The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-05-30
wHAr TREMENDOUS pREpARArloNsl
More About the Coming War in Europe
From the PoSen .courier.''

The dsy that war Is declared be-
tween France aud Germany what VIII
happenp AT first there will be. of
course. the general mobilization ac-
cording To the new method which the
German staff has recently adopted
On the German side that mobilization
will be effected In short time. In
less than seven days Il little over l.
4OO. 600 men will be concentrated on
the frontier AT the points fixed by the
general stall. The ears are ready, and
the coal for the railroads was laid IN
long ago.
Four or five DAYS after the first adj
vance 500. 900 men will form the sec
ond line. Finally there will be the
iandsirnm with about /. 100000 on the
first call All these troons are thor
ouyhly drilled and armed with repeat-
Ing rifles The artillery aud cavalry
have all that i necessary for under
taking a campaign. Que can imagine,
therefore. what the pext war will be.
II will he frightful and merciless. 1t
is quite possible that the yictors will be
Just as much exhausted and decimated
as the conquered. Certainly the
Franco-Germau war of 1870 viii look
like child's play compared with the
coming struggle. which everybody IS
talking about. but which nobody but
a mailman would desire.
We do not believe there is a sensible
man in all Germany who does not pray
for a long peace because the next war.
even if il should result in a victory for
Germany. must make more widows and
orphans than all the wars OF Europe
during the last hundred years
Under the title of How Shall We
Attack in the Coming War?' a PAM
phlet has recently appeared in Berlin.
supposed 20 be the work of staH OF
ficer. II treats of the present con-
ditions of attack by infantry. in view
of all the changes of tactics made
necessary by the repeating rife and
the smokeless powder. I'VE can no
longer count" SAYS the writer. upon
our superioritv in numbers and in
armament There is only one SUI
periority of tactics. and our tactics
must he adapted to the conditions oi
modern arms. Now. these conditions
have changed with the enemy, and We
must soon do like him. Ii i higt
time. to study the effects which the rev
arms must have upon the tactics OF bat
tie upon the way To lead troops into
action. In future all infantry which i
not FNHlnftisAN I8VfN UH GNAttbstA - HI
vulnerable ia front. The success of al
attack according 20 the old principle
, OF warfare NEST prove an exception
and repulse the rule. This does 40
mean that position cannot in futuri
: be carried: every position can be ear
! ried. but not iH front.
ain the next war the German in
fantry cannot count. as in 10-'7l. up
on the support of the artillery. for tn
enemy has made as much progress il
artillery as Germany. if not more. and
: considering the range of the presen
rifles. the artillery must keep itself ;,
greater distance than il did in year
past, aud leave the battle to- be decides
by the infantry. The advantage O
T superiority of individual firing ais
: tends TO decline at long range, and
5 above all. with weapons so easily han
z died as the modern small bore
+ The pamphlet concludes witht the as
sertion that while the offensive is sti
;, the best form of combat. and the on
T to be recommended. it must fail en-
!, tirely if the enemy is not enveloped b
II turning movements by which he ca
be placed under converging fires.