Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-05
National Armies,


AfeU CFteUHS LtHteS-L(6fHOcFUt.
translation from one of the leading
Paris papers, elsewhere printed, gives a
number of absolutely startling figures re-
garding the military capacities of Europe.
The assurance of peace, for a time, at
least, seems to be proven by such statis-
tics; and any Russian ambition in west
ward direction must be checked by the
power of a triple alliance. which can
call nine millions of men to bat
tie. Even were France and Russia
to summon their reserves for the
Tray, between six and seven
millions of soldiers would have small
chance of success. Were all Europe
threatened by some vast Asiatic invasion,
as in the era of the Huns or that of the
Mongols, with the modern system of re-
cruiting the great powers could oppose
sixteen millions of men to the enemy
leaving the lesser States to furnish re-
serves. These figures are appalling; but
for such hosts the continent of Europe
holds no battle ground enormous enough to
enable them to deploy-and only the STEP
pes OF Central Asia or the Western plains
of America would offer space enough
for a review. Were all these soldiers
under arms, it would cost at least So. OOO.-
600 a day to feed them; and suppOsing
them all to be armed with the best modern
rifles they would need no artillery to de-
n
sixteen million rifles, concentrated upon
any single spot-supposing it were posi-
bic for all to fire at the same time, would
bury the place fired upon under a noun
tain of discharged at the rate of a
thousand tons an hour. Calculations of
the most fantastic kind might be made
upon this basis.
Needless to say, however, that such
powers could never be gathered together
sat Or1a Al orb l.
raised in successive surges, in military
waves of immense depth, Gland storms''
as the translation of a German word gives
II. We are not contemplating the mere
growth of armies in Europe, but mathe-
matically calculated system ofrecruiting,
by which in the course of so many
years, the entire able-bodied male pop
ulation of country may be converted
into soldiers. Perhaps the first eXtraOr-
binary evidence of a nations latent pow
ers of military expansion and absorption
was afforded by the United States civil war.
But the system has now been developed
in manner that cannot fail to yield the
most astonishing results. In a few years
more the figures quoted by L'EUenen1eHt
will have been far exceeded: and the mill
tary resources Ofeach country so augment
ed that war will have become far more ter
rife than ever before. 1t is argued that
GApGuSlht do SuCH dIulttl neutrality must
be, it is cheaper in the end, as it deters
war. Two nations, each able to arm and
call into the field seven or eight or even
ten armies of 100000 men each, would
shrink back at the prospect of the terrific
slaughter such a struggle would involve
IA struggle only to be terminated per-
haps by the total destruction OF the whole
able bodied male portion of a people.
Such an outlook would further compel
arbitration or Intervention by other
powers.
The secret of this military organlza-
ton, however, may prove some day
fatal discovery for Europe. Barbaric
nations of infinitely greater numerical
strength may, and doubtless will adopt
the plan of converting the entire male
population into soldiers; and if these can
be armed with improved weapons, the
idea of what armies China might yet
raise becomes terrifying. Certainly the
near future holds stranger history in re-
serve than the worlds historians have yet
wrtten; and something will come to pass
which will not have had any precedent.