Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1917-11-08
TO BE A LONG WAR.

The American people are waking
up from their dream that the wal
will soon end. Indeed, the reports
that come from the leaders are more
discouraging as to immediate peace
than in more than a year The effort
now is to impress the nation with the
greatness of the task. General Wood
recently asserted that the United
States had hardly entered the strug-
gle and that there would be another
draft, another and another until ev-
cry able bodied man In the country
is carrying arms.
The Washington correspondent of
the New York Evening Post. paper
that has taken a hopeful side of the
peace-coming idea, writes his impress
sions gained from cabinet members
and others in authority and they
make dark picture His words are
worth careful consideration. He
says:
There are more people who as
sert definitely when the war will not
be over than when it will be- There
are more persons in the government
who can advise you what the United
States and the allies intend to do in
the next three years than can posi-
bly, forecast what will happen inside |
of Germany in the next three years.
THE impression given by the men
who know what is going on is that
II Is a long haul ahead. Lord Kitch |
ener didn't popularize himself by pre-
dieting three years of war in 1914,
and no member of President Wilson 8
cabinet wants to do any predicting
at all. Yet their privately expressed
views do not indicate belief that
the war is near it's end, but that it
is in the very middle stage of its
duration.
There Is a great deal of valuable
information safely secreted in the
minds of high officials as to the plans
and purposes of the allies. Without
explaining or intimating in the slight
est degree the nature of these plans,
1t is permissible to say that they spe
city in detail what is to be done in
the remainder of 1917, what is to be
undertaken Immediately in 1918 and 3
carried thru to the next December, I
and then comprehend certain other 2
.hings for the year 1919. Also a r
general idea even prevails of what c
must be accomplished in the spring j.
If 1920. Obviously such plans are Il
They look three years v
head s,
only when million Americans D
rave taken their places in the bat 81
lie line and a million more are be- s,
lind the lines in reserve and hun If
lreds of thousands more in training Ct
amps and environments in the Uni HI
ed States, these observers say, will W
he true situation dawn on the Ger es
nan military authorities. Ell
! II is long haul--at least anoth- ia
IT year of fighting, and probably two. n,
That is the conservative Judgment
which l have found among officials.
who predict a long war,
limax in the spring of 1919, sincere
y hope their judgment is proved by
wrong and that Germany will weaken Gu
'efore that. But guessing on when sa
Germany will weaken, due to intern lii
] disorders, is the greatest of uncer- te
ainties. The only certainty on which m
he prevailing judgment is based is wi
hat the United States and the allies so
nil not weaken. but will cumulative CO
? become stronger until the final ex
low is delivered. If Germany sees pr
he handwriting on the wall, the war ev
ill stop before the end of next year. of
therwise. a decision in 1919 can be iii
nd to be the objective of the whole co
lied campaign" pa
And this was written before the
erman victories in Italy, which in
cate yet stronger positions for the
erman lines. m.