The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-25
WHY SHE WANTS PEACE.
England Counts the Cost Of War in
Men and Money.

Men and Money.
From the St. James Gazette.
That noisy portion of the British
public which is agitating for the use
of force against Turkey appears to
think that an AnCloTurkish war
would be something like the lombard
ment of Alexandria. followed perhaps
by a sort of Rhodesian expedition;
that in a few weeks after we had blown
Constantinople to pieces the Turks
would come flocking in to beg for
mercy, and that the Armenians would
thencefOrth flourish forever expressed
the view, some time ago, that he con-
quest of Turkey would put us to the
pin of our collar, even If Europe mere
ly looked on. Such figures as are avail
able quite bear out Lord Salisbury's
opinion.
1t must be remembered that the ply
sique of the Turks cannot he surpassed,
and that, although the army is not or
ganized up to the standard of the great
powers it is both numerous and brave.
Further. a war over the Armenian ques-
tion would be no ordinary war. 1t
would involve the extinction of Turkey
as European power. The Turks know
1t, and no doubt they would fight to the
bitter end. Their troops, too. are SO ac-
custOmed to continuous fighting with
robber bands and to protecting a diff.
cult frontier that they are always in
a state Of preparedness to take the field
They are we'll armed with the Mauser
rifle (made in Germany); many of
their officers have been trained in Ger
many, and. indeed, when the German
emperor visited COnstantinocle he
warmly comolimentcd the troops on
their whole turnout. And it would
appear that, but for the chronic empti-
mes of the military chest, the Turkish
army would be well able to hold it's
very formidable foe. The actual figures
of the effective cOmbatant force are,
in round numbers:
Infantry, $4,000; cavalry, $4,000; Ar
tillery. $4,000; engineers, 1900; total,
75O5OO
They are rather short of horses, but
have about 400 guns. The navy does
not count.
1t may be said that these are only
arthmetical soldiers. and that. besides.
Turkey could not carry on war in
her bankrupt condition. But we have
the startling figures of the RussO-Tur-
kish war of !S77-7S to show what Tur-
key can do. She was then bankrupt
Her troops were never paid. They We're
not nearly so well armed as they are
now. Yet 1t was only after very severe
struggle that Russia, with all her
hordeS of fighting men, came out vic
toriOus. 1t is said that in Europe 600 900
Russians took part in the campaign,
and in Asia 250,00O. Their losses We're
$1,000 deaths in Asia and $1,000 deaths
in Europe. of which latter number 1900
were killed in battle In addition to
these terrible losses there were inval-
ided in Europe $4,000 and wounded in
Asia II 900. Thus there were killed,
wounded and invalided a greater num-
Der than our whole home army.
Now, it Is probable that a less num-
ber of British troops than Russian
would overcome the Turk? Suppose it
is; suppose that Englishmen are to
Russians as roast beef and Scotch
whisky are to black bread and vodhka,
and that one English soldier could take
the place of two Russians. Still, how
could we transport 100000 fighting men
to Turkey? In our largest war of the
present generation, the Egyptian cam
paign of 1882 less than 1000 men were
engaged. That is about the number we
keep on hand for foreign expeditions.
And. with the possibility of European
complications and unrest In Ireland,
it is about all we could safely spare in
a war with Turkey. Take another Rus
so-Turkish figure. At the beginning of
the siege of Pevna there were $1,000
"
supplies. No doubt horses would be as
necessary in English operations as in
Russian. But how could we transport
&C. 900 horses to Turkey-and this would
only be n portion of the total required.
We would even have difficulty in pro-
curing that number. not to mention the
transport of the animals in good health.
Our army has only about One-fourth
of it at home and in the colonies.
,..,t... n
and available at twenty-four hours no.
tice. But it is calculated that in the
whole kingdom there are no more than
20, 900 horses suitable for war, and al
most insurmountable difficulties ap-
pear to be in the way of getting at
these. Lieutenant General GoodenouCh
saws il would take three weeks to dis
patch 10000 horses by sea. During the
Egyptian expedition the military au-
thorities were seventeen weeks procur-
ing LOO horses! That was before the
system of registration was commenced.
But after the $4,000 or $4,000 registered
horses available Immediately were dis
patched the very same difficulties
would arise now as in 1882 over any
required beyond that number. For 1t is
only mature. muscular, cOrn-fed ami
mails that would be worth shipping.
ENORMOUS EXPENDITURE.
lSut even II we cOulU Senu out. say,
half a million or even quarter of n
million of men and 1O0,0 900 horses. have
any of the agitators considered what
the cost would be? A national army
fighting in n foreign country is q very
expensive body. The direct expenditure
would be enormous. Russia paid for
it's victory in 1878 no les than $780,
O00.O 900. But we are about the most ev-
pensive war makers in the world. and
1t is doubtful if we could achieve our
purpose at his price. France. in her ia
tai struggle, lost G76 per family. which
according to Sir Robert Giffen, is ex-
actly ten years savings. In our case
the loss would most certainly fall
on our own shoulders. We could beat
Turkey, no doubt, but we could not
make it give us what it has not got.
| In the last seventeen years Turkey has
| reduced it's national debt, by compost
| tion GS5,OOO. 900 No other proof
| of it's poverty is needed This
| c6OO. .OOO, 900 expended on the war would
| therefore be tackled on to our national
debt. undoing all the achievements of
sinking fund chancellOrs, and raising
the annual expenditure by E5.0OO,00O!
| This is supposing we could borrow at
| two and half per cent, which is not
| certainty in the dangerous circum-
stances In addition, there would be
1.-The indirect losses. To transport