Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-26
or Lad Forces.

1s ~ 0oI3l4u Oeputy, II BpooklnB On tue
'&onoe1on n TIE Berlin labor conference on
6e6dav, drew enthusiastic applause by
14EV6 sting that the Belgian delegates
xnnuld b instructed to ask the confer
{nGo 70 urge 3 general disarmament Of
tkepowen. In America we hardly ap-
1ociate the advantage we enjoy In
;&oone me- frpm the burden Of huge
D1lltAFy establishment. What struck
- Belgian deputies - splendid vision
~ ~ remote future h with us an &C.
itpmpllshed fact, but ~ pioneers we may
~ tco far In advance and 1t would be
Well to consider the danger. The
qroused interest IN the navy very natur-
ally suggests some attention to the land
forces, although sense Of perfect secur-
ity discourages development Of military
strength ashore. The report of the ad-
jutAnt general has recently pleased oar
pride by an imposing procession Of
figures concerning the number of men
available for war, and as II to serve as
an antidote to this, General Merritt
gravely discusses our regulars and citi-
zen soldiers In Harper's Magazine, and
Captain Taylor briefly considers the
militia In the Cosmopolitan. The
familiar facts plainly stated are that
with nation Of sixty millions we could
not gather, in the event of sudden neccs-
sity, more than fifty thousand men for
Immediate service France can put
seven hundred and fifty thousand men
In the field in six days, and Germany
can have two million eighty-two thou
sand eight hundred men on the march
In ten days. As to quality, General
Merritt says 1.-THE militia Of the
United States will answer well the
purpose of q second line In case of
war with foreign power, but II
b not now, and never has been in the
hrst days Of war, At to take the field.
Our civil war was with an
enemy as deficient as ourselves, and
during the first year there was not a
battle fought where half the number of
regular soldiers would not have defeated
both armies united" He goes on to pay
high tribute TO our citizen soldiers when
prepared by proper discipline, but this is
even more necessary nowadays because
heavy lines have disappeared, and fight
ing must be done in open order. The
shoulder to shoulder movements which
gave confidence to the recruit standing
aide by side with the veteran, will not
b known. Add TO these reflections con-
sideration Of the suddenness with which
recent wag have been opened and fin
ished. at is the rule for actual nos.
tilities to precede the declaration of war, y
says an English authority The war
bctween Austria and Prussia lasted a
little over month. Germany conquered
France In . little more than six months
The Russo-T Turkish war, with its elabor.
ate sieges and mountain aud river bat.
ties, was over In less than year.
4 In the light Of these facts 1t ought tc
Be clear that we are not very wise In se
neglecting our land forces. The Atlantic
il wide and stormy and our navy may
guard the coast, but disciplined, well
armed force Of European troops might
be landed at any point along the shore
strike staggering blow and retire be.
fore we had our unframed militia hal
ready for fighting. 1t would not be q
pleasant thing to have squabble with
= European power over something more
important than Samoa, and to have oul
proud talk cut short by an irresistible
army, embarked on a few days notice
and threatening dozen great cities
War seems highly improbable but such
Things have been known to happen.