The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-05
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
The English Army.
The Only Army in Europe Founded on q
Patriotic Basis.
The Immense Resources England Has TO
Draw from Her Army.
The Reason Why She is the Strongest
Power In Europe.

The Reason why she IL the Strongest
Power In Europe.
Especial Correspondence N. o. Democrat1
WASHINGTON, April AZ, 1877.
The intimacy with which the interests OF Great
Britain are associated with the pending conflict
between Turkey and Russia, and the imminens
probability thai shs will sooner or later be driven
into active participation for the protection OF her
interests, oonspirs TO produos IN avidity for OK
aot knowledge ~ TO her warlilfs resources.
30 far as have seen this subject treated In
the press cf the United States, our writers-who,
by the way, discuss the matter solely In gem
erallties- -betray lack of familiarity with the
| facts Of the theme which is singular in view Of
The close relations between this country and
England. and the ease with which accurate in
formation may be acquired. It /, noteworthy
fact that, particularly since the Franco Prussisn
war, the idea has obtained In this country that
military predominanee In Europe must be meas-
ured by mere numbers, and the decline Of
THE POWER AND IMPORTANCE OF CHEAT BHrTAIH
has been jumped st rs q conclusion simply bes
cause her army 80 represented on paper seems
80 much smaller and weaker than the unwleldy
ly desposisms Of Russia and Germany, or who
swell the oonglomerated battalions Of Anstris.
The average American newspaper writer hiss
fallen into hero Worship, with Bismarck for his
deity and the accidental victory Of Prussia over
France a the text Of bis sermon. II you ask
him what evidence he has seen OF the decline Oh
the power OF England he will answer you ID the
Yankee fashion with the inquiry. "Didn't the
Germans whip the French 2"
: "Certainiy they did," you reply; but has
anybody Ia Europe whipped the English :"
Then the average American newspaper writer
oudgels his powerful mind. Directly hs says:
"No; nobody has whipped The English; but the
aermaas could do IL easily, likewise the Russians,
! in case * .nsr between England and either of
those powers.
Thus you naxy no over ths whole ground Of
discussion. 10 the suggestion that England has
whipped every fight In which She has been en-
, gagged In Europe for two hundred yesrs, the
reply will be 'Yes, but the conditions Of wsrfare
have changed since England fought in Germany,
in the Peninsula, 10 Belgium snd in the Crimsa."
! Here stops the logic Of what may be called the
. American mental disease Of
: ANeLoPHoB1A
. . Beginning with ca assumption II ends in q
|, supposition, and the supposition is as grou nd
/ less az the assumption is false. The facts.
:. buntly stated, are that, in all the elements OF
warlike apa,ity and in all the essentials OF bell
i ligerent energy, by sea and land In personnel
] and In material; In ships, guns and all the ap-
planoes OF naval armament in soldiers, small
] srms, artillery, systems Of supply, means Of
transport and sanitary provisions for land opera
Z tions; in money and credit in intelligence and
q training and, finally, in the numbers OF her
I population whence to draw her fighting raw ma
terial England IL to-day more dreadful In power
6 aud more terrible in energy than In The palmest
/ days of Blenheim; Of Minden and Warbourg !;
: OF salamanca and vittoria; Of Waterloo; OF
= ;, Balaolaya and tn, Inkermann. The reading
: public has been surfsited In the last four years
l. with accounts OF
Il THE GERMAN ARMY,
II the Landwehr and the Landstrum, with do
l. scrptons OF thai grim and remorssless military
o system which, devised by the brutal Schamhorst
y Tor the purposes Of the barbarous Frederick q
h hundred and forty years ago, is now become the
: acme OF warlike enlightenment under the ne
It cromancy Of the swine-faced Bismarck and
l. through the blue-glass spectacles Of his hero
It worshipers. To be brief about Ii, the Prussian
% is doubtless The only system by which TO make
y soldiers out Of q race OF mon who, In peaceful
" pursuits. are won't TO harness their wives and
r. daughters to the p,ow and the harrowl
"a But those who estimate the wsYlike energies OF
a Great Britain, as compared with those Of the con-
q tinents, nations, by the ratio which the numeri-
ii cal strength Of her standing army bears TO theirs
8, reokon by an altogether fallacious standard.
THE FORCE OF THE BRITISH ARMY,
"a like the policy Of tbs British government, Isl
i constant index OF the will Of the British people
,r and the plan OF It's organization Ia a reflex Of
" their national character. II Ia the only army Ia
il Europs which is organized and maintained upor
l. a purely patriotic basis. All the other European
O. armies exist az the arbitrary creatures Of des
u posic law. The British army originates in thu
~ y, pride and Ia maintained by the consent Of th
Il neop,e. II ID the instrument Of their power an'
" the implement Of their ambition, while ever.
te other army In Europe is the instrument Of dea
r potism and the implement OF tyranny. TIL
30 British army 10 composed OF 81 regime OK Cav
:e airy 81 brigades Of artillery, and lib regiment
y. - OF infantry, besides staff corps. OF these reg
90 % ments Of cavalry, tho First and Second Lif
q. Guards and the Horse Guards, and regiment
TO OF inf,ntry, the drenadiers, the Codstreams an
the Scots fusiliers, are guards Of the royal house
e. hold, Seven regiments Of cavalry are known as th
70, Dragon Guards, and form an independer
a. CORPS; while 81 regiments Of cavalry, all the Al
ie tillery and ITO regiments Of infantry constitu'
~ what ia known as
THE BRITISH LINE.
These regiments are organizations OF all tt
way from one hundred TO three hundred year
M standing. Tho Oldest British regiment is IL
al Yeomen Guards, organized in 1896. The newe
er is the Rife Brigade Or 10th Of the Line, whit
u. bears date OF 1898. The seven regiments Of Dr.
rk COON Guards were organized by William
ng Orange in $780, as were also the present Ii,
ID Regiments from the 4th TO the 33d Infantry, al