Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 February 1917 — PLANS FOR VAST ALLIED OFFENSIVE [ARTICLE]

PLANS FOR VAST ALLIED OFFENSIVE

Decisions of Incalculable Importance Arrived at During Rome Conference. BIG DRIVES ON ALL FRONTS Mare Vlflorous War to Be Wagcd In Macedonia —Enormous Quantities of Guns and Munitions Ready on Western Front. By C. F. BERTELLI. Paris. —Although they issued a public statement after their conference in Paris last March, the war chiefs of the entente powers remained completely silent following their Rome conferencethe other day. But I have learned on Indisputable authority that decisions of incalculable importance were arrived at. The principal subjects discussed w r ere: The Saloniki expedition. The relation between each nation’s resources and its effective contribution to the war, bearing particularly upon (a) effectives; (b) munitions; (c) finance. Preparation of offensives on all fronts for the coming spring. While for obvious reasons I am not permitted to give details of the decisions arrived at, I am able to state that as regards the Macedonian front the entente powers have at last been united by the French leaders and that at the chosen moment the > offensive will be delivered from the Saloniki base with an energy and force hitherto conspicuously lacking. At last Premier Briand, backed by General Sarrail, the commander of the entente forces in Macedonia —who is tremendously enthusiastic about the possibilities to be expected from his sphere of the hostilities—has brought England and Italy into line. The governments of both these countries, acting on the advice of their rhilitary counselors, have barely disguised their indifference to the Saloniki campaign, but since the Rome conference that feeling has been replaced by a united determination to wage more vigorous war in Macedonia, where of course, both countries will increase their effectives.

Have No Illusions. The after \yar problems Which the Rome conferees discussed were principally economic and social. None of the entente statesmen has any Illusions as to the question of monetary cctapensatlon for wqr expenditure and damage to be obtained from Germany. No one nation could possibly bear the burden of $150,000,000,000, which the war will have cost in actual expenditure for armies and navies between August, 1914, and the fall of 1917, to say nothing of the billions of dollars worth of property destroyed. The entente leaders were therefore faced with the necessity of establishing a plan that will not utterly crush the -present generation under an appalling overburden of taxation, and at the same time that will provide enough credit to enable each nation to'meet obligations. The principle has been adopted of postponing a final settlement of war debts to 100 years hence. In this way this generation, which has paid the awful blood price of the war, will not in addition be reduced to utter poverty. Generations still unborn will receive a heavy legacy of war bills as the price of national liberty and for the privilege of living under the institutions of their own country, however small the country be. ' European taxation will remain moderate for some years, until the ’revival In trade is complete, then will begin to be applied a gradually rising scale >f taxation, until, some fifty years hence, the statesmen of the day will be expected to begin the liquidation of the war liabilities in real earnest. Thus may default be avoided. A prosperous Europe, not the stricken and groaning Europe of today, will be looked to to honor all bills and keep the financial credit of the entente nations unstained. Will Work in Harmony. In this respect it is planned to have France, England, Italy and Russia work in harmony, the richer helping the poorer from generation to generation. This plan in Itself foreshadows a post-war quadruple alliance of a .more intimate and binding nature than has ever characterized other alliances in ■•the world’s history; and if Its purpose is to be fully fulfilled,‘its duration is expected to be at least 100 years. 1 A prominent politician who was in

Rome at the time of the conference, tells me that entente statesmen do not expect the German government to make a serious effort to meet the country’s financial liabilities toward its own people, and It is therefore not difficult to understand why ,the big business interests of Hamburg, Frankfort and Berlin have for long been clamoring for peace. If, as expected, Germany wipes off her liabilities and begins again with a clean sheet, she will obviously be in a position of economic superiority to the entente countries while the latter are struggling to devise ways and means of meeting their indebtedness. Social problems will be no less grave. Of all the entente countries, France will have suffered most heavily in men in relation to her population by the time the war is over. By the end of this year her deader permanently incapacitated may reach 5,000,000, and England, Italy and Russia will suffer after the same rate.* At the same time, Germany’s losses will be found to be superior, both relatively and absolutely, to those of any other country in the war.

Affects the United States. This means that in every town and village labor will be scarce. Emigration will be brought to a standstill for at least this generation, and perhaps for the next. The United States will thus be directly affected, while it is certain that the development of Cahkdif wlll be "set back for half a century. Proof that a great scarcity of labor is feared in Europe, and especially France, is given by the measures already prudently taken by the French government for the introduction of coolie labor. This movement began some months ago and will—be intensified this year. Already .thousands of Asiatics are employed for national purposes, and even when of Frenchmen are released from the colors it is anticipated that the employment of colored men will have to be continued to make a big trade revival possible. Therefore, In the opinion of European statesmen, America will be greatly disappointed if she expects the releasing of millions of men at present in the field to cause a stream of migration westward across the Atlantic owing to bad conditions in Europe. greatest and most pressing question dealt with by the Rome conference was, of course, that of the organization of huge united offensive strokes on the main fronts this year. The moment for delivering these simultaneous blows will be decided upon by the commanders in chief, but it is no secret that by next April the millions of men and women working in munition factories will have produced Sufficiently enormous quantities of guns and shells for the beginning of a continuous offensive that will break beyond repair the belt of iron laid by ( the Germanic invaders across Europe. Had not entente statesmen been sincerely convinced of their steadily increasing military superiority over Germany they would not have shut the door on Germany’s peace opening.

One Man in Chief Command. Real unity of army command is an immediate probability in the entente camp. It will very likely center in one man, supported by a small international ,*if<iffl - ;\ i In future entente offensives the weight of attack will be more fairly apportioned to the big nations in accordance, with their resources in man power than has been the Case hitherto. The British front is gradually lengthening; it will grow a lot longer before the war is over. In fact, the relative burden of united off ensl ves will be decided upon after a consideratlon of population, number of combatants. figure of losses and length of front, in the case of each entente nation. . * • Regarding munitions, no longer Win each country manufactuie merely for itself, with a view to various partial attacks fixed in advance. Hencefortn the —countries —will decide(l) the amount of defensive material necessary ftjr the whole front; (2) the material necessary for offensives on the quantity of raw material for munitions needed In every country.