La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-03-05
PARIS AN ,MpascNAsLE CRY.
Hts Fortiacailons Have Dssa Consider
ably Improvsd siaos 0srmau wan
(Erom the BOSTON Herald)

ally Improvcd biuoe 0ermAu Weh
(From the Boston Herald)
The action OF the French parliament
In deciding to tear down some OF the
fortifcations near Paris and sell for
ordinary uses the land now occupied
by these defensive works must not be
taken as an indication that, In the
opinion OF the French people. we are
soon to enter upon an era Of peace.
The Notifications tho demolition OF
which Is contemplated by the order
passed are those which are quite close
to Paris and which played prominent
part In the defense OF the city at the
time 1t was besieged by the German
army twenty-seven years ago. But the
French have been taught wisdom by
past experience and as a result have
planned and few years ago finished
a syntem Of Notifications around Paris
which are probably unequaled for the
purposes for which they are intended
by any similar Notifications in the
world. well informed military writ
er. member Of the general stan OF the
German army, has given it as his opin-
lon tna& a successful siege of Paris
would be. under present conditions. an
impossible undertaking. The new for
tifcations that gurround the French
capital are some fifteen or twenty miles
from the city and are connected with
Paris and with each other by rail-
way system which would enable the
French commander to quickly mass at
one point a very large body Of men.
while the general OF the besieging
army. II he wished to prevent the city
from obtaining supplies and thus shut
In the people and the army that was
defending 1t, would have to occupy
line extending over 100 miles and
hence could not by any possibility COL
iect a large number of his force at any
one point to resist an attack of the
enemy. 1t required a German army OF.
approximately. 100000 men to lay siege
to Paris from Sept. 10, 1870, to Jan.
80 1871 but the authority we refer to
Is OF the opinion that to repeat the
same operation a German besieging
army would have to number more than
100000 men. and the work of main
e,A"'A6 ceSh a AoiSc sauu pioPChiy huhu-
ling Its parts would be something
which few governments would care to
undertake. and few military command
ers would be able to eficiently per-
form. Besides, these great outlying
Notifications would give to the people
OF Paris. II their city was again be-
eieged. an opportunity to obtain many
OF the smaller supplies of life from the
suburban district, since as the system
OF fortifcation has been built 1t would
be as though the line OF defense for
Boston took circuit which extended
from Marshfeld through Brockton,
Walpolc. Framingham. Concord. An
dover and reached the water again at
Gloucester. II the tide OF war was
kept thus far back from our city It is
easy to see that we should not suffer
as intensely as II 1t were carried q
almost within our municipal area. The
French have spent upon these new for
ti1cations an amount variously esti-
mated at from $50. 600 900 to $50 900 900
aud hence can we'll afford to sell the
land occupied by some OF the now OBJ
solete Notifications of generation aga.