The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-27
SEATTLE. TUESDAY. OCT. 81.
A FIGHTING ANIMAL.


An eloquent plea for peace was made
recently in Washington City by the agent
of the English Peace Society. The more
enthusiastic evangelists Of American
peace societies go so far as TO claim that if
we expect to have peace we must not allow
boys to have toys Of warfare. To refuse g
boy box of wooden soldiers lest he grow
up an enthusiast for arbitration by the
mouth of cannon, is about as absurd as it
would be to refuse to let a girl play whist
lest she become at maturity skin"
gambler The world, during the last forty
years, does not appear TO be growing less
warlike. In iS5i-JG the war in the Crimea
involved England, France, Russia,
Turkey and Sardinia; in 1857 came
the Indian mutiny, followed by the
English and French war with China. In
1853 France and Sardinia whipped Austria
OF Solferino: In 1861 came our great civil
war; in 1896 Prussia crushed Austria, Sax
ony and the South German states at Sa-
dowa; in 1870 came the fearful Franco
German war: in 1873 Russia fought Turkey
TO Constantinople; in 1850 was the Zulu war
and the bloody fight with the Beers of
South Africa, and since that time England
has made barbarian blood dow like water
In Egypt, the Soudan and Burmah, while
France has been at war with China and
Madagascar, and is still fighting It's way to
new conquests in West Africa. Italy is
fighting the Arabs of Lower Egypt
and the Abyssinians. Russia has
conquered Turcomania and is now en-
croaching upon China by threatening to
occupy Pamir. the only barrier between
the Russian frontier and the Celestial EN-
pire. The moment Russia occupies this
plateau of Pamir, which is a wedge separ-
ating India, China and Russia, there Is
likely to be war.
The peace footing Of the powers of Eu-
rope proves how small is the expectation
of lasting peace or the settlement of inter-
national disputes by arbitration. Ger
many, with population of about 1900
600, has an army on peace footing of
about $4,000 men; France, with about
100000, has a standing army Of about
$40, 900 men, while Russia has a standing
army of $4,000 men. Austria has a stand
ing army of $4,000 men and Italy
one of 252,000 men. England has n
standing army of but 1920 men, but
she has navy of SIS guns, manned by 5S,-
600 men, with a naval reserve of 5000
France has navy of over 1900 guns,
manned by 10000 men, with a naval re-
serve of 10000 men. These vast
peace armies can be instantly ex-
banded To three times these mum
bers in case of war. Such enormous
establishments mean war before the close
OF this century; indeed, nothing but the
scarcity of food through short crops in
Russia and Germany makes war improb-
able next year.
As matter OF fact. Europe is really
never at peace save when forced to II, not
by moral or humane consideration. but by
the exhaustion of wars and the lack Of
money, the sinews of war. The long
peace which interviewed between Waterloo
and the Crimean war was due To the fact
that all Europe had been incessantlv At
war for seventy-iiye years. and the Napo-
leonic wars which ragged for the last twenty
years of this time had been waged upon a
gigantic scale. and had involved every
Christian power IN Europe from Lisbon to
st. Petersburg; from the Mediterranean
10 the Baltic. Ii took all the dors in
Europe to pull down the stag Napoleon.
standing at bay, and when the night was
over, Europe was utterly exhausted, ana
was glad to SIT down IN peace and try
20 heal the wounds oi war. which
had wasted the commerce and exhausted
the finances OF every capital in Earoue
Self-interest, exhaustion, not Increased
humanity and public moral sense main
tanned comparative peace in Europe for
nearly 40 years after Waterloo. The
Crimean war broke this peace and whettci
the appetite Of France for war with Aus
tria within three years after Sehastoro. .
seven years after Solierino Prussia moves
against Austria, and four years after Sa-
dowa oyerruns France.
The twenty years that have elapsed
since the capture of Psris have been wears
OF peace. save the Russ0-F0rkish war a..
is77-7S. but they have been wears of prrpa-a.
ton by Germany, France and Russia for
war, and in she ordinary nature ol t-snes
that war cannot be very fas distant. When
II comes the combatants vii Ernt them.
selves into financial exhaustion, auG then
peace " III come perforce OF military neees.
sily, no; OF humanity or increased desire
90 keep the peace for the sake OF pesce and
OIL that implies.
Invinoibls pugnacity is the natural i'm.
pulse Of vigorous. healthy nations "a. /, is
OF vigorous, healthy men. Holsnlr. Ia~a
Richard the Third, Corio,anus uslt 10 tie
last, but minds sick through srrsuastv.
through misfortune. surrender Hau An.
tony. Tmon, Romeo enl OtAe#o "a
with nations Of vigorous life; they are
full Of fight Ike England. France. G,r-
many and Russia: il is only "the sick
.,-neu" of Europe. like Spain and Turkey.
rat are glad TO keep the peace. Tas rest
-. Europe 'is spelling for a fight" and
ne} chances are that our nineteenth cen
weag viii close with thunderstorm of war
meR ontinental Europe.
Ia "a lie We have had no war si,~a o.,r