News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-05-01
War Under New Conditions.

good deal of expense The Monitor
had destroyed all previous rules of
naval warfare; the Confederate tor
pedoes had del9onstrateti the ability
of the fieetless to protect their har-
bOrs; cavalry had learned to fight
dismOunted as infantry, which made
it a more dangerous arm of either
offense or defense. The German
infantry were instantly supplied with
light spades, as well as better rifles,
and military railways were one Of
the necessities for every nation
under heaven, if they would properly
defend their own.
But after a quarter of a century.
Presto! Our veterans, if called out
now, would be nearly powerless!
Breech-loading arms, magazine guns,
and smokeless powder are such novel
ties that while they cannot be ig-
nored, they require an almost com
plete change Of drill and tactics. The
new conditions which would have to
be met are briefly:
/. Bullets will have far greater
penetrating power, so that a good
many effective 'EcOvers" in the past
would be of very little use now.
2. The bullets will go great deal
farther before they have very much
downward curve, so that advancing
or retreating a short distance to get
out of a CALLING fire will not do.
B. The power Of firing few rounds
with excessive rapidity at the oppor-
J-o Ea1,
far more bloody and uncertain.
4. Reduction in the weight of am
munitiOn Tin consequence of the bet
ter powder) will of itself double the
effectiveness per soldier, while the
ease of replenishing the cartridge-box
will correspond.
5. In consequence of the use of
smokeless powder, it will efar easier
to overlook the ground, and discover
any sudden movement, while at the
same time it will be correspondingly
difficult to detect the exact position
of the enemy. In a sham battle in
Germany lately-one corps being
thus supplied-the other side was
handicapped by its own smoke, so as
to be overcome with almost ridicu-
lOus ease.
Z. As projectiles increase in range
and power, the massing of troops
must decrease, and by reason of the
necessary deplOying even a captain
would find, amid the noise OF the bat
tie, that even with a bugle he could
scarcely command his company eff
fectively. Soldiers would have to be
more intelligent, and practice in time
of peace must be increased tenfold.
As to artillery At the close of the
war it was all muzzle-loaders Now,
nearly all breech-loaders, with me-
chanical range-fnders, increasing the
effectiveness of the first shots, rapid
even electric-fring, and the power
of penetrating heavy armor with
shells which will Immediately explode
with the effect of concentrated dyna-
mite. ''Canister," too, will contain
a greater quantity of bullets, because
of better powder, and small armOred
turrets revolving rapidly by steam,
with guns handled automatically and
fired with precision by electricity. 1t
is no slight task to keep up with the
inventions that are being made on
all these points, and every nation is
getting sly about it's own means of
killing men. 1t is the claim that
these things are fast making war i'm
possible, which may a merciful God
grant, The effect of panic and pas
sion is not forgotten, nor the fact
that generally, in proportion as
arms have been perfected, loss of life
=, I,++Io b,c 1Cn,oocoJ p,,+ ;f ono
of the combatants is supplied with
all modern means, and the other is
not, there can be no doubt of the
result. "What would be our posi-
ton tO-day?' lin case of European
invasiOn) is the rather Ominous query
with which the article closes. Let
our veterans think it over and an
sWer Can we afford to risk it?
Trials of Country Editor.
Editing a paper, says a provincial
editor, is a pleasant thing. Ifit con
tains too much political matter peo-
die won't have it: if it contains too
little, people won't have it. If the
type is too large it doesn't contain
enough reading matter; if the type is
too small they can't read it. If tele-
graph reports are published some
folks say they arenothing but hashes
up; if they are omitted they say there
is want Of enterprise. If we put in a
few jokes folks say We are nothing
but ii rattlehead; if we omit jokes
they say we are an old fossil. If we
oh hpy
US for not giving them selections; il
we publish selections folks say we are
lazy for not giving them what they
have not read in some other paper.
If we give man complimentary no
tices we are censured for being par
| tial; if we dOnOt all hands say we are
a great bOOr. five insert an article
which pleases the ladies, men become
Jealous: if we do not cater to their
| wishes, the paper is not fit to be in
| their houses. If we attend church,
| they say it is for effect; if we do not
| they denOunce us as deceitful and des-
| perately wicked. If we speak well OF
any act, folks say we dare not do
otherwise; if we censure they call us a
| traitor If we remain in our office
and attend to business, folks say we
are too proud to mingle with our fel-
lows; if we go about a bit, they say
we had better stay at home and get
on with our work. FIVE do not pay
all bills promptly, folks say we are
not to be trusted, if we do pay them
promptly, they say we stole the
money.
Costly Advertising.
A single page in an issue of the Cen
tury taken for advertising purposes
costs $500, and in Harper's $4OO
and in other magazines from $500
down to 800. A yearly advertise
ment in one column of the Chicago
Tribune costs $26,554 for the lowest
and $S5, 900 for the highest; in the
New York Herald, $3S, ,204 is the low.
est and $130,O00 for the highest
priced columns. These figures will
doubtless be of interest to men who
invest - Or$ $3 and fiatter themselves
with the idea that they areextensive
liberal advertisers.