The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-03-29
PEACE EVER MORE
Supreme Court for the World
Will BRING it.
E. p. DOLE PRESENTS THEORIES
In Line with Idea of Ar
bitration.
E. P. DOLE PRESENTS THEORIES
Expense and AbSurdity of Present
Armed Condition of
Europe.

In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer of
July 10, 1898, there appeared the fol-
lowing article upon "a Supreme Court
of the World" In view of the nego-
tiations now pending between the Uni
ted States and Great Britain and the
wide discussion of general arbitration
this article has an added value and
will be read with interest by this COM
munity, by whom the author is well
known:
During the reigns of Hadrian and
the Antonines and for generations aft
er the Eastern conquest of Trajan had
been relinquished, the Roman empire
was bounded on the west by the At
lantic Ocean. on the north by the
Rhine and Danube, on the east by the
Euphrates and on the south by the
deserts of Arabia and Africa. Broadly
sneaking. it included the modern
countries of England, France, Spain.
Portugal. Belgium, Southeastern Hol-
land Eastern and Southern Germany,
Switzerland Austria, Hungary, Italy,
Greece, the Islands of the Mediterran-
can, most of European and Asiatic
Turkey, Northern Arabia, Egypt, and
all of Africa north Of the Sahara. 1t
was the greatest military empire that
the world had ever seen. Yet Gibbon
says: eff we review the general state
of the imperial forces-of the cavalry
as we'll as infantry, of the legions, the
auxiliaries. the guards and the navy
the most liberal computation will not
allow us TO fix the entire establishment
by sea and by land at more than 450, 900
men,"
At the present time the standing
armies of Europe on a peace footing,
including only regulars in constant
service, and on full pay, number about
8. 100000, and the naval forces about
100000 more The first reserves num-
ber about 100000, making the entire
war footing Immediately available
about II 436, 900 men. The second re-
serves of the six great powers amount
to about 12,27S,O0 men. The sum to-
tai is over 23,700.000 in a population
of less than $4,000, 900 of able bodied
men of fighting age.
The figures given in this article,
compiled from the annual statistician
for 1892, do not include European Tur-
key or European colonies.
In other words, Christian Europe,
with about three times the population
of heather Rome, has a peace estab-
lishment of nearly seven and two
thirds times as many fighting men,
war establishment of more than %
times as many. and second reserves
that swell the grand total to more
than 80 times as many.
A Roman soldiers arms were a
spade and a pick-aX, a light and
heavy spear. a sword, a shield and a
helmet modern soldiers arms of
Yesterday are obsolete today, and those
of today will be obsolete tomorrow.
The cost of the latest battleship would
equip the proudest Roman army that
ever marched to victory, yet the pro-
gress of invention is so rapid that
before it can be finished it is out of
date. Within few years probably
even Gibraltar will be as defenseless
as a New England village, for battles.
if fought at all will be fought not on
land and sea, but in the air. Modern
warfare bears the same relation to an
cient that the factories Of Manchester
and Lowell bear to the hand looms Of
our grandmothers. 1t is machine work
on q scale never before dreamed of,
on a scale and at an expense which
would be impossible if science and in
vention had not increased the produc-
tiveness of labor many fold.
Meanwhile the chief problem of
European craftsmanship seems to be
how to borrow or to wiring from over
taxed people huge sums of money with
which to buy the latest devices for
limiting the population to widows and
orphans.
In ancient times permanent nation
al debts were unknown. The national
debts of Europe, mostly incurred in
war. amount TO over twenty-five thou
sand millions of dollars (s22, ,07S ,075,-
06S), and, in time of peace, the annual
cost of maintaining her military and
naval establishments is over $3.50, ,000,-
600 In addition to this expenditure
and to the payment of interest on these
stupendous debts, over 100000 of men
are constantly and about 10000, 900