The Dominion TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1917. A GENERAL SURVEY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3090, 22 May 1917, Page 4

The Dominion TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1917. A GENERAL SURVEY

1 fa £' fchafc tho Allied advance on the Western front has of late slc-wecl down, and that every foot of ground is being stubbornly contested by the enemy, has again afforded opportunity for Vne pessimists and pacifists to make themselves heard. xet nothiag has happened; on tho Western front to; give tho slightest occasion for pessimist. It is true kiat the Allies have been passing through an anxious time, but this aid not arise in any way from thb course of events in tho West. On the contrary, the fact that we have continued to progress to the extent recorded, in spite of the unexpected advantages derived by tho enemy nx)'m_ the disturbed conditions in .flussia, is a matter for congratulation. It was fully expected that soonor or later the German High Command would make a determined stand on tho Western front, and that thoro then would be a desperate struggle extending perhaps over wcoks before any marked gains wero recorded. Tho Germans are now making that.stand; they aro throwing groat masses .of their reserves against our forces, and they have been enabled to develop » stronger position in tho West because of the which exists in tho ranks of our Allies in the East. But in spito of all that tho German High Command has been able to do under these favourable conditions, the Allied forces aro steadily pressing forward. There have been checksthere werp bound to be checks in operations of such magnitude and over so wido and irregular a frontbut the progress made is definite enough, and it has been made against the greatest weight of troops the enemy has ever put into the field, and against the fiercest and most determined efforts to stay it. It is not merely the ground gained, however, that has to bo taken into account. The enemy is not only losing ground, but he is using up his reserves, and is being punished, so badly that the general effect must 1)0 an increasing moral decadence; an increasing_ sense of the hopelessness of winning any material advantage. ' But it must be again emphasised that important as the Western front is in the general scheme_ of the Allies' plans, no true estimate of the situation can be formed that docs not take into account the course of events in all the theatres of war, and indeed throughout the world at large. There have been two sets of, circumstances, and two only in re-' cent times, which have given ground for anxiety to the Allies. Tho first of these was the increased success of submarine attacks, and the second and more important the disorganisation and uncertainty in Russia following on the revolution and tho abdication of tho Tsae. So far as tho submarine campaign is concerned, it has placed a heavy tax on our mercantile shipping, and it has to a material extent temporarily dislocated our overseas trade. But it seems practically certain that the danger from this source is being reduced, and that the measures taken to overcome tho difficulties created will ultimately prove quite effective. Wo shall in all probability continue to lose vessels, but in lessor numbers, and their places will be filled by means of the more expeditious shipbuilding methods now introduced in Great Britain and the United States. Whatever loss the Allies have sustained from tho enemy s campaign of indiscriminate submarine piracy has, however, been much more than balanced by the fact that it has compelled America to enter into the war as an active belligerent on the side of the Entente Powers. As to Russia, the position has been serious enough to give rise to the gravest concern. At one stage it looked as though the country would be torn asunder internally by conflicting sections of tho population, each bent on turning the revolution Lo account in their own way, and refusing to compromise or meet on any common ground which would enable a stable Government to bo formed to combat the pressing peril 'threatening tho safety and security of tho nation from without- This internal dissension, fomented by

Gorman agents, spread to the Army, desertions from its ranks wore numerous, discontent and insubordiniF tion were rampant. Russia foi- the time being w«s crippled as a. fighting force, and was iu-obably saved only from a great military disaster by the inability of the'enemy to operate m force at that season of the year, or because Germany had hopes of serving her ends still more completely by allowing tho internal dissension fill] liberty to spread, and by corrupting the Russian Army with professions of comradeship and promises of peace. In any case Germany was relieved for the time being of any fear of aggression on the part of Russia, and was free to devote- all her onergies to the Western front, with the result men- ™™ earlier in this article. Now the shadow k which has hung over the Allies occasioned by Russia's internal troubles is lifting. The Provisional bovernment formed from the ranks ot the conflicting parties has arrived, at a stage when it seems able to act with confidence and with auWonty. Russia is to fulfil her obligations, and is setting about the task in a manner which gives promise, of a rapid restoration of the Army to that pitch of fighting efficiency which will enable it to play the part expected of it in the struggk The general situation, therefore, to-day must be regarded as immensely more favourable to the Allies than it has been for some timo past. In all directions the outlo'ok is full ot promise. With, events in Russia, developing more satisfactorily, and tne_ enemy submarine successes dwindling, the two darkest clouds on tho horizon are passing. To this must be added the encouraging evidences of the whole-hearted manner in which America is throwing herself into 'the struggle, and her complete unity of action with the Bntente Powers foreshadowed by tho sending of her flotilla of torpedoboats to European waters, the ex'ehango of commanders mentioned yesterday, and the proposed, early dispatch of troops to the fighting lines. These happenings, coupled with tho financial assistance already promised, indicate clearly enough thab > America is not going to bo the UegHgible influence in tho war which Germany hypnotised herself into believing. As an active- force in the actual struggle, and as a moral influence with neutral Powers who aro being made the victims of German eubmarino ruthleßsness, tho United States will prove a most formidable factor, and Germany's blunder in forcing America, to draw tho sword is liable to prove- the most costly of the many blunders the Kaiser and his War Lords have made since they plunged the world into war. FromItaly, too, comes good tidings. There, fighting under most difficult conditions, our Allies havo recently mado gains which open up tremendous possibilities, and must add to the discomfiture of our enemies. In Mesopotamia tho British forces still dominate the position, and though Russia's internal troubles have riot been without effect on our Ally's troops in this region, as well as on the main front, the outlook is good. In what direction, then, can tho Central Powers and their allies turn to find comfort and hope for the future? Even the recent Socialist Conference at Stockholni, from which they seem to havo expected help in- their plotting against Russia's stability, has been turned to their disadvantage;. The Kaiser's ■protege, King Constantine, ton, is drifting towards a perilous abdication, and one moro possible source of help, even though it may have been small, is to all appearances passing boyohd Germany's reach. A general survey of tho situation, therefore, leaves us few grounds indeed for pessimism, while our enemies have st-ill fewer grounds for hope.