El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-25

ton
Huns Helped Turks.
Railway building has been more or
less dominated by the Germans for
upwards Of 30 years, which is just the
period in which the very able Bava-
rian engineer. Meissner Pasha, has
operated there. The British had built
a short line in Asia Minor, and the
French had built two or three mar
row gage roads in Syria and Pales-
tine. To offset these, the Germans
had constructed most Of the mileage
in Turkey in Europe, the main trunk
through Asia Minor. the famous He'd
jaZ. or Pilgrims line from Damascus
to Medina, and had the concession for
the construction OF the Bagdad rail-
ways on which they were at work
when the war broke out
The Turks We're doubtless allowed to
think that they had something TO say
in the matter of where construction
was carried on, but the fact Of the
matter was that the Germans built
lust where and how they figured rail-
ways would best serve them in their
Drang mach Osten. or Drive East
ward" upon which Bismarck set their
steps. Illuminative evidence on this
point was furnished the writer when
in the course of a caravan journey
from Bagdad to Aleppo Just before
the war, he asked Meissner Pasha just
WHY IL Was me EodE4dA LdAAM a. AAeAl
been carried out OF its way across the
sterile deserts 10 Mosul, on the Tigris,
instead of by the direct route along
the Euphrates-
Considered Everything.
Look at this map and see" was
the reply. BY running straight west
ward from Aleppo TO Mosul the south
ern frontier of Armenia IS thanked all
the way. Thus the railway viii help
to keep rebellious Armenia in order.
Again, from Mosul, branch lineS-fol-
lowing the present caravan routes
NAV ultimately radiate to the north,
center and south Of Persia, so that If
would not be difficult for the power
holding these lines TO harness Persia
and drive her like a team Of horses
So much for the plans which Ger
many laid for utilizing TO the utmost
every advantage Of her inner lines,
to the farthest extremity to which
they could conceivably be carried The
position of the allies in the matter OF
making the best of the disadvantages
OF their exterior lines" may be
sketched very briefly
France was the only one OF al OF
them which had given any special at
tention TO the railways running to
her frontiers, and even she had
half way in the development
Of an adequate system France has
only one railway center-Paris-1rom
which lines radiate to every part of
the cOuntry-that is to say, her rail-
way map was a wagon Wheel but
not q "cObweb." She was lacking in
those lateral lines which not only
made 1t possible for Germany to move
troops swiftly back and forth along
the frontiers, but also to set them
across the country from one frontier
to another in something like direct
line.
France Was Weak
France was strong in lines running
out to her German frontier, but rath-
er weak in lines TO that Of Belgium,
across which latter country she had,
naturally, not reckoned upon being
attacked. Not along any of her from
tier was there anything in the way Of
a lateral which could be employed in
the speedy distribution Of men and
material.
All Of Russia's great western
fortresses were served by railways,
but as these were something less than
adequate for peace time demands,
they were Woefully lacking under the
stress Of war. Indeed, the failure OF
Russia's railways was one Of the fore
running causes Of the failure Of Rus
sia herself.
Even the almost completely double
tracked Trans-Siberian line was new
er equal TO the extra task Of trans
porting all the munitions and other
material that were brought to Vlad-
ivostok from Japan and the Pacific
coast of America
Bngland's Rails UnPrepared-
As all of England's railways were
built at a time when no one ever
dreamed Of sending an expeditionary
force to the continent, no special pro-
vision had been made for the speedy
n Of the nnannpl
ports, or for their embarkation there.
Likewise, there was no provision for
their Decentralization in France, or for
rushing them to the front after they
were once ashore.
The fact that the allies-thanks to
the British fleet still retained con-
troll of the sea, left transport by
steamer open 10 them, and by this
means all the troops, guns, munitions
and war material Of every kind which
the allies have used in MesOpotamia,
Egypt, Palestine, Salonil1as and in the
various parts Of what were once Ger
man Africa, have been carried All Of
the war material sent to Russia and
Rumania, and much Of that sent to
Italy, has also gone by sea This has
not only taken much time, but
the terrible losses OF ships,
men and cargoes from submarines,
has been frightfully expensive as
" I'll 4 an EULN lAEEu mat INT d lLAsaAA
officer in SalOnika who assured me
that the Balkan expedition was cost
ing the allies anywhere from 30 TO 50
times as much money and effort as
il was the central powers, was not
far out in his reckoning.
Safer On Outside.
I viii not further multiply instances
to show how heavily the allies have
paid-in time and ships and money
and men-the price of holding the
exterior line" They paid that price
in the process Of rushing help TO Italy
(no matter whether allied reinforce
ments are sent from France, Saloni-
ka OF Egypt, they will go farther and
more slowly than those with which
Austria and Germany are making
good the losses in their armies). and
they must expect to continue TO pay
It TO the end. With America falling
into her stride, there is, however, no
reason why it should be a prohibitive
price. even with a slackening Russia
and a temporarily stricken Italy.
The central powers are paying, in
another way, an equally heavy price
for the advantage Of fighting on the
inner lines" and the fact that the
TO "hold out has appeared
so often in their press during the last
year, indicates that being "hemmed
in" reacts mentally as well as physi-
eally on the nerves as wen as on the
body: and II it does finally come 10
a question Of holding out, it will IN
doubtedly be better to be "on the out
side looking in" than "on the inside
looking out"
CARRIERS DAY.
Tomorrow. the last Saturday in the
month. Herald carriers viii present
bills for January subscriptions. Sub
ersrsf haFe will nile. GO rannpruhpr- that III