The morning call., 1891-07-12
THE EAIPEKOR'S VISIT.

1t would probably be mistake to impute
a political purpose to the visit of the En-
peror William 10 England. Royal visits are
constantly exchanged without Interior OBJ
jects. Nor can il easily be discerned what
Great Britain would gain by joining the
Dreibund. The three Continental powers
would gain much ii they could offset the
French fleet with the English feet, but
where would England's profit come in !?
She runs no risk of trouble with France,
and her disputes with Russia over territory
in Asia are susceptible of peaceable adjust
ment She would merely put her foreign
trade in jeopardy in order to keep France
out OF AlSace and Lorraine. That would
be paying high price for the friendship of
the Queens grandson.
The Emperor's speech at the Guild
hall was studied effort. Most of it was
nOn-committal and without meaning. But
the Emperor could not forbear even ON that
occasion from reiterating in his oft-repeated
assertion that the thing NEAREST his heart is
peace. ''My aim," he said, sis, above all,
the maintenance of peace, for peace alone
can give the confidence necessary to healthy
development of science, art and trade
Then why, if that is his aim, is every thing
in the German empire subordinated to
preparations for war, and why, in his
treaties with Austria and Italy, does he bind
his allies, as the first condition OF the
treaties, to move army corps toward the
frontier Of nations with which they are at
peace?
1t is strangely inconsistent in a Govern
ment whose aim is peace to keep on foot an
army of half a million men on the peace
footing, and to hold 3, 234, 900 men in readi-
ness to take the field when the army is put
On war footing. There are in all Germany
about Il, 900, 600 adult males; of these one
eighth are in the army, either actually in
uniform and in arms or in readiness to be
called out. 0ne-eighth of the whole popu-
lation that is available for science, art, in
dustry and trade is diverted to the unpro-
ductve pursuit of soldering; and yet we
are asked to believe that the Empernr's real
aim is peace. Just about one-half the total
ordinary revenue of the empire is expended
on the army and navy, and yet we are as
sured that the Emperor's real object in
throwing away This immense sum is the
maintenance OF peace.
TIC observations of this kind the Emperor
would reply that it is in order TO prevent
breaches of the peace that he keeps up bis
enormous army; that if he disbanded his
army France would straightway lay hands
on Alsace and Lorraine. History teaches
that great armies provoke instead of pre-
vent wars. When a machine is con-
structed for the accomplishment OF an OBJ
ject the first thought of the constructor is to
try it; when an army is equipped for war
the generals always want to test its proves.
If the army were cnt down to the proper
tons needed for police purpos es they would
not want to fight, because they would have
nothing to fight with.
AS to Alsaee and Lorraine sooner or
later the inhabitants of those provinces will
be granted an opportunity of deciding
whether they would rather be Germans or
French. The doctrine that their national
ity is to be decided by battle in which
they take no part is obsolete. If Bismarck
had not been a pupil of the school of
Metternieh and Castlereagh he would never
have opened that running sore in Germany's
flank and attracted the enmity of his near
est Deighbor. AS it is, it would be cheaper
and wiser for Germany TO give back to
France the conquered provinces their
people so willed it-than to keep ON foot an
army which includes every eighth man in
the empire, TO divert German energy and
German intelligence from useful pursuits
into the barren field Of warfare, and to
place the Emperor under the necessity of
stating gravely that he seeks peace by
means of war.