The Washington times., 1911-09-07
THE FACTORS IN MILITARY
EUROPE.

Germanys ambition TO burst out OF
her boundaries has made her for many
years the most serious menace to
European peace. The Balkan question
of the near East, the conflicting am
billions of England and Russia in
Persia and Turkestan, the possibilities
of attempted partition of China-all
these have in their time been held
forth as the supreme dangers. But
all have sunk into unimportance COM
pared to the ambition of Germany to
dominate the continent.
Belgium's integrity has found its
most powerful guarantor in England
Holland likewise looks across the North
Sea for final protection against possible
German aggression. Therefore when
Thought is given 10 possibility of an
European. war it is assumed that the
neutrality of these two buffer states
would be respected by Germany only
SO far as necessity dictated.
Germany has about 65,000y 900 people;
Belgium and Holland together about
100000; France, 100000, total
of $1,000, 900, whose combined military
power might very conceivably, in any
general confagration, be found pitted
against Germany. Sinister suggestion
of such possibility has been conveyed
by news dispatches recently, indicating
that the most open, obvious, and
nervous preparations for possible war
are being made in Belgium.
The peace strength of the armies of
these countries is set down as 620, 900
for Germany, $4,000 for France, 10000
for Belgium, and 10000 for Holland.
The mere numbers which the mathe-
maticians present as possible war
strength are so vast that military au-
thorities agree that it would be a
practical impossibility to handle, pro-
vision, and transport such vast hordes.
Germany would presumably fight from
the longer lines; she would carry the
war into the enemy's country, and
thereby largely neutralize whatever
advantage her initial superiority in
force and organization might imply.
The French army is believed by all
military authorities to be in a mag
nifcent state of efficiency. That of
Germany is in rather more debatable
condition. The military men consider
it a good gamble that Germany would
fail utterly to infict another Sedan.
France has a powerful colonial army
In Africa, loyal and well disciplined,
which, cooperating with the British
navy, might conceivably be used to
overrun German colonial possessions in
that continent. The spectacle of Britain
and France sharing the raiment of
German colonial lands, as one result
of great war, is by no means i'm
possible.
The other side, the side which the
German Chauvinists always see, shows
us a picture of Germany's navy ma.
neuvering out of the way of the British
fleet, avoiding a decisive conflict, and
coming out of the contest comparative
ly uninjured; of Germany's mighty
military machine quickly overrunning
France, exacting another huge indem-
nifty, and annexing the long-coveted
mouth of the Rhine. Then, with
France Frustrated and Germany more
powerful than ever, the next move
would be decisive test between Ger
many and Britain, in which Germany
would seek to starve and perhaps in
wade the tight little island.
Small wonder, when such tremendous
issues are involved, that Europe stands
aghast before the threat of possible
conflict.