The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-04-11
England's Ability to Fight.

Russia, John Bull is actively taking
stock of his military resources, and his
comfortable conclusion is that the nation
was never better able to fight than now.
To be sure the English standing army
is hardly more than a corporal's guard
compared with that of any of the first
class continental powers, and, with all
the reserves and volunteers added, ii
would still be outnumbered by the hordes
of conscripts which the vast Russian
Empire could pour forth. But it is not
numbers alone that tell, and England
vaunts herself upon the superior quality
and equipment of the men she could
send into the field; but, most of all, her
reliance is placed in the Kingdoms I'M
limited material resources and credit.
England can borrow untold millions at
about per cent, while Russia must pay
over 6, and the Lord is quite as much
on the side of the long purse in modern
warfare as that of the heavy artillery.
1t has been somewhat the fashion
among first-class European powers to
regard England as of steadily lessening
military consequeence-as an old and
toothless lion, too studious OF. its com
fort and general welfare to be readily
provoked into combat, or of cOmpara-
lively small account if, by chance, 1t
should roar and enter the lists. And
the country's persistent neutrality dur
ing all the turbulent vicissitudes of Eu-
ropean map-making for generation
back has lent some color to this belief;
yet, after all, these years in which the
nation has lain fallOw are but another
element OF its strength. While other
nations have kept their popt!latiOts., re-
pressed by war, the people of Great Brit
ain have been yearly growing in num-
bers, and this increase, of couse, means
a corresponding capacity to produce ar
mics. When the British were fighting
Napoleon so successfully on the CONT
nent, the Kingdoms population was
about a quarter that of Russia, it is now
q third then it was only half that of
Austria, now it is, three-fourths.
An important element to be taken in
to account when the relative strength Gf
England and Russia is considered, is the
vast subsidiary territory possessed by
both. These outlying dependencies are
perhaps more apt to be weakness in
Russia's case than that of England.
The colonies and conquered possessions
of TIE latter haye 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
q bttrden. and likely to be perennially
troublesome for years to come. In this
connection it is quite the habit TO look
upon Russia as the boss land-gl abber
among the nations, and to reproach her
with undue territorial cOvetousness. A
eursory review of the facts, however,
will show that leonine England has far
exceeded her ursint rival as 3 national
land-grabber. Within q century she
has grasped 2,650,000 square miles, in
bsbtted by 100000, 900 people, while
Russia has acquired ID tie same period
only 1,642, 900 comparatively sterile
miles, with a population of but 17,0O0,-
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 it must be confessed that for any
sudden military aggression England is
st present quite incompetent. France
and Germany could mobilize thsir Inn
mense armies in IA days; England
would require three or four months to
organize hers, and for immediate serv-
ice it is doubtful if the latter could
muster $4,000 asle-bodied fighting men.
The war minister's estimates for the pres
ent year-of course reckOned on peace
basis-call for 1875, ASP men, some 1000
increase over last year. Over 10000 of
these are booked for the colonies, leav-
ing about 100, 900 for home service. Be |
hind this little standing army of 1876, 200
men is volunteer. reserve of 100000 ,
India, in addition, has 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.
900 Englishmen are needed to guard the |
Sepoys. Of the $4,000 colonial contin- /
gency half are stationed at Gibralter and /
Malta, China has regiment, CeylOn |
another, the West Indies 1000 troops, |.
Halifax 1900, South Africa, where there |.
is now war of some magnitude with .
the Kaffirs, 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 it has overlooked the pos. !
sibility of progress in military science
since the glorious ways of Waterloo,
and with true British conservatism it /
adheres to much that is now obsolete |
and cumbersome. There is a 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. |
Neither do the English recruits compare |
favorably with their continental breth-
The armies of the chief /
European powers are composed of men |
come of age, with strength and stamina
fully developed-none are drawn that /
have not passed their 21st birthday
whereas, large percentage of English |
are raw boys of II or Is, |
with many even as young as Is.
OF such reinforcements it was Lord |
Raglan bitterly complained in the
Crimea that ''they died like flies" De-
sertions are of course frequent among
so immature warriors, and they average
a whole company day, half of whom
succeed in GLIDING subsequent capture.
This trouble of too much juvenility is
now, however, abating. The present |
of business is the recruiting
opportunity, and class of
vigorous men in their prime are enlist
ing, forced thereto by want. Should |
need come for volunteers On large |
scale, thousands of brawny men from
idle mine and workshop could easily be
found that, for muscle and power of
it would be hard to match |
anywhere else in Europe.-SpTnqfeld
Mass. Republican.
A Curious BIunder.