The Daily Gate City And Constitution Democrat

MAY BEGIN HAMMERING AT TEUTON BACK DOOR
America and Allies by Attacking Central Powers From Other Sides Than Western Front Could do Damage.

STRIKE HARDEST AT STRONGEST POINT
Austria Would Soon Crumble if Heavy Pressure was Forced Through Italy and Thus Weaken Germans.

[United Press Leased Wire Service.]

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17.-Despite the opinion of high military officials here that the war must be won entirely on the western front, others, including European military men and diplomats, are still hopeful today that America and the allies will attack the central powers from other sides.

Announcement recently, by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt that more American troops would be sent to Italy, gave hope to Serbian, Greek and Italian representatives that the United States would hammer at Germany's rear just as hard as along the western front.

Chief of Staff March, however, followed this testimony before the senate military affairs committee that the war must be won almost entirely on the western front and intimated that offensives in Russia, the Balkans or Palestine were impractical.

Opinion as to the wisdom of these policies is strongly divided here as it has been in England, France and even Germany, where Hindenburg is leading "easterner."

General March supported by the general staff has announced that the strategy of striking the enemy hardest at his strongest point.

United States will adopt Napoleon's
President Wilson is believed to have been won over to this view for the time being.

Serbian and Italian representatives here believed that Germany could be more quickly and completely defeated by a blow in the Balkans which would detach Bulgaria and Turkey from the central powers.

Austria, under heavy pressure, would soon crumble, it is believed, leaving Germany with exposed flanks.

Constitution of the eastern front in Russia would also be a part of this general plan, it is said.

Advocates of the eastern front strategy say that to fight Germany alone on the western front is to ignore the political aspirations of Germany in the east.

In this vast undeveloped region of rich resources, Germany expects to set her claws.

She would be willing to give up all the western allies ask along the French frontier, including Belgium, it is believed, if she were sure she would be given a clean sweep in Russia and the Balkans. But to permit this would be fatal to the allies aims in the war, it is held.

Military men favoring concentration of efforts on the western front say that allied forces cannot be divided. So long as Germany is undefeated in France and not pushed back to the Rhine she will continue to be a menace and victory will not be complete.

Other military critics, however, declare that by throwing forces on the exposed eastern frontiers, Germany would be forced to weaken her western front to get men for defense and that in addition the allies would be favored by steadily increasing forces augmented by nations in the various neighborhoods of Germany on the east who fear her victory.

BEGIN HAMMERING