Catoctin clarion., 1918-10-31
Still Taking Things Serious.
Allies Working Hard To Insure
Speedy Defeat of Enemy.

| mics nave Deen cruSneuJ CndI Iney nave
been overwhelmed or that they have even
been weakened to the point where they
have lost their power of successful resist
ance.
On the contrary, the enemy forces still
remain intact. There line has been pen
etrated but never actually broken. They
have conducted mastery retreat, and
they have made the Allies pay heavily
for every gain that has been made.
Moreover, they are believed to be capa-
! BILE of powerful defense once they reach
their frontier.
Because of these facts the Allied War
Council is urging every government as
sociated against Germany to take moth
ing for granted. 1t insists that the
stream of men and munitions must con-
tinue to pour into France until there has
been literal surrender on the part OF the
enemy armies, until an armistice has been
accepted and the measures taken to en-
force the terms of such an armistice have
been put into full effect.
1t can be stated without qualification.
too, that the military program OF the
Allies is not being modjfedin the remot-
est degree by the peace discussions which
have been going on for the past few
weeks. This is particularly true of the
plans of this Government. The epidemic
of influenza halted the flow of draft men
into training camps and seemed to indi-
cate that general halt had been called
all along the line.
But this is not the case. The peace
proposals and the influenza happened to
develop coincidentally-th is all. The
relaxation in the military establishment
was only apparent. Every military ac-
tvity of this Government was prosecuted
with as much energy during the peace
exchanges as before, except in those d.
rections where the influenza for time
nterfered. Fewer men have been sent
to camp in October than in any month
since war was declared, but that did not
hold up the embarkation of single unit.
The overseas transport has been pro-
cedning with the utmost speed, influenza
or no influenza. This is shown by the
official announcement that more than
2, 900. 600 troops already have sailed.
What is true of the United States like
wise is true of Great Britain and France
they are going forward with their militia
nv operations at home and in the field
with feverish energy, realizing as they
do that now is the time to deal the hard
est blow to German prestige and that an
early winter might make fighting entire
" difficult from end to end of the line.
1t is declared in official circles here that
the British have the greatest army in
France she has had in the field at any
time in her history. This is true not
withstanding the heavy casualties she
has suffered and the very definite limit
upon the man power it is possible for her
to muster.
Although Germany has lost more than
| 250, 900 prisoners since the beginning of
the Allied offensive and by the general
rule has lost fully three times as many
effectives in dead and wounded, making
her losses something like 1000, 900 men
in less than four months, she still has a
very formidable army in the field. Eu-
ropean military observers agree that
there are probably 200 German divisions
on the French and Belgian line, giving
her somewhat more than 100000 men
| in action.
What is more, the successive retreats
of the German forces have their defense
line. This has been of enormous advan-
tage to the Germans. making possible
concentrations which were out of the
question as long as they stood on the
H ndenburg defense system. And it ac-
counts in large measure for the slow
ing down of the Allied advance particu-
larly in the Argonne region on the Meuse
and elsewhere.
Although the Allied commanders are
taking nothing for granted in this titanic
and it is their fixed purpose to continue
the pressure along the whole front with
all the man power, gun power and with
all the munitions that can be employed
these commanders know for moral GER
tainty that Germany can do no more now
or later than make defensive war anC
that the time must come, soon or late
when her resistance will be broken, hel
armies shattered, and her surrender
must be consummated.
1t is evident that Hindenburg and Lu
dendorff take the same view of the mill
tary situation. Otherwise they woult
never have consented to an offer of peace
which meant the evacuation of all occu
pied territory, which meant the cessiol
of Alsace-Loraine to France, the creation
of new Poland, the restsration of Bel
GUM and Serbia, to say nothing of les
vital concessions to enemies upon whom
these militarists six months ago fully ex
pected to impose conqueror's peace.
! But certain as is ultimate victory owe
. Germany, military authorities here a
we'll as in London and Paris continue
caution their governments against an
slowing down in the vital enterprises G
e the war. Germany may elect to fight
r the death, and if she does, it will b
s many months before her armies hav
been overcome and before it will be po
sible to dictate the terms of an armistic
e mhich will randar her noWerless from