The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-11-02
Var Fop. The Week

It is necessary to change our whole
viewpoint OF the war this week.
No longer is IL a discussion of Zines"
but OF states and nations.
Instead OF moving line Of attack for
ward few miles. this week we have TO
readjust the entire theater Of the war.
For the first time In many weeks, the
western front must take second place in
interest. and the Near East becomes the
central theater.
The absolute surrender Of Turkey, and
the virtual surrender and the total dis
| integration Of Austria Hungary place an Y
entirely light on the situation, and
the results are 50 far reaching that 1t is
difficult TO treat Of them even in a very
superficial way within the limits of such
an article as this ~
The surrender of Turkey had long been
or the tgo fsGtog made it ia9vta
the serbians cut the Berlin Constantine
pie road at Nish. they cut Turkey off
from her allies completely. The only
route open was the very roundabout and
uncertain one thorugh Odessa and the
Black Sea- and 1t was not feasible to
transport either men or supplies by that
route. even If Germany had them to
spare. The other factor was the capture
OF Alsppo and the cutting off OF the only
remaining Turkish army in Asia, the one
in Mesopotamia. General Allenby had
already destroyed the Turkish army in "a
Palestine. Last week IL was predicted in -
has column that the Mesopotamian army E
would surrender and that it would then +
he race between General AIIenby and +
the allied army in the BaIl1ens, to see
which would reach Constantinoule first.
AS made unnecessary by Turkeys
surrender Internationally. Her armies have
been COMPLETELY destroyed and scattered, and
Constantnople was absolutely defenseless from
the land. 1t develops that Turkey was willing
and ready to surrender week or more ago. but
that the British were determined TO take AIeppo,
which had been promised to the Arabs as part
Of their new nation.
The Terms of Surrender
The full terms Of the Turkish surrender had
not been received as this review was being
written. Friday night but they may be given out
before 1t reaches the reader. Undoubtedly they
amount to a complete surrender. and include the
free passage sf the Dardanelles and the Bospho-
rus the right to occupy Constantinople and land
q force to supervise the rehabilitation Of the
Turkish army the immediate repatriation of all
allied prisoners and possibly other assurances
that Turkey will observe the peace treaty when
it is signed
phorus- is the most important feature of the
Black Sea and both the Russian and Turkish
Russian Black Sea feet was captured by the
Germans. and Germans are commanding the
German crews. but falling this. they win fall
into allied hands for it is hopeless for them to
attempt battle. The allies can send fleet
German manned vessels include at least two
battleships Of the super dreadnaught type, sew
eral other first class ships, and numerous de-
streyers, submarines and smaller ships.
Can Enter the Danube
With this feet out of the way. or in allied
hands. the Allied fleet can enter the Danube and
free Rumania. The smaller ships may also as
cend the Danube, and it would be quite possible
and feasible to send large forces UP the Danube
and into Rurnania and Hungary.
The great oil district between the Black and
Caspian seas also has been evacuated by the
Turks. and it will be Immediately occupied by
the British. German influence in southeastern
Russia will be ended definitely, and the way is
open to send direct aid to the Czecho- Slovaks
both those in their own nation in Bohemia and
those fighting in Russia Allied forces are irnnae-
diately available for all of these enterprises for
the armies Of both General AllenbY and General
Marshall may be drawn upon freely. All they
need now are forces sufficient to police the oc-
cupied country, and since it is wholly friendly
they will meet with little opposition. . II.
'''. An Empire Disntegrated
ST. Coming top Of the Turkish surrender, the
week just closing has seen the complete disin-
tegraton of the Austro- Hungarian empire. It
is breaking up into small states as rapidly as
these states can be formed Out Of the chaos
there has already emerged an Independent state
Of Hungary, the new state Of the Czecho Slo-