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Show CRISIS IN THE WAR , For a week or more The Standard has been thoroughly pessimistic over the war outlook. Beginning with the first word of the massing of troops of the central powers on the Isonzo front, The Standard said dark days were ahead. Then came the Russian disclosure of weakness and finally opon overtures of peace, and The Standard said the sky was completely complete-ly overcast But this, of course, is looking adversity ad-versity squarely in the face so as to stir over people to the necessity of doing thir utmost io make America equal to the mighty task ahead. There Ib no absence of confidence in a favorable ending of this mighty conflict. There la, though, a deep! conviction that failure on our part to awaken In time to the magnitude of the part to be played by the United States, would prove disastrous. The one bright spot at present on tho side of the allies is found in the growing efficiency of the warships operating op-erating against the U-boats. With the submarine mastered, Great Britain and the United States could go on fighting the Germans, even though the entiro continent of Europe were to be overrun by the central powers. Today's dispatches from the Italian war zone tell of tho arrival of French and British troops. Our opinion is half a million men of tho kind that saved Verdun must be thrown into tho Piavc river line to save Italy. When the troops from the west front, in any great number, meet the victorious army under Mackensen the results of the battle will bo tremendously tremen-dously portentous. If they are brushed asido as have been the Italian Ital-ian soldiers, one of the decisive battles bat-tles of the war shnll have been fought. The effect will be depressing. But if the line is held, then the troops of Haig and Jot'fro will go on defying the Huns to do their worst, supremely confident. There is a glimmering hope from Russian sources, which will brighten up the allies', cause. Tho Russian ambassador am-bassador in Paris says the Maximalists Maximal-ists do not represent the great body of the Russians and Russia will not cease to fight against the Germans. no |