The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1917-08-02
IT'S A LONG WAY TO BERLIN

Inspitc ~ the fact that the reports ot
crop conditions in Germany indicates that
wheat will be below normal that the potato
crop is less than half the usual weld, this
does not indicate that the people of Germany
arc ready to end the war.
It takes more than one year of near
starvation to break the will of nation. it
staggers the Imagination. of those who have
always lived in a land of plenty, to conceive
how nation can exist on but fraction of
it's peacetime rations. History, however
is filed with stories of marvellous fortitude
shown by nations surrounded by foes, main
tanning stubborn defense against apparently
1nsuperable odds.
For more than 80 years the Netherland-
ers fought against Spanish tryany. They
were able to defend their liberties in face
of the most desperate means 10 eXtermnate
the race. The sacking of Antwerp of Maest~
rich, and hundreds of other prosperous
cities, the devastation of the countripridc,
left the stark hand of desolation everywhere.
During all this time, too the terrible in-
quisition took the toll of manifestations
.nds of terror ridden people. Yet tie ma
ton fought ON until Philip Of Spain was will
ING to let the war end. and the Dutch Rcpub-
lie was established.
England fought for 30 years on the Pen
nisula of Spain and despite the efforts of the
Spanish to cut off her food supply ultimately
won the war Immediately there after she
become engaged in the Napole0nic wars
which lasted for seventeen years before Wat
erloo gave stricken Europe peace.
The Southern StarcS wte but
slight preparation, with almost no manufact
uring machinery, prepared and fed an army
for four years of terrible carnage, and fought
bravely to the end. -.----~.-
None of these, however, can be compar-
ed with Germany. Instead Of no prepara.
tion for war; Germany was prepared to the
mhmtc. Her war college had the plans laid
to the utmost detail. She had the plans laid
army in the world, and she had the legal
sneaps Of providing additional forces with
out delay. Germany had stored in every
city the sinews of war aiIer railroads were
all built with this war in mind BY means
of elaborate maneuvcrs over portion of the
very ground in which the war is being
fought her generals had handled greater
forces than had any of the allies command
'ers. Beside all of these things Germany
with her allies form compact body. Thru
the controlling power of the Prussian war
cabinet, and the fact that Germany is tinanc-
ing all Central Powers. her general staff
has full command of all the armies, be they
lighting on the Riga line Galicia Turkey,
or in France and Belgium. The vast ad-
vantage of the entire mobility is Germany's,
and it is am advantage to reckoned with to-
lay.
While the allies are superior IN man
)nwer, and have recently become superior in
mn power, as they rein sea power today,
yet that fact alone will not win the war,
Even with the United States enlisted in the
struggle the added men power will not inn
mediately effect the result 1t is only pos
Sible 10 place given number of men from
the Vosges Mountains to the sea, and Eng
land and France have them there facing The
Grown Prince and Won Hindenburg. So
long as Germany fights ON foreign soil, long
will the war continue. And at the rate
which the Prussians have retreated during
the past year the war will not end soon.
Americans must reconcile themselves To
these facts. There is nothing to be gained
bv entertaining false hopes. The man who
fools himself. fools no one else, We might
inst as well take advantage of the lessons
of history and prepare for long struggle
with the Potsdam pirates.