The Washington herald., 1918-07-24
Swallowing the Dose.

The Kaiser announced on the eve of the first
blow in Picardy last March, that zone of the great
days in German history had arrived"
Hindenburg made it clear that the hour Of de-
cision had come. A whole new structure of Ger
man psychology was built up the idea that the
war would be over by October, with Germany the
Colossus sstride Europe, and dictator of the des-
TIMES of the world.
There is no need to evade the fact that the Ger
man general staff came uncomfortably close to do
ing what it had planned to do and what it had
promised to do. But now the whole program of
attack is a definite and indisputable failure
We are, therefore, on the eve of German and
Austrian reaction. At the present time the sig
nihcance of the second defeat of the Marne has
not yet penetrated the Teutonic skull. But the
explanations from the pimps of the German
press and the hirelings OF militarism will serve to
obscure the true situation just so long, and no
longer. The hour of reckoning is near 1t may
come before the fifth terribly hard winter of war
sets in. Germany may become literally as we'll
as practically kept nation within the next few
months-"kept" to feed the appetite of the mill
tarists prisoner population, with the heel of the
army its neck Machine guns will slaughter
civilians by the hundreds of thousands on the
streets Of Berlin and elsewhere before the Junkers
will relinquish their grip The red deuge of revo-
luton alone will set Germany free in advance of
the ultimate victory of the allied in the West
Rcichstag running amuck will be given short
shrift; the smallest obstacle to the imperial will
trampled down without mercy The Junkers al
ready are making plans to handle the dangerous
and explosive situation in civilian Germany that is
certain to come when the real military situation
Is comprehended- The country will red with
blood before this strangle hold on the people is
relaxed in the slightest.
In Austria, reaction already has progressed to
point where any stray match may set off the
powder magazine The effect upon the Czech pop
ulaton OF what their comrades in arms in Siberia
are doing is far-rcaching Tales of mutinies, de-
sertons, and revolt coming out of Bohemia.
in sweeping number AS to Jugo-Slavia since
Italy reuounced her claim to that portion of the
Adriatic lttora which is distinctively Slavic there
Is NO question of the dynamic nature of that pro-
ally ointment which has been growing in the very
heart of the Austro-Hungarian empire Likewise
the Poles particularly the Poles of Gaicia who
had been seduced into believing that the victory of
the central empires would mean their salvation
Disillusion already has to them and the effect
OF 1t will be immensely heightened by what is hap
pening IN Lithuania-the gallant attempts of this
a1egedly liberated population to set up a king, and
the successive vetos from the German foreign Of
hce, because the monarchs selected are not mere
seryile ick-spittles OF the Prussian military ma
chine.
In the meantime, Russia has ceased to be of sig
nihcance to Germana. The Bolsheviki have done
their turn and are about to disappear from the
stage. As granary and source of supplies for the
eager Teutonic plunderers the Muscovite state has
been bitter disappointment. 1t has not prevented
the bread ration from being reduced Even Ukran-
Ia the first to make separate peace, has turned
upon its master and is failing to produce"
Every mile OF military retreat by the German
army means hundred miles of moral retreat in
the hearts OF the German people. A decisive vic
tory by Foch will be immense stimulus to all
the allied peoples, but its real "nub" will be the
dashng to the ground OF the imperial pack of cards
in the cncmys domain.