Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 201, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1916 — GERMANS LOSE THE INITIATIVE IN SECOND YEAR OF GREAT WAR [ARTICLE]

GERMANS LOSE THE INITIATIVE IN SECOND YEAR OF GREAT WAR

Co-Operation Among the Entente Allies Brings Sweeping Change’ Over the Aspect of Military Affairs—Two Largest Empires of Earth, Russia and Great Britain, at Last Fully Organized Second Year's Campaigns Reviewed.

New York.— Germany is on the defensive. The initiative has passed to the entente allies. This is the one great outstanding fact of the second year of the great war. Before, she aimed a blow where she pleased and the allies parried it as best they might. She seized most o Belgium and a seventh of France. Twice she overwhelmed the Russians who had penetrated East Prussia. She smashed her way far into the czar’s dominions and crushed Serbia and Montenegro She directed a fearful battering-ram of shells and human bodies on Verdun. But with the present summer a sweeping change came over the aspect of military affairs. Co-operating through the allies’ war council with Gen. Joseph Joffre at its head, the Italians beat back the Austrian columns in the Trentino. the Russians drove the Teutons before them in the East with horrible destruction and the British and French began a slow and methodical" bending of the long established lines in the West.

At Last Fully Organized. These are the movements which are still going on as the war enters its third, and according to Lord Kitchener’s Delphic prediction, final year. Whether the kaiser will retrieve himself, again seize the initiative and enter on new campaigns of conquest cannot be foretold. One thing Is certain, the two largest empires of the earth, Russia and Great Britain, are at last fully organized for war against him. On the first anniversary of the war, August I, 1915, the Austro-GermaiJ sweep of Poland was in Tull swing. Lublin fell that day; Oholm, August 2; Warsaw, August 6; Ivangorod, August 7; Serock, August 9; Lomza, August 11; Siedlce and Sokolow, August 14; Ivovno, August 19; Novogeorgievsk, August 21; Ossowiec, August 24; Kovel, August 25; Brest-Litovsk, August 27; Olita. August 28; Lutsk, September 2; Brody, September 3; Grodno, September 4; Dubno, September 16; Plnsk, September 17, and Vllna, September 20. It seemed to neutral observers nothing could stop the Teutons in the East, and it was generally believed the invaders had themselves chosen the line extending from just west of Riga, nearly straight south, to Roumania on which they spent the winter. Russia Seemed Beaten. Even when, on September' 8, the czar took command of all his armies in person, won a victory near Tarnopokr, September 10, and recaptured Lutsk September 26, and Czartorysk October 20, few believed the Russians could revive. Lutsk was soon lost again, and on October 25 the Germans stormed Illuxt. Then things settled down for the winter and almost every neutral critic thought the spring would see a resumption of the Teuton drive. On October 8, the Teutons crossed the Serbian border at many points and five days later the Bulgarians, newcomers in* the war, invaded from the east. Fighting desperately but hopelessly, the Serbians were pressed back by torrents of heavy shells to which they could not reply, and on November 29 the German general staff was able proudly to announce that the operations against Serbia had ended in complete success, while Austria at the same time was finishing off Montenegro. But unsuccessful as the year 1916 had been to the allies in the field, their will to conquer did not waver. At the moment early in December, when the German imperial chancellor was making a dear offer of peace In a speech to the reichstag, the representatives of Germany’s enemies

were meeting in a new war council at Paris, resolved to redouble their herculean efforts and never compromise. Conscription in England. On December 21, David LloydGeorge, the strongest man in England, declared Great Britain faced defeat unless greater efforts were made; and just a week later he demanded general conscription, threatening to resign if this measure were not put into effect. The conscription bill passed its first rending in the house of commons January 6, and spring saw It in full force. Premier Asquith was able to announce that England’s total effort was five million men. Meanwhile in the East, a greater giant was nursing his wounds and regaining his strength in four-fold doe gree. A forewarning came to the world on February 17, when Erzerum was taken. On April 19 the great Black sea port of Treblzond fell, and two days later the first Russian contingent landed in France. Still the German writers would not believe, and it took the magnificent Russian drive of June, which won all of Bukowina and a large slice of Volhynia and Galicia to convince them that Russia was again a force to be reckoned with. Russia' Well Equipped. To understand this phenomenon of Russian resurrection it is necessary to realize not only that the Russians now have the heavy artillery and shells they lacked in the great retreat, but that their losses in numbers bother them not at all. Seven million young men have come of military age in Russia since the war began, and of-these - at—least-five-mi Uion are fit for duty. Despite her gigantic losses, it is quite possible there are more soldiers and potential soldiers in Russia today than when the ‘war started. Certainly there are now and will be for many years to come all the “cannon fodder” that can be utilized at the front. Erroneously considering the western front the most dangerous, the German general staff on February 21 began a heavy attack on the fortress of Verdun, with the object of using up French ammunition and men until no allied offensive would be possible this year. Being on the outside of a curved line they were able to place more guns and maneuver more freely than their opponents, and month after month they drew closer to the now famous little city. Whether their gains were victories or defeats will only be known after the war, when we learn the number of killed and wounded they paid for each point. They advanced, but were never able to stampede the defenders. Perhaps Verdun will be the last great German offensive. Certainly today the Teutons have their hands full stemming the Russian advance, which is penetratng Transylvania, and the Anglo-French pounding attack along the Somme. Austria on Defensive.

