Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-20
PISTOL SHOT STARTED
AWFUL WO~LD WAR
Review Of Conflict That Cost lO,-
100000 Lives. $50,000,OOO IN
Property 27 Nations in Arms.

the lite OF ATcIuukc TIdnClS 1oocPh,
heir prcsumptltc To the Austro-ifun-
garian throne, at SeraJevo, June y;
Ioli turned Europe into battlefield
SIX weeks later The Serbians were blamed
for the assassination, and on July %,
Vienna sent an ultimatum to Belgrade
demanding the punishment of the Offend
crs and Austria's participation III their
trial IN Serbia.
Russia supported Serbia in rejecting
the last demand; Germany supported
Austria. England. France, and even
4 Italv. then the ally of Austria and Ger
, many. suggested arbitration by the
! Great Powers. BY treaty Germany was
lIohh ed to support Austria If attacked
Ibv two or more powers BY treaty France
lIwas obliged to support Russia for
llsimilar reason. BY treaty Italy was
obliged to support her allies IN case OF
a defensive war.
Germany deemed R'lssias mobliza-
iion tantamount 10 declaration of
war against her and declared war OH
August /. Alleging that France had
already begun hostile action against
her. Germany declared war on France
on Aug. 3. Germany invaded Belgium
IN order to attack France. thereby turn
ing into a scrap of paper Belgium S
covenant of neutrality TO which Ger
many was a partner, Great Britain de
cared war on Germany on Aug l. Italy,
decming Austria the aggressor, pro-
claimed her neutrality
But these were merely the surface
expressions of n long standing conspiracy
on the part of Germany and Austria
Hungry soon TO be revealed by Ger
man propaganda Germany wished 10
render France impotent and absorb
she Germanic provinces Of Russia; she
would then be IN a position 70 hight or
coerce the power Great Britain enjoyed
by reason Of the lattcrs prcdominancc
at sea. Austria-Hungary wished to alb
sorb the Balkan Slavs and make her
wav to the Aegean. For Germany there
uas a corolIary to the success OF the
Arstro-Hungarlan scheme, which. by
the bribery Of Turkey, would establish
German dominion from the North
Sea to the Persian Gulf In November,
Turkey entered the war on the side
OF the Central Empires.
All this was arranged, even 10 the
uln,ltcst detail. NJ the German kalscr s
Potsdam conference on July ,. There It
was believed that il the corollcry dld
not come into evidence too soon both
Great Britain and Italy would remain
neutral. That Japan would enter the
war on account Of her treaty with Great
Britain was thus discounted,
UNITED STATES TURNED SCALE.
Germany attempted to defend her
position morally on the ground that she
had been attacked by Russia on account
OF the Pan Slavonic ambitions Of that
empire and by Great Britain on account
OF the lattcr's jcalously ol her world
trade and industry She was, therefore,
lighting for her existence
Tier enemies in defending themselves
entered INTO treaties for mutual adyan-
fagcS after the war III case OF the de-
feat of the Central Empires. There was
cooperation, but no great unity Of ar
tion or purpose among them. his gave
Germany i great advantage until the
Spring If 1917, when the nitcd States
entered the war That event, besides
bringing the material deciding factor
10 the Allies cause, established their
war aims upon y world basis oi fight
Tor humanity y-oi rcpubhcanism against
absolutism, for the rights Of small ra-
lions. and TO make the world safe
for democracy All tins was 10 bc done
bv annihiIating PrusSian mlAtarsm and
Hohenzollern absoiutIsm.
On these humane principles twenty
nine nations arraycd themselves against
Germany, OF which tWcntyfour de-
clared war.
The war, which has now brought 10 tho
stage OF practical application the prln-
clplcs for which the enemies OF Germany
have been fighting, has been prodIgious
In geographic and social extent and un-
precedentcd IN expenditure of hives and
treasure. Through battle. atrocities. anC
InassacreS il Is estimated that l0.0O0.0t
lives have been sacrificed; that $50, 600
900 600 Of property, not including the
WaStage OF war material, has been destroy
cd III various ways, that the productive
wealth of the bellgerents. which in 1914
was estimated at $500. 600. 600 900, ha,
now been mortgaged for over S200,000,-
100000 much OF which now seems un-
recoverable.
Germanv's initial plan was to place
France hors de combat and then obtain
q victorious peace over Russia Austria
Hungary, meanwhile, would attend tC
the Balkans The intervention of Great
Britain brought this 70 nought. Ger
many then directed Turkey TO attack
Igvpt and the Suez anal and 50 strange
Great Britain III the last.
I9l4-I915
The first act Of Great Britain was tc
isolate the German fleet. hcr second Il
send an cXpeditionarv force under tho
command Of Sir John French to Belgiur
and France The Germans advanced
into France to within fifteen miles o
Paris, and were then driven b ok to tn,
.Aisnc AZ the battle ri the Marnc, Sep
tcmber J-l2. 1914 Russian armies ad
1anccd into East Prussia, We're held IN to
centre east ot Posen. aud ovcrran Austrian
GaIacla Tho Turks were defeated a
the S,1cz Canal on February 2-4, 1915
III the following April the Austro-Gerrnan,
began Il drive in Galacia. which by thu
following November had carried then
eastward 10 a 45O-mi!c perpendicular
extending from near Riga to the Russian
frontier,
From March until October the Allies
attempted 10 gam ConstantlnopIe from
the Peninsula of Galhpol and then with
drew 10 SalonilI In an attempt to defend
Serbia, Bulgaria having joined the CenIa
Empires on September - Bulgara
oyefTan Serbia and established commGni-
cation between Berlin and C0nstantinoplt
via the Orient Railway Meanwhile
Italy had declared war on Austria Of
May %. and had il yaded Austrian terri.
tory. Isolatng the Trenton and advancing
~ the River Izono The Russians, ad-
vancing through the Caucasus, were de.
icating the Turks ID Armenia
The sinking Of tie Lusitana OH May
and the atrocities of the Germans in Bel
gum, the .Austrians and Bugars IN Serbia
the Turks IN armenia. and the criminal