HOW ROUMANIA WAS BETRAYED.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 December 1917, Page 6

HOW ROUMANIA WAS BETRAYED.

ONE OF THE WAR'S GREAT TRAGEDIES. (Continued from yesterday.) .' a TRAGIC ALTERNATIVE. The Roumanians -were thus placed before tragic alternative of risking the fight under conditions in which defeat—with all its- terrible consequences —was nearly certain, or of resisting the Russian ultimatum, and( in this case, giving up all hopes of -the union and emancipation of the race, resigning themselves to become to Germany what the Asiatic monarchies of old were to the Roman Empire. They chose the first alternative trusting to the honour of the British and French Governments that fhey would take account of the immense sacrifice Roumania was making.

The beginning of the campaign would seem brilliant to those who judged only by appearances, but the fears expressed as to the bad faith of the Bulgarians ware not long in beign realised and the Russian assurances on this subject speedily proved fallacious; the Dobrudja was attacked by large forces. This part of the immense front of 1300 kilometres had now to be defended, and the divisions called back from Transylvania, where, at the first found, sweeping before them the Hungarian troops, they reached Sivin. The Second, Fifth, Tenth and Fifteenth Divisions, withdrawn in haste and sent, under the command of General Averc-seo, to the Dobrudja, retrieved the situation by a brilliant success, thus avenging the check at Turtukai. But- by this the Transylvanian campaign was compromised. For the last time the Roumanian Government made a moving appeal to their ally, enumerating in detail the strength of the enemy, and showing that only the immediate dispatch of considerable reinforcements could give hope of resisting the two armies with -which Falkenhayn and Mackensen proposed inclosing Roumania as in a vise, How was it possible, indeed, for the Roumanian army, left to" its own resources, to resist thirty-seven divisions, with a superior armament, twenty of -which belonged to the elite of the German army, when a great Power like Italy, "whose army had given proof of such brilliant qualities, had nearly yielded to the attack of 33 divisions, composed exclusively of Austro-Hun-garians? But Mr. Sturmer could now hardly stop in the disastrous course he had taken. He confined himself to prescribing a regrouping of the Roumanian forces still left to themselves. GALLAKT BUT HOPELESS FIGHT.

From the end of September, with all the energy of despair, the army retreated step by step, defending the passage of each river; first the Jiul, where, after a magnificent effort, it succeeded in retrieving the situation by destroying the Eleventh Barvarian Division, killing ,or capturing down to the last man—nest the Alt, and finally the.Arges, the last rampart defending Bucharest. 'A't this moment, in December; two Eussian divisions, Ihe first since the two divisions sent to the Dobrudja, arrived to take part in the defence of the capital. But in this battle, which for three days remained undecided, their part was null, for even there they did not arrive in time. The left wing of the Roumanian army being turned, the divisions which had, nnder General Aversco, bravely held out on the line Predial-Buchar-est were obliged to beat a retreat and take up a last stand on the line GalatzFoscane, thus abandoning with the capital, all the rich "VVallachian plain. The Roumanian Government gave a last proof of their spirit of sacrifice in destroying, before they "retreated everything that could possibly serve for the re-victualling of the enemy. Besides the cereals, of which the Germans found only very small quantities all the splendid modern plant of 'the petroleum industry was systematically destroyed. An Anglo-Rouman-commission was entrusted with the task of setting fire to the petroleum wells, which cover a vast region on the southern slope of the Carpathians. The sight of the flames and columns of smoke, which plunged whole territories in darkness; the regiments being mute and gloomy, the populations fleeing terror-stricken before the blackness spreading like a cloud which the midday sun could not pierce; have left on the memory of those who witnessed this grand but terrible spectacle an impression which will never fade. Thus the respected sacrifice was accomplished.

deacon York, which were in many newspapers printed in the form of an assertion that the culprit was a returned soldier.

Referring to this matter, the general secretary stated that the attitude of the Press varied considerably in various centres throughout New Zealand, and the frequent pointed reference' to the fact that the offender, was a returned soldier was probably largely due to the fact that such offenders were likely to have made the fullest use of their returned soldier status. Thd .'association was emphatically opposed to any attempt to conceal from the public the real truth, in regard to matters affecting returned soldiers generally, but it was strongly of the opinion that continuous references to returned soldiers in connection with offenders was disproportionate to the instances where returned soldiers figured more commendably. As an instance he stated that at a recent law examination in Auckland, at which 100 candidates presented themselves, returned soldiers headed the list in seven subjects but this, so far as he knew, had passed without comment by the newspaper pr,esa. 'The situation appeared to be a reaction from the unhealthy adulation offered to the soldiers, in the early stages of the war, but which, unfortunately had the effect of representing returned soldiers in general in an unfavourable light. In connection with the recent remark); of Archdeacon York the association deplored /the fact that the feelings of the Archdeacon should have betrayed him into the statement he made, but as he had since apologised, the association did not wish to press the-Tiat-ter beyond bringing it before the notice of responsible Anglican authorities.

erte Weltschau," is that their training seems to have so developed their understanding that when an unexpected emergency arises they are capable of grasping the situation and doing what is necessary to protect the blind man from harm.