The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-04-18

| the News has made within my recol-
ing not a little. The premises are un-
sound at every point, and in delving
in the field of facts the editor has lost
himself entirely
Mr. eastman made the statement
substantially as quoted above. He was
speaking of Germany and it's allies as
fighting power today, and the facts
bear him out Let us follow the edi-
Corial. First it is said that Germany
"moblized every man within the mil
itary age at the first rush." meaning
that every man was pushed to the
field Immediately on the commence
ment of the war. Nothing is further
from the truth. She did mobilize"
her men of military age but that IS
quite a. different thing from putting
them into immediate action. Her en-
tire army was put on war footing,
equipped, and in camps, but it was
nearly two years after the "first rush"
before they we're all actively engage
ed in the conflict. Everybody who has
read knows that first one class and
then another was called to the front,
and at considerable intervals. There
were millions that were not called in
to the field until long after Germany
made her FIRST rush" The editor
tells us that Germany has thrown in
to the present battle cher last avail
able man and her last ounce of mill
tary resources" If that were true
we might indeed tremble with fear of
the probable results of this supreme
effort, for if all that power is now
being thrown at US, we must realize
that we are outnumbered and may be
overcome, for her resources are enor-
nous. But the statement is not true.
What are her military resources It
is not only man-power. It consists
of equipment, munitions, food, fuel,
gun and ammunition foundries and fac
tories, transportation facilities, and
last and most important of all, these
things are concentrated in COMPARE
lively small area, with no seas to
cross, no submarine fleet to interfere
with the movement of any arm of her
great machine. She is entrenched as
no army ever was before and there
fore prepared for defense as no ma
ton ever was in that respect.
When Germany and Austria began
the conflict they very soon had the
armies of Russia, England, France
Belgium, Serbia and Italy in the field
against her The battle front was
more than 1000 miles long. Think of
the man power necessary to defend
that front. Rumania joined against
the central powers, and the front was
extended. Within year Turkey and
D. Il, rfD hn
and are still with them. When the
first great rush was made against
Serbia, Belgium and France, victory
did not follow as was expected, and
the central powers began to husband
and conserve every material resource,
and extended to the utmost every
means of production both natural and
mechanical. The editor reminds" us
of the limited territory of Germany
2OS,OOO square miles, and says we
''forget that that limited area must
produce food enough to feed popu-
lation of 70 million" He says that
Germany did get a considerable
quantity of food through the neutral
countries Il But those supplies
have been exhausted" He admits that
the 1917 grain crops of Rumania and
Russia are available for Germany, but
that Rumania cannot sell of hers
without starving her own people; that
the Russians will not allow Germany
to rob her of her food supplies"
Let us remind the editor that un-
til Argentine and Canada began to
produce wheat in large quantities.
about 10 years ago umania was the
~ - IL.
ducing countries, Russia and the Unit
ed States only excelling her, and that