OCR Text |
Show ' ' ."TV AS TO THE END. OF THE WAR. That the Germans will gain in strength as they fall back, is the view presented by an eastern war critic, w obsays: . - . "Fundamental conditions are little changed, tho war still overruling all other considerations. That the strug- !glo is drawing, to its close every one believes, but the date and the terms of peace are as much a matter of guesswork as ever. The war might end much earlier than anticipated, provided some great event occurred tending in that direction. It is to be hoped that prognostications that the ' end Mill come with the New Year will prove correct; but such anticipations aro almost too good to be true, and the strugglo Is quite likely to be car- rled into the coming year, judging by present resisting power of the Germans. Ger-mans. Tho latter will in some reelects re-elects grow in strength, as their forces contract and fall back upon undevas-tated undevas-tated country, supplied with good railroad rail-road service and nearer the source of supplies. .On the other hand, as tho Allies press forward they leave bo-hind bo-hind them nothing but chaos, their supplies become moro and more distant, dis-tant, and traffic routes will be temporarily tem-porarily demoralized. Hence, should tho Allies continue their present rate of success, real progress for thom will I become more and more difficult as the armies movo forward. This week marks the second anniversary of the war. Conditions have vastly changed during tho interval. At the beginning tho Germans were overwhelmingly on the aggressive. Now the Central Powers Pow-ers are on the defensive and driven back In every direction, while Allied preparedness is becoming equally overwhelming on every side. Thus far j the cost of the war to all the bellig-i bellig-i erents has been over 40 billion dollars and about $1,300, OOQ.OOOO of this amount was raised by loons in the United States. Should the struggle laBt another year, as expected by Kitchener, the outlay will run up to between 60 to 70 billions; a sum utterly utter-ly beyond ordinary comprehension. Peace still seems a long way off, and , when hostilities cease months must elapse before any treaty of peace will ; bo actually signed." nn |