Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-01-10

were able Ia do 50 because they knew
what their preparations We're and that
tile French had nothing to withstand
them.
"T'other Way Round" Now.
Now ii is cutting the other way. The
French had such preparations that
f they knew the Germans could not
stand against them. And no one wants
10 be deceived by the Berlin claim
that the French have retaken the
ground at frightful cost. Ii may have
cost one-tenth what ii cost the Ger
mans 10 take il, not more. At this
stage of the war human cost can be
figured accurately on the basis of she'll
lire and the number of hours the at
lacking army fought In the open.
Ground taken in n few hours is bound
To cost much less than ground cap
tured after months of ceaseeSs attack.
The cost In lives has not entered
into the discussion here ut all, though
the question of man-pOwer is the catch
word of the day, ard there is IA rea-
son for ii. Everyone IN France knows
now that French troops are not or
dercd out of the trenches until the OPP
posing German trenches have been
wiped out by shell fire. When the Ger
mans cry This is not war, II is saugh-
ter" the French people simply rub
their palms in self-congratulution
They know they have the job of driv-
ing the Germans out of France II jump
ut time, and If the Germans will
jump back ahead of their shell fire
they are content. They have reached
the cheerful state of mind where they
are willing TO 60 on making shells in
larger and larger numbers for an in
definite period.
Verdun Front Secure.
Things may 90 ahead for while
on other fronts, but there is hardly
Frenchman living who thinks any
thing disastrous can happen again on
this front. am with them in that be-
lief, and so is everybody who knows
anything about the present strength
of the French army in men and shells.
My confidence in the situation. gath
cred from contact with the French
people is such that | am willing To
write this and contide ii to the slow
going mails when the French advance
at Nerdun is hardly more than under
way, and | have no fear anything will
happen meanwhile to contradict it.
There is a common-SeuSe reason for
this, too. For the first time there is
an adequate supply of big new modern
artillery before Verdun. The Germans
nearly took Verdun because France
did not have Il sufficient number of
heavy tieldpieces to protect it. 1t was
saved by the small .115-millmcter guns,
the same guns that turned the Ger
mans on the Marine, and the Germans
were stopped only when the French
succeeded in bringing up fortress guns
from the forts on the Italian frontier:
the French army was that badly off in
artillery. There was new artillery
enough for the Somme, but not for
both the Somme and Verlun, SO they
advanced with the new on the Socme
and held the Germans at Eerdun with
the old. Now the French have enough
new heavy artillery for both the
Sonme and Verdun, so they are adj
vancing at both spots.
Artillery the Big Factor.
1t takes time to make artillery, but
it takes longer yet to remove fixed
ideas, and even the brilliant men who
have turned Frances military fortunes
could not foresee what the war would
be like ut this stage and did not pro-
vide against the present necessity for
heavy fieldpieces. 1t was vcrdun that
stirred things up Verdun stands for
many things, but in close-in military
and political circles in France it means
the point where France began to 90
iii for heavy artillery on big scale.
There are several different factions
In France just now claiming the credit
for Frances growing artillery superb
GRITTY, and without casting any dis
credit on the high command of the
army 1t is generally conceded that the
French parliament had an important
hand in it. 1t is balm, too, to the feel
ings of French parlamentarians, for
they were certainly snubbed at the
beginning of the war, and they can
point out now with perfect propriety,
especially the senator's, that they or
dered and voted the funds for heavy
artillery when many military men in
high position were inclined to think
the thing was being overdone. The
credit for the new Verdun advance
at least that part not due to the SOL
diers and the brilliant French artil-
leryinen--wll have to 60 to a sena
tOrlal committee that got busy months
ago, when it was not very much en-
couraged, and made the new supply
OF big guns possible.
This whole matter Is not talked
about much here; it is simply accept |.
ed. One no longer hears scornful re-
marks from military men about med
ding politicians And the members
Of parliament and all the civil side Of
the government they represent are
wearing their regained prestige rather