The Monticellonian., 1917-11-23
EARLY PEACE IDEA
 MUST BE DROPPED
WASHINGTON OFFICIALS ASSERT OPTIMISTIC STORIES ARE
 GERMAN PROPAGANDA.
RESULT IN OVERCONFIDENCE
Men in Training Camps Must Not Think Their Efforts Are to Be Vast SiQht.
By EDWARD B. CLARK.

By EDWARD B. CLARK. Washington.-Th war department may bring the second series of officers training camps to close more quickly than was intended. It is believed also | that the senior class at West Point will be graduated quickly. It is not diff cult to find a connection between the recent happenings on the Italian front and the probable decision of the war | department to bring more American of ficers quickly into the service.
 There never has come from Wash ington headquarters nor from individ- ual officers of the service any express sion of opinion that the war is likely 1 to end soon. On the contrary army officers trained to study of the situa- tion have felt and still feel that the l war is likely to continue for q long i time to come. It is definitely known that the military authorities, and with 1 them, of course, the naval authorities, 1 have been worried over the excess of optimism in the country on the sub 1 ject of short war.
 Officials here have not hesitated to say at times that the optimistic stories, just as surely as the pessimistic ones which have been spread through the country, have sprung from the ranks of German sympathizers. As the feel ing expresses itself concerning these stories of cheer 1t runs along the line of fear that men will not be willing to undertake training in the officers reserve camps if they are imbued with the thought that they are to go through the trouble and the toll of the thing without any chance of being able to take hand in wars proceedings.
 Must Expect Long Conflict.
 Moreover, the stories which have been spread apparently systematically to the effect that the war soon is to end will have, if they have not already had, the effect of making thousands of men in camp let down in their en- deavor to perfect themselves as sol diers. Eff we are not to serve, what is the use of digging trenches all day?"
 There are officers of the army who do not believe that there Is any chance that this war will end for at least eighteen months or two years. They believe that the people will reconcile themselves to the thought of pro- longed war when they dwell on the l fact that the end of tie war must mean the triumph of democracy over au- tocracy.
 The United States has been fed on stories of the weakening of Germany, the starving condition of its people, it's armies lack of munitions, and with tales of other kinds intending to show generally weakening condition of the enemy. Army officers here have dis counted these stories from the begin ming. Some of them actually believe that in some subtle way or other the Germans have managed to get stories of this kind into headquarters places of the various allied countries and have done it for the express purpose of giving overconfidence to Germany's en- emies and especially to the United States of America.
 The United States government did not begin to prepare for war until war came, but 1t is now making prepara- tion not for war of months but for war of years. Of course, as some of the officers say, the entirely unex- pected may happen and Germany may crack from some at present unforeseen cause, but their implicit belief is that the tales of cracking on the part of the enemy countries have been propaganda pure and simple.
 
 ries of exhaustion on the part of Ger many were spread almost on the eve of the tremendous attack on the Ital- ians. There has been no sign of lack of munitions or of men in the armies opposed to those of Italy. Military students of the onslaught say that it bears every evidence of the same strength which Germany manifested at the outbreak of the war.
 Unity of Action Wanted.
 Andrew Bonar Law, British chancel- Tor of the exehequer, has given this word to the world:
 "The approaching inter-allied con ference at Paris has been summoned not to consider war aims but the con duct of the war;
 Army officers in Washington whose opinions are worthy of high consdera- ton believe that immediately follow Ing the Paris discussion on the con duct of the war a new strategy of conflict will be presented, approved and adopted by the war offices of the allied powers.
 In Washington's high places of coun- sci and command there is every ex- pectation that so far as land opera tions are concerned there will be q readjustment of offensive and defen- sive action and that there will be a coalescing of effort on every allied front within the next few months. The hope even is strong that the plan of readjustment will be such as to com mand itself to the weak-hearted ones in Russia and to the strong-hearted but weak-armed ones in one or two =.E .f