Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-08-23

to create the impression that Ger
many has won tho war and peace
should be made at once to Escape
he cost to the United States Of
continuing the struggle, ! feel that
should emphasize what seems to
arguments.
familiar to Americans. We had tho
same thing in 1864 and 1865, when
tho downfall of the confederacy
was but a few days off: exactly
this sort Of campaigning was going
on and the north was ful! Of copper
Vet the fate Of the c%onfederacy was
sealed at Gettysburg, and in my
judgment, as | wrote here a year
n . half ago, Verdun was a sec
ond Gettysburg, with the Germans
playing the confederate role.
Had Russia been able to do this
year what h did last this would prob
ably have been the last year of the war.
If Russia can rally in time for next
swiftly. But even if Russia does not
rally. if the United States does what
is In her power to do, i do not think
that the fourth anniversary of the war
will see any survival of German hope
not of victory, but of escaping defeat.
Playing Germany's Game.
We have all of us come, insensibly,
to play IN German game a little and
to believe far too much in the infalli-
b1lity of German generals and the in
vlncibility of German armies. Yet from
the Marine to the present hour every
German offensive in the west has
failed, and the steady deterioration of
German armies has been revealed by
the marked increase in prisoners, guns,
ground gained by successive attacks.
In my judgment, no small part of the
depression we all feel about us here is
due to a we'll intentioned but hardly
we'll controlled desire to make the pic
ture black in order to awaken Amer
leans. the theory being that they are
not yet sufficiently awake. l believe
this because l do not see in the mill
tary situation, granted that America
does her part. any cause for pessimism
whatever.
A good deal of salutary information
might be derived by Americans if they
would sit down and read the history OF
the campaigns of 1868 in the civil war.
and after 1t Lincoln's second inaugural
address. In my judgment, the end of
the campaign of 1918 will see Germany
decisively beaten. and l do not think
in that time.
SVytO9 20 Tlea0 OtI ANnefoCa.
u seems to me, looking all the
evidence fairly in the face, that
Germany can escape decisive de-
5 feat only IL there 10 no campaign
Of 1918, and I believe every Amer
lean should be or his guard against
tho battle that is being waged in
this country to prevent that cam
paign. 10 It not significant that
every German influence in the
United States is working to prevail
upon this country to make such a
peace proposal a will save Ger
many and leave her with her power
for harm undestroyed? IL only il is
left TO the soldiers, I believe 1918
will be h victory ear for the ma
tons allied against Germany.
believe also that the war will be
won on the western front.
The news from the eastern front re-
mains so vague that it is difficult to
the extent Of the Russian dis
aster Or to forecast it's consequences.
So far as n can now see, what has
happened is this: The Russian army
which a successfully advanced north
of Brzezany, which is half way between
the DniesteE river and the Brody-Lem-
berg railroad. was suddenly thrown in
to disorder and began a precipitate re-
treat eastward along the Lemberg-Tar-
nopol railroad and highway, opening a
gap in h whole Russian front in
Galicia.
This particular performance seems to
nave been timed by German spies to
coincide with a German advance on
this front. The combination Of the two
things resulted in one Of the worst
collapses of the whole war. When the
retreat began the Russian army inn
mediately affected was facing Lem
berg. some 4O-odd miles away, it's front
extending from the Lemberg- Tarnopol
railroad southwest to the Zlota Lipa
river. and thence across this river to
the Dniester river. Now. after two
weeks of the retreat, this Russian army
Is r%etreating from the strong position
the second strong position which it
might have held. which was on the
Strypa river, and beyond the third po-
sition. which was the Sereth river, on
which Tarnopol is situated. Actually,
to judge from the latest reports, this
army is now either IN the Rus
! frontier or across 1t in Russian
all the way south from the
Brody-Lemberg railroad to the neigh
borhood of the .Dniester river. 1t has
evacuated not merely all the ground
which 1t won in the recent offensive,
but 1t has evacuated also all the ground
by h offensive OF last year. and it
IL. In addition. retreating beyond the
limits Of the great Russian retreat
followed the defeat at the Duna-
jec, in the spring of 1915.
The Russian Debaeie.
The effect Of this retreat on the army
to the south, which had
made the great success Of two weeks
ago. and had taken Halicx and Kalusz,
was immediate. So far as one can now
see. this army has not lost its morale,
nor has its retreat become a rout.
Nevertheless, 1t has had repeatedly to
draw back. first from the ground OBJ