Middletown transcript., 1917-11-17
lTALY'S DEFEAT

DAA
<NNE'S first feelings were almost
= akin to despair, after witnessing
Nv after day the Italian disasters that
we're losing in few hours the fruits
Of two years heroic, almost superhuman,
Iabors wherein Cadorna's armies climb
I'd 5000 feet to defeat the Austrian foe.
Certainly, Italy's reverses, coming on
the heels of Russia's seeming lapse into
,heer anarchy, startlingly suggests
the alarming possibility that perhaps
after all Germany may win even tho
Il nations are now leagued against
her The bare thought of the brutal,
victorious Huns exacting with fire and
sword their boasted levy of $50, 900, ,0O0,-
COO in oureown land, is enough "to ap-
pal the free" +"
But little reflection dissipates much,
if not all, of this fear, since it reminds
us that in these three years of war
everyone of Germany's many victories,
though never so spectacular, have al
ways fallen short of that fullness which
is necessary to complete, final success.
Did we not in like manner for days
hold our breath with intense anxiety
when these same Dragging barbarians
were marching upon Paris, driving the
French army like cattle before them
,rtil they were within cannon shot of
l.c evacuated French capital Then
at the Marne the tide suddenly turned,
and Joffre and his heroic Frenchmen
sent Won Kluk and his army pellmell in
rout scores of miles backward, and
France had seen the high water mark
cf the Teutonic invasion, just as our
own land saw Lees Confederate in
vasion of the North end on the bloody
slopes of Cemetery Hill in Pickett's
bas,S9.fhsNge' ,s9f
ain, about six months ago. shlvers
were sweeping over
by the and and America, lest the sub
~ spi ie peril with its appalling toll of
Russian 20 tons of shipping sunk in one
Leyh, should starve England. and
the Allies without ammunitions
ans, tatores But notwithstanding wave
the goNkewise receded last weeks toll
M "llkings being the smallest yet In
ro-a al so totally has this boastful threat
st. Pet niral Won Tirpitz "to bring Eng
eleo her knees in two months, failed
fle lasnow, ten months after it's first
.taculiarlg. the German people are angrily
asking why these oft epeated promises
of certain under sea victory. nave not
b en- kept
May not this seeming overthrow of
Italy also prove llusory These dra
matte triumphs over Germany 5 weaker
adversaries, Fabian victories everyone,
are costing her dear in men and NUM-
tons
The truth is, this furious drive against
Italy is desperate attempt to hearten
the impatient, suffering German popu-
lace fast approaching open rebellion.
For three successive winters the
Kaiser has used this trick to bolster up
the popular hopes that began sagqing
after the big initial failure at the
Marne of Germanys whole war cam
paigr.
Thus Servia's crushing in 1915 was
his sop for the Marne fiuke, to tide
over that winter; year later it was
the smashing of Roumania and the Rus
sian defeats that fired the chilling pop
ular heart thru the winter of 1916; now.
it is hoped to offer up Italy as sacri-
flee to appease at once the beastly SOL
dery with the looting of Venice, if
not, indeed, of Rome itself. and also
tn: u yet another winter, the most bit
ter and cruel of all. humbug the people
INTO the delusive belief that the mighty
Haissr will finally win, if not a COM
Ne victory. at any rate, such drawn
II as will permit him later to try
It'll on again. That this is SO. the
ilA ant proffers of peace upon the
rahB(ef Germany and Austria, conclu-
slvely show Indeed, their leading
journals are at this very time boating
t,at the Italian victory will convince
the Allies that Germany cannot be