The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-03-16
Spectre-Haunted Europe,

| The most alarming symptom of the public
life of Europe is the excessive distrust with
which nations and races regard one another
The whole continent seems to be spectre
haunted. Dplomatsts are not playing out
right with Bismarck's Iron dice of war :" noi
is one great State offering to another the di-
| rect menace Of unwonted military prepare
ii ms; yet political society throughout Europe
is continually disquieted by morbid suspicion
is beating the air and fighting with shadows
IS if overborne by hideous nightmare
This condition Of nervous agitation and APP
'rehensiou is illustrated by two incid, nts
which have occurred within fortnight One
is a new chapter in the literature OF the Chan
el Tunnel in which the dangers OF that en-
rrprise have been grossly exaggerated One
English journal has Wed with another in pan
le-mongrring. The hclplessness and insecure
~ of the United Kingdom have been openly
proclaimed. Dover has been described by one
II the highest military authorities as fortress
defended with pop-guns, which could be
Knocked to pieces in an honr by the fire OF a
been found to consist of three old iron-clads,
defective in design and awkward in maneuvr-
ing, which have ceased to be regarded as
strong and efficient armored vessels. The fifty
thousand volunteers, who were brought to-
gether within twenty-four hours for review at
Windsor last summer, are dismissed contempt
uousy as handful of troops that would be
utterly powerless to resist foreign army of
invasion marching on London. The facility
with which the garrison at Dover could be sur
prlsed, and horde of sodiery shot through
the Channel Tunnel, is illustrated by hun
dred hypothesis, every one of which appeals
to the timorousness and credulity of nation
that "never will be slaves" to aught save panic
terror and the spectres of disordered imagi-
nation. Without pauslng to consider how
any nation except France could steal march
upon England, nor how that nation could get
possession of the Dover end of the tunnel be-
fore war had been formally declared and all
proper precautions taken to secure the defence
of the fortress and even the destruction of the
submarine passage itself, the military critics
and public prints fall an easy prey to the NOR
bid anxiety which pervades all European
-tates.
The second illustration is found in the ex-
element caused in various capitals by two
speeches made by General Skobeeff, the most
popular soldier in the Russian service In one
of these harangues he boosted that by its vic
tories in the Trans Caspian region and by its
intrigues in Central Asia and Persia, his Gov
eminent had secured an advance-post on the
road TO Herat, and could occupy Merv at its
convenience and in the other he proclaimed
the sympathy of the Northern Slavs with their
brethren of the same race, the Southern Slavs
IN Dalmatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Servia and
Montenegro, who were either resisting the
Austrian CONSUMPTION or recoilng from the
despotic sway of the Hapsburgs. Appealing
to the community of feeling existing between
these two great divisions of the Slav camp, he
declared that they would stand side by side in
The great battle with the Teuton, which was
inevitable and could not long be deferred. In
these two speeches, despite his own avowal Of
soberness and moderation, there was more
champagne than water, yet the panic-mongers
throughout Europe have been chatteIing for
fortnight. These utterances are interpreted as
3 menace to England from the side Of Afghan
lstan, to Germany from the east, and to Aus
tria from the Balkan peninsula. The move
ment OF Russian engineers in the direction of
Sarakhs, the reciificatiou of the Persian from
tier, the growth of lace feeling in South Sla-
vonia, the spread of dsafftction among Aus
tras two millions of Adriatc Slavs, the Rus
sian Courts, and the aggressiveness of Pan
Slavlsln in Moscow, are magnited each III
turn, as OminOus signs of war and devastation
menacing the peace OF the whole continent
General Skobelef may be sterny reproved
upon his arrival in St. Petersburg, and eau
toned against any premature disulays of ora
tory in future but his indiscrelQns have
disirust and abnormal suspicion which is so
readily excited in the Europe of to-day.
And why is that feeling of morbid appre-
hension so readily excited? Why does Sko-
beleH's feryid Pan Slavism cause uneasluess in
Berlin and Vienna? Why does England dis
cuss with sense of undefinahle dread and
with many signs of mental perturbation the
military dangers OF the Channel Tunnel?
There is only one reason. II is because the
spirit of miitarism is rampant throughout
Europe, save in the little island which breads
to have its "wet ditch" undermined. The ar
maments of the great States cost two, three,
or even four times as much az the actual re-
quirements of each demand, yet the sense of
insecurity is increased. As much as So ,000,-
100000 is used in paying the interest of ma
tlonal debts and in maintaining military es-
Establishments and other branches of the public
service, where less than 50 600, 900 900 was re-
CURED ten or fifteen years ago; yet, with these
stupendous ornaments, and with the indebted
ness of Europe aggregating $25 900 100000,
with an interest charge of S750,000 900, as the
outcome of universal CONSUMPTION, garrison
life and the arbitrament of the sword, the con-
tinent shoulders at every sound-N 7. Trs-
h7Jre