Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-23
FACTS AND COMMENT

record for being last minute people. Thursday night only two thirds of the six billions needed for the fourth Lib- erty loan were in sight and it seem ed an impossible task to raise the nec- essary two billions in two days. Once again, however, the impossible was accomplished and though the host of taibulaters have not yet finished reck- oning the stupendous number of the eleventh hour subscribers it is pretty certain that the entire six billions was taken.
 Four special difficulties made the work of the canyassers harder than before. The amount of the loan was twice that of the second and three times that of the first while the three weeks allotted to the campaign was a shorter time than had been set for any of the previous loans. The third difficulty was the peace talk that was rife at the time. Allenby's success against the Turks in Palestine, the col- lapse of Bulgaria, the marvellous gains in Flanders, Germany's pretended change toward a democratic form of government, and the Austrian and German appeals for cessation of hostilities were all such recent events that many people could not but think that victory had already been won. They forgot that even If it had been won, there were two million American soldiers still to be fed and brought back home and that, in short. so great an undertaking as a Wor)1 wa. cannot be finished in a day. It Is encouraging to know that. had America been los ing, these very people who hesitated to subscribe would have put their last dcilar into the loan. There was no doubt of their patriotism but it was hard 10 make them see that their prac- tical assistance was needed.
 The greatest difficulty in getting people to take an interest in the lean was the prevalence of the Hue" Not only was the epidemic l&eeping thous- ands in their beds. but also the reg ulations against public and private as- senlblies prevented other thousands from meeting and becoming fired with the enthusiasm that makes such cam paiens a success. It is hard to get enthusiastic all alone and it was not enthusiasm that brought success. It was the stern resolution of the Amer ican people that those here should not fail these lover there"
 The west front no longer extends | frcm Switzerland to the North Sea l for the past week has seen the entire 1 Belgian coast evacuated by the Ger mans. The north end of the line there 1 fore now rests on the DuicL frontier I The precious forty miles of the Bel i gian coastline, the vantage point from ! which they hoped to carry the war tC i England, has been definitely given up. It is particularly gratifying tt | know that this great success was woT mostly by tha Belgians themselves un- l der command of their so7dier-king. St 1 sudden was their onset that the Ger mans had barely time to escape. A it was, 15,00O of them were trapped l between t!le corner of Holland and th' i North e:ea, and chose internment b! l the Butch rather than captivity by tn 1 Reigians. All hut 200 square miles 0 1 Belgium has been occupied by tn l enemy from the early days of the wal ! Now King Albert has regained zoe square miles of his domain. including the cities of Roulers, Ostend. Cour l trai and Bruaes. and Gnont. plac
 of 150.0h0 people, is almost within tn grasp of the allies.
 With the loss os Ostsnd and Zee
 brugge the effectiveness Of Germany submarines is seriously impaired. Tn
 nearest bases for these vessels ar now east of Holland. Ostand was bare
 lv sixty miles from the English Coas Emden is nearly three hundred, a SC rious handicap to the submarine th6
 must travel this additional distanc 1 before reaching her hunting ground
 and again must quit her depreciation while there yet remain fuel and suE plies enough to carry her the Ion l way home The electrified barrie I leo Irs s much of it's effectiveness now that tF allies line touches HolIand. There wi , Tbe q constant leakage of the Belgian who fed to Holland to escape Ger many slavery, for they can now pas : back to their own country around tE end of the barrier. It is easy to imae inc that the Dutch are cuiy too eae CT to be freed from the burden {
 feeding these refugees and will win at their escape to swell the ranks , King Albert's army.
 ? 'The horrors that Russia is endul ing and has yet to face are heyon f anything that can be imagined. Pi'
 ture a country overwhelmingly agr cultural in which no crops have bee , raised for a year. Recall that u 3 health of the population hag alread been undermined by four years ( , suffering and privation. Add the ia
 that tens of thousands of discharge
 soldiers and anarchists are WanderiT
 throughout the land stealing and de 2 troying whatever of value can Q found To complete the picture r, = member that there is no governme, l capable or eyen desirous of organi s ing production and transportation al :, 1 protecting the worker in the posse l sion of what he makes. There is ] human power that can save Russ . from the horrors of the anproachii = winter.
 The present situation is indicati'
 of what must come Petrograd thf
 rears ago a city of three millions, h
 shrunk to a third of that There ' no business, for the markets hal g nothing to sell. The food in the iu
 mediate vicinity has long since be- D requisitioned and consumed, whi 6 the demoralized condition of the raj
 roads makes it impossible to proeu
 1t from afar. A thousand new ehole
 eases occur daily. All the horses Il The city have perished and the carcas 0 es of those uneaten by the dogs Q around the streets. There is no pr
 lection whatsoever for life CT rrope q ty. Looting Is general and murder h a ceased to attract attention There I . distinct effort to destroy all the e ~ ucated and professional classes, wi
 the purpose of removing all sourc ie of opposition to the Bolsheviki. T 70 only police are the Red Guards vi F. without warrant or authority, ent
 9ny house they please and take wh Id they wish The only protection th V is of any effect is to post the n of tice: This property is under the pr
 lection of Germany"-a damning pro of the part that Germany is taking Il the support of the Lenine. goverpme re Such is the report that refugees bri at of the situation in hte cities of RU lri.. .lEAs Es,r