The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-12-27


tience and sympathy have meant
more in Russia than any other fac
tors; more even than the railroad re-
organization and supplies of locomo-
tivess which are expected to restore
Russia's transportation system by
next spring and more than the mil
lions of money furnished without
stint.
Other things which the American
entry have meant are:
What U. S. Entry Means
Unity of Allied war direction, the
formation Of the Supreme War Coun-
Gil. :,
A real blockade of Germany by sea.
A ringing declaration by the
democracies against discussing peace
with governments not responsible to
their peoples, the American president
being chosen to- answer the Pope's
appeal.
At the end of the possibility that the
submarine might be the declining fac
tor of the war
So, much for Americas entry and
its significance. Meanwhile the orig
inals, belligerents have continued the
desperate struggle ON the battlefield
with littleto choose between their, re-
spective successes. s'Hasty consider
alton would make it seem that the
Teutonic powers have won victories
out of proportion to their defeats.
Their: armies will spend their fourth
trench Christmas far inside the Ital-
ian border and much farther inside
the Russian border.
The drive into Italy by Mackensen's
Austro- Germans have been the most
spectacular military event of the year.
The conquest of Riga had the out
ward appearance of a bigg military
victory.
But neither event has achieved its
purpose. Aside from the fact that in
each case the result has been to unite
the invaded countries against them
vaders, the German government must
reckon with determination through
out the world not to recognize the
tight of territorial conquest. This de-
termination has become definite
tangible quantity in every Allied
country. There must be other grounds
for possession if Germany is to keep
Riga or Austria to keek Venetia.
Lacking much grounds these military
' successes lose their Importance.
It is different with the most strik-
Ting Allied victory of the year, the
penetration of Allenby's army into
the heart Of the Holy Land. Most of
the world will endorse the British pur-
pose to restore this country to it's
ancient people, the Jews. Even in
Germany this purpose will find favor
! among a large proportion of the pop
ulation, despite the tremendously
damaging effect it will have on their
Turkish allies. Allenby in Palestine
and Maude in the country about Bag
dad have made tie Turks hold on his
Asia Minor vassals precarious.
Flanders is Allied Success
The allies realest success, however,
has had little Of the theatrical about
it. 1t has been in France and Flan-
ders. There the British and the
French have been pushing the Ger
man divisions from the Voges hills to
the Flanders mudfats as no army
ever before was punished. They have
given them the definite alternative of
getting out of France and Flanders
or Of seeing their great military ma
chine stripped to a skeleton on the
field. They have made it cost the
Prussians and Bavarians more in
man-power to stand against them
than it has cost the allies to force
their way Notwithstanding new in
modern warfare
. Politically it has been year of
significance. Bethmann Hollweg's ef-
forts to reconcile liberal and junker
ambitions in Germany finally collaps-
ed and pure junkerism, under Mich
aelis, had few weeks fling. Now, to
use phrase the Germans themselves
like, "Democratization is marching"
Won Mertling's government is hes
itating, unwilling to approach to-
ward a truly responsible government.
President Wilson seems likely to OBJ
tain eventually, though probably not
soon, the privilege of dealing with the
German government whose word is
not worth the paper it's written on.
Japan and the United States, with
the exchange of couple of letters
seem to have gassed the Yellow Peril
bogy beyond resuciation.
Greese has rid herself of "mis-
representative" ruler and aligned her
self with the Allies position in the
near East.