Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-06-28
England For War.

From The chicago Times.
The English cabinet has officially
declared that it is inconsistent with
British interests to permit Russia to
occupy ConstantinopIe, even tempor
arly. AS the ministers have strong
majority IN parliament, their decision
viii undoubtedly meet with sufficient
ly strong approval to produce a tre-
mendous sensation throughout Eu-
rope; for the action thus taken,
though not in the nature of a formal
declaration of war against Russia, is
tantamount to that 1t means war.
The next step will be the appropri-
alton of large sum to be used nomin-
ally for the protection of the British
empire in the cast, actually for the
transportation and equipment of
troops After dilly dallying for three
months during which no active meas
ures have been taken for the contin-
gency which has now arrived, and
which, from the beginning, appeared
inevitable to all the world except
British cabinet, the ministers viii
discover with painful abruptaess that
4 England, of all countries in the world,
is least fitted for the struggle upon
which she is about to enter. The
dismal story of the protracted blum
ders of the Crimea return to plague
the civilians who will undertake to
direct from Downing street the oper-
ations of an army and fleet in the east
! But where is the army to send, even
if there were capable direction and
experienced strategists rea y to take
charge Of its movements?
The latest official reports give a
round total in the United Kingdom
OF less than 100000 men. OF these,
6S, 900 are in England, 3 900 in Scot
land, % 600 in Ireland, and 1900 in
the channel islands. 1t Ireland could
be depended upon, nearly this whole
{ force might be sent to the Bosphorus
But Ireland cannot be trusted, En.
gland danger sis her opportunity, :
and instead of Withdrawing tie
22 600 men hence, the garrisons may
: need to be increased if the struggle
7 south of the Balkans prove prctracteC
, and exhausting, In India there art
10000 regulars. The army estimates
for 1877 contain appropriations foI
for four classes Of reserve, the militia
: the yeomanry cavalry, the volunteers
c and the enrolled pensioners. Th,
4 total number of militia thus provided
for is 139, 9,619; the yeomanry cavalry
5,070; volunteers, l59,950; compris
e ing 1928 for the artillery, and 1856,
927 light horse, engineers, and rife
4 men, and the number of enrolIe
! pensioners is 81 900. From all these
y the government may obtain 10000
N men almost wholly ignorant Of tn
<, arts and the necessities Of war.
5. The British navy, so long ruler {
a all the oceans, is no longer fact
: pri'scqs. The shipyards Of the Clyd
y have been busily engaged supplyin
ID navies to other powers, while sever;
tn of England's best ships have gone t
A. the bottom, and she has had no spe,
] ial impulse to enlarge the total
order to maintain her preponderatin
proportion. Of her one hundred an
twenty sea going steamers, only thirt
FIVE are iron clads, and most of thes
are not adapted for the newest al
IS most deadly agents Of naval warfa
of -tolpedoes. Her wooden fleet
le composed Of fast sailers and stanc
P hulks for transport duty. But in &
engagement with the navy of Russ
Oh strength is likely TO win; and as f
ers reducing Notifications, it is doubt
be if the science of gunnery has ke
pace with that of defense. 1t seer
to be as hard 10 reduce Kars, with
garrison of only Ottomans half-star
es, ed, as it was when the gallant w
he liams gave the orders behind
breastworks TO surrender only wb