The New York herald., 1874-03-14
Germany and France-The Nemesis OF
Victory and Conquest.


1t is not historically general truth that peace
and security depend upon strength in war, and
there is even better authority than Solomon
for the view that nation which has no other
guarantee against its enemies but ''ies qf0S
bdtdiIoas" is Oh the edge OF the abyss. But
it is the soldiers view, and so comes natu-
rally from Moltke, who concerns himself only
with the strictly military side of political
problems, and perhaps like Napoleon re-
CARDS the moral forces of the world as the
trash of the ''ideologists. "
In the strict line of his science, therefore,
the chief captain of the German Emperor
lays it down that the first necessity in the
State is that its existence shall be secured
against the foreigner, and secured by the
maintenance of military power that shall
prove practical obstacle to the enemies at
tempts; and the greater State is the greater
it seems to him is the need of this. ''Small
States can entrust themselves to neutrality and
international guarantees, but great State ex-
lists only in itself and out of its own power,
and fulfls the object of its existence when it
is determined and prepared to assert its exist
ence, its freedom and its right" This, of
course, will cost money-money that might
otherwise be spared to the people to make
them happier, to beautify their homes, to
render it possible that they should have
homes in the dear Fatherland, and
prevent them wandering away to the
wilderness of America because in
Germany they cannot get even bread and
beer; but, says the illustrious conqueror in
many desperate battles, we cannot spare the
people this money-we must wiring it from
their little savings tear it out of their hearts,
if need be, by our taxation machinery-be-
cause just over yonder is the enemy, always
on the alert, looming loweringly and threaten
ingly upon us, hoping to come down one OF
these days in way to which the coming down
of the Assyrian was nonsense, and II he should
come and we should not be ready for the occa-
sion one campaign might lose us more than
the savings OF generation; for we have
taught the enemy to the utmost the doctrine
of force-that there is no generosity, no hu-
man forbearance, no moral relation or inter-
dependence of nations, but that whoever can
crush must crush; wherefore it is wise to take
special pains that this lesson shall never come
home Us like a toast presented on the for
eign bayonet.
For Germany, therefore, there is no reduc--
ton Of taxes. 1t must support an army of
four hundred thousand men as peace force,
only to be ready in case the Frenchmen come.
1t must not only support this by vote of
money from year to year, but it must vote
the existence of such an army, ''once for
ALL" write it down as a permanency in the
laws that Germany sustains four hundred
thousand soldiers and that perpetual pro-
vision is made in the tax lists for money
enough to keep them in condition, since to
discuss the army year by year, and have it in
doubt regularly whether the appropriations
will not be lessened, would place military
matters in constant state of uncertainty,
and that might entail inconceivable calamity.
Does Germany want to know why she must
keep up such q force The information is
before her France has an active force of one
million two hundred thousand men and q
reserve of one million more Before the late
war she had one hundred and sixteen regi-
ments of infantry, now she has one hundred
and ffty-two and instead of her former
of artillery she has three hun
dred and twenty-three She went into
the recent war with an organization
of eight corps darmke, now she
has nineteen. If Germany spends hundred
million thalers on her military organization
France will spend one hundred and seventy
million on hers.
1t is a rivalry of energetic preparation for
war. Germany must keep up. France is rich
and Germany is poor; France is resolute per-
sistent, intense in her purpose; Germany
would like repose and peace and quiet and
the contented enjoyment of her laurels. 1t
is therefore contest that reverses the rela-
tons held by the two Powe rs in the battles
and sieges of the war; but Germany has no
escape from it; she must keep on; and her
conquest becomes sort Of financial and social
Nemesis. The series of wonderful victories
of which she availed herself to exhibit an ar
rogance of demeanor and an intolerance Of
difference never seen elsewhere in modern
times -triumphs that she would have rolled
as q sweet morsel in her mouth threaten to
become wormwood on her tongue.
France, indeed, may look upon herself as
already half revenged, and may fairly doubt
whether she is not now more fortunate in her
failures than her enemy in his successes.
Germany cannot free herself from the thral-
dom of the obligations imposed by her con-
quest, and poor country and penurious
people are burdened to the limit of endurance
by the requirements of false position; while
France, with the worst behind her. is ami
mated with patriotic purpose. and thrusts
her teeming abundance into the hands of
government that she trusts may prepare o