Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-11-18
ITALY DARE NOT RISK BATTLE {.
UNTIL ARMY HAS THE STRENGTH
NECESSARY TO WIN A VICTORY

German threat along the osiago beS
Comes too menactng. 4
italy. 1t is essential to recognize that
II the italian armies and their allied
elect to night at the
Piave and are unable to make . suc-
sibllity that Austro-German armies
Will be able to force their way wests
ward across the Adige and the Mincio
into the valley of the Pc. II this hap
stroy practically all the Industrial
equipment of the italian nation. which
Is situated in the great Industrial cities
OF northern Italy. Such blow would
would, in all human probability. compel
Italy to make separate peace 30
far. then. the issue of the next greas
battle on the Austro-Italian front MAJ
be regarded as promising to be de.
cisive. II the italians are successful
in holding their lines at the Pfave or
the Adige. then the extent Of the dis,
aster Will be measured by the loss OF
venetia. the moral effect Il has upon
the allies. and. finally. the resurgence
of German war spirit incident to this
victory.
Losses So Far Not vital. '
Italy will have lost temporarily q
large province: cities like Padua. Vie
cenza and. above all. Venice. will pass
into the hands of the invader; but Italy
will not have lost Industrial regions.
Her invaded districts Will not have
French invaded districts had for
France. Her lines will have been
shortened. and. while the chance os
her passing to the offensive during the
be the extent Of the disaster. Further
than this, II the Germans are compelled
to make great sacrifices OF men ana
munitions vainly in attempting to force
will have weakened themselves ma
terially in a subordinate neid. oecAusS
II cannot be too often pointed out thae
the real decision of the war must come
many's main enemies in the war are
France and Great Britain. with the fus
ture menace of the United States when
sufiicient of our troops have arrived.
front to Italy, or sending troops to
Italy which might ultimately Do useo
on the west front necessities re-
duction in the man-power OF Germany
On the west front the Germans are outs
numbered and outgunned. and have been
steadily losing ground and battles for
fifteen months. The time IL approacnfnS
as a result of British success. parttcus
daeie. when there must be general re.
tirement Of the Germans in northern
France. Such a retirement will be cons
fession OF defeat. which cannot be con>
ceaied and will not be mistaken
Germans Took Big Gamble.
we see, then, very clearly how great
was the gamble of the Germans In go
ing to Italy. They had to go to Italy
because their Austrian ally was slowly
but surely sinking under the weight OF
the italian attack. In going to italy
they not only undertook to save Aus
tria, but they planned blow OF SUFFICIENT
weight to produce great Italian dis.
aster, and their hope was. FIRST, that
the extent of this disaster would put
Italy out of the war and. second that
the moral effect of this defeat upon the
allies would be such that negottated
place could be obtained during the winter.
We are not in a position yet to meas>
ure the extent of the German Success
They have defeated Italy as completely
as they defeated Russia at the Dune-
iec. They are still going forward. and IL
Ia too soon to say that Italy has been
able to reorganize her armies suflicient.
ly or has received sufficient allied rec
Inducements to restore the equilibrium
on the Piave. It IL still possible that Ger
many may crush Italy and. force q sepa.
rate peace. II is still possible that dos
mestic disorders within Italy. together
with the effect of q great disaster. may
produce q condition of anarchy within
the Italian kingdom which will destroy
Italian military power as Russian mill.
tary power has been destroyed No man
can prophesy about this On the mill.
tary side we have yet for some weeks
to wateh the pro- d Of lighting aionS
take final stock of the extent Of the
allied disaster.
Forcing Allies to Cooperate.
On the other hand. IT is essential ID
recognize that the immediate effect oe
the Italian disaster is to bring about .
lions such as had not existed during the
war We are seeing the knitting together
Of French. British. American and Italian
escapes ultimate disaster. the net efrec&s
of this latest allied defeat may be beness
fetal In our own civil war II WRs not
until Grant rose to supreme commands
and became the director Of all the armies
Of the north that there was a systematic
or scientific tree tment OF the militarys-
problem presented by the resistance. OF :
the Confederacy. This coordination wlfeu
It came, enabled the belligerent POSSESSING
greater resources and greater numbers to
use them effectively and to wear out thor
weaker party. The allies now possess Inc.
finitely greater immediate resources than
Germany and her well-nigh broken aflies,e
while with the United States in reserve,
they possess greater ultimate resources
II tley are now ADl6 10 use lnem e1S{
fectively the issue Of the war Is assured
There is a natural tendency at thfB
time to exaggerate the strength OF Ger>
many and to multiply by ten or q huns
bred both the numbers and the weaps
ons left to the kaiser. Inevitably. 40
your enemy grows weaker. such sucs
cesses as he happens to win give him
a maRnifed value in your eyes: but ft
is well to remember that the Germans
have been fighting now for three years
and a quarter against the Russians, the
French, the British, and that in addition
some of their numbers and guns have
been used again Belgium. against
Serbia. against Rumania- They have
won many local victories: they have
succeeded In putting Russia
out of the war. Their losses have been
colossal, and while the French and the
British have made their main losses
against the Germans. Germans have
fallen to the Russians, to the French
and to the British and today. while
the French are more or less quietly
holding their front, the British have
taken over the work Of hammering the
Germans.
France Wearied Of Napoleon.
There is a limit even to the capacity
IF the German to endure losses. France
xearied of Napoleon while he was stil1
,totor{oua and after waOraua ali hSa,