The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-19
ALLIES URGE
HASTE BY U. 5. IN
SENDING MEN
Danger That Germany VIII Son Out
number Troops Confronting Her.
Food Problem Changes.
BY JUDSON g. wTLIJyF-R


as quickly as possible and to get its
electives transported to this side.
Doubtless Americans have a good
general notion OF this fact. but II Is
unbelievable that they realize the
earnestness of this demand that is
going up from their European allies.
IL probably is just as impossible that
they should understand the reasons
behind this demand. Therefore lit
man factors in the European situa-
tion here at the middle of the fourth
war year perhaps will be useful
Despite the re-enforcements that
France and Britain have sent TO Italy
the present impression lis that the en-
tente forces in that country are dis
tinctly outnumbered by the enemy.
Likewise. speaking OF the western
front. q British authority in possess
sion Of war cabinet information re-
GENTLY assured the Sun OF his belief
that the Germans. perha rs SOMEWHAT
REINFORCED by Austrians, now rather
outnumber the entente forces on the
Franco-Fianders front. These are the
areas in which by common consent In
these later months the war fs finally
going to be won and lost.
fluctuations Arc Misleading.
Many people have been misled by
tahulations of the man power arrayed
on the opposing sides OF this war. A
favorite form In which these misrepre-
ss<'ations are presented is a diagram
showing that the central empires con-
tain about t40. o00,000 persons. while
the enemy arrayed against them rep
resents most of the remaining 1900
000, 600 of the worlds population. that
the territory In control OF the central
empires is almost insignificantly small
as com pared to the territory under
Entente flags; that In wealth. re-
sources. almost everything. the en-
tente has the overwhelming advant-
age.
So it is not rerns rkasie II people are
astonished to hear that on both divt-
sions % the western front the Ger
manic forces probably outnum Der
those or the entente. Yet this Ia easily
enough explained The real effective
forces engaged in the war are primari-
~ German with about eo.0oo,o00
population Austria Hungary with
about so 600 600. Turkey with perhaps
% 600 600 Bulgaria with about a.
eco. 600: total la. 600 900. Against this
Iaav he set down Great Britain with
about $4,000. geo, Franz, with 40 600
Geo italy with $4,000. 00o; total 12i.-
700 200.
.s1 probable 10000. COO population
sNd with a more numerous army than
s-fv other power. possibly excepting
Germsny. the disparity was recidedly
" favor OF the entente. But for pur-
poses Of calculations TODAY Russia
naust Re counted out Of the list. Per
.1a "a ii wilt appear again, but the
fact remains that In present calcula-
lions Russia ls NOT to ne re~s rded as
a.
n1res, and no more is Rumanta, On
'a~ other hand the resources parti-
cularly agriculture, of Russia and
PUnar'a are likely IN be increasing
" available for German purposes.
Japan Cannot BE of Aid.
The reasons why neither japan.
with one OF the biggest and finest
armies in the world. nor America,
which IN ra pidly creating another OF
the great armies. Is not included in
the comparison are obvious. Japan
would probably be willing to send an
army into anv war area in which II
rould be effectively used. But the
hing is simply impossible. The world
has not the shi~s II has not the food.
and Japan has not the wealth
AS to the United States the sItua-
lion is different. America has the
wealth and II has the food and other
supplies; but II has not the army as
get ready far service; and IL has not
the ships. The problem OF TRANSPORT
ing Rritish's armies from these islands
TO the war front In France--~o near
at hand that II has frequently been
possible in London 70 hear the gun
7re in Flanders--was a tremendous
problem. BY how much must that
problem be multiplied when America
10 tnh xx,tr. ~. St~st
One more dtfrac<1sv. Great Britain
has 100000 men in the uniform OF
It's army But large forces of its best
troops are I'm Macedonia, Nesopo-
tarnia. SYRIA. Africa. and finally In
England itself. IT must always be re-
membered that for England to drain
itself of troops would he sad dis
service to the allied cause. for Eng
land is the workshop. the storehouse,
the financial reservoir Of the alliance,
so far m Europe In concerned.
Invasion to Re Reckoned On.
The United States. but Sor the r<ob-
lem of distance and shipping. would
he all these things Despite these DIFF
ncuities 1t is coming more and more
into this relationship. But the fact
remains that Britain is more import
ant to the alliance IN TO this time than
America because OF its proximity and
its now marnincent war ORGANIZATION
There Is always the possibility OF Eng
land being invaded. II Is not a pos
sibilitv 10 he set down AZ in signifi-
cant. There must be forces in Eng
land 70 insure against .r,is menace.
Finally. the man power OF Great
Britain. never has heeu AS connpietely !
modified as he's that of GERMANY or
France because the rule OF universal
service never has been anniied tn Ire
land for local political reasons There |
" hig reservoir Of man power In |
Ireland practically untouched.
Thus II becomes e~s-- enough to /
understand how the actual available
front line forces OF the central en-
pires car outweigh those Of the en- /
tente at this time. ~ America couid
bring counle OF milton men trained
and enuip~ed and fully cared for from
America the situation would he defer-H
ant Hut they are not here, and the |
need for them Ia rtvht now.
Three or four months AERO the Ger |
mans were supposed to have about
eirhtv divisions ard the Au@trians |
rear nftv-cne on the easte~r front !
A. there were lnrgelv. divisions that |
had suffered heavy LOSSES IN nvht'ng |