The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-03-30
PEACE EVER MORE.
Supreme Court for the World
Will BRING it.
Is. P. DOLE PRESENTS THEORIES
In Line with Idea of Ar
bitration.
Expense and Absurdity of Present
Armed Condition of
Europe.

In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer of
.Tuly 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 vi om the author is well
known:
During the reigns of Hadrian and
the Antonines and for generations aft
en- 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
speaking, 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 well 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 100000
men,"
At the present time the standing
armies of Europe on peace footing.
including only regulars in constant
service and on fun pay. number about
S.130000 and the naval forces about
100000 more. The first reserves num-
Der about 100000, making the entire
war footing Immediately available
about II, 10000 men. The second re-
serves of the six great powers amount
20 about 12,27S 600 men. The sum to-
tai is over 23,7OO000 in a population
of less than S4,000,000 of 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 heathen Rome, has a peace estab-
| lishment of nearly seven and two
thirds times as many fighting men, a
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 a
heavy spear. a sword. a shield and a
helmet. A 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 1t is out oi
date Within a few years probably
even Gibraltar will be as defenseless
as New England village, for battles
if fought at all. will be fought not or
land and sea, but in the air. Moderr
warfare bears the same relation TO an
eient that the factories of Manchestel
and Lowell bear to the hand looms o
our grandmothers. 1t Is machine worl
on a scale never before dreamed of
on 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 o
European craftsmanship seems to bt
how TO borrow or to wiring from over
taxed people huge sums of money will
which to buy the latest devices fol
limiting the population to widows ant
orphans.
In ancient times permanent nation
al debts were unknown. The nationa
debts Of Europe, mostly incurred il
war, amount to over twenty-five thou
sand millions of dollars (s22, 2,07S, ,075.
0es), and. in time of peace, the annua
cost of maintaining her military ant
naval establishments is over $3.50, 900,
900. In addition to this expenditure
and to the payment of interest on thes
stupendous debts, over 3 ,000, 900 OF mel
are constantly and about 10000 ,00
: more are occasionally made nen-pro
ductive wealth-consumers, and are II
able at any time to become wealth
destroyers. Is it strange that, in spit
of the increased efficiency Of labor
many European countries are steadil.
drifting towards bankruptcy? Is i
strange that every year hundreds o
thousands of their inhabitants seel
new homes on this side of the Allan
tic?
War is dreaded now as never before