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Show CALL FdSTESSELS ALLIES WANT UNITED 8TATES TO PUT NEW 8HIP5 QUICKLY IN THE WATER. FdOD SITUATION NOT HIDDEN Great Britain It RMpontlbl for Feed-Kilng Feed-Kilng France and Italy, but New Amer S lea Mutt 8upply the Neee of All Three. By EDWARD B. CLARK. Washington. Washington hus a far clearer view of the situation abroad today than It had when the French and the lirltlsh commissioners arrived. There has been extraordinary frankness frank-ness of speech concerning the situation situa-tion In nil tho warring countries of Europe. Eu-rope. There are n dozen "perhaps" elements entering Into affairs as they stnnd today, or better, as they mny stand tomorrow. No one longer can doubt, nftcr what lms been snld frankly by some of the visitors to this country, that tho allies are suffering more from the German submarine campaign than It was believed be-lieved at the outset possibly could be the case. The allies want men quickly quick-ly on the battle front, and they want new ships quickly In the water. Spurred to action by the appeal of the lirltlsh visitors, the shipping board and the shipyards of tho United Stn'tos will nttempt to launch the first llotllla of tho wooden commerce carriers fur ahead of tho time llrst Used. The situation In Uus.slu, the sltun-, sltun-, tlou In Italy, and that In the ltnlkan states nre sources of concern. Tho lirltlsh nnd tho French seem to be calmly confident concerning the steadfastness stead-fastness of the western battle lino In Europe, but beyond this It Is known that matters may not bo what they ought to be. It Is these complexities of the problem prob-lem which make the ISrltlsli and tho French eager that the United States throughout the length nnd breadth shall uuderstnnd thoroughly thut war on Its part must be n wur that Is a 'war. Washington recognizes that more has been done to bring tho wholo country to n sense of the realities In the case since t.ie urrlval of the visitors visi-tors from nbrond t inn was done In nil the months which hud come and gone since the conflict -.tprt'' ., As to Sepiirats Peace. Is there to be an attempt by the Germnn government to secure a scpa- j rate peace, not alono with one or more V of Its antagonists In Europe, but with ffr ithe United States? Washington olll- I v clals who are close to the admlnlstra- "tlon nre chary nbout answering direct questions concerning tho nttltuib! of the president In the matter of a separate sepa-rate ponce for this country If the terms seem to be such us the people might unthinkingly approve. There Is, .however, an unmistakable something which makes It appear to be certain that President Wilson will not 'countenance 'coun-tenance tie closing of peace on terms which are not fully approved by Great Iiritaiu und by France. So far ns tho president Is concerned, It appears that he believes tho country should stay In tho war until the question ques-tion of the triumph of democracy or 9- 'of autocracy definitely Is answered. K Apparently the extent to which Italy K nnd Franco are dependent upon Eng- jH land for continuing their supplies of a food was not generally known to tho S United States. The food Issues of the JBf countries named hnve been pooled. jSk England Is responsible In large mens- H ure for tho feeding of the Frenchmen nnd the Italians. Today tho United flr States Is largely responsible for tho m feeding of all three of the nations. m Food Situation Serlout. K England apparently no longer wish- E es to hide the fact that the German 8 isubmnrines are bringing her to a state K 'which, while not desperate, may be- ft iCome so In tho neur future. Englnnd K herself Is safo enough from the visit I of starvation, but England will not 8 , fcoil herself at the expense of her R allies, France and Italy. When ono 'suffers the other will suffer, and In this B ' the nntlnn that we have always been , taught to believe to be ono of the most selllsh nations on enrth Is showing her- ; self generous. There Is with the lirltlsh commission commis-sion Lord Eustace Percy, son of tho ' duke of Northumberland, lie Is of the Hotspur Percjs, nnd, llko his ancestors, ances-tors, he wanted to go to the light. The story of his attempts to get Into tho army when the doctors would not have him nre picturesquely Interesting. Ho Is working for his government today In the foreign ofllce and has everything connected with trnile relations stored ,ln n card-Index way In his head. I ! 1h an expert and authority nnd n court I 'of last resort all In ono on matters per- Staining to exports nnd Imports. I L wBJfcrills representative of tho foreign J ofllce has told the American nuthnrl- T jtles everything that h worth knowing I 'nbout lirltlsh trudo conditions und inbout what Is necessary to prevent tho 'Gcrimin submarine from doing that which It set out to do starve the armies und this peoples of the allied nations. No proper purpose can bo served by minimizing tho seriousness of tho German Ger-man submarine rnitvalgn. Members of neither thp lirltlsh nor the French mission conceal their anxiety over tho -sltuntloi), although It must bo s.ild. of course, Hint none of them regards It ns hopeless. Tho ono salient thing Is that file foreign visitors desire that the United States quickly shall put i such ships us it baa to sea and make others rapidly rtdj for the launch- tie .-.. W |
