The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-08-03
The LOtus-EaterS

United States in debating, at inordi-
nate length, the Food Bill, the hesita-
ton over the plans for constructing a
great feet of aeroplanes, the wrangle
over the conflicting claims of the steel
or wooden ships, these and many kin
bred delays in the prosecution of the
war, have been causing those who are
macquainted with the seriousness of
the crisis to explode in righteous in
dignation, and those who are acquaint-
ed with it to wonder whether the po-
litical lotus-eater has forgotten that
the world is in the midst of the great
est war in history, or whether he has
become entirely insensible to the dam
ger to his own soldiers of this lassi-
tude.
Now the country ought to at once
realize that every hour of delay means
more than a corresponding lengthen-
ing of the war. 1t means, therefore,
not only a callousness to the suffer
ings and efforts of its allies, who for
three years have been pouring out
blood and treasure in a struggle which
its own intervention now seals as a
Just one, but it means that the blood
tax levied upon itself will be proper
tionately increased. The situation,
whatever the politician may contend,
is an extremely simple one. For three
years the belligerent nations have
carried upon the struggle upon scale
which no one of them thought posi-
bic before the war. AS a result, all
the original participants, with the eX-
ception of the United Kingdom, are
staggering, and not one of them is
staggering in reality and by COMPARE
son worse than Germany. But it is
just here that one remarkable differ
ence in the mentalities of the oppos-
ing nations manifests itself. Russia
is without any political coherency, a
mere bundle of nationalities, each gov
erned by an ideal of its own, and what
this means is seen in the disorgani-
cation of its army. At the beginning
of the war, however, the illusion of
"the steam roller" was still potent to
impress Germany, for Germany had
not even then fully plumbed the depths
of the venality of the Imperial Head
quarters Staff, ready to sacrifice whole
army corps for gold, nor the ignor-
ance and incapability of munitions
department equal to leaving the great
guns, shipped from the English arse
nails, to rust in the winters SHOWS,
with the crazy excuse that they would
have been exposed to the same ex-
perience in the trenches: they might
have-in the Russian. AS a result,
however, of her misconception of Rus
sia's power, Germany at the moment
of Won Kluck's rush toward Paris, di-
verted the army corps intended for
his support to East Prussia, in a mo-
ment of alarm, and so materially as
sisted Marshal Joffre to win the bat
tie of the Marine.
The position of France is an entire
ly different one to that of Russia 1t
was Frances alliance with Russia
that brought France into the war, but
France had no idea that Russia was
going to prove such a broken reed,
and so to throw upon the French ar
mics the main shock of the fight on
land. In such conditions the losses of.
France in men, and in occupied and
devastated territory, have been ter
rife, and so France finds herself, to-
day, saving every man she can, and
looking more and more to the United
Kingdom and United States to do her
fighting for her, both on land and sea.
This accounts for the almost ecstatic
welcome of General Pershing's army,
and for the fact of his almost incred-
ible popularity and influence in
France. Year by year the British
have been taking over more and more
of the French front. They have at
length extended their line practically
from the North Sea to Saint Quentin.
1t is very many times more than their
bond, but it is not enough, and so
France, in her necessity, looks toward
General Pershing.
1t is quite manifest from this, and
the facts as presented are entirely in
controvertible, that the decision of the
campaign has become the RESPONSE
bility very largely of the United
Kingdom and the United States. The
United Kingdom could easily have
kept out of the war, but Lord Grey
and Mr.. Asquith, Mr.. Balfour and Mr.. |
Bonar Law, Mr.. Henderson and Mr..
Redmond saw its significance, and so,
although too late to save Belgium, |
the country interviewed to save France |
and the liberties of the world. For
three years, by holding the seas
against Germany, the United King
dom has justified Admiral Mahan's
theory of sea power, and has prevent |
ed the triumph of Germany. Mean |
time she has financed Europe, and !
raised huge army of some 100000
men. In finding money and supplies
for others she has, however, so
trenched upon her own resources that
she may need further help from the
United States in making good her de-
ficiency in these. When the time
comes for this, the United States will
undoubtedly assist her with the same
generosity she has herself assisted
her allies. And this not less because
such help may be essential to the
British army and the British fleet,
than because the United States is GO
ing to be forced to look to her as her
foremost ally in the future prosecu-
lion of the war.
1t is because Germany knows all
this that her bitterness to and hatred