The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-02
HORRORS OF A
GENERAL WAR.
What Would Happen should the
Powers of of Europe All Get Into
TroubIe-Engla nd Not Afraid.

From the Times-Herald.
While at present only one war cloud
is dangerously near, there are indca-
tions that the international sky is by
no means clear. War mutterings have
been heard of late, east, west north
and south, and it has been considered
not unlikely that some day may see
the nations of the earth engaged in a
life and death grapple.
A war with Spain might be short,
and peace might reign again in a few
weeks. 1t might he prolonged and in
the latter event the nations that are
now neutral would find their interests
more or less inerfered with. 1t would
he to Great Britain's interest to see
the war brought to a sudden close, for
war means u stoppage of commercial
relations with one of her best CustOm-
ers. Should Great Britain undertake
to interfere i'm the fight between the
United states and Spain, it would re-
Guirc slight proVOCatiOn for her watch
full enemy, Russia, to take advantage
of the fact that the attention Of Eng
lishmen Is temporarily distracted from
the eastern situation to commit some
act that would set match to the train
Of gUnnOwder laid TO the magazine in
the Orient.
Under such circumstances it would
he in keeping with the present indi-
cations for Japan to join forces with
Great Britain, and for Germany, France,
Austria, and Italy to he forced into one
gigantic war that might change the
map and sweep away Kingdoms.
ARMED STRENGTH OF EUROPE.
Armed Europe is a tremendous sight
at present. Germany'a siupendous
army of l,946,3SO men, 22,672 officers,
with a cavalry of over 100000 and an
artillery comprising 1854 guns, would
he a tremendous aggregation of fight
ers for Great Britain to face, with her
little force of 2l5,2Sl soldiers, 4.9lS Off
GERS. 29Sl2 cavalrymen and 720 guns.
All the men Great Britain wo1h have
to help her through an ALLIANCE with
Japan would be J6,237 infantryfand g.
200 cavalrymcn. The Japs are born
fighters, and have proved their Prov
ess, as have their British friends, but
the odds would be tremendous, and in
diidual courage does not count for
much where men are ptted at a dis
tance of two miles by a marksman
with "a magazine rifle.
What frightful scenes would result
from a general war such as that sug-
gestcd should France join forces with
GormaEys millions and swell the
fighting strength by putting over
10000 900 men in the field with 112,-
600 cavalry and 3,400 guns. If the
,Oulse of events should ever bring it
to pass that France forgot her old
gudge against Germany and made
an offensive alliance with her, what
tremendous army would be ready after
the declaration Of war.
Whatever the outcome Of Great
Britain's efforts to obtain an ally, it
cannot he hoped that Russia will be
anything but her enemy. To the
coalition against Great Britain, there
fore, would be added the army of the
czar, numbering l,116,S24 men, with a
cavalry force of $4,000, among whom
would be the fierce cOssacks of the
don, and an artillery force with 2,672
guns at it's command.
AUSTRIA AND THE TURK.
Austria would be a mighty ally, for
her fighting strength is S62 900 men,
she can supplement this with a cavaI-
ny force numbering 5000 horses and
an artillery with l,572 guns. If Turkey
came into the general scrimmage she
would add to the toal of fighting men
an army of 100000 Combatants, with a
cavalry force of 10000 men and 500
guns. Not by any means a force to be
despised for most Of Turkeys soldiers
are veterans.
These figures are appalling when It
is considered that they represent men
under arms, trained I'm the use OF
modern weapons, the deadliest ever
used. But what becomes of the sug-
gestion Of even these millions fight
ing, when IL is remembered that they
comprise merely the active armies Of
the countries referred to. In war
times the numbers of fighters each ma.
tiOn would put into the field would
multiply in some instances by two the
forces quoted. Thus, a million men
would have to be added TO Germany's
army if the first reserve were added
If the second reserve were included
Il would be necessary to add nearly
million more. II the grand total
of lighting men capable of being put
into the field when the entire resources
of Germany are drawn upon be added
together il would swell the German
army to 5,09S, $50 men. Other nations
would be able to send to battle vastly
augmented forces, should the reserves
be called upon, so that where in past
wars armies OF seventy, eighty or a
hundred thousand men were consid-
cred a large and powerful force, in a
modern fight between great nations