New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1917-12-22

'oss BE you
GU young, no
at your birth
yet you can
: the Great
the massing of troops from The
Russian front for the invasion oil
/ Italy. We get a glimpse that al
Cambria our forces encountered
a division fresh from Russia.
The plain fact is that for the
time being a third of the war is
wiped out. A much greater
weight of German and Austrian
man-power and gun-power will
henceforth be felt in the west.
This is very grave matter, for it
must inevitably mean some read
justment of the plans. the methods
and the theories which have
hitherto guided our operations. 1t
implies that the enemy will do
their utmost to obtain some sort
of decision in the west, and that
the attack on Italy is the fore
runner of further attempts to
abandon the defensive methods
, which have served them ever since
their failure at Verdun. They
cannot wholly deplete their long
Russian front, but they will un-
doubtedly leave it very thin.
The new factor will involve a
prolongation of the war, and we
ought to be making up our minds
for struggle in the west next
year more desperate than we have
ever yet known. While the coua-
! try was rightly cheering the very
fine advance of Sir Julian Byng
before Cambria last week some Of
us were not listening to the joy
bells, but were wondering what
the Government are doing about
recruiting. We were thinking OF
the enemy reinforcements and the
big guns moving across the lsonzo
and down through Galore, and OF
the long troop trains which will
pass this winter from Volhynia
and the Niemen to Flanders and
Champagne.
For six months the Government
have toyed with the paramount
issue Of recruiting. They have
got to face it now. The country
! has got to face it too. and to stop
listening to delusive twaddlc,
We are going to be in tighter
place than we have ever yet been
liz know Sir Auckland Geddes is
mot to blame for the delay, but to
me--his speeches are in some re.
spects a disappointment. He need
mot make himself general censor
of public conduct. That is not
his Job. What we want to heal
from him is rather less repr0of Of
| young women and a great dea
|, more about how he proposes e
, get recruits for the Army, whic.
, needs them badly. He seems K
regard the battle-line as a minol
. nuisance, and his theories Of re
, lcruiting would surprise any regi
mental commander with trenches
Ito hold.
!, The second factor. that of foot
! shortage. will probably eventually
bring about the end of the war
and perhaps will also determine
! the way it will end. In create
! or less degree most of the ma
tons which represent Western
! civilization are slowly and per
, haps imperceptibly drifting to
: ward hunger. The Germans an.
|. Austrians are hungry already
portions of the Allied communitie
are nearing the same condition
In very few weeks there will b
an actual famine in some Of tn
cities Of Russia. Italy is peril
ously short Of food; France ma.
soon not have enough; Greece ]
badly pinched; Great Britain ]
seriously short Of particular com
modities.
j Taking the world as q who'll
There is a definite inadequacy 0
:, food. which is accntuated in va
rious countries, including ou
own, by the shrinkage Of the me
i.ls-- as-k.sh..ks~.- I'M. - &S~n.