Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-03-02
PREMIER DE GIERS,

see in it anything but war. There are two
distinct forces making for open War-the
financiers on the one hand and the taxpay-
ers on the other.
"The European governments are between
the deep sea of popular discomfort and the
devil of financiers. The cost of the enor-
nous military establishments is so great
that there is only the alternative of war
or national bankruptcy. Russia, Austria,
Germany and France might be able to car
ry for some time yet the burden of the mil
itary budgets, but even in these cases the
difficulty is only shifted.
''Then in the danger of the grow
ing power of socialism and the anarchistic
parties. For these internal disorders the
only remedy that European statesmen dis
cover is the blood letting of a general war.
The very causes that make war inevitable
will make it a long and fierce struggles
war in Europe and Asia that shall do away
with any need of Malthusiap precepts for
scores of generations"
But, 10! with exactly the same facts to
guide him, one of the optimistic sort fore
sees a far different outcome and attunes his
Pans pipes to a dulcet song of peace:
II annot think that war is now looming
over the immediate horizon. The two hos
oAAS JAN IN olu "ulCu
are really ready are determined not to be-
gin what would be a duel to the death.
Germany would scarcely wish tx begin hos
tilities without the aid Of it's allies, and, as
for Italy, any issue short of absolute VIC
tory in a war would be it's ruin. Austria,
on the other hand, insuficiently prepared,
with a temper undecided, though rather
pacific than otherwise, would certainly re-
fuse to fight unless she were absolutely
forced to do so"
FINALLY, France, whatever bellicose ele-
ments it may contain, and whatever mo-
lives might drive it to hostilities, does not
care at present to undertake a wal without
the help of Russia, an ally upon which it
counts, and without whom it must expert
ence great encouragement and disappoint-
ment. Russia, however, is not ready. 1t
would require several months to mobilize
its forces. 1t must still spend millions of
rubles in the construction of strategic lines,
and this process will take some years.
Hence, in all likelihood, save for unexpect-
ed incidents, Europe will continue for some
time still increasing it's armed forces and
i~nterchanging menace of war, always alert
and anxious, but never really coming to
blows"
1t looks like another case of doctors dis
agreeing. These gentlemen, each supposed
to have his finger On the pulse of the pa
tient, post contradictory bulletins of his
condition and the probable result of the
malady, and how is the poor layman, with
nothing but his common sense to guide
him, to know which is the more worthy of
credence? He will most likely not bother
his head about it at all, but let results
speak for themselves and take them quiet
ly when they come.
OF course it is true that the peace of ,Eu.
rope may depend upon small and apparent
ly Insignificant occurrences. But whether
the daily happenings Of which the CORE.
spondents make so much shall be classed
among those pregnant events must be left
for history yet unwritten to decide. AT
present it is a game. of diplomatic chess,
and even those who know the rules cannot
venture to predict the outcome. 1t is like
one of those games in which one expert
blindfolded plays against several others
seated at different boards, and to a man ur
a tree it looks as if M. de Giers, the Rus,
sian premier, sat in the seat of the expert,
only there is a shrewd suspicion that not
he, but the other players. the premiers Of
the other nations, are blinded.
Whether this is SO or not, NJ. de Giers will
certainly give them a good game unless
some of them getsexcited and kick over the
boards. or unless his imperial master, the
car, gets tired of waiting and kicks then
over himself. De Giers may reasonably be
supposed to have learned all about the
game in the "a years Of his life and the 81
years of his active service in Russian diplo
macy. His skill even while serving in sub
ordinate positions contributed not a little
to the advancement of Russian interests in
various directions, and since he succeeded
G~ortchakof-in 1Ss2-Europe has found
him a powerful factor to be reckoned with.
No doubt he could give the contradictory
correspondents pointers that would enable
them all to tell the same story, but he
knows how to be silent in manylanguages