OCR Text |
Show THE SECRET WARFARE. The destruction of the Italian dreadnought, dread-nought, Leonardo da Arinci, recalls a number of mysterious disasters which have occurred since the outbreak of hostilities. The very inability of the belligerent governments to discover the causes of the disasters appears to indicate in-dicate enemy origin. Secret warfare has been carried on during the present conflict to a degree hitherto unknown in the world's annals. Like most of the elaborate developments of the war, it is a part of the Teutonic operations and evidently had its beginnings far back in pea'C times. One of the most amazing revelations of the war has been the extraterritorial extraterrito-rial activity of the Germans. Not only in countries at, war with Germany and Austria but in neutral countries the secret warfare lias been in progress. Teutonic agents were "planted" throughout the world with detailed instructions in-structions as to what acts of war they were to perform in case of necessity. Bridges aud munitions factories were to be blown up, shiploads of supplies were to be sent to German warships, rebellions were to be fomented in colonics col-onics of the enemy from India to Canada Cana-da and from South A frk a to Moroc-ro Moroc-ro and Algiers. Spies enlisted in foreign for-eign navies were ordered to blow up the enemy warships and spies throughout the world were well drilled in the ways of keeping Germany informed. It is a system of warfare never before practiced on such an extensive scale and is another anoth-er mark of German ' ' thoroughness. ' ' The German idea' of war is a victorious war, not a war of heroic defeat like an Irish revolution. The Germans do not fancy the idea of martyrdom. They strike to win and if they cannot win they alo not strike. At all events, that is their scheme of war. Events show that even with their unparalleled methods meth-ods they are in danger of losing, but if they lose it is not because they did not prepare to the utmost. It wTill be due to the fact that the modern world is too big for the rule of any one empire. A few days ago we read that the Italian government contemplated retiring retir-ing from service all Italian officers with Teuton wives. That report came out of Italy about the time the Leo- j nardo da Vinci was sunk, and it suggests j that perhaps the old maxim of "cher- j ehez la feiume" applies to this dis- j aster. German women, no less than Ger- j man men, have taken part in that ex- traordinary warfare which is being conducted con-ducted secretly throughout the world. The entente governments have been far behind the Teutons in this species of warfare. They had their spy systems sys-tems of more or less efficiency in peace times, and since the commencement of j the conflict they have sent agents into Germany to work havoc, but their arrangements ar-rangements have been immature and the results inconsiderable. On the other hand, the Teutons have blown up five or six enemy warships and destroyed as, many munitions factories in various parts of the world. Their agents have been fired with a zealous patriotism that has defied wounds and death, for we may well believe that few of those on the destroyed warships have escaped with their lives. In this country there has been much bungling by the Austrian and German agents and in consequence some of them are serving terms in federal prison, but we are justified in guessing that the victories have been as numerous as the defeats. We know of the failures because be-cause the circumstances have been dragged into the courts or have been alluded to by the state department when some Austrian or German diplomat has been recalled. Of the successes we know little. ? It may be contended that the mysterious myste-rious disasters were not due to plots, but to accidents, but the reply is that such accidents do not occur in peace times. |