Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1918-08-28

on other nations because she thought
the day had come and she might win
in a lightning stroke. Not a word of
her willingness to sacrifice her own
blood in torrents that she might gain
her ends.
Germany's peace offensive is well
started and Herr Kellerman is an
able exponent. The offensive will
fail.
This brings to mind that in the end
the allies will make the terms of
peace. The sane and dominant side
of the allied arms do not expect to
destroy the Germans root and branch
but their leaders must go forever.
Senator Lodge in an able article
states the cas- clearly. He says:
"Our sole purpose is to put Ger
many finally and completely in a po-
sition where she can never again at
tempt to conquer and ruin the world.
We shall do it, but we must be above
all propositions for a bargained
peace-deaf alike to the whimper of
the pacifist and to wheedling or
%truculent appeal Of the helpers of
Germany"
A broad highway is opening to us.
Not, it is true, heaped with flowers
and pleasant living, but a road of
tears, blood and misery. The allied
world, of which we are a component,
has waited long to reach this high
way. For four years we have fought
apparently without a ray of light but
hopefully and willing to pay awful
sacrifices that the light of dawn might
CLEAN at the end.
Now the dawn is breaking and the
road stretches ahead mile after mile
to the towers and spires of Berlin.
Germany retreats now but the re-
treat must not be misunderstood.
When Germany went back to the Hin
denberg line last veal she did SO
%cleverly. She knew that not in a year
could the allies press forward an Of
fensive directed to her middle. AS a
result the British in Flanders and the
French in Picardy spent the fighting
season in almost futile and very cost
ly flank attacks. The German middle
held because the allies were unable
to lay tracks, build roads and bring
up enough force to menace the cen
ter. Germany was able to rush men
to either side at will and thus pro-
tect her TANKS.
The parallel is with us again. Ger
many again at definite loss pulls
back toward the Hindenberg line.
That she is losing is certain. That
she is losing more than she can stand
is by no means certain. She may
lose ten per cent of her forces before
she reaches her line of defense. She
pulls back now to a shorter line and
though her losses are great her man
power per mile of line will automati-
cally increase as the line becomes
Her game, in a word, is to
retire faster than the attack can
That is what she did last year
and that is what she is trying to do
this year. The loss of rear guard
units and eve losses of isolated large
sections of her army with much booty
are without doubt allowed for under
the German plan. Her main army is
still intact and will doubtless remain
intact through this year.
General Foch, on the other hand.
plays another game. He plans to har-
ry the Germans at n point and an
other making lightning attacks and
not allowing her to enough
to protect the harassed units with re-
serves. His attack is still of a minor
nature and subordinate to the greater
pressure to be applied when his fore
es reach the point where he feels
certain he can accomplish his end
without wasting life for insignificant
gains.
Back of the Hindenberg lies the
line of the Scheldt. Back of the
Scheldt is the Meuse, the line of the
Ardennes, the line of the Moselle, the
line of the Vosges, and fina1ly-the
line of the Rhine. This last. without
doubt, is the strongest of all. Here
the German will make his strongest
stand.
Perhaps, and this is the most like
ly, the German morale will not en-
dure through the successive stages
of warfare carried toward her soil.
In this case her statesmen will pay
almost any price to escape invasion
and ravage.
The road is long and full of sacri-
flee. BY stern endeavor only may
it be travelled. Victory lies at the
eni.
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