The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-12-15

by Carl d. Groat, United Press
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15.-America
must speed up her war work. Ia
must concentrate on the essentials
and consecrate herself fully and
nobly to the task of victory-a task
growing difficult by virtue Of Ger
many's new found strength arising
from the Russian fiasco.
That was the solemn, frank warn
ing view today of Secretary of War
Baker and other government off,
Gals. Baker refused to be specific as
to details in respect to his sugges-
lions for more speed. Others sug-
| gested that, with shipping the crucial
point about which the fortunes Of
wal will turn, more must be done.
Labor, they said, must come forward
to it's fullest extent. Men executing
the government program must cut
red tape.
This was the governments answer
to the frank warning in the United
Press despatch from Ed. L.. Keen and
in the appeal for greater efforts of
the British nation made in Premier
LIoyd-George's speech.
Everywhere officials agreed with
the view openly stated in the United
Press story and implied in the pre-.
mier's address that it is up to the
United States to fill the Russian gap
and then more
The Cambria reverse of the Brit
ish has not been minimized here.
Army men have said it stopped
short Of a big calamity while Secre-
tary Baker recently suggested that
the whole west front situation should
not no ~;pip,i1oI ocnnnioJ1u in yinuy
of the preparations for an offensive
with reinforcements from the east
front. A distinct dark blue atmos-
phere was manifest for days in
Washington.
However this has been swept aside
and supplanted by a stronger spirit
determination to do the tmost,
confident hat victory can be wrested
from the Germans if Lloyd-George
slogan,-sanity s~teadiness and out
put, is applied. Everywhere authori-'
ties claimed his statement that there
is no half way house between vic.
tory and defeat; and believed that
the American nation, gradually but
surely stirring to it's tasks, will
realize that there can be no bargain
ing now with the Hohenzollern autoc-
racy.
Officials cautioned incidentally that
too much pessimism and despair is
just as bad as over-confdence. They
sought, hoewver, to drive home the
thought that the wal has reached a
stage where Germany has a fresh
morale-and more troops-from the
Russian situation and that this must
be met with more American ships,
more American men and more Amer.
lean food.
Germany is putting forth her maxi
mum effort To- to beat the allies
before Americas strength is exerted,
all admit.
That is explained by German press
comment reaching here showing that
Germany is distressed at her loss of
world trade and the prospect Of a
commercial war after the war.
This factor, however, is the only
one suggesting a Teuton breakdown,
officials say-and the pressure is still
too small to be important or COM
forting to this nation.
Future owe uncertain.
by J. w. T. Mason, written for the
United Press.l
NEW YORK, Dec. 1.-THE initia-
tive passing to the Germans on the
Anglo-French front; as described by
Ed l.. Keen, in his London dispatch
to the United Press today, means
that the next move in the west is up
to Won Hindenburg.
Certainty about the German plans
has halted the British offensive. IN
stead Of continuing the series OF
blows that have been shaking the
German lines, the British are un.
willing to risk being caught off their
balance again as they were at Cam
brai. The capture of the Hindenburg
line by the British is in itself SUI
ficient explanation Of the reason why
unprecedently heavy German rein
forcements have been pouring into
the western trenches during the past
fortnight.
The kaiser did not know what stu
pendous blow might be coming and
he could not afford to take chances
With this greatly added Germai,
strength in the west, estimated tt
H.