Middletown transcript., 1918-05-04
OUR WAR GUESS

JUN WAN OOESO
COME months ago, when over mil
- lion of workers were on strike in
Germany, thousands of them in NUM-
ton factories; when in that hungry,
war-weary country the very air seemed
vibrant with revolt, and when, too, if
possible, things were even worse in
Austria, one heard here on every hand
the confident prediction that "Now
Germany is going to blow up.
At so grave time as that The Tran
script INDUCED in bit of prophecy
always risky amusement-and editor
tally said, mo, not yet," using the
figure of the racing Mississippi steam
boats with little black slave on the
safety valve. The Transcript was
right, for sure enough the Kaiser
jammed the sp:uttering safety-valve Of
German discomfort down hard, and the
expected explosion did not come.
Once more we venture to play the
prophetic role, and sketch out a war
horoscope at this critical moment when
that furious German drive seems bent
on reaching the English Channel at
Dunkirk, thereby imperiling Allied
communications with England-a very
serious matter. So, answering the
question ''How much longer will the
war last p, here is our guess-two or
three years, with proviso.
The treachery of Russia has made
possible concentration of Germany's
forces on the West that in the end may
force France and England to agree to a
peace that will amount to victory for
the Kaiser and will leave that insolent
war lord master Of the half dozen ma
tons his brutal soldiery have trampled
into the bloody mire.
The peril at this moment is very
great, and the help we can lend is pitt
fully small. Yet we believe that this
little help, plus the unconquerable
spirit Of France and England, will
finally once more halt the barbaric huns
in their march to Paris and victory, and
that thus foiled. they will as before be
compelled ito dig in 1t may take
all summer to stop this second Hun
drive, but it will be accomplished, and
with it will come the end Of this stage
of the awful drama.
After that we shall probably see a
year or two more Of stand off with all
their inconclusive local gains and losses
"a mutual stalemate wherein the Ger
mans will be unable to jam their way
through to Paris and victory, and the
Allies equally unable to reach Berlin |
and end the war.
Then will America give the final
stroke, execute the coup de grace to
this horrid German Wild Beast, after
she shall in those two or three years,
have placed in France thoroly trained |
and equipped army Of five to ten mil
lions of men-Mr. Taft says, seven
millions at least.
Thus, we say, the Huns will not be
beaten until the summer of 1920 or
1921, unless. land here is the proviso
we made at START the German people,
grown tired at last after four full years
Of the Kaiser's lying, tired Of the long
years of hunger, loss and death, them
selves take a hand and smash the dia-
bolical War Machine Of their autocratic
rulers-unless, in other words, the
pressure on the popular steam boiler
with a junker astride the valve, be-
comes too great and it blows up. In
deed, this may happen this coming
May LIST in Austria, though we do not
think 80.
Since this was written the same Con-
gress that over two years ago derided
as preposterous Gen. Woods advice, to
prepare an army of five million men,
has recommended that very course just
as it aaviled itself of Gen. Woods sug-
gestion to establish an officers training
camp. although Gen. Wood was pun
ished by this pacificist Administration
for giving this wise advice which has
made it possible to raise what army we
now have.
BUY LIBERTY BONDS!
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