Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-21
FRENCH OPINION
IS THAT WAR WILL
END NEXT AUTUMN
This Year Expected to Wit
ness Appalling Orgy
of Death.
IMMENSE ARMY FORGING
WEAPONS FOR MEN IN FIELD
For Every Soldier There Is One
Civilian Working on Agents
for His Destruction.
ALLIED OFFENSIVE EXPECTED
VIII 'rrSrcndo {" Pitch Of Unim-
""in"hIe Fury Till One Side or
Oihcr Is Exhausted.

IRON III" chief Of its bureau in
France. {. =. Ecrt"lli. The International
News Service Yesterday received the
Following summary Of the war situa-
ton to date. II is the French view OF
what is likely to trausptre next sum-
mcr III tn" great world struggle
~ {. T.. BEtTfLII
IAtlS. January 20.-With tho break
down OF al peace suggestions at this
stage AN absolute certainty. attention
IS turned TO the possibilities, Of the
tnai year OF war just beginning. tho
prospects of the entente allies being
discussed in the light Of the swift
overthrow of Rouuania
The one big dominating fact that
energies from all sound considerations
OF the present situation is that 1917
viii he II year OF awful slaughter in
France.
While President Wilson's note. fol-
lowing Gcrmany's official bid for
peace, is not likely to produce the
hopcd-for results at the present time.
IT has definitely turned The minds of
all men and WOMEN in all the bclIir-
ercnt states in the direction of peace.
aud has thus brought about a revolu-
ton OF thought, the intensity of which
can only lie appreciated in the midst
OF the warning peoples
GRASP PROSPECT or PEACE:
AS NOT TOO REMOTE BLESSING
y month ago peace was still a far
distant vision, which men with the
most acute perceptions only dimly fore
saw; not everybody is able TO CRASH
the prospect OF peace as "A solid and
not too remote blessing. which must
inevitably cnsuc when military men
can no longer say that arms have not
had fair chance to decide the issues
Of The war. Th,t time will not come
until III" end Of next autumn. accord
ing TO the shrcwdeSt opinion in France
whilst 1911 is certain to be another
year Of war; il may also he expected
To witness carnage far more terrible
than the slaughter OF the User the
massacres before Warsaw the CHASTITY
sacrifices of Nerdun or the hccatombs
OF the Somme.
For IL is Il differentiated fact that
IT this moment something like 1000
90" rconle are engaged in the manu-
i"cturc OF guns and shells, rifles AMI
cartridges. bombs air torrcdoes and
the other death dealing material for
war. all OF which are to he directed
against some 100000 troops For
every soldier in the field there is at
least one civilian working on agents
for his dcstruction
Ii is not difficult. after twcnty-ninc
months OF war. to grasp the fact that
armies OF vnst size are in the field;
what is not so apparent even in the
big cities OF bellgcrcnt countries is
that civilian armies equally immense
are silently forging mortal weapons for
The uniformed lcyions. Present pro-
portions have only lately been reached,
though the tendency has for some
months been for the rear armies to
overtop those in the field.
TITANIC STRUGGLE
MAY HEGIN ~ FRANCE:
This state of things can only result
in AN appalling Orgy Of death and de-
siruction in 1917. 1t is likely to come
by surprise and to begin i'm France.
With the entente armies taking the
offensive. rs til" iinc weather opens
up II Will sprcad out over a much
larger arca than that Of any previous
offensive and crcsccndo to a pitch OF
unimag iuahic fury tin one side or the
other Is exhausted aud admits defeat
Tile dramatic munitions race now ST.
icmtly proceeding throughout Europe
and il Il large palt Of America is only
a prelude to titanic lighting next
spriug and summer.
MILITARY men here look c,uudcn.Iy 10
Nivc!I,. ana Han. ,n rct.,iu ,b, iri,io
tive on tic western front German
reserves have lately hc.u mosscd az
various points behind tho lime IN
France. gather. however ,I,,, NOV
:,,c MOI in sufficient force 10 enable
iIindcnhurg ,o begin nnv,hipr ike
u hi. drive ms, now I'm, ,re moro