Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1892-12-22
EUROPE AN M CAMP.

II is calculated that the coming
year will see yer &c, 900 600 men
in the combined armies of the Con-
tinent. England maintains a peace
establishment and does not count
among the warlike Powers. AT
present Germany, France and Rus
sia have each about $500, 900 sold~
iers; Italy has about 100000,
100000, and the smaller
States not less than 100000.
All thest figures will be doubled
next year, at a cost to the tax
payers of not less then $4,000 ,0OO,-
00O-two thousand million dollars!
The young German Kaiser declares
that Germany's "last man" nus
do military service. There are to
be practically no exempts. France,
Russia and the others must follow
suit in the costly game
To what end? Simply that the
kings may defend themselves
against the rapacity of each other.
There is no cause for war, no
shadow of a just reason for appre-
hendipg var; nathing on earth for
which the honest toilers of Europe
have any natural reason to lay
down their tools of trade and take
up deadly weapons to cut each
others Threats.
Less than half.s dozen useless
men. called kings or emperors, and
holding the places of hereditary
rule in Germany, Russia, Italy,
Austria, ETC., not by virtue of pre-
eminent ability o. by the voice of
the people, have absolute power
over the lives and fortunes of mils
lions of their fellow.men and are
morally certain to use and abuse
that power to its direst extremity,
within 8 few months perhaps. To-
morrow or next day an ignorant
military machine i'll Italy or Hun
gary may be ordered to murder an
equally ignorant machine in
France, because the Emperor OF
Germany does not wish to let the
Emperor Of Russia fight with the
Sultan of Turkey away eff on the
borders Of Asia!
There is always some great
"question" at issue in such matters.
Usually it is a question which least
concerns the parties most bellig-
erent about it. England. mayhap.
wants to plumber Egypt. Where
fore she sets Russia and Austria by
the ears over a quarrel about the
secession to an eightsby ten prin-
cipality in Servia, whose whole
population and revenue would be
swallowed up in one of our Amerie
can commonwealth. The fighting
animals Join in bloody strife, but
the fox carries off the spoils. For.
be it observed, in modern warfare
it is not always the victor who is
enriched. Germany was vastly
poorer than Farnce after the cam.
paign of twenty years ago, and
both weuld probably be ruined BY
a renewal of that contest, no mat
ter how it should end.
If the military powers of Europe
were embued with the shrewdness
Attila of Alaric, and would make
profitable warfare on the the cons
mon enemy of all, there would a
least be a method 10 their madness
The sack of London wouldrccoul
many ane Exhausted army exchequer
and the world would be all the bet
ter for theact of tardyiustice. Little
of glory or profit is there to be
gained from the conquest or re-
conquest of A.:ace and Lorraine
and the. whole Ottoman Empire
already impoverished to the last
degree, would hardly pay for the
powder spent in its overthrow; but
England is like a rich banksvault
we'll worth the "cracking" by sucf
valiant adventures. Butcher be-
held its attractions with the FOND
eye of a burglar over seventy years
ago. The only wonder ia hat BIS
marck has never turned his enter
prising gaze in the same direction
1t is not easy to imagine an adven'
ture which would so readily unite
the discordAnt factions and rival
ries of Europe in a common and,a
wars go. commendable mission
The United States, it may be
said, also offers inducements tt
plumber; but here n obstacles
more formidable than any to b.
encountered in the Cd World
1.-THE last man us not liable te
ohliootorw military eervice Int hs