Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-11-02
A MATTER OF ARITHMETIC.
Tho Manner of Avcrtinr Bloody wars.
Advance In Gun. Making.

Tho Manner of Avcrtinr Bloody wars.
Advance In Making.
From the New Orleans Tlmcs.Democrat.
II has been suggested by one who has
kept pace with modern development ana
improvement in arms, that when the next
great war Is declared the contestants sim
ply add together the number OF available
troops and arms on each side, and by sub
tracing discover the weaker OF the Two.
The stronger shall thereupon exact OF his
enemy money indemnity based upon a
specific sum for each soldier and each
weapon of wariare that Is represented by
the overplus. Wars will thus lose their
bloody feature and he reduced 10 % matter
OF arithmetic.
There is some force In the grim humor
Of snch u suggestion. So great has been
the advance in the death dealing properties
of modern arms of war, that the issue or
great struggles in the future viii be in
large measure determined before a battle
is fought. And the destruction Of human
life that will take place in q holly contested
engagement will be something unheard OF
up to the present time. Fields rcd with
blood will be more than figure OF speech
they will become. indeed. stern realities.
While the improvement In heavy arms
and in methods of naval warfare has been
little less than marvellous, the most
marked advance is shown In the increase
OF accuracy and range in small arms. IL
has not been so many years ago that the
brcech- loading rife with but n single fire
came into use. At the time this was con-
sidered the greatest possible achievement,
and the muzZe- loading musket was fele-
gated to the rear as utterly useless for the
destruction Of human lives In battle. But
what was 80 marvellous three decades ago
Is now of the dim and misty pasta relic
that BELTS the garret. Few nations en-
ploy the single-fre breech-loading rife,
and even the modern deer-huntcr scorDs to
use SO primitive a weapon.
Aud the size of the ball has undergone
great change. Instead of the "young can
nons' of decade ago, we now have the
rifle OF small bore. The calibre of the
modern small arm is about 81. thereby
securing greater range and accuracy, and
dccrea sing the weight ofthe cartridges that
prove so gricvous a burden on the march
and while in action. The Mannlicher rifle
of the hustrians the Lebel In use by the
French, the Netterls by Italy, and the
Mauser--the iavorite Of the Germans-are
all of small bore, but little exceeding .32.
But they are all wonderful in their power
of destruction. In the accuracy that can be
attained, and in the range within which
they arc effective. The magazine rifle Of
to-day, with its multiplicity of shots and
Its smokeless powder. Is truly terror
compared with the single fire breech-load-
ing rifle, itself product of human inven-
tive talent in quite recent times.
II has been suggested, that in view oil the
terrible instrument of destruction now in
use in tho armies of the great nations OF the
world, excessive caution Will be displayed
in precipitating n conflict In which q con =
tinued struggle means almost annihilation
to one or both of the contending forces. IL
is further urged that tho vast armaments
of European Lations. so thoroughly equip
pod and so fully prepared, will prove an
incentive TO peace rather than stimulus
to war. But, unfortunately, the signs of
the times give indication of no such views
on the part of the great powers of Europe.
They seem rather to take pride in adding
daily to their military strength with the
hope that the conflict, when 1t comes, will
find them able TO vanquish their foes.