Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-02-20


sham representatives Of the bitterest
enemies that autocracy ever had-the
Russian people, and the accredited
representatives Of the most cruel and
unprincipled autocracy in all history
| What the issue may be, none can tell
| 1t is in the lap of the gods.
The collapse of Russia has enabled
the Teutons to throw their whole
strength against the western line. The
| flrSt result of this was seen in the coll
lapse of the Italian armies and their
retreat TO the Piave River, where the
issue of battle is yet in the balance.
There is consensus Of opinion. well
rounded, that the early months of 1918
VIII witness a supreme and final ef-
tort OF Germany to win a military de-
clslon. In numbers the opposing ar
mics are perhaps about equal. thanks
TO reinforcements from the Russian
front. In guns and munitionment. the
Alhes sui nave probably a slight pre-
ponderance. In aircraft, the numbers
are also approximately equal But
when we come to the all-important
question of morale, there is no doubt
Whatever thta the advantage lies with
the Allied forces; for, as we~haye said.
the French and British during ahe past
year have won whenever they chose to
tlonment is undoubtedly greater than
that OF Germany. and their resources in
money and materials are greater Att
the Battle of the Marine, the French
had 1,5Ov,000 men at the front; today
they have 2,750,000 men. The British
today havesome 100000 and possibly
more, on the western front. Against
these, Germany as we showed in a re-
cent article, can oppose about 4,500, 600
Germans in spite of the detection of
Russia, can break through; and with
out our aid the war would have drag
ged itself along for many a year to
come.
The absolute certainty of German
defeat is found In the other great dra-
matte happenings of the year-namely,
the entrance of the United States into
the war, on April 9Th, 1917 Nobody
knew better than Germany that, should
it become possible for this country to-
apply its strength on the European
battlefield, her defeat was certain. But
they knew that the weak link in any
military operations on the part of the
United States was the stretch of 5000
miles of the western ocean, and they
firmly believed that if they threw off
the last restraints of civilization and
inaugurated ruthless submarine war
fare against all shipping, they could at
once prevent the transportation of the
troops to Europe and starve the Allies
into surrender, Hence the sayagery
of unrestricted submarine warfare. We
have no time in this review to go into
details Of that struggle. Suffice it
to say that in the first rush of their at
tack merchant ships were sunk at a
rate which, il it could have been main
tanned, would have shut us out of the
war and destroyed every hope of an
Allied victory. But Great Britain,
France, Italy and the United States,
by bending every effort to the prob
lem, have so far mastered the subma-
rine, that from a weekly sinking of
55 ships the toll taken by the German
submarine has sunk to an average of
ten or twelve ships; and in the mean
time from forty to fifty per cent of
the German submarines have been
sunk or captured. The United States
and Great Britain, moreover, have en-
barked upon large shipbui1ding pro-
grams, which, within a few months
time will be launching new ships faster
than the U-boats are sinking them,
and by the end of the year win be
gaining at an average accelerating
rate. d
So in the last great gamble for vic
find themselves today confronted by a
young, ambitious. highly Intelligent
and profoundly patriotic people. who,
IL they were to mobilize their manhood
on the Is per cent basis. could ulti-
mately call some fifteen million men to
the colors. That will never be neces-
sary. Already we have a considera-
BILE force at the front. It is growing
steadily, and in spite of initial delays,
the necessary artillery and other equip
ment ultimately viii be provided at an
ever-increasing rate. Some time dur
ing the coming year we shall be pre-
pared to strike a telling blow, and, if
the final decision does not come in
1918. we have every reason to look
for it in the year following. But a
peace by victory can be won only If we
exert ourselves to the very limit. We
should mobilize every able-bodied Cit
izen, if not for the army at the front.
at least for the army back of the front
and within the nation at home. We
should mobilize every factory that can