Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-09-19
SEES ONE: OR TWO MORE YEARS OF WAR
Military Expert Points Out That the Kaiser Has Several Dang
y erous Weapons (0ther Than Bayonets and Guns) In His
Hands, and Armies Capable Of Strikno Terrific Blows, AL
though These Forces Have Been Right Sollndly MauIed.

~ ''AtN -Otihe ~ ''N '>AS
lively ~unimportant German success.
such as still remains possible. tends to
give a temporary lie To the facts in tho
German military situation in the west
There will then be "a frank declaration,
such a declaration as kuehlmann made
the other day, that no military decision
is possible. Both sides have made the
try; both sides nave made at least
three tremendous failures; therefore,
The Germans will reason, Il military
decision is impossible and peace by
negotiation is the only way out of a
situation which is bringing about the
bankruptcy of civilization.
When this situation develops it il
! essential for every allied observer 10
remember that Paris is once more in
danger, for the German will be seeking
by the most ingenious and sustained
f, effort to win the i'rench nation into
making II separate peace, a peace which
will be as attractive. i'm German propa-
ganda. az that peace wi,lou! indem-
mites or arneXationS" which lured
Russia To ruin ut Brest-LitoVsk Not
less appealing bait will be held out to
Italy, like France invaded and far more
than France exposed to internal dam
gers of Il disruptive sort.
Germany means to win the war by
her peace offensive. now that her wal
offensive has failed. The element of
time is just as much against her in
the new operation as in the old. Turkey
and Bulgaria are becoming FESTIVE;
Austria is on the edge of revolution
to be sure, like Il donkey on n noun
tain trail. Austrian statesmen seem al
ways to selec, he outer II danger
Gus edge. but The present situation is
more critical than amy that has pre-
ceded. IL German peace operations
We're delayed over Il long period. Tur-
key and Bulgaria might escape the
. = rv,n,y Ion v,r - nj, rr. n H,t mako Cnn
arate peace with the enemy. Even
Austria might break under the strain.
We shall have next winter. therefore.
to repel the peace offensive designed
to enable Germany to keep q respect
able. Il large share of the provinces
she has conquered. We shall have the
peace offensive supplemented by much
military threatening. Unquestionably
the promise to devastate all Of France
still in German hands. as we'll as Bel
GUM. in the fashion Picardy was de-
vastated in the Hindenburg retreat.
will be one gentle German hint to
France as to the ACCESSIBILITY of COM
ing to an arrangement. And until that
peace offensive is defeated we must
face the fact that we may still lose
the war.
But if the peace offensive fails, as
the wal offensive has Enthusiastically
failed. there Is still ahead of us at least
one year more OF terrific and costly
fighting before we can begin to hope
can be wOn--namely. upon the battle
field. And in that time each temporary
reverse. each check, each delay. will
serve the Germans SIS a new basis for
their peace offensive n a new foun-
fdation for. tl,eir. argument that no mill
tary decision is possible. OF the three
stages that have to be covered before
we come to the point where real peace
is possible we have but passed the
first. or are just coming to the end
of ii. 1t has been in a sensc the most
critical of all, but it has also been
the simplest. because in he face of a
peril which no man could misunder-
concentrated naturally upon the task
of stopping the enemy. 1t will be less
easy to get the same concentration in
the other two stages.
We shall have to be on u guard,
therefore, both in the matter of pessi-
mism and optimism. At the present
moment there is a dangerous degree OF
optimism afloat. The reaction from
the depression of recent months is nat
ural and proper. but 1t should no lead
to exaggerated hopes. We have blocked
the enemy mi we have DEBATED him In
the crucial battle of this campaign,
the enemy and we have defeated him In
tnlS year WAS 10 prevent eHe 0ei1ildiis
from winning the European phase OF
the war on the battlefield: it will take
one or two more years for us to win II
by u own efforts. The second Marine
was like the first, u great and success
full battle of arrest: but nations are not
conquered by battles OF arrest-such
battles merely save the nation or ma
tons attacked. There remains the larg-
er task OF beating the enemy. n he
remains. despite his recent reverse. still
unheaten in the larger sense.