New-York tribune., 1917-09-09
War Map Shows
Pan.Germanic
Dream of Empire
90 Per Cent
Achieved
Copyright l9l7-The Tribune Association

any possible achievement on the French
front. This seems to me mistaken view.
Even if Trieste fell and the Italians were
able to push eastward, widening their
front as they went and thus increasing the
opportunity to make use of the great num-
bers which they have, there are too many
obstacles on the road to Vienna to hold
out any promise In this direction In any
time that ono can now measure.
The decisive blow on the military side in
this war will have to come somewhere be-
tween the Vosges and the sea. The ina
bility to recognize this fact in 1915 led the
British into the almost fatal blunder Of
Gallipoli. Germany is the chief enemy,
and when Germany is beaten the entire
coalition Of Central Europe will fall. Even
should Austria make a separate peace
Germany would remain to be disposed Of,
but II Germany is defeated the Austrian
resistance will not last long thereafter.
Allies Gains This Summer
The campaign Of 1917 has hardly eight
weeks more to go. The Allied offensive in
Flanders has suffered gravely from bad
weather. Last year at the critical mo-
r1ent in the Somme the early onset of au-
tumn rain saved the Germans. Unprece-
dented wet weather this year has held UP
the British operations about Ypres, and
there is now some question as to whether
the campaign there will have any serious
consequences this year beyond the seizure
CT the high ground around Ypres, as the
high ground above Lens and Arras was
taken by earlier offensives. The French
at Verdun, on the Moronyilliers Heights
east of Rheims and on the Chemin-des-
Danes west of Rheims have already seized
ell good observation points along their
front. The British are now in possession
Of similar heights from st. Quentin to the
User, except about La Bass6e. 1t is going
to cost the Germans much greater casual
! ties this winter than last because of Brit
ish and French advantage in observation
and superiority in heavy artillery.
But the Russian collapse has already
changed the face of the war for the
present year. The conference of the Allied
General Stats which has just been called,
, is an evidence that a new military policy
is probably to be formulated, and this new
policy will probably mean postponement
of any considerable attacks until next year,
when American man power will begin to
become available in considerable numbers
on the Western front. If we have a quar-
ter Of million troops ready to use next
summer and another quarter Of a million
on European soil in training we shall have
contributed materially to lessening the
strain upon the French, and the English,
instead of having to take over more French
Lines, will be able to concentrate their
effort on another offensive somewhere be-
tween the User and the Disc.
Riga and the Peace Campaign
The fall of Riga has been hailed by the
/ Kaiser as another milestone TO victory II
is, as have pointed out, another milestone
on the road to the realization Of Mittel-
europa. For the Allies it will not be ac-
cepted as milestone, but as warning-a
warning Of the condition in Russia which
has patiently become such that all reliance
upon any military assistance from the Slav
state must be abandoned. The collapse Of
Russia has postponed German defeat
year. 1t has given the Germans an un-
equalled opportunity TO make the great
peace campaign for which they are pre-
pairing. Already it is the peace maneuvres
Of Germany and not the military opera
tons which are commanding the attention
of the world. The Riga victory will be
used as one more argument to prove Ger
many invincible, both at home and abroad
1t will be used as one more basis for COM
. hating in (,ermanv tho doctrine Of no An.