Middletown transcript., 1882-02-10
ARMED EUROPE.

ARMED EUROPE.
The gross population of the five grea
military Powers of Europe-France
Germany, Russia, Austria and Italy
J amounts to 23S,O00,O0O. The sum o
: their armies on Il peace footing is 2,100,
900, or one per cent. of the total popu
lation constantly withdrawn from civ.
ilian avocations to serve as soldiers
On war footing, these armies, By
calling in furlough men and first re-
serves, swell forthwith to an aggregate
of nearly seven millions, or three pei
cent. of the total population. But thi;
proportion by no means eXhausts the
fund of citizens liable to military ser.
vice. At the discretion of those in au.
thority class after class of reserves can
be called Out-and must come out-un,
til the maximum force that the five
Powers can arm and embody reaches
the stupendous total of 100000 600 OF
men-roughly, six per cent. of their
i gross population. People i'll Europe
profess surprise at the stupendons and
increasing emigration to America, but
the explanation, primarily at least, is
to be found in these amazing figures
and in the review and summary given
of European military expenditures,
which are succinctly given in the two
succeeding paragraphs.
The deduction from the financial
prosperity of a nation by the slice of its
adult manhood hacked from out its
money earning power for military pur-
poses represents in itself a hugh sum.
Take Germany as an example. Her
army on its nominal peace footing num-
bers 100000 men. 1t is no strained as
sumption to hold that each of these
men would in civilian life earn 5000
year, which sum, whether banked or
spent, would contribute to the increase
of the country's wealth. By withdraw
ing, then, these 10000 men from earn
ing each this money, Germany annually
sacrifices on the altar of standing
army no less a sum than $4,000, 900.
This may be called the passive cost of
the national luxury of a standing army.
But to this passive cost must be added
the active cost of the national expendi-
ture in maintaining that army. Ger
many is one of the most economical
among the nations in the matter of
expenditure in proportion to
the size of her army. Yet her ordinary
military budget amounts annually to
So, ,50O,O
Russia spends on her army in peace
time over twenty-eight per. cent. of her
total revenue. The annual taxation of
France for military purposes reaches
So. 25 per capita. But to generalize for
a moment on war expenditures. The
gross annual revenues of the five great
military Powers amounts to 81, ,32S,-
100000 Their annual ordinary mill
.ary expenditure reaches 1891, ,000, 900,
an average of above twenty
1ne per cent. of gross revenue expended
N maintaining armies. And, finally,
he application by the five Powers of
he maxim, If you desire peace, be
'eady for war - exacts from every man,
woman and child within their borders !
IN annual contribution for military I
purposes of a few cents short of s. per !
Innum. This might be a fair asSur-
nee premium to pay against war were
a secure guarantee, but the truth is
hat it must be regarded not so much :
N assurance against the evils of war
S premium on the joys of war, what :
yer they may be. But, strangely, in
pite of these colossal expenditures, +
ig national army is much more eco +
omical thing than small professional
rmy. England maintains her regular Il
rmy of about one hundred and twenty G
hOusand men-eXclusive of the Indian y
paid out of the Indian n
an annual cost of about "
100000. But the proud privilege n
{ having incomparably the costliest
rmy in the known world belongs to b.
le United States. The strength of the CO
egular army of this Republic is under in
:, 1000 men, and its annual cost is S40,- bl
10000. Germany maintains a stand &C
g army of 430,000 men and the ma o(
linery for promptly swelling it to of
1st 100000 strong at an annual ex- 70
,nditure of only S42, 800, 900 more than fo
costs the United States to maintain ca
lder arms 25,000.-N. 7. Herald. th
yo
THE average production per acre of tv
II three principal cereals for the &c
hole country is: Corn, % bushels. co
is, 25 bushels, and wheat less than W;
bushels. Of the great wheat-grow- de
g States, Ohio, has the largest aver MI
e yield, IS bushels per acre, and SO