The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-10-12

Here is yet another way OF putting
| the situation, The number OF Ameri-
| cans (not the total Americans, but the
| trained troops entering the field) dur
| ing this short period is greater than
the German recruitment of this year,
| quite apart from the French and Brit
| ish recruitment which is available. II
to these numbers one Is permitted to
add the contrast in munitionment and
aircraft, the conclusion would be still
more striking.
Turn from this matter Of numbers
to the matter of ground. Before July
IS the main lateral communication OF
the Allies, the lais-Amiens- Chalons
Nancy railroad, was cut in two places
The total enemy lateral communities.
ton through Metz. Merien and Lille
was scores of miles from the Allied
guns. Today the latter is uncut, but
at three points our guns are already at
twelve, fifteen and nineteen hundred
yards range, while the former has
been completely restored. The enemy
is ''out of range" Of It everywhere.
Turn to the political side. Before
the offensive in July the dependents
of Prussia were solid block, strong
enough on Asian fronts and immense
ly strong and apparently impregnable
in Macedonia. Russia had disappear.
ed. We had against us apparently
population of 150,00O,00O and armies
of 12,000,000. Today the Bulgars have
gone, the Turkish empire is cut off
by land and Allenby has accounted,
with one tremendous blow for one
third of the total Turkish armies and
one-half of their effective strength
The Turks had 100000 men organized
In units; OF these, some 100000 were
fully equipped and in fighting order in
Palestine, the Causasus and Mesopo-
tamia. The remaining 10000 are the
palace guard at Constantinople, or
are garrisoning in Asia Minor, and
some few are still at the Danube
The great victory in Palestine at
one stroke carried off just under 3d.
600 within ten days. But the defec-
ton Of Bulgaria and the crushing of
Turkey has obviously not only broken
the enemy's block politically, but it
has created new southeastern front
which will inevitably empty Albania
and the Danube and also, probably,
cause guerilla warfare in Rumania.
Morally it has done much more 1t
has declared to lesser neutrals that
her dependents no longer rely upon
the victory Of Prussia
In view of such things one cannot
but desire that the mere elements of
the military situation should be known
as widely as possible. The enemys
appeal to be saved from the just con-
sequences of his crimes is addressed
to three forces-avarice, fatigue and
ignorance. These alone can support
him. With avarice-that is, financial
1ntrigue-one can only deal by expo
sure. With fatigue one can only deal
by persuasion. But with ignorance
one can only deal by recital of facts
which all can understand. 1t is great
ly to be desired-and l have said it
over and over again in the last four
years, and it is not yet too late-it is
greatly to be desired that public au-
thorities in each Allied country should
publish those truths on the military
situation which are known to enemy
authorities as we'll as our own, but
which our public is not generally told.
For instance, how many American
citizens who may read this appreciate
that the number of American soldiers
landed in Europe in six weeks is su-
perior to the whole German recruit
ment OF one year? How many know
that in order to stop the Americans
and French in the Champagne quarter