Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-12-13

~ II au eaoe0ftal SUPPLIES tAe CO.
ooos - IL vest are shssautsly -
aaat a. IL Belcan ssslsA
Now The asestoa ee Whether they
might costume to rely upon tAs Bel
eten routes Was N this attack 70 The
east at Ypres to be put 10 the test.
II they could defeat that attack. well
and good. They might thru consider
themselves secure. their hold 90 Bed
GUM secure. their armies In the west
safe - far 10 supplies were concerned.
and. shat u more. the German alliance
or coofederacy assured BY the effect
Of this success, and the way opened
for peace negotiations more or less in
accordance with their own Views.
But II they could not defeat the
attack, then equally all this was nj.
tered. They were insecure: their hold
upon Belgium must become peecari.
GUS; their entire force on the west
must be jeopardized; the effect Of de-
feat undermining the faith Of their al.
lies must undermine their cOnfedera.
ton: and the hope Of q peace upon
anything like their own terms must be
destroyed.
More Than Fight for Territory.
1T will be seen that the battles east
Of Ypres are much more than q fight
for a system Of ridges: certainly much
more than q fight to decide whether
the British or the enemy shall through
the winter stand on wet ground or
dry; much more ever than q struggle
for the coast, or for presumed subma-
rine bases: much more than the I'M
pressing Of German public opinion.
These battles decide whether or not
u vital operation Is possible; q vital
operation, because to the whole Ger
man force on the west 1t is q matter
Of life and death. and u matter Of life
and death to the modern Prussianized
and militarlzed German empire.
"A test. when 1t comes to the shock
OF battle, Is always tactical. Let stra-
tegical schemes be as sound and well
conceived as they may. II the troops
who are to carry them out are not up
to the work, the plans cannot be real
lied. With this tactical test, SO fur
us 1t has gone, we have every reason
to feel in the highest degree satisfied.
So far we have not missed n step.
Further, we knew that although
there has been ~slngularly little vicis-
sltude Of fortune, we have compelled
the enemy to put forth and have met
his utmost effort. Five divisions have
been identified east of Ypres rs just
brought from Russia and from Chum-
payne. 1t Is telling evidence Of the
strain this defense has imposed. A
stronger defense than that hitherto Of
fered may be dismissed as wholly i'm
probable.
in Il case like this, the German
command is not accustomed to lock
the stable door after the horse has
been stolen, and 1t Is idle to suppose
that we should have been allowed to
advance us far as the outskirts of
Passchendaele and the Houthulst wood
IL any ean Of the enemy's command
could have prevented it. The mems
are not ut the encmy's command. and
If they are not now, they never will be.
Test Has Been Decisive.
an brief, this tactical test has been
decisive, and that decision Is the de-
cision of the war. The fate of the
German armies on the west Is no open
question. Before the assault on the
Messlnes ridge 1t might have been so
regarded. 1t cannot be so regarded
now.
And what is the authoritative Ger
man view Of the matter? Let us Judge
as usual by acts. First of all there IL
the distribution Of 'Fatherland Party
pamphlets among the German sol.
diery. The morale of the German army
needs to be reinforced. The proceed
ure has no ether meaning. Why does
the morale need TO be stiifened? Be
cause of the effect of the repeated
shocks 1t has undergone. Shocks are
not caused by victories. All the de-
tailed accounts agree that the morale
of the German troops is patchy. Some
fight well; others fight badly. The
morale of m army Which Is sinking
always takes this form Of rotten spots,
which tend to spread. 1t leaves Il
force unreliable, for an army is q
chain Of linked units and unities. and
if some of the links be rotten the chain
will break to Il certainty. The Fla.
therland' propaganda is apparently IN
attempt ut cure.
Know They Are Beaten.
"Next there Is the official represent.
alton III the German newspapers OF
the resistance east of Ypres az a vic.
tOrious' resistance Seemingly II Is
victorious because We do not accom-.
plish everything mt one bound. There
could not be a gr0sser military ab.
surdity. and Of course the men who
write bulletins Of that kind know that
such stun Is nonsense. The fact that
they write II, and feel constrained to
write It, discloses their real opinion,
They know that they are beaten.
ITO pass on, there IL the reported
conference CT enemy rulers at Sofia.
The military feverses Of Germany on
| the west. the main md decldinu thar.