The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-13
GREAT BRlTAlN'S DECLINE.
SERIOUS MILITARY, FINANCIAL AND
COMMERCIAL PROBLEMS.

Difficulties In the Way of Army Re-
Organization 80 Embarrassing FL
nanciaI Questions Taxing the Re-
sources of statesmanship-Am
can Competition Ina the Markets OF
the World Forcing Great Britain
Into the Second Place.
London, April 6.-The accession of King
Edward to the throne is likely to mark
a great epoch in the history of the Brit
ish Empire, namely. the beginning of
its decline militarily, financially and COM
mercialy. This is the opinion of the
course, II finds no expression, except
in an Indirect way, in the newspapers.
The fact is the British administration is
confronted at the present time with gov
ernmental and economic conditions which
make the boldest and most optimistic of
English statesmen OF all parties hesitate
to dock very far into the future.
The war i'm South Africa first aroused
the country 10 the peril in which It
stands. 1t showed the weakness and the
inefficiency of the army. In all her his
tory, England has never had so tremend-
Gus military force on foreign soil. Well
ington had not one-tenth of the number
at Waterloo. The. force in South Africa
is far larger than England was able to
send to the Crimea more than half
century ago. India was overrun by an
immensely smaller number of troops.
Keeping all these facts In view it is HUI
initiating TO be obliged to admit that
small body OF South African farmers. I'M
trained in the arts of war, have been able
during two years to hold out against
generals like Roberts and Kitchener at
the head of what were supposed 10 ne
the best troops in Europe, armed with
the most approved wea pons and supplied
with the finest commissariat that illimi-
table financial resources could provide.
A more unequal contest was never waged.
and yet, If the Boer authorities are to
De believed. the end of hos
TITLES is yet far off.
This wound to the national pride I'm one
of its most sensitive parts has naturally
created a loud popular demand for the
reorganization of the army. The war Of
nee is now pottering with the problem
put the people are completely in the dark
as TO what is or what Is not being done
Those who are in position to know what
is going on declare, however. that to
make che army what it should be- TO
bring it up TO the efficiency of the armies
OF the other great European Powers, will
require a course of drastic treatment on
the part of whatever ministry is I'm DOW
er, Tory or Liberal. which may involve
the most serious political consequences
The root of the evils that exist I'm the
system Is that the army is Differed AL
most exclusively by the aristocracy. and
that 1t is next to impossible TO maintain
that severe discipline which character
ICES the military service Of nearly every
other nation. The constant aim Of The
richer officers is TO get away from their
regiments when they happen TO be sta
toned at undesirable points london
drawing rooms are far more attractive
than black country barracks in small
towns, and when the applics lions for
leaves OF absence are backed up by pow
erfui family interests, and by the female
leaders OF fashionable society. the re-
quest is equivalent TO a command Tho
bravery of the British officer canno4 be
questioned, but In modern warfare brute
courage counts for little against expert
knowledge OF the men to be comma nded
The truth is that the military admins
tration is moas-grown with abuses which
have come to be looked upon as SO firmly
intrenohed In hoary precedent that il
would be PROCLAMATION 40 attennt any
abolition. And yet that Is what has to be
done, or the army must continue TO be
what 1t is. magnificent from an ornamen
tai ana social point of view, but IN the
eyes OF the world ridiculous as a fighting
machine. How can England maintain her
military prestige under such conditions?
Take the financial condition Of the en-
pire' England is unquestionably inn
..4g1aU a
become so enormous that II taxes all her
resources to meet them The war I'm
South Africa has cost a stupendous sum
and how to provide for It fairly bewilders
the present government. An addition 10
the national debt is proposed. The con-
soils which represent that debt are novy
below par and the holders OF them natur-
ally protest against the adoption OF a
policy which would depreciate them stilI
further. The deficit that must be provid-
ed for Is 900, 1t Is an appalling
sum IN the eyes OF the Taxpayers who
are already staggering under as heavy a
load as they can well bear. But II must
be paid. How? Il the question. One sug-
gcstion Is to increase the beer tax ana
put up the price Of licenses. The promo
sition has excited the anger Of the WORK.
ingmen, and meets with the Opposition
Of the brewers, who are the most liberal
Of campaign fund contributors TO in
crease the Income tax will inAame the
owners OF land who form the great body
u the government supporters The
aDandonment o. the yaunted policy Of free
trade, by taxing sugar, grain ana other
food products, together with certain
American and German manufacture. has
been thrown into the discussion 70 say
that n haa given something IKE nn elec-
fric shock 20 the country if 90 put the
aaho mildly Dunng hair . century Eng
land has been endfavorlne 20 persuade
the World that protection Was barbarism
shall che nov embrace a, and ebandon