Wichita eagle., 1888-09-23
FRANCE AND GERMANY.

Whatever talk of war is heard in Eu-
rope pertains to the youth and rashness
of the German emperor. Russia is quiet
and the Bulgarian affair seems to have
lost its place in public concern. There
is no dynamite in MaSsowah and the
| ''unspeakable Turk" for once in his life
dwells unvexed at the gateway of the
east. All eyes center on William III, and
the question what viii he do:" covers
| the field of immediate martial inquiry.
1t is probably true that Emperor Will
liam will get into trouble as soon as Bis
marck will let him, or. in case OF the lat
ters death, as soon thereafter as he can.
The Brandenburgers, the young ruler
once proclaimed, "are soldiers" Their
fame was won in the field and can
only be maintained by soldierly
achievements. The two late en-
perors were men of military mark and
the present one has no other purpose
than to make his own historical figure as
notable as theirs in the annals of war
and conquest. His address to the army:
his corps maneuyers: his boast that 49,
600. 600 Germans would die before they
would give an inch of conquered soil, all
prove the quality of his ambition and
the bias of his mind.
France is doubtless his objective point
The war of 1870, thorough as it was
from a German standpoint, was never
fought sout. France was left with a
mighty power of recuperation, and in
less than eight years from the capture of
Paris, her credit was higher than Ger
many's in the money markets of the
world, and she had a stronger army. 1t
was then seen that the German terms
should have been harsher, ard ever
since the German government has
watched the.rising republic, and espe-
cially the Boulangerism in heripolitics,
with a jealous and unfriendlv eye.
When. a pretext comes to break the
peace Emperor Williams will not be
slow TO seize it.
The issue of the coming WARRIOR
whether far or near, the conflict is surely
on its ways not easy to determine. In
1870 Germany was camp OF well-drilled
soldiers. fresh from the Austrian cam
paign, while France was a canton of
of Stragglers who hardly knew what war
on large scale meant. All forms of
army administration were in tight and
inextricable snarl. Guns We're in one
place and gun carriages in another.
Rifles were in the hands of troops who
had no ammunition for them. Baggage
trains and bases of supply, accoutre-
ments and powder, uniforms and food.
had all been subject to the. corrupt NAL
administration which the emperor had
neither the genius to forsee nor TO pre-
vent. France was beaten because it was
not ready to fight.
Today there is little advantage on
either side, the slight numerical pre-
ponderence being French. The soldiers
of 1870 have disappeared from the re-
serves of both armies, and so far
as experience is concerned. the
troops are on an even footing
Germany is ready to advance TO the
frontier with her former strength, but
France is able to meet her man for man
and gun for gun. The republic has
three lines of Notifications parallel with
the German frontier, and is exposed on
no side except that OF Belgium, whose
neutrality is depended on TO keep Ger
many in check on the northeast. Dis
| cipline is and care have served TO keep the
French army powerful body and to in
fuse il with a martial esprit; while mod
ern invention has supplied it with the
most destructive arms. With brave and
| skldfui generals 1t would not fail TO rem
der good account of itself on the field
of battle.
The world viii watch the development
OF the young emperor's plans with close
at tention, but with the critical spirit
that will not account even prince of
brandenourg soldier until he proves
| himself one.