New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-01-18
great American forces In Europe will
not be necessary.

great American forces In Europe will
not be necessary.
The supreme command has permitted
Colonel RepingtOn, the military expert
Of the London Times, to announce TINT
there are at present six million German
soldiers, not counting Austrians, Bull
gars or Turks. OF these 100000 are
on the fighting fronts, 100000 on the
lines Of communication in conquered
territory, and 100000 in the depots
Of the interior Of Germany. 1t is true
that the "cOmbing out" process in Ger
man industry can apparently go no fur
ther, but there are 100000 boys who
reach military age every year. Not on
ly are the German armies six millions
than ever before.
Much ado was made In the press be
cause $4,000 German prisoners were
captured In the great French and Brit
ish offenslves In France In one month
In these battles perhaps 100000 Ger
mans were put out of action. Since
the close Of the battle of the SOmme
last winter, more than 100000 Ger
man boys have grown from children
Into soldiers. 1t is such figures as
these that Americans should ponder.
Germans Hope to Win On Sea.
German strategy is to hold out on
land and to win the war mt sea. All
hopes Of winning a decisive victory on
the west front must have been given
up when the SOmme onslaught COM
PEELED the cessation Of the great eff
fort to rupture the French lines ut
Verdun. The great truth that the
war must be won upon the west front
Is now clear ever to the fasteners
who looked early in 1916 to the Medl-
t%erranean for Il decision.
Speaking with approximate knowl-
edge Of the reserves available On the
allied side in the west, the writer
would earnestly ask Americans to re-
member. when they read of German
divisions decimated and OF troops
thrown into the Arras or Champagne
furnaces from the German strategic
reserve, that the same process Is 60
ing on not on one side only but on
both. If this is kept in mind, the mill
tary effort of the United States upon
| which so much depends will not be
hindered or delayed by irrational op-
timism.
During the coming months a recru-
descence of German peace activity Is
DrnhahIn and this ontfvyitu v.tII ho al.
rected towards capturing the imagin-
atoms of Russian and American ideal
lists. The absence of such an agitation
would be a sinister sign, for it would
mean that the German high command
seriously believed in the possibility of
marine, and debating terms that would
make all nations vassals of Germany.
Hopes to Trick Opponents.
But 1t is more likely that Germany
does not believe this ideal %attainable,
and hopes to trick her opponents into
a peace which would be in effect a
partial German victory but would wear
the appearance Of n draw. There are
already signs Of these m%aneuvers,
which of course could be %repudlated
IL the submarines were more success
full than is at present thought likely.
German diplomats believe that Ameri-
cans know nothing and care nothing
about affairs in the east, and may be
expected to offer liberal terms in the
west which would satisfy the worlds
conscience about Belgium and appeal
to the British, French and American
democracies, while realizing German
aims in the east under various diplO-
matte formulas about liberty, autOn-
omy, and spheres of influence. If this
peace can be arranged, the German
Junkers will remain firmly in the sad
die. The German power will embrace
Austria Hungary. Bulgaria, Turkey,
Roumania, Serbia. and Poland, even
though the independence of all these
countries be solemnly guaranteed. Ger
man aut0cracy will o%vershadow the
world, and the ideals for which the
democratic powers are fighting become
unrealizablc. But America has only
to stick to the war until the Ger
man autOcracy Is thrown down, by
internal revolution or by force from
outside, and her power and influence
at the peace conference, backed up by
the liberalism of England, France and
Russia, can %reOrganlze the world.
The message which the statesmen
of the allies would send to the Ameri.
can people, if they could do so with.
out eating their own words and dis.
cOuraging opinion at home, would be
this:
1.-THE Germans prepared for this
war, and grabbed the spoils Of victory
at the start. They are holding on to
tire us out so that they may keep the
substance, if not the shadow, of what
they have won. Thanks to the subma-
rine, they would have succeeded. But
now America has stepped in to redress
the balance, and her weight will en-
able us to win the victory. If, and only
IL, she throws herself into the struggle
as she did In the sixties. Otherwise,
the war is a draw, and with things as
they stand a drawn war means a Ger.
man success, and an eventual German
Europe and the downfall of demOc-
racy."