The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-03
THE EXCHANGE OF WEAPONS.

l
The new Russian cruiser Variag. built
by the Cramps, is a great success It
| has more speed than was called for in
the specifications, and its big guns are
able to sadly disfgure the best steel ar
NOR. Shortly it will be sent to Russia
to await the call Of war, and no one can
predict against whom it's guns Will be
| turned.
Our ship yards have built many YES
sci Of the same character for other ma
lions, and the yards in England, Ger
many and France have found a large
number Of such contracts. Most Of them
have been filed and others are under
way and no doubt all Of them are ex-
ecuted with the fidelity of good work.
manship. Under the system Of inspec-
ton by foreign governments they have
to be- Thus all of civilization and a
| goodly portion of heathendom is being
armed to the teeth by an international
| exchange of deadly weapons, which en-
terprise goes on amid the din Of immense
| ing pointed to as happy evidence OF in
dustrial prosperity. 1t does not seem to
strike the leaders in any Of the manu-
featuring nations that they are making
a tremendous concession to the CONNER
ciaI spirit, one in which Turk possibilt-
ties of danger untold. For a moment
the world was aroused by the murderous
effectiveness of the Chinese armament,
and there was q squirt of protest against
the practice of selling guns to all COM
ers who have the price It has been ar
gued that there should be strict dis
elimination against the heather in this
respect that the international trade in
weapons should be restricted to civilized
nations. The premise of this position
must be the belief that civilized nations
will use their guns exclusively on the
heather in the modern process of spread
ing the doctrine of Christian progress.
| If the heather do not know what is good
| for them let 1t be shot into them, but
| do not give them the means for shooting
| back, is something very like the real
l
theory that seeks to defend the big in
dustry which gives dread power to 'be-
nevolent assimilation. If the theory
was sound in regard to the object and
| purposes of the great powers, it ought
to follow that with heathendom disarm-
ed, or left by the ingenuity Of invention
! With Anticipated guns, the armories would
be locked and cobwebs allowed to cover
the keyholes; that Of each great store
| house of war could be said:
This is the arsenal. From floor to cell
| ing,
Like huge organ rise the FURNISHED
arms;
But from their silent pipes no anthem
pealing
startles the villages with strange
In each country the great gun and ship
| plants are making money for their own
ers, are paying wages 10 worklngmen
every day in the year ana are supporting
large number of families. They are
money making enterprises and nothing
else, as viewed IN time Of peace, and 1t
is true that except when called forth to
as harmless as the plow. The desire for
money and profit does not permit greater
| insight than this into tho International
| traffic, and its possible consequences, re-
CARELESS OF any consideration Of tbe
heathe1 Directly back o. each contract
and its execution is q thick curtain
through which no enc sees or wants to
see. The money argument stops there
and 1t is all sufficient Invite the MANN
facturers or officials 20 look through the
curtain or push it aside, and they, seeing
| 1t thickly studded with dollars, sover-
efgns, francs or crowns, as the case NAV
be- Will decline. 1t isn't convenient; moth
ing that argues against any method of
making money Is convenient for them
to thoughtfully consider. The CONNER
cial spirit has &c bbed their minEs Of all
tendency toward the higher philosophy Of
| life
But there is today twice as much
armament in the world as would be need
| ed to kill every heather, and 1t is being
added to constantly We are s,,pp,ving
Japan, Russia and the South American
countries with warships and rapid-hre
guns. England, France and Germany are
| eager to do their share along the same
line. The heather will soon be beneyo-
lentiy assimilated. and after the job is
done there will be enough powder and
shot left to blow civilization itself to
pieces The day will come when there