The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-04-19

element Of It's strength. While other
nations have kept their populations re-
pressed by war, the people Of Great Brit
ain have been yearly growing In num-
bers, and this increase, Of couse, means
corresponding capacity To produce ar
mics. When the British were fighting
Napoleon SO successfully on the conti-
nent, the Kingdoms population was
about quarter that Of Russia, IL Is now
third; then il was only half that Of
Austria, now II Is three-fourths.
An important element to be taken in
to account when the relative strength Of
England and Russia Is considered, Ii the
vast subsidiary territory possessed by
both. These outlying dependencies are
perhaps more apt to be q weakness in
Russia's case than that Of England.
The colonies and conquered possessions
Of the latter have been the source of
great wealth and strength, and can even
be depended upon in an emergency for
armed assistance on the contrary, Rus
sia's immense Asian accessions are but
burden, and likely to be perennially
troublesome for years to come. In this
connection 1t Is quite the habit to look
upon Russia as the boss land gi abber
among the nations, and TO reproach her
with undue territorial covetousness. A
cursory review of the facts, however,
will show that leonine England has far
exceeded her ursine rival rs national
land-grabber. Within century she
has grasped 2,65O,0O0 square miles, in
habited by 25o.000,000 people, while
Russia has acquired in the same period
only 1,642,000 comparatively sterile
miles, with population Of but II, O00,-
600. Then, in addition, there are such
vast countries as Australia, which the
former has attached to herself by peace
full colonization, and for which the lat
ter can furnish no parallel
But 1t must be confessed that for any
sudden military aggression England Is
at present quite incompetent. France
and Germany could mobilize their i'm
mense armies i'm IA DAYS; England
would require three or four months 10
organize hers, and for Immediate serv-
ice it il doubtful if the latter could
muster $1,000 able bodied lighting men.
The war minister's estimates for the pres
ent year--of course reckoned on peace
basis-call for 1875, 1852 men. some 1900
increase over last year. Over $4,000 Of
these are booked for the colonies, leav-
Ing about 100, 900 for home service. Be-
hind this little standing army Of 1885,
men is a volunteer reserve Of 400, 600.
India, in addition, has q guard of En-
glish soldiers numbering $4,000 men,
besides considerable body Of native
militia. There is some doubt about the
value Of these native troops, and India
men sarcastically observe that the CO.,
600 Englishmen are needed to guard the
Sepoys. OF the 1900 colonial contin-
gency half are stationed at Gibralter and
Malta, China has a regiment, Ceylon
another, the West Indies 1900 troops,
Halifax !, 800, South Africa, where there
is now war Of some magnitude with
the kalirs, LOO, and various other
points lesser numbers.
English writers seem to find much
room for criticism in the details Of their
army system. The nation has had so
little to do with modern continental
warfare that 1t has overlooked the pos
sibility Of progress in military science
since the glorious ways OF Waterloo,
and with true British conservatism il
10 much that is now obsolete
and cumbersome. There Is great SUI
perfiuity Of officers and too much cir
red tape to attain rapid re-
suits. The whole organization, too,
seems needlessly expensive, for each
soldier Of the line last year cost $500
do the English recruits compare
Iavorably with their continental breth-
The armies If the chief
European powers are composed II men
come of age, with strength and stamina
July developcd-none are drawn that
have not passed their 2lst birthday
whereas, large percentage Of English
enlistments are raw boys Of II or Is,
With many even as young as 16.
Of such reinforcements it was Lord
Raglan bitterly complained in the
Crimea that ''they died like flies" De-
,ertions are of course frequent among
% immature warriors, and they average
; whole company day, halt of whom
succeed In eluding subsequent capture.
This trouble Of too much juvenility is
now, however, abating The present
'tagnation of business Is the recruiting
'ergeant's opportunity, and class Of
vigorous men in their prime are enlist
ng, forced thereto by want. Should
need come for volunteers on large
scale, thousands of brawny men from
die mine and workshop could easily be
ound that, for muscle and power Of
IL would be hard to match
anywhere else In Europe
Mass. Republican.
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