Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-16
STATES READY FOR WAR.
FACTS OUT or TWO BOOKS.
Great Continental Armies that Could BE
Put into the FieId-sums OF MoneT spent
on Fortificatious.

II
a book called "pEurope Sous les Armes,"
which is remarkable. II comes on the heels
of another remarkable book. the "Nation
Armee." OF N. de Goltz. Prussian major.
The latter is book which ought TO open
the eyes OF every Frenchman to the dangers
threatening his country. II can leave no
doubt In the minds Of those who reflect that
il was written with a purpose, and that
this purpose is 10 stimulate TO the highest
degree the national prcten,ions OF Frances
ambitious neigbbors. IL IL spe-
cies Of translation into prose OF old Won
Moltke's rccent'war chant, and never be-
fore have Germany's aspirations been pro-
claimed with such naughty frankness. On
the morrow Of Sadowa the Duke d'Au-
male, I'm careful study q the European
situation, resulting from the events Of 1866,
asked the question: Would Germany all
sorb Prussia, or Prussia absorb Germany ?
and concluding IN favor Of the latter
hypothesls. after admitting that the con-
sequent regime was contrary to German
principle. harmful Of many German in
terests, prophesied that such line OF az
grcssiye policy would be made so necessary
by The force OF circumstances as TO consti-
tute permanent peril to the peace OF Eu-
rope. Scarcely three years had elapsed be-
fore this prophcsy was fulfilled, and al
though since then II other years have
elapsed, II is no less omInous now OF evil
to come. Every Continental Power has
only one great pre0ccupatiOn-tha OF pro-
lection against conquest; every nation
covers IFS territory with fortresses and in
trenched camps, increases its etfectiye.,
and exbausts its resources in armaments
without limit. This must fatally lead 10
inf min ha #
most individually 1t must. answers Major
Won GOItz; but how is it to be helped
"Tho first nation which rcaXes in its Wig
ilance will iniallibly lose its situation and
be the victim OF every collision which
might enSue." And then he adds that
"the next war must he Of a destructive
violence which has been unknown up to
the present day. On both sides will be
displayed, in tins struggle to the death, all
moral and material forces possible for the
work Of mutual nnnihiation.''
The prospect is not encouraging for
Europe, which only thrsts for peace aud
quiet; but, as the Major says truly, there
is only one alternative. II war is TO he
avoided, nation can only escape war by
beng so prepared for war that no other
nation will dare to be its aggressor. In
other words, nations unwilling to perish
by the sword must become bankrupt in
peace. They have simply 4 choice be-
tween two eyils-natiOnal subiugation
or national insolvency, Scylla or Cha
rybdis. VI. Won Goltz gloats over the
prediCamont "The empire oi the world
is obtained only by war, and by war alone
can be maintained. War, rs we
now understand il, Is one Of those power
ful phenomena Of natu:e-one oi those
cataclySms which shake the world 10 lis
base. The days OF Cabinet wars are over.
No longer Will they terminate because a
ministry changes or a dominant political
party is Overthrown. but only when one Of
the cOmhatantS is completely exhausted.
Wars have become national affairs; they
are an instrument used by policy to gain
its ends; and even when that end Is only
OF secondary interest the total defeat OF
the adversary is a necessity" Major Won
GoltZ sncers at "thOSe philanthrOpiSts who
fancy 10 have found means by which toe
enemy can be vanquiShed without an eX-
ce>sive infusion Of blood" In principle the
idea is excellent, but in practice il i dan
gcrouS, "as in such decisive dom1in a.
that Of war errors arising from sensibil:y
of heart are fatal. He who resorts to
violence must hesitate at nothing, for he
can conquer only on condition that he l.
more brutal than his antagonist. The
method now adopted 10y Germany is in
Separable t'om an offensive brutality. our
tactics are to strike crushing blows on the
field OF battle" Above all, " our foes must
be paralyZedb by the employment Of gigantic
masses, and, for all that follows, we say with
Mare Antony, Happen what may! miSfor.
tune is unclaimed. let ii 20 whittier II WILL"
such is the spirit OF this book, Of which the
last phrases make known the Unsuitable As
pirations OF the TeutOns: "The Ger
mans Of nowadays are in an exception
ally envisbe position. The star Of the
Young empire has only Just risen
upon the horizon; 1t has a long career
still to go through. We must understand,
and teach our generation 10 understand.
that the time for rest is not yet come; that
the prediction OF final struggle to assure
the grandeur and the existence Of Germany
is no chimera born in the brain OF some
ambitious mailman, but that this struggle
must come some day, inevitably, violent
and implacable. as is every decisive stfug-
gle between peoples, Of which each is de-
termIned to impose definitely its supremacy
over all Others"
There is nothing ambiguous IN this
phrase; il is TO absolute domination that
Major Won Goltz aSpires; il Is the reSurrcc-
ton in the person Of the Germanic Kaiser
or Of the universal power OF the ancient
Roman Casars that the moothpiecc OF
Berlin's military element aims at, and the
ayowal is a warning which interests not
only Paris, but Rome, 81. Petersburg, and
Vienna.
Not mere armies, but armed nations. are
hereafter TO meet upon the battlefield,
declared the PruSsian Major, and it is to
tell what this new situation will be that
the French Colonel has rushed into print
and will be sat upon for yenturing, unaSked,
TO proclaim an unwclcOme truth. Col
oncl IIennebcrt's work is 4 practical sum-
mary oi the situation. The author shows
the instruments OF future wars, and his
plans, maps, and figures are equally ap-
palling. BY the law oi the I'd OF May, 1874,
the German Government i authorized 10
call ont, in ease Of war, 6,0G0,0O0 men. BY
The ukaSc OF January lSt OF the same year
Russia Is permittedto arm nearly l3,00O,000
OF course. these numbers are only on pa
per; but deGucting everything, taking the
real number available in the two empires,
and It is positive that Germany can put
into the field $3.50. 200 and Russia 100000
fighting men, thoroughly drilled aud dis
ciplined. while, a. Austria. by her law OF
December 3, 1865, is permitted 10 put on a
war footing l,265.000 soldiers, an AustrO-
German Russian alliance represents, in
round numbers. 800, 600 cOmbatantS. Join
to these, as may be considered certain, Italy's
contingent, assured hy her laws OF 1875.
1876, and 1882 at 100000 men. and the
quadruple league can dispose Of mas OF
troops OF all arms exceeding tr,000, 900.
with 1,G00 batteries OF field guns. Major
Won Goltz and Colonel Henuebert are
quite right In predictipg that the battles
OF the future will be "gigantic mas ssacres."
Nor will these massacres be confined 10
land engagements. The same destructive
emulation is apparent in naval matters.
No nation Is willing to be outdone by its
rival. Italy arms her DuiliO with an enor-
nous l00-tun gun, England ut once pro-
duces monster cannon OF 200 tons. throw
ing proiechle OF G,OO0 pounds, which can
pielce amor three feet in thickness. For
the last twelve years field battery has been
turned out every day at Woowich arsenal,
and 1000 workmen never cease their labors
In Armstrong. factory. There is no stop
ping at the Government works OF ShanuAu,
Deu,z, Dantzig, and Strasburg. and
at krupp's establishment the daily pro-
duoton Is sixty fied-pieces aud two
heavy guns throwing proiectiles OF
100 kiloS caliore. The defensive works
at Plymouth have already cost 3d.
OOO,00Oi., those OF Portsmouth more than
lO.OOO,GOm., and TO insure the coast
defences at other points and increase the
efficiency OF her marine, England has cN-