The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-08-14

tinues, and while the preparations
for battle become vaster, the likell-
hood of a general upheaval proper
tionately decreases. A great swords
| fencing is an art of Cancellation;
and the modern art of war seems to
| have a similar Specification. The
rival nations have become SO thor
oughly trained, and SO strong, that
they are seriously afraid of each
other and as they become stronger
the mutual fear of course augments.
We hear occasional growls from
France and Germany but they ap-
pear to have little serious meaning.
Alliances are being perpetualiy
made and dissolved, as national in
terests vary. A mere hint of ALI
ance, offensive and defensive, has
much effect in state politics; but it is
after all only a dress. parade of
strength. But for the military de-
parturc made by Germany and the
subsequent adoption of her system
by other leading powers, there would
certainly have been several Euro
pean wars since that time. But it
appears financially to cost almost as
much to keep the peace as to break
it. During the last fifteen years the
price paid by Europe for engines of
destruction alone is estimated to
have been not less than $1,600,000,-
900. The annual military expenses
of the great fighting powers are
reckoned at about 1910, 900, 000,-al-
most equal to the interest of all the
national debts combined. Russia's
expenses to maintain her military
power are about 1922, 100000
France, 317O,055, 900; England,
sl58, 0O0,0 900; Germany, $ll4,000.-
900; Austro-Hungary, SOS, 100000;
Italy, 500, 100000 Spain, $50, $780,
600. These figures are not exact,
but approximative. Furthermore
the colonial policy Of France, Eng
land and Russia, is expensive and
costly in the extreme and all the
cost of military roads, fortresses,
telegraph lines and railroads-which
have become an essential part Of the
war-machinery abroad, must be
| taken into consideration. The
French, although, after England,
the richest transatlantic power, are
terrified at the expense the military
system necessitates. Says q writer
in the Figaro /:
awe are a nation of 100000
people. Suppose we reckon our
general expenses at 3,400,000,000
francs in round numbers, VIC can say
that every Frenchman and every
French woman, big OR little, pays
every year 100 francs to the nation
al treasury and as there are G00,-
900 men under arms, we may each
and all of us be said to give the
state six days service per annun.
Accordingly each individual, during
a life of forty-fiye years, pays the
state a sum total of 1900 francs, and
gives it 2S5 days of military ser
vice. Am / not justified i'll declar-
ing that we are working only for
the treasury and against Germany !?
Were the same calculation applied
to the other nations, there would be
no great difference. Why then,
should we be surprised at the CON
tinual progress of the Americans,
and even of the Chinese ?"
1t seems possible, indeed, to buy
peace bot the cost OF peace is OK
ceedingly great. On the whole,
European peace seems to be as dear
as war. Perhaps war as Won Moltke
declares, is law Of God, of the
universal economy of Nature and
Europe is paying dearly for viola
ting tue natural order of things.
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