Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-10-07
THE WORLDS ARMIES.
WHAT GENERAL MILES SAW
IN EUROPE
Russia Making Great PrOgress-Ger-
many's Soldiers the Best Drilled and
showIest - Good Words for frances
TrOOps-Uncle Sans Soldiers.

LONDON, Oct 4.-General Nelson A.
Miles, Mrs. Miles and aide de camp
Captain Maus, sailed for the United
States on the American lire steamer
st. Louis to-day, having been in Eu
rope since May on tour OF military
observation. The general has in
spected everything of military interest
from the armies of the great powers
in field action down to balloons and
BICYCLES" as he remarked. He has
looked over Notifications, barracks,
camps and ordnance works OF all
classes
In an interview before ne sailed,
General Miles said: when l left
Washington the war between Turkey
and Greece had assumed such proper
tions that it looked as though the
neighboring provinces would be drawn
into it, and possibly one or two of the
great powers of Europe. No one real
lied at that time that Greece had as
sumed hostilities when she was wholly
unprepared for war, nor did anyone
anticipate that Turkey would in forty
five DAYS mobilize a great army OF 6OO,-
900 men. When l arrived at Constan-
tinople an armistice had been declared
and war was practically over, al
though the armies have remained in
hostile attitudes and it has taken three
months to agree upon conditions of
peace for war that had been fought
in five weeks.
IT have seen all the great armies of
Europe except the Spanish army and
if Spain should declare war against
the United States L may possibly have
an opportunity of seeing that. Of
something over 100000 men under
arms, 1 have seen nearly 100000 in
barracks and in garrison and in field
maneuvers. besides nearly 100,0n0 men
engaged in the construction of war
material
"What l have seen does not indicate
that the millennium is at hand, when
swords will be beaten into plough
shares There never was another time
in the history of the world when such
energy, ingenuity and wealth have
oeen devoted to war purposes. The
resources and industries of many peo-
Piles are largely devoted to maintain
ing large standing armies and formid-
able navies.
fortunate are the people of the
United States that they are walled in
by two great oceans, yet this fact
would not warrant them in any other
policy than keeping reasonable per-
centage of the population fully equip
ped and instructed in modern appli-
ances and methods of war
Germany is ont vast military camp.
1t is geographically in such position
that it is compelled to maintain a
great military force, On one side is Aus
tria, that they have overrun and France
that has been conquered and a part of
her territory taken away, by fighting
her wb9n she was at a great disad-
vantage. On the other side stands
the great Russian bear and between
these two Germany finds it necessary
to keep her powder dry. The German
army is kept under rigid discipline, it
is we'll drilled, makes the finest ap-
pearance on parade, but its fighting
qualities are NO better than the Eng
lish, Russian or French armies.
To the question as to whether the
United States, under its present mill
tary policy, would be able to cope
with European power, General Miles
replied: I'm any population, 1t is esti-
mated, one man out of five is capable
of bearing arms That would give Us
an army of 10, 900, 900. Our people are
strong physically and generally intel
ligent and we'll Informed. Besides
that, each citizen is sovereign and
personally interested in the welfare
of his government and serves volun'
tarily without being forced into service
by military despotism We have many
thousands Of men still living who
have seen more war; participated in
more battles, than any man in Europe
But it is another thing to equip AT
army with modern appliances for the
defense of coast where we would
have to use high power guns and mod
ern projectiles, which it takes years II
construct, while small arms are not t.
be made in few days or even weeks
Modern rifles are different from tn,
squirrel guns, which our revolution
airy fathers went to war. The rang
of modern arms is very great and pre-
jectiles weigh 700 pounds to a ton O
steel. The rapidity of the rapid fir
machine guns, the Maxim and Calling
is 400 to 600 shots minute. Althoug
these are American inventions thes
are largely used in the European serv
tce."