Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-04-11
MONTPELIER VT
A Modern Warfare.

A Modern Warfare.
England is just now more excited than
would be the case if she had an old
fashioned war on her hands. The tradition
of the "gunpowder plot" is as tame as it is
old in view of what the London of to- day
is worried about.
The late explosions in the city alarmed
people but it was not certain that they
were caused by any extensive combination
and the hope was INDUCED that they were
the work of few fools who would be
frightened from further attempts. But
last week it was found that there were
regular manufactures for modern explo
sives and one such place was raided and
several arrests have been made of men
engaged in the work of blowing up" old
England.
A bill has been rushed through parlia
ment imposing severe penalties on those
engaged in this new sort of crime and
many of the Irish leaders are denouncing
the dynamite policy as idiotic and crimi
nal. These preventives show that there
is something more than Il scare and thai
Rosa and his like are really doing some
thing more besides making threats.
In former times war was carried or
openly; now England as well as the
continent of Europe can testify that secrecy
and assassination are coming TO be princi
pal elements in it. So far as the immediate
result of the present dyr amitc warfare is
concerned they will probably be mainly q
reaction against the Irish cause they arc
designed to aid.
But it seems very likely that the future
will see his sort of thing recognized as a
fact by nations and provided for by trea.
ties. During the rebellion rebels could
quietly prepare in Canada for raids Oh
United States soil and Canadians were
rather pleased to see the fun 60 on. Wher
the "patriot war; of 1887 and the Fenia,
invasons were going on Americans Were
not worried though they did we'll in stop
ping open warfare from their own soil.
Open warfare one nation will not permi,
to be carried on from within its borders
against country with which 1t is at
peace.
But modern methods OF warfare will
certainly bring about provision agains,
the performances of such scamps as
O'Donovan Rosa and Patrick Grove
when they 60 beyond words and plot to
destroy property and lives in foreign
country. AS far as matters have gone
Americans in general and Vermonters in
particular may think that the English
know now how good it is to be expecting
St. Adams raid or its equivalent. But
the evil will progress and demand in the
end international measures for its suppress
sion.
And while the Gladstone ministry with
the help of the tories in passing laws to
put down this kind of warfare John
Bright who resigned from that same
ministry because he could not sanction
war has been talking at Glasgow, where
he was elected lord rector of the univer.
sity, about the great evil and folly of war
in any shape.
He shows that four.fflhs of Great
Britain's expenses during the present
century have been for war. And in the
name of the poor he calls for a policy Of
peace. lie makes the remarkable state
ment that in Glasgow two-fiftbs of the
families have but one room to live in,
and that two-thirds of the people OF
Scotland live in houses of two rooms or
less. If this is true it is small wonder that
ireland, which is worse off, is Disconnected
and that her poverty has made her mad.
Dreams of empire and the cost Of
standing armies must give place in Eng
land as on the continent of Europe to
sensible efforts to better the condition OF
the poor. When that is done the modern
style of warfare will die out with the old
and violence will be the exception among
both men and nations. But this Quaker
doctrine will not have its perfect work for
many long years-more's the pity.