| Show ahe brutal truth the time has come when the people of the united states should look the facts of the world war squarely in the face it would be a very grave mistake if there should be a continuation of the present tendency to believe that the wa war r is is all but over and that the recent successes suc ceases of theaplies the allies in france are bur but a prelude to a german collapse nothing of the sort is true despite t the he recent considerable initial success of the allied offense off ensi hes ea the best military judgment is it will be impossible now for allies to get 1 a i military decision the present year and that the war mar judging by the military must on through campaign of 1918 there is a very general notion in the tile united states that gormany must soon surrender because of starvation this is possible but unlikely if germany can last through the next two months she site w will 1 ill be able to go through many ninny months more because the new harvest will begin to come in ind and whether it i ie it sufficient for another year or not it will give gibe germany food for a long period of time the chance of a military ducis ign by the allies this year mat conditioned d upon the arrival of russia and reorganized on the eastern front unless every sign fails till this will not happen russia to all appearances appear inces is for a long 1 period of time out of the war so far as an off offensive ensi e campaign is concerned and the real L question is whether russia can hold any considerable number of german troops on the cistern front or will ill be compelled either to retreat or to make a separate fesce unless the united states shall within the next si S IK months mont lis put a considerable body of troops in france who mho will wil be able a year hence to ta take ake pm in the of 1916 thre there i ia a grave that france will collapse owin owing to her great losses and to h 1 r now steadily diminishing manpower man inan power unless the united state in concert with great britain Br itjin can cither either find a method for dealing with the tile submarine arof or of r england ng and supplying france and italy will with steel and coal respectively there must be a great possibility not alone of the collapse of france and the withdrawal of it aly but of a crisis in british food supply next summer which may AP make peace by negotiation able and leave Geri germany nany if not completely victorious yet in a position to renew her attack upon civilization what is even more perilous is that a peace would leave the control ot of the german empire in n the hands of those who have m made ade this war and made it the kind of a struggle it has become had lind russia been able to perform her part it would have been possible for the united states to haac approached the war with some dc deliberation liberation it would have been possible to hae given precedence to industrial organization and to hae hane armed our millions and trained them more slowly but this condition does not exist and connot be expected to exist for another year let us lace the tile facts af they are today despite their encouraging military successes the allies are facing a situation which is seri serious ous and nd likely to become even more serious the war may yet be lost unless the tile united states is prepared to bend men to france promptly to begin without del dehy y the tile organization of ocean transport and 1 a I systematic conservation of the national food supply russia at least temporary temp temporarily orar 1 ily out of the nar ar france frame almost at the end of her resources resource italy still incapable I 1 of enduring successfully an all attick organized by luh high com mind m ind such destroyed as Rosi manin mania and almost captured verdun great britain struggling mith a submarine blockade not yet mattered and daily becoming more serious this is the picture of the war situation as it now exists the united states can supply the tile decisive blow it can supply the file decisive blow only if the tile amer kail ilan people put aside all notions that their participation in the tile war mar is to be small or limited to contributions of money or of food we can win the war v ar if m e arc are prep ired to do in 1917 and 1918 what hat we did in 1863 and 1864 but the war mar itself may be lost if two tuo ye irs are consumed in organization at home in a foolish effort to train wain mun imperfectly for a war mir such as the present we cannot hope for success unless we me squarely face the fact act that our allies are likely to be beaten without A help a and nil that we shall lone lobe the wr with aill the tile future peril that that will mean for or us unless we me act promptly resolutely and put no limit on our cf ef I 1 fort 1 I he collapse of russia is the greatest single incident advantageous to germany in the w hole conflict A change in russian rulers saved saed frederick 1 rc derick the great ger 1 many will be saved in the same way may unless the united states can within one ear car take russia Z s place on the firing line and at the same time abolish tie tle real and growing threat of british starvation a year hence the present situation war aar doe snot war warrant rant panic but neither does it invite optimism the harder hardest bitterest most dangerous portion of the struggle is yet L to n come and anle unless the united states is prepared for sacrificed as great as the british and french people have alicade made germany may rny yet escape that defeat which aich is essential to the restoration of justice and democracy r in the tile world and vindication of inter sf 4 national law now threatened v with ith I 1 permanent repeal and if germany escapes toda the danger for Us is tomorrow will be beyond present estimation we are in a va a the issue oi of which is still doubtful and the outcome 0 oi which will infallibly be defeat unless we are prepared t to 0 fight it as i a war fur for our own existence calling for our best effort and our ultimate strength nh new york tribune |
