The Portland daily press., 1895-12-14
THE COMING co NFLECT.
Military Authorities Believe the Great
est War OF the Ages Is at Hand.

Before the End of 1S97-The Strained
characterization of the United States
In the current number of thu "Naval
Institute'' Lieut.R. 2. Hobson, United
States navy, says that no fact is so uni
yersally accepted abroad as the imminono:
the very presence of war. 1t is living
aotuality. Not only every man i'll the
armies and nayies of the great Powers
expects to take part personally, but every
individual with any hold on life expects
to be witness. This imminent war
bids fair to involve all of the six great
nations of Europe, comprising popula-
tion of about 1924, 900, 600. In this aggre-
gate of population about "a, 600, 900 men
are able to bear arms, and the six nations
referred to possess more than 2,0OO 00O
tons of fighting vessels afoat. The con-
fiict will be on scale incomparably
greater than any in the world's history.
The military situation in Europe has
been strained to a point of tension that
that can not be endured much longer.
The rival nation have been we'll nigh
transformed into camps, and whole peo-
Piles are Impoverished by the immense
cost of maintaining standing armies.
Nearly all of the land being in the hands
of q few, the many have been growing
steadily poorer, oppressed as they are by
taxes for the support of armies and
nsyies The Russian army has peace
footing of 974, 000 and a war footing of
g. 733, 900, costing S138, 900. 900 annually.
Pauper Italy has navy comprising 1885,
GOO men in time of peace, l. 7lS,t0- men in
war, and costing s43. 100000 The Ger
man army has peace footing of 445. 500
men, war footing of /, 1872, 000 and costs
sos, coo, 900 annually. The army of
France has 500, 600 men in peace, 3,753, :
600 men in war and costs Sl14, GOO, 600 a
year. Each soldier must wear good
clothes and be we'll fed for years, during
which he produces nothing, being sup
ported by the industrial classes.
PERIOD OF PREPARATION.
During long period of peace in
Europe the nations have been preparing
SEe1AeeoAS41
more than anything else to keep them
from flying at each others Threats. But
ROW they are ready for the inevitable
struggle, and Russia and Franco in par
ticular are not disposed to let any oppor-
tunity go by that may be favorble for its
precipitation. The dual alliance is so
strong as to be in position to offer war,
and not merely to accept tine gage. The
issue of the conflict will involve the over
throw or perpetuation of the vast British
Empire. The results, however, are like
ly to be much more far-reaching. The
Russians, the last Aryan race that has
arisen in the East, are surging west
ward. This wave is relatively MANIFOLD
more formidable than any of the Aryan
waves of the past, all of which have ulti-
mately succeeded in overthrowing the
higher but less rugged civilizations OF
the West.
1t is unquestionable that the dual ALI
ance has at present in contempiatioafa
scheme for the conquest of the world.
The first step in this direction must be
the overthrow of Great Britain. Lieut.
Hobson refers to the fact that the British
1lse could not be invaded SO long the
mighty fleets of England controlled the
approaches. 1t was impossible for the
great Napoleon himself, who found in
this circumstance his bitterest expert
enoes. The coming struggle, conse-
Qu6ubll, Will nbf0 bi1e OCodn lOf 1US
theatre. AT present Great Britain sur
passes in naval strength both of her ad-
versaries together. She has now af1oat
6l2, $50 tons Of armored vessels. Against
this gigantic aggregate the dual alliance
is able to muster only 416, 764 armored
tons. Under these circumstances there
is no danger that France and Russia will
precipitate conflict with Great Britain
for year or two, at all events. By 1897,
boWavar the sitr1 afion will bava uuGor-
gone great change. Russia and France
are at present engaged in the construc-
ton Of mighty fleets. The shipyards of
both countries are scenes of extraOrdin-
AIRY activity, which has definite and
unmistakable object in view. That OBJ
ject is war-a war which military author
files everywhere believe to be inevitable
In 1897 the new navies of Russia and
France will have been completed, and
the dual alliance will be quite 80 per cent
stranger than Great Britain on the ocean.
There Ia only too much reason for be-
Mev1ng that Russia aid France will seize
this time and opportunity for assailing
England, and that the year 1897 will wit
ness the commencement of the most
tremendous conflict that the world has
ever seen The term of the triple alliance
will not then have expired, and by that
compact Germany, Italy and Austria
Hungary will bs held aloof. Thus Great
Britain will be entirely isolated. and can
be attacked to the greatest advantage
In the event of British defeat the rivalry
of Russia and England in Asia will be
decided forever.
AN INTERESTING PROSPECT.
The inevita bleness and immediate iln-
minence of the gigantic struggle lends
an extreme interest to the prospect OF
course many millions of lives will be
sacrificed. There has been no great war
since time when weapons and engines
of warfare were comparatively primitive
The conflict the1 efore will be conducted
uud or most novel conditions. The COM
paratively harmless gunpowder of the
past will be replaced to great extent by
htgh explosives of enormous destructive
power. Armies will literally wipe each
other out while remaining apart at such
distances as to be hardly within sight of
ono another. This war that is to come
win be war of annibilation. At the
texmination of an important engagement
the battlefield will be strewn with 300, 900
uY aol. 900 corpses, perhaps, great part
n them frightfully nangled. TO bury
the dead will be wholly impracticable,
and the rotting of human bodies will
gYRRNd nostt1anco bo Ia nd