The record-union., 1893-01-17
THE RUSSIAN ARMY
Half a Million More Than France
Germany.

!
Germany.
In spite of financial difficulties and
/ peaceful intentions, the Russian Govern
/ ment spares neither pains nor money in
/ lts ef1orts to keep the army on a level
/ with those of France and Germany. or
rather to outdo them; and the results. so
Iar as they can be verified in times of
| peace-are IN the highest degree reassur-
! ing. AS lar as mere numb 90 the
RUSSIAN War Minister can put about half
million more armed men in the field
! than Germany or France. The latter
country can reckon on 4,053,000, while
! Russia has 4,556,O00. Considering the
question from the financial point of view.
one cannot help wondering how it comes
that an empire whose finances are
50 dlsorganiZed, and for the needs Of
whose ADMINISTRATION population con
trlbutlonS were solicited this year and
last year IN foreign countries, is in a posi-
ton to spend more money on its army
every year than such a fairly prosperous
State as Austua-Hungary. And yet this
is the fact.
Austria Hungary's finances are in so
satisfactory state that the forced paper
circulation is now making place for
metallc currency on a gold basis, and
government credit such that the four
percent. loans are being converted with
out the slightest difficulty. And vet Aus
trla- a-Hungary, in spite of exceptional con-
dltlons which would certainly warrant
and actually seem to call for increased
military expenditure, lays out consid-
erably smaller anndal sum on her army
| than poverty stricken Russia, whom no
european State would ever dream of at
lacking.
Foreigners in general have no adequate
conception of the changes which, in the
| course OF a lew years, nave contributed
/ 70 metamorphose and regenerate the
Russian army. The process NAV be
| truthfully described as a new birth.
Formerly, marvellous powers of endur-
ance and courage which knew no fear
OF death were the main characteristics OF
the Russian soldier, who, when
abandoned to himself, had no more
! initiative than a log of wood At
present he is carefully taught, trained
and drilled, knows as much about
military technical matters as the average
| European soldier can assimilate, and still
cultlvates the old qualities which alone
would give him vast superiority over
some OF the most highly eulogized troops
| OF at least one great power. Then as to
numbers. few years ago the infantry
consisted OF twelve regiments of the
Guard, sixteen regiments of Grenadiers
and l65 regiments Of the line.
General Vannoffsky. the enterprisino
! War Minister, has within comparativelY
| short time added seventy -four reserve
cadre battalions, which are to serve as the
nucleus around which as many reserve
regiments of two battalions each are to
! be formed. AS a matter of fact. this has
already been done with twentv-tbree of
| the reserve battalions. 1t is still beino
continued, and few days ago ukase
was published ordering the formation Of
four more regiments of two battalions
/ each. The words two battalions each''
have somewhat mild sound to the ears
of military men who know that the orCin-
airy Russian infantry regiment consists
of four battalions; bat the sound is de-
I lusive and misleading, for these reserve
regiments contain each 800 common sol
diers and forty officers, so that they are
practically equal in numbers to the regi-
Inents Of four battalions the latter pos
sessing $40 men more, in other words.
! $50 instead of ,555), difference which.
in case of need, could be made good with
out the slightest difhculty. These facts
should be continually borne in mind by
those who accuse Germany and Austria
Hungary of taking the initiative in i'm
posing unbearable burdens on the tax
paying populations. Russia, whom no
other power would or could attack. and
who can scarcely pay her way, is actually
compelling her neighbors to equalize
/ their chances against her in war.