Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-16
BRIGADES OF BOYS.
England's Home Army Is Utterly
Inefficient, Its Leaders Say.
NOT EVEN TWO FULL ARMY CORPS
Fit for Service Can be Modified to Meet q
Sudden Invasion.
ALL GOOD TROOPS ARE SENT ABROAD

COPYRIGHT 1892 BY n. Y. ASSOCIATED PREss.l
LONDON, April 15.-The revelations
made in evidence on the state of the British
army, given before the Committee of In
luiry presided over by Lord Vantage, have
been the sensation of the week. The
recommendations which the committee
previously published were a series of dry
and formal propositions indicating nothing
OF the extraordinary statements of the
leading military chiefs. These were of
such nature as will lead to the most active
acitation in Parliament as soon as the
recess is over.
A group of military members of the
House of Commons have already seen War
Secretary Stanhope privately and extorted
from him promise that the Government
shall not obstruct a full discussion and
sequent reforms The generals examined
concurred in the opinion that there was
hardly a single infantry battalion at home
that is effective
Can't Mobilize an Army Corps.
Adiutant General Sir Evelyn Wood de-
clared that so per cent of the men encamped
Al Aldershot were unfit for camp duties;
hat they could not even do days service
Ca account of their youth and lack of
Stamina, and that the only practice he dared
60 put such men to was two hours carving
The pack or sentry duty The Duke of Cam
bridge, Commander in Chief, Endorsed the
startling statement, adding that if called
upon to mobilize two army corps on short
notice the authorities could not do so, and
be did not think it possible to mobilize one
corps composed of 25 battalions of infantry.
Lord Wolsely in response to a question
whether the battalions they now stand
would be fit for home defense, replied: eff
We were invaded tomorrow they would be
better than nothing" He held that the
volunteer force was the most important fac
tor in defense. The Duke of Connaught
said: Il am perfectly certain that if the
battalionz under my command at Ports
mouth were ordered to service tomorrow
oue-half Of them would not be allowed to go
On account of unftneSs
The Home Force a Squeezed Lemon.
The main cause of the weakness of home
hactalions is stated to be depletion of their
hest men for foreign and colonial service.
Lord Wolsely hkened the home forces to a
squeezed lemon. The Duke of Connaught
leld that grown men would not Join the
service, owing to the fact that wearers of
The Queens uniform are socially ostracised,
and also because soldiers are wantonly bur-
lened with excessive sentry dutry. He told
bow, having noticed the numerous guards
employed at Windsor Castle on sentry duty,
be had induced the Queen to ask the au-
lhorities to reduce their number and other
wise to relieve the men, but the authorities
would not assent until strong pressure was
brought to bear.
The Duke OF Connaught related number
Of instances showing the contempt in which
the soldiers uniform is held. In one case
drummers refused to drink at a steamer bar
beside sergeant, and in other cases inns
closed their rooms to guards In regard to
methods of reform, there was a concensus of
opinion that a substantial increase OF the
Jrength of home battalions would come |
rom liberal paw and better pensions. |
Views differed on the period of service but |
agreed on the need of periodic trading for |
reserve men, now proved with volunteers |
10 be the sole reliance in the event Of war. |
England Stirring Up Eastern Trouble.
Following his diplomatic success in re-
-ard to the frman of investiture of the |
Khedive, Lord Salisbury has clinched his |
lold on the Khedive by inciting him to an |
5pen quarrel with the Sultan. In response
the Sultan's invitation to Constantine
7le. the Khedive ingimated that the recall |
# Moukhtar Pasha, the Porte's delegate at
afro, was first desirable. Moukhtar |
pasha made the mistake of demanding
zhange IN the Egyptian Ministry.
The English Minister, Sir Evelyn Barring, !
hereupon got the Khedive to wire to the
sultan that Noukhtar Pasha had arrogantly |
nterfered in Egyptian affairs and ought to |
pe withdrawn. AS a further proof of his |
,.1+I II, IL
live will send his only brother, Mehemet |
Ali, now at school in Vienna, to finish his |
aiucation in England.
Communications RAISING between Mr.. |
ladstOne and a committee of his constitu- |
uts in Midlothian, have elected from Mr.. |
iladstone the declaration that he considers |
he Newcastle programme definite plat |
orm for the coming elections If dissolu- |
ion be precipitated he will be prepared i'm |
mediatelv to enter the field and to address |
eries Of meetings. If dissolution be de- |
erred, he still promises a short stumping |
.0UE.
Irish Dissenters Against Hcme Rule.
A memorial from the Irish Baptists and |
7ther Dissenters against home rule on re-
l-iOuS grounds was recently sent 20 Mr. |
Gladstone and elected from him a reply, in
hich he contended that the alarm lest the !
Dublin Legislature might oppress Protest
uts ought not TO be entertained, as any act |
.a>sed by the Imperial Parliament would |
.aieguard religious and civil freedom. Mr. |
lhamberlain seized the chance to comment
-pon the same memorial by writing letter,
which he upbraids Dssenters for sup
porting Mr. Gladstone. He says the major
tv are led away by their confidence in the
Liberal leader, but time will justify the dis
rust with which the ablest leaders of nom
conformity regard his policy
The meeting Of the Unionist Convention
in Belfast will be made the occasion of a
General holiday in Ulster. Ten Thousand
delegates will be present, and there will be
10000 persons in the procession. The usual
Orange turnout will thus be swollen by
members from every county lodge.