Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-02-25
BIsMARcK's THREE MILLIONS.

another million on the borders OF
Russia and would hold third
million in reserve. The new Laws
have added, it is calculated, abon,
100000 men to the army on its foot
ing. In round numbers the German
army a few days after the declara
ton of war would contain 2,2O0.0Ot
men. 1t would be from the rank.
of this force that the million to iacs
the French and another million +.
defy the Russians wonld be drawn
In addition to this immense host, tn.
Landsturm, composed of older men.
but of men most or all OF when have
been through the army and are drill
ed soldiers, would, in case of neces
sity, be modified. 1t numbers NOR
than a million. 1t is this last mil
lion which would supply the re-.
serves. The population of German.
is between forty-six and forty.seven
millions. An army of three millions
constitutes about six and a half per
cent. of the entire population. Or,
to state the same thing in another
way, in case of war one person in
every fifteen would 60 at once int.
the army. At no time during the late
rebellion did we have more than one
in twenty of our people under arms.
Of course, the standing army is
by no means as great as the army
on the war footing. Instead of six
and half per cent, the German
peace army forms little more than
one per cent. Of the population OF
the empire aud numbers at present
about $4,000 men. If we had in
this country as large an army in pro.
portion to our population, we would
have constantly under arms more
than six hundred thousand men. 1t
cannot be said that Bismarck and
Won Moltka are without sufficient
reason for the persistence with
which they keep up and use every
effort to increase this enormous
force. The French peace army is
nominally somewhat larger than
that Of Germany, footing up
abont $4,000 men. This total is
subject. however, to a number OF
deductions not applicable to the
German army. That of France,
probably, does not at any time con
tain more than 100000 of whom
more than $4,000 are in Algeria and
the colonies. The German forces
are with insignificant exceptions al
ways at home. On war footing
France claims to be able to mobilize
two millions and a.half of instr ucted
soldiers and to raise. il necessary, a
million and a half of undrilied men.
The French blood tax is therefore
proportionately heavier than the
German, tor the population OF
France is but thirty eight millions,
1t is able to bear the greater bur.
den because it is a richer country.
On the Eastern frontier Germany
is faced with a still more formidable
foe. The Russian standing army is
at least $4,000 strong and on the
war footing is variously estimated
from two millions and a.half to five
millions. The latter figure in pro.
portions to population would be no
larger than the armies of Ger.
many and France, for the Gar has
al least ninety millions of subjects
from among whom armies can be re-
cruited. 1t is probable, the opinion
to the contrary Notwithstanding,
that the immense armies and expen.
sive fertilization systems of the great
powers of Europe tend to render
wars less frequent, but they do SO at
the expense of making peace at the
present time more costly than wa:
used to be. Formerly, war often
broke out because one country knew,
or believed, that it was possible for
it to catch some other one mapping.
Now the military systems are SO per.
fected, the standing armies are SO
large, and the arrangements for
speedy mobilization Of the men not
with the flag, are so good that sur
prise is almost out of the question.
Qualifications are so extensive and
so strong that it is extremely diff.
cult for either side to get chance
to safely strike at the other. For
example, the French military front
Ter towards Germany is about 270
kilometers long that Is abont 16C
miles. OF this total length 200 kilo
meters, or about 100 miles, are un-
der fire. The. two cans which arc i'm
the chain of Notifications were pur.
pOsely left unfortitied. They are
admitted to be impossible. There
is at one portion of the frontier a
stretch of sixty miles, every inch oil
which is under the defensive fire oil
heavy guns. With such fortified
tons as these, and such armies, no