The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-04-20
Time, Not Territory.

80 tenacious are the great armies now struggling IN
France and Flanders and so wary do they watch each
other in every move that slight changes Of ground
given undue importance in the reports thus causing the
public to overemphasze passing gains losses point
of vantage such as railroad junction. becomes mpor
tant by comparison with village, and soon the public
begins to feel that the fortunes Of the war turn upon
possession Of that place.
1t is best for the inepert observer follow the
map too closely. Americans who have relatives in the
army France should not necessarily harrow up their
feelings The American boys are not the big battle
the big battle itself by hinges upon the days
gai is or losses The fact that 100000 or more Amer-
cans were placed in the Franco-Brh forces and that
they have not been in battle evidence that fresh and
strong forces are held somewhere in reserve.
The German attack is aimed at the defeat of the Brit
ish army That is most ambitious hope, the realization
of which, under the most favorable circumstances would
require several months Under circumstances not favor
ing either side the task would least two years.
time if could be accomplished at ALL Under circum-
tances favoring the British the German army never
win. Assuming that everything is going well for the
Germans and badly for the British which is violent
SUMPTION there is no grounds for apprehending an inn
mediate decision.
Neither Germanys Britan's forces wholly en-
gagged in BATTLE it possible to engage them all at
1t is beyond their power deal such single blow
would disable the opposing army beyond the point of
withdrawal and recuperaton in The strug
gle going in may be decisive but it be only af
ter tremendous battles in which the reserves of both
sides have been drawn in and of them crippled to the
point of exhaustion. This could not be done in few
days weeks Of fighting.
Much useless anxiety has been felt account Of the
delay in employing the allied army armies 1t
has been suggested that there This
is absurd question The allied commanders and the
allied governments would have been defeated long ago if
they had been lacking in foresight to make no
vision for strong forces The allied armies in
fact could not have fought if they had had no
forces for the indispensable as the first
line troops with which they nterchangng as occasion
requires.
thousand factors enter into the question of
oense decisive scale 1t is impossible for any one
except the commandernchef to assemble these factors
and give them their proper weight The allied govern
ments unable to give much aid in reaching the
tous decision except in the way Of material support
Cen Foch alone capable of deciding when the moment
has arrived for striking back He may not make this de-
cision this year. He may find it advisable to hold the
Germans with the present forces taking toll of enemy
life and exchanging little ground here and there in the
meantime assembling such armies for the final assault
as would be capable of moving to Berlin, annhilatng
force that stood in its path Or it may be Gen.
Foch's intention to deliver lightning stroke at vul-
nerable point within few hours few days, with the
object of gashing the enemy and forcing mis- withdrawal
to the line of March FL, or farther back.
AS for the smashing of France or the British empire
that is German dream that is already past The Ger
mans know they cannot defeat France with Great Britain
and America behind her. They know they defeat
Great Britain with France and America behind her What
they trying to do u.s. first to divide the two armies in
the hope of beating before the other can hepa des
perae effort that has faed and second to keep up the
fight anyhow in order to postpone the crisis at home and
possibly to evade it by some lucky turn of battle
The situation is such as to make every day of battle
days setback for Germany day nearer to the complete
overthrow Time, lot territory, is the important thing
to be gained. While Germany struggles fantically to
break the ring by taking territory time aids the allies
particularly the United States by enabling them to as