The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-10-24
RY WILLIAM L. MCPHERSON.

CCopyr!ght. 1915, y. y. Tribune, lnc0
The Germans hold the Scheldt line
only about twrnty-t"ur hours. Ihry
reached il too late To- make an organized
stand there. The allied pursuit could
not he checked. TN Monday tho British
wer. I'D 10 the ives; bank Of the rNcr 1T
Audcutrde and above Todrnai. IH"I
h:"! also dr.,r;l to wiihiG four miles OF
NalcEcienl"S.
Ialcnci"nnes tSll Yesterday -, II ", was ;.
the hing" Of the whole Srh'i"' 10
Ouc*uoy-A vcsncs-It!rsou position: for
the German line turned there "s n sharp
angle 70 the South beast To cover M SIN
glo railroad connections lett between
the German armies in Flandcrs ans
those tightiug q Delaying battle ems; Of
lie CateGu. In the GuiSc-Ois" river
salient and in thu Hunding positions
north Of the Scrre river and S!SS"nne'
II EaleucieuncS could not he held. the
railroad would BE- lost. tn" Sch"ldt riT"r
would be turned and Ludcndortl's south
crn armies west OF S!SSonnc would be
left up in the air.
But the German attempt to hold it
was only half-heartcd. All Western BEL
gluru was already lost when the lilIr-
McnIn-EoulcrS line was broken through.
So Was all tho territory s;!ll IL the
hands Of the Grrn"ns ~ the northeast
crn corner Of France. The great indus
trial district of tho north has now
been pra ctirally cleared. Lens. Cam
brai. Douai. Lille TourcoinG, RnuhaIN and
now Nalcncicnncs have been recovered
for service in tho material r"c"nSir"I-
ton OF France. The last four Giles ar
more or loss intact No French town "l
consida rablc size IS left under the Ger
man yoke.
Having lost the line X the Sch"ld..
the Germans must rcrr" In h"lginm i"
wcrp. brussels and Mons. From Mons
thu now line will cnntinu" du" south |"
Mauboueo and thence sou;h by cast t"
lurson, where It will link up with tn"
positions to which the southern German
armies may retreat. From Ghrnt 10
Malines. half way between brussels and
Antwerp, tho distance is thirty miles.
The distance from Audenarde !" EruS-
soils Is also thirty miles. i;ut from
twenty miles. Tho British arc already
on tho way 70 Mons. for they advanced
Yesterday. in the biz eastern bend Of IN"
Scheldt north OF Nalcncicun"s. 10 Condo.
on the cast bank Of the river. Mons Is
only sixteen miles east Of Condo. From
tho allied positions cast Of Is Cat"nu
IL is less than twenty miles down the
Snlnbr valley to Nauh"ugo. :" tn" r..
treat IN Belgium pivotinS on Mons Viii
probably bo accelerated. Will" the re-
fremont below Mons viii b" slower. tho
rear guard defense accommodating it%"lt
10 the necessities OF Won Huehn's stlll-un
extrimnted armies in thc region Of the
DIS" and the S"rrc.
An interesting sidrliEitt on German
Intentions In belgium is Furnished In
tho letter just made public In tho Nati-
car organ in Rome, the tSScrvnt"re
Romano. II was addressed 1" CardluAt
Mercicr BY Baron ynn dor l.anCk"n. chief
OF tho German political department. IN
Brussels. I: promises the speedy TO-
lens" nf tbs Belgian political prisoners
and tn" return Of the BELGIAN civilians
Gcportcd To Germany. 1t also speaks ~
evacuation as impending. Says tho
political representative Of tn" Infamous
German regime in Belgium: This
r2eclar;Ion is Of nature thai Will MI
your heart with rejoicing. | am ALL the
happier tn mako it 10 YOU In that |
could not have lived four years among
tho Belgians without cstc"minE them
and without approaching their patriot
ism Mt its true value.
Goethe said tho German always He'd
when Re was polite. This German "iii.
cial would have told IN" truth II he
had said that he and his Kind lnath"d
Tho. Hnlg!ans because Of their irlDlaca bic
determination NOT 70 bend The km"" 10
tho German opprcssor. When he begins
tn laud Belgian patriotism h" simply
cnnrcsses tina; N" days of German tor
rorism are numbered. Ear0n Won der
Inncken now cringcS t" tho Belgium
which he could not crush because h"
scents defeat and wants to smooth the