The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-02
MEN YEAR FINDS GREAT.
BRITAIN Determined
Syfu be, No fee uu In Its War Prvpar
atoms Until Great struggle IL
brought 60 Finish
sAnoNroA EASILY DEFENDED
should Tcuton- Turk Buiaar Forces
Attack They VIII Pay Heavy Toll
Of Human Life and Play In Nllk's'
Hands.

London, Jan. 1.-The new year hnds
Great Britain more hopeful than eyer
before regarding the outcome OF the
great war ana more determined than
ever heretofore to continue fighting
until Germany is definitely defeated
and Europe Is relieved OF the fatal
crush of ornaments. ~
discussio.. OF the vital issues, by
men prominent in every walk OF me
here reveals the fact that Britons are
fully awake to the imperative neces-
sity of ending the terrific CONNECT os
"a complete victory withln year.
Every newspap per. magazine anu re-
xiew without single exception, re-
rects this unanimous determination.
While unsparing in their criticisms
of the plumbers committees ny the gov
srarncnt during the last year. the re-
viewers of events in 1915 all agree
that the darkest days have gone By
and that the most cheerful days are
ahead
Tho concensus Of opinion Is well
summarized by the. military expert of
The Spectator, a recognized authority
who says:
stronger Than Ever.
Now that we know all the essen
tgaIs facts about our shortcomings We
have gained strength like Antaeus
from touChing.the earth. ana We shhb
not allow ourselves to toe lifted from
the ground and sque eyed to death by
tho German Hercules We are we'll
content TO be. at the beginning OF this
new year. with our knowledge. ana
not. at the beginning OF last year,
with out Ignorance. From one emu
of the country to the other. old and
new workshops hum with the produc-
tions OF guns and shells; We are
not saft yet by any means, hut we are
on the right road to safety
but what lis our prospect now
ON the assumption that we shall
never again have a shortage OF large
guns. machine guns, or ammunition
of every kind the prospect We cannot
hesitate to say is good. Let US mag
inc, for the moment, that the definite
conflict will not take place, after all
on the western front, but elsewhere
There Is nothing to cause misBivlngs
even If the Germans should he able
to shift their area of conflict.
King Ferdinand's plan about the
defeat of the French and British
troops is encouraging. rather than
otherwise, for 1t shows that he does
not begin TO appreciate the thorn
which IL being prepared at Salonica
for him, as well as for the Germans
Austrians and Turks The business
of the allies at Salonica Is turning
out much better than even the opti-
mists dared hope. The Greek troops,
by removing themselves at a distance,
have ceased to impede our prepare
%, lions. ard the tremendously strong
natural features of the piaEe are. be-
ing turned along a line of some forty
miles into what may be said to be an
Gnassssiiable fortress hne.
Readily Defended Position.
THE map will show what a SPLEEN
did geographically position has for
an army which wishes to gather
strength and act as a thorn in the
flesh of Its enemy. At Saiontca the
allies lie against the flank of their
enemy, We may be sure that the Ger
mans will not feel very comfortable
along their celebrated road to Con
xtantinople while the allies hold Sa-
lcnica-
IF the enemy should try to march
against the place and tackle the most
formidable Hills, with all of the lakes
and marshes and the incomparab bic
artillery positions, so much the better
for us. With the sea and ships and
tig guns. and with an unceasiag few
OF supplies behind US. we will be on
velvet.
The Bulgarians talk as If the war
surprised If the Germans do not find
more than they have bargatned for be-
fore the winter is over, Salonica. In
ane is a magnificent place We shall
he just beginning to make real use
of II when the Bulgarians are discov-
ering their raw places from the Graf
ing OF the German yoke, emharrass-
n1ents that are horribly unnatural re-
suiting from the Turkish alliance.
Issok for Russian Help i'm Spring.
The Germans must be- depressed
indeed. The hostil" army has no.
where been brokeu Germany has
greatly extended her borders. but that
means thinner line. The Russians
will. come back again Ia the spriIR
The cooperation OF the allies vii!
everywhere he sim pliflcd, more
prompt and more effective The Brit
iSh have been miraculously freed from
the nightmare at Gallipoh by great
withdrawal from Anzac. We have
,tfll time 10 prepare our defeuseS along
he Suez Canal and IN Egypt
Wherever we a tack we eIleil do 50
with plenty OF guns Of the right sort,
and plenty OF ammunition,
Meanwhile. the British navy main
tains a strange hold on German com
merce The squeeze Is tAaing sensihly
felt. though we must not >eKaggerate
the effect Everything In the coming
year will be more difticult for the Ger
y~ans and easier for the allies, II,
during the coming year We do not
turn our. good hopes into Certaiyities.
we shall Ire quffr unworthy of our op-
portunities which We and our allies