Arizona republican., 1918-03-23
Back at the Beginning

The great German offensive is under way Whether it shall succeed or fail may not be quickly determined. We do not yet know what the measure of success is, what the, immediate objective s But there can be degree of success like that which in 19f4 enabled Kluck sweep swiftly toward Paris The very size of the German movement would pre- vent such rapdity if the opposition no more formidable than it was four years ago. By the way, it was that rapidty which proved fatal to the n- vason of four years ago.
 The offensive is the beginning of battle which will not be decided in days but in weeks and months, so that there be early decisive result. If the Germans should break through the British lines on any considerable part of the fifty mile front if the broken German legions should bet thrown back, that would merely mean that the first phase had passed.
 We have patience with such statements as that in the Washington dispatches that this is Germanys desperate stroke; that it forced to it to make showing to the German people. We have heard that for the last two years The attack Verdun last desperate stroke the offensive in Italy last fall so has been every effort Germany has made. And the Washington experts to be the last to learn that war in Germany is carried on without regard to the will of the people. The will of the Kaiser von Hindenburg and Ludendorf is supreme There is no will of the people.
 
 be no offensive the western front. If one was stareu anywhere, it would be the Saonik front the Italian front. Success at the former would decide nothing and in Italy would contribute very little to a decision. There seemed lay man no reason why any great effort should be ex- pended on either front
 There only place to start decisive sagemeut and that where the war was begun, and where 1t is now certain it will end, on the western front. That is the keystone of the structure. When either Germany the allies have been decisively and irretrevably beaten ther. the beaten side will be vanquished on every other front. With the removal of keystone the whole structure of the war will collapse.
 In conjectures regarding the result several fac tors must be considered Germany is certainly not strong in power it was when the trum- phant hosts of Kluck rushing Paris-ward. But for that matter neither the French who turned the Germans back at the Marne. There is too, be considered that the present is directed by the genius of Hindenburg and by the rash impusiveness of von Klucn who without experience had formed inadequate estimate of the French.
 In 1914 there but a handful of untraneo British soldiers in Frace, under an il competent con- mapder. Now there more than 100000 trained British soldiers there under brilliant leader. There are also something less than half million Americans This is a formidable accreton the diminished German forces have to face
 But there is stil another factor In 1914 there was hack of the Germans a horde of millions of Russians whose fighting strength greatly overestmated They had already overrun East Prussia and Galicia and the czar had promised to his Christmas dn- ner in Berlin. Now Germany has no foes in its rear It has free hand in the east and Russia then the chief menace of the central powers has became the source of German food supplies
 Balancing these changed factors one against an : other we lose any analogy between the situation on tho western front in 1914 and the situation 4slS. It makes guessing the outcome as difficult and uncertain as it was then.