic hold on French territory, but
accomplished little. The German un-
successful drive at Warsaw and the
rout of the Austrians in Galicia left a
slight balance in the January fighting
in favor of the allies.
From strictly military viewpoint,
February was a promising month for
the Teutonic allies. BY the middle of
the month, German troops were ad-
vancing all along the front from
the Vistula to the Nlemen, and thus,
seyen months after the breaking out
Of the war, German soil was practi-
cally cleared Of its Russian invaders
The deadlock on the western front
was still unbroken.
Scene shIfts to DardanelIes.
With the advent of March, there
came sudden and dramatic change
In the war situation. The scene OF
military activity was shifted to the
Dardanelles. BY the third week of
the month, Rome, Athens, Sofia and
Bucharest were centers of great po-
liticaI activity. The surrender of
Przemysl, March %, was the most
stirring victory for the allies since the
battle OF the Marne The German
assertion that the military power Of
Russia had dwindled into insignif-
canoe was disproyed at once and the
allied cause gained instant strength in
all the neutral capitals. One of the
greatest strongholds in Europe had
been taken by the Russians.
The disaster to the allied fleet at
the DardanelIes, which occurred dur
ing the third week of March, put an
end to the expectation of forcing the
straits by naval means alone. Ger
man prestige advanced perceptibly
and the difficulty Of the task under
taken by the allied feet was now un-
derstood. In this month, also, the
British won the battle Of Neuve
ChapeIle after a bloody fight
In April the French made a bold
Offensive stroke against the German
position between the Meuse and the
Moselle-the famous st. Mihiel wedge
(which resulted in a tremendous loss
ek men on both sides, with small ad-
Vantage for either. Nowhere had the
allies made appreclaDie gam IN Ter
sritory The invader held his own
stubbornly and with success About
the middle of the month. Zeppelina
made their appearance over English
towns, inspiring great interest and not
y little apprehension, but doing com
paraHyely small damage. About this
time, also. the attempted subrlarine
blockade OF the British coast proved
10 be ineffective In the closing days
OF the month another great Teutonic
offensive swept againss the allied lines
in Belgium. thTusting the enemy bach
upcn Ypres. with great loss Of life on
both sides.
In May the Germans sent their besl
troopa to the aid OF the hard
pressed Austrians. by the middle o.
the month they had worked a star
a. ID