The Austrians, who in the latter half of May debouched from the Trentino and almost gained the foothills and smiling plains of Italy, are also content to stand and ward off the blows of the Italians, after giving up most of their gains. The year saw the Germans lose their Camerooh colony in January, while columns of Belgians, French and British close in on the stout defenders of the East African colony, the last of the kaiser’s oversea possessions. In Mesopotamia the British, penetrating to within seven miles of Bagdad, were defeated and forced to retreat, being finally besieged Iq Kut-el-Amara on December 10. A relieving expedition was unsuccessful and on April SO the garrison capitulated.

On April 25, Sir Huger Casement was captured attempting to land from a German submarine on the Irish coast. The next the Sinn Fein society revolted, seized Dub' n and set up a provisional republic. The rebellion was quelled in less than a week. On June 3 the German and British fleets engaged in a great battle off Skaggerrak. Although the Germans claimed a victory, they have not yet followed it up by coming out to deal another blow at the blockading vessels. The reports of losses by the two sides are impossible to harmonize. War Costs Fifty-Five Billion. On August l, the second anniversary of the start of the great war, the direct money cost to all the belligerents reached $55,000,000,000. This is the consensus of financial opinion here. Estimates six months ago were slightly lower, but the dally cost has mounted steadily and the figures given are considered conservative. The direct cost does not include the losses by destruction of property, by the disorganization of civilian industry, by the death and crippling of workers and by enervating uuman sickness and misery. The money spent is apportioned approximately as follows: Breat Britain (including colonies) $13,000,000,000 Belgium (mostly advanced by allies) .... 500,000,000France 8,500,000,000 Russia 11,500,000,000 Serbia 350,000,000 Italy 2,500,000,000 Portugal 100,000,000 Montenegro 10,000,000 Japan (slight) Total, entente allies. .$36,960,000,000 Germany $12,000,000,000 Austria-Hungary 6,000,000,000 Bulgaria 150,000,000 Turkey 600,000,000 Total, central p0wer5..518,750,000,000 Grand total .$55,710,000,000 $110,000,000 a Day. The war is now costing all belligerents more than $110,000,000 a day. This is divided among the principal nations as follows: Great Britain, $30,000,000 (official figures); France, $17,000,000; Russia, $18,000,000; Italy, $8,500,000; Germany, $23,000,000, and Austro-Hun-gary, $12,000,000, the lesser powers making up the balance.

Great Britain is the only powar which is paying part of the capital cost of the war out of current income. Germany is compounding her debt by not taking in taxes enough to cover all her interest charges. The financial situation of both sides is fairly good. The same cannot be said for the economic situation. Germany and her allies are plainly in distress in many ways. Few or none have died of actual hunger, but the vitality of many noncombatants is lowered by lack of proper food. There is a great scarcity of rubber, copper, high grade iron, material for warm clothing and an almost absolute lack of strictly exotic products, such as tea, coffee and cocoa.

In Great Britain the common people have never been so prosperous. The cost of living has advanced by more than half, but wages have increased still more and the demand for labor, both by the government and by private enterprises is iusatiabte. Neutrals Wax Fat. France, too, has largely recovered from the financial shock, though activity is not on such a great scale as in England. In Russia private business is not good, but owing to the suppression of vodka, the mujik, is happier today and is saving several times as much money as ever before. Italy is suffering from a dearth of coal, which has closed most of her factories. Some of the neutral countries of Europe, especially Denmark, Sweden and Norway are becoming opulent from war business. In Holland the ufcper classes have made money, while there have recently been food riots byjhe lower classes. Switzerland is harassed continually by both sides to the quarrel, Germany to be allowed to purchase and export goods freely from Swiss towns and the allies threatening to withhold food and other supplies if Germany is provisioned by her mountain neighbor. Japan, the United States, Cuba and some of the South American countries were never so prosperous before in their history, due to the stimulus of war orders, which has gulvanized domestic business as well.