The Washington herald., 1917-10-07
US. Must Take Russia's
Place or Huns Will Win
Success in East Guarantees German War Aims
Unless America Raises Many Millions
to Break Western Front.
Copyright 1911. 3, the Mcclure Newspaper

Copyright, 1911. bs the Mcclure Newspaper
syndicate.)
London. Sept. IA. i9l7.-If Germany
10 to be beaten In the field the final
blows must be delivered by great
American armies. The United States
must take the place of Russia, or the
end OF the war will find the German
legions still standing steadfastly on
all the fronts.
Returning to London after some
weeks with the armies, / find those
views freely. indeed almost unani-
mously. expressed in military and
diplomatic quarters. The same au-
thorities. when i saw them at the
beginning Of August, were more hope
ful Of prompt success. The military
collapse of Russia has caused the
change In outlook, 1t has turned all
eyes here and In France towards
Washington.
Events = transpiring in Russia
have cleared the air. rolled up the fog
of war. The situation, from the Ger
man point of view, is now delightfully."-
simple. while few allied statesmen
would deny the truth Of one of these
two readings Of the position.
WIZ Require Time.
/. Germany cannot be crushed In
the field within measurable time; sn.
cannot defeat France and Britain on
the West front; she will therefore
give up Belgium, Northern France.
probably Alsace-Lorraine. assume
control of Russia. and come out of
the war with the greatest victory in
human history.
2. To prevent the formation OF an
invincible Prussian power based on
the manpower and the incredibly
great resources of Russia. the allies
must and will continue the war until
they can foil the plans of the Ger
man autocracy by destroying that au-
tocracy itself.
II the American people are willing
to subscribe to the first of these alter
natives, there is no reason why the
war should not end at once. For the
second alternative-victory instead of
defeat-cannot now be achieved with
out the help Of the American people
on scale undreamed of even two
months ago.
what Can America Do.
France might die to the last man.
England bleed herself white. and
still, without the full strength of
America in the scale, the exhausted
and staggering German Empire
would reply at the end as now, In
the West, whatever you want. but
the East you must leave to US"
What can America do?" has been
my question when the facts about
the Russian situation, the French
and British manpower. have been
hammered at me. 1t Is easy to talk
about millions of men but the Of
ficer problem. questions of equip
ment and above all of transport, set
strict limits on the possible achieve
ments of a ans-Atlsntic power in
Europe. These things are well un-
derstood here. perhaps better than
they are at home, but the men who
are In pasition to fathom the pres
ent situation always come back to
the same refrain. One of the lead
ers of the British Empire said to
me yesterday:
I'VE know the difficulties. But
you must surmount them, IL not
next year. then in 1919. II you do
not. il you permit Germany to alb
sorb Russia, we are all slaves to-
gether henceforth. We are doing
our utmost, and you know that we
are. To praise France would be i'm
pertinent II you throw yourselves
into the struggle as France has done
as we have done, victory is certain.
II you do not, the future is black,
as black for you as for u.s."