The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-12
OUTCOME OF MlL|TAR|SM
Bread Riots in Berlin Significant
Of the Revolt Of Work.
ing Classes.
A Discussion OF the Causes Lsad-
ing to the Present Deplora-
ble Condition.

Win the Germ nm Army Stick to tho EN-
peror, or Will They Fraternlxo
With the People:
The riots in Berlin are significant chief
AZ the frst step in the great revolt of tn
working classes OF Europe against the rol
lev Of keeping Ave nations under arms
France, Germany. Aussr1a-Hungary, ltsly
and Russia ever since the war of 1907.
have been ~e1hausting their resources al
ysrtinp the labor Of their people from pro-
ductivs industry. and crushing them unde1
excessive loads Of taxation 70 MAINTAIN vas
standing armies. There has been no rea
s,sd for such armies. If each OF theso
oour* tries had sndsayored to MAINTAIN N
=. "a, .sipn relations and its conduct towarc
=. raio hbors even that imperfect measure
of ;nstiae it e%nforccs on Its citizens ~
home. it might dispense with any but an
ordinary police force.
Germany. especially. has been a soares
of disturbance to the rest OF the contlnent
and a cause of bidding heavy burdens on
thu bacl, Of every peasant and every WoFK-
man from the bay of Blsoay TO tns utal
mountains, writes Robert Ellis thompson
in the Irish World. In the east sne holas
aoun Posen. which she took IN the Rsnefai
n,nnder al Poland at the close OF the last
cantrrv. In the north her iron grasp IS On
sleswiS. which she took by force OF arms
tt,m IT. Danes in 1864. In the west 80
.nraxed il 1871 not only the parts OF a.
-.-.sa uh1rh still T6GAluHA
thar German character and speech anuer
French rule, but even those parLs y 'noso
provinces which had become thorouSni5
ass,milated to France during fouF centuries
of French rule. Z
All these acquisitions are . source =
trouble and q cause Of heavy outlay. -
cause OF them the young men Ct G>rtnany
mnst spend years OF their lives IN parf SoAe
their moral tone and tend to unit them es
napeefnl industries. Because OF them thS'
reilroad system of Germany has been cis-
torted from the lines best adapted tor COM
mereial intercourse to those suggested Dy
the needs of military strategy. Because 81
them 8 great body OF German iAp y ~
turned away from productive work 70 s1e
nsalesa erarloynsnts of the drlll-room ana
Aha narade-eround. Because OF them the
;nteIlieence which should be expended IN
improving Industrial methods IS speht IN
deyising better and more eftectlve lnstru.
ments OF human slaughter. Because Of
+hano The ravenue that should have been
arant in promoting the public welfare Is
eunleyed for the manufacture 81 cannon,
torpedoes, rifles, ammunition, ana az Sne
naraphernalia of war. When Germany
made her appearance at oar CanIehnlsi ~ ~.
hibition IL 1876. %statuettes Of William, Ven
Noltke. and ok. and krupps glgan-
IL cannon ve.e the most striking pnit Of
her exhibit. .:
The diversion Of labor effected By mlll-
tarism works a mischief which does not lie
N tho surface Of things. ana which calls
for exclamation. The greater the number
of effective workmen a country employs tns
larper tho measure Of comfort and sub
~sistence obtalnnble by each one q saena
When our OWE country had u population
OF 5000, 600 every one Jared Ill III tne mat
tar Of housing, clothing, warming and teod-
inp. Eyan when tbs 3,000,0 600 had become
10000, 900, as in the years preceolnR the
war for the union, the standard or we'll
heinp was far lower than it is to-day, when
wa haye over 60. OGO, 900 to house, feed,
clothe and warm. | never have met al 90
servant man who remembers the time WAC
ia notlinrressed with the difference. Ii
Mr.. Atkinson be right, the wages
az skIlled labor will buy twice as much now
as they did then. The reason IS that our
policy has invited the labor of Europe, and
has found employment for ali OF 1t That
came. This, as Bismarck pointed out IN
1889. ia one Of the notable facts in the re-
cent history of America.
Now suppose that by law We wera to re-
quirsta largs percentage OF the 1ndustrlals
Of out country to suspend WORK, what Would
be the effect on the rest! 1t would IN some
sense carry them back to the period when
the industrial population was SO much less.
snd when the workman was fed, clothed,
and housed in an insufficient manner.
There would not bs more work and more
paw for those who continued to work, but
loHs of both. The general standard OF com
fort would be distinctly lowered. 1t would
fall sven below whatit was when these com
pnlsory idiers had not yet been added to
the population, fer it would throw upon the
rest of the producers the burden of main
tanning them in idl6ness.
This ia exactly what the creation and
maintsnance of a great standing Amy
docs. BY reducing the number of oroduc
ers it limits industrial association, checks
production, and dimlnlshes the share OF
substance that falls to each. Ii a gree'
famine had swept away the ndustrialst thu
withdrawn from labor, 1T would inlet this
injury. The injury is the greater when tht
men Withdrawn from labor ara actually
supported on taxes collected from the com
m1nitv at large. Such taxes are prett,
certain to fall heavily on ths working
classes themselves. lakes, as Prof. Sum
AGI uhb BalO, nv w ~ Alofo VIA n tins
Of least resistance" and this brings the
burden of them upon ths classes with leas
ability tie resist.
Now, in Germany the duty of army serv
ice falls uron every young man who is IN
able to obtain exemption. and these ex
emptions are obtainabie by but few. q
each young German is exaoted, first of all
term of three vsars' service, though, j
the recruit be exceptionally bright, afts
two years he may get ieave Of absence. Blu
this again is followed by four years sery
ice of four montiia to the year; and no
until seven years have passed 10 the youn!
German left free to follow his business
trade or profession: and even then he is re
CURED to report every year for a fort
nights drill, and he is liable to be sum
moned to service should war break out. Ii
this way four years and four months ar
out out of the average Garman'a life, ant
these come just at the time when his habit
re t rining. when hls energy is ia TIN
fnAl of youth, and when a diversion from
r-tceful employyncnts ia ant to effect ali HI
subsequent career. In this way German
maintains a military force of ]. 200. 600 men
of whom 100000 are actually III the bar
racks under discipline the year round, an
700, 1000 have to spend four months of ever
year In levleHa and maneuvers, while tn
rest belong to the reserves, and may b
called into service ut any time before thel