Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-10

abatement In any direction Verbal and
written warnings have no greater effect
on the pace Of mintarism that a paper
bullet on the armor Of dreadnaught. 4
quarter OF century ago Leon Gambetta
remarked in the French chamber. III the
present expenditure OF Europe continues
we shall end by all being beggars In front
Of barracks" Expenditures IN Gambetta's
day were insignificant In comparison with
the present tremendous drain on the pro-
ductive power OF nations The uplift in
cost is emphasized particularly In modern
navies one dreadnaught now costing as
much as dozen warships in the sos. "A
mad and insane competition in arrna-
ments," declared Chancellor Lloyd George
In speech. THE countries OF the world ="
he continued, "are spending annually S. $50 D.
OOO,eo0 upon this machinery OF destruction.
/ In twenty years there has been an in
crease OF S1,OO0OOO 900 annually IN this eK-
| penditure. All nations seem 10 be infected
with an epidemic Of prodieallty in that ro-
spect, which seems to be sweeping over
the world and sweeping 60 destruction
We take the lead in that expenditure" A
more recent note Of warning is sounded by
Colonel Cooke, a reputable military writer
OF Germany, in an article on Peace and
Disarmament" Colonel Cooke declares
day are a constant menace to peace instead
Of a guaranty Of it. He shows, as was re-
Gently avowed by the British ministry.
that last year 81, 4O0OOO.O0O we're wasted
for defense by the European powers alone.
He proves the uselessnsys Of Il; since every
military expansion by one power means a
similar expansion by all the others. There
fore, he asserts, the time has come for all
powers to earnestly consider a limitation
Of ornaments, and the substitution of arbi-
| traton for war in all cases
The absurdity and wastefulness OF the
craze is strfkingly shown at the threshold
of Austria's dreadnaught enterprise.
Scarcely had the dual empire entered the
naval race with two dreadnaughts on the
stocks when England decided to equip new
battleships with bigger and more powerful
guns than Austria had planned. II is al
ready too late to change the projected
armament. Ten twelve-inch guns for each
OF them have long been ordered from
Austrian firms. I'VE are not rich enough"
exclaims the Vienna Neue Freie Presse
Ito pay for these guns and at the same
time TO bear the cost Of new 135-inch guns
! british size), which, moreover our gun
/ factories would not be IN a position to sup
/ ply within the time stipulated for the COM
pletion OF our two dreadnaughts. The In
crease Of calibre in the big guns OF the
British navy is, therefore, attended by
serious consequences for us. We have
hardly taken the first step in the dread
naught question, but we already feel the
huge naval ornaments dictated by Eng
land, driving us forward like a goad" II
is worth noting, perhaps, that the Neue
Freie Presse was an ardent advocate of
big navy.
Germany is showing great energy in de-
veloping its inland waterways. The canal
between Berlin and the Oder river. which
will make It possible for cotton vessels TO
reach the capital from the Baltic sea, is
nearing completion. This. canal is in part
merely an Improvement II the Finoe canal
built by Frederick the NGreat to connect
the systems Of the E1be and the Oder. The
improved canal is to have four locks, each
with a difference OF level OF thirty feet
instead of the original seventeen Each
lock takes two cotton boats at the same
| time, and are thus among the biggest In
Europe. ship elevator which will do the
work more quickly will afterward be built
II traffic Justifies the expense Not far
from Berlin. before the new canal Joins
the old one, the sandy soil is being found
30 permeable that the whole canal bed had
to be lined wtiR concrete.
|
Henri Brisson, who has on at least four
occasions been defeated in the election for
the presidency Of the French republic by
only very few votes, and who throughout
his long public career has earned a reputa-
ton for unimpeachable integrity among his
countrymen OF all classes that is well-nigh
without parallel, has announced his inten-
ton OF resigning the presidency Of the
Chamber Of Deputies, He il 70 years os
age. The presidency OF the Chamber OF
Deputies in Paris is a much more impor-
tant office in every way than that Of the
speaker of congress at Washington. Like
the speaker Of the English House OF Com
mons he Is magnifioently housed at the
expense Of the state
A fine chunk Of good luck at an oppor-
tune moment drops Into the lap OF the
Canalejas ministry through the favorable
settlement Of the Moroccan difficulty. Not
only will 1t strengthen the prestige OF the
ministry. but It actually will throw q
windfall into the national treasury To
have obtained an indemnity OF $4,000 OOC
from Morocco, besides some extensions OF
Spanish territory, must be reckoned as a
great help to the prime minister in facins
his domestic problems, which, OF course
are partly financial.
Significant changes in social conditions II
Great Britain In the past nine years are
, shown by official statistics, II appear
that. as compared with 1901, there was
decrease in the use OF beer OF IS per cent
In the use of spirits, so per cent; in the
consumption OF wine, 80 per cent; while
there was an increase In the use OF tea o.
20 per cent; cocoa, IS per cent; tobacco, 81
/ per cent. and falling off In the consump-
ton OF coffee OF Il per cent. Apparently
these changes in drinking habits are moi
J the result OF temperance proseltytism. bu
OF a gradual tendency to better and cleaner
living among ali classes.
, In a recent speech In the French Cham
Z Der OF Deputies, Premier BRAND retortet
on NJ Juares the socialist leader, in thes,
words that so to the root OF the issu,
which France faces: 1T Is astonishing
: that socialists, who are partisans OF ia,
i -