ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1917. NOTES ON THE WAR.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 243, 13 October 1917, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1917. NOTES ON THE WAR.

That over six weeks should have elapsed between the mutiny in the German fleet and the statements relative thereto which have been made in the Reichstag proves how close a watch is kept by the German Government to ensure that disquieting news as to what happens in the army and navy shall, not be prematurely disclosed. It; is probable that even now this sensational news would not have been made public property but for the desire.of Dr Michaelis and the Pan-German party now dominant in the German Government to discredit the Independent Socialists with tho German people, and to provide the authorities with a good excuse for stamping out the peace propaganda carried on by that party—a propaganda directly opposed to the purely Chauvinistic spirit which the PanGermans are so anxious to spread, r.ot only amongst the people at large, but amongst the troops, at the front. The mutiny was suppressed, but, as a retired English Admiral, Sir Cyprian Bridge, has declared, there must be a good deal of fire beneath so much smoke, and it is by no means certain that the revolutionary spix'it which manifested itself in a section of the fleet may not provide the German Admiralty with fresh occasion for anxiety. It would be a curious outcome of the mutiny if it had the effect of deciding the German Government to risk another great sallying forth of the High Seas Fleet into the North Sea. But there are far more unlikely contingencies than this, for, previously to the Russian mutinies at the front, it was a generally accepted maxim that the best way to deal with discontent in either an army or a navy is to keep the malcontents actively engaged in fighting.

Meanwhile, though it would be unwise to infer too much from the recent mutiny in the German fleet, there are unmistakable evidences that sources of weakness aro developing in Germany Avhich may yet prove of great indirect value to the Allies. The Russian revolution has been responsible for what is a very lamentable inactivity of our northern Ally on the Eastern front. But it cannot fail to have imbued the ultra-demo-cratic elements in Germany with the hope that the Hohenzollern autocracy may sooner or later have to bow to the popular will for political reform or suffer the same fate as that which befell the Romanoff regime. The Pan-Germans and ultra-militarists are quite naturally pressing for the prosecution of the leaders of the Independent Socialists, pointing to the recent mutiny as a proof of the mischievous influence they exercise on the navy and on the army—for it is admitted that there have been military as well as naval revolts—but in the greater industrial centres of the Fatherland the Independent .Socialists are numerically a very powerful body, and any severity displayed towards their representatives in the Reichstag would probably lead to widespread rioting. . The German Government, through its agents, was and is still no doubt very busy in

fomenting mutiny amongst the Russian troops. Now, by the irony of fate, it sees itself embarrassed by the very same kind of trouble in its own forces upon tho fomenting of which it has spent so much money in Russia.

The outcome of tho French Socialist Conference held at Bordeaux earlier in tho week has been the passing, and that Avith unanimity, of strongly worded resolutions declaring against peace agitation tmtil France's enemies are decisively beaten. This is the most satisfactory news we have had from France for some months past, for of late grave fears had been expressed in leading English and American journals that the Socialist section in France was inclined to favor the "stop the war" policy advocated by the wild theorists of the extreme Socialist party at Petrograd. Coming on the top of the American Government's declaration that it will treat all German peace offers with supremo contempt until the enemy expresses himself willing to accept the peace terms of the Allies, and insisting upon the cessation of Hobenzollcrn rule in Germany, the decision of the French Socialists to give the Painleve Government a loyal support, and to continue tVie war to the one nnd only conclusion which can be deemed satisfactory by tho Allies, should vastly strengthen tho discontent with the war now clearly widespread amongst the democratic organisations across the- Rhino.

The" submarine tally is slightly higher this week, the number of British ships over 1000 tons destroyed being fourteen as against cloven during the previous weok. The total is still Jisquiotingly high, nnd points to thj "act that fox the present at

least there is to bo no sensible diminution of the lamentable shortage m shipping facilities. On the other hand, in view of tho well-known fact that the onemy has of late greatly in-cre-ai-jd th> number and offensive power of his submarines, it argues tho existence of improved methods pn the part of the Allies in dealing with tho sea. piracy. A gratifying piece of intelligence is the reported .substantial increase in the output of the British shipbuilding yards. On" both sides of the Atlantic, so we may rest assured, shipbuilding activity is now being so substantially increased that overy month that passes by should find the Allies better able to cope with the moso feverishly destructive efforts which can be put forward by the enemy.

Berlin still "bluffs," "bluffs" more openly, more noisily, more impudently than ever. Tho latest example of Hun insolence, of calm disregard for tho bard facts which Germany is up against, is to be found in the declaration of Herr Kuhlmann, cho Kaiser's Minister for Foreign Affairs, that Germany will make no concessions of any kind with regard to Alsace-Lor-raine. "'Not so long as a single Gorman can hold a gun" says tho vainglorious Kuhlmann. who then proceeds to id hide to the provinces stolen from France in 1870 as "a glorious inheritance handed down to us by our forefathers, which an never be the subject of negotiations or concessions." This sort of Jingoistic rant will no doubt please the Pan-German organs, but it is pure "bluff," and nothing more than "bluff." If there be one absolutely certain result of\t'he equally certain final triumph of the Allies, it will be the restoration: to France of her lost provinces. The French, who have fought so gallantly, who have displayed a national and individual spirit of sell-sacrifice which has won for the nation tho admiration of tihe whole world, would never even listen to peace terms which left Alsace-Lor-raine in the powor of tho Hun. By the time the sprfog of 1918 is over there will not be "a single German" to be found holding up a gun in Alsace-Lorraine. They will, we believe, be nil across the Rhine by that time, wit!h the French, Americans, and British hot on their heels. But Berlin still "bluffs," "bluffs" about victory whilst Haig is slowly but surely forcing the German fci-oops out of Western France.

The statesman who has been entrusted with the task of putting up the very latest German "bluff" is, we notice, to be despatched to Vienna, Buda Pest, Sofia, and Constantinople "on a high political mission in tho interests of peace." It was understood, a week or two ago, that the Kaiser and yon Hindenburg were to undertake the mission. But recent events on the Western., front have shattered the optimism, real or assumed, of yon Hindenburg, and we are now told that he is too much occupied with purely military affairs to have time to spend on diplomacy. Whether the Kaiser is to accompany Herr Ku him ami is not stated. It would be interesting to have a true report of the coming mission. At Buda Pest Herr Kuhlmann will probably find a certain feeling of discontent with Prussian policy, for Hungary has never gained, and can never hope to gain, any advantage out of the Avar. As for Herr Kuhlmann's mission to Sofia, he will, we think, find the "Red Fox of the Balkans" much less a believer in the might of the German arms than he was two years ago. "Bluff" at Buda Pest or at Sofia is not likely to be very successful in these later days of the Avar.