The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-16
EUROPEAN SITUATION
IN HOPELESS MIX
Rift in Clouds Prevented by
Enigma of Russian Mill
tary Strength.
CARS ARMY REBORN
Serious Increase in German
Standing Army Causes Un-
rest in France.
CARS ARMY REBORN
BY FREDERICK WERNER.

| Special Cable to The Tribune.
BERLIN, June 15.-Another week
has gone and still there is no rift in
! the international clouds. The general
European situation is still in hope.
less muddle and Russia is still at the
bottom Of the whole trouble, because
no one pretends to know her plans,
and what is even worse, no one dares
! make guess at her real military
strength
Is the czar's empire still the colos-
sus resting on feet Of fragile clay that
the war with Japan proved her TO be
few years ago, or has she reorganized
and modernlzed her countless number
Of soldiers, who only need discipline
and honest and skillful officers to
make them the best in tho wor1d7
While not intending to pose as a
man who knows more than anybody
else in regard to military matters in
Russia, I venture to say that from ex-
ceedingly reliable sources l know for
certain that great things have hap
pened in military Russia. The czar's
army has, SO to speak, been born again
during the last six years. The soldiers
are in a far better condition morally
and physically and they have full con-
fidence in their officers.
Powerful Army.
The soldiers are taught to shoot well,
and great care is bestowed on the
training of artillerists In word,
the bugle note of war would today
summon to the field powerful army.
the like OF which the Japau uese never
yet faced. And this remarkable
change has been effected by the pres
ent war minister, his immediate pre-
decessor, General Rudiger, and the
chief of the general staff, General
The statistician who looks only at
totals, dispensing with close analysis
Of details, records with relish the note
worthy fact that in time Of peace Rus
sia keeps 1,450,000 men under arms.
And in truth it is by far the most
formidable standing army in the world,
1t outnumbers all the three fighting
forces of the powers of the triple al
lance taken together
And yet, when you look scrutiniziug-
lly into the details, the picture some
how shrinRs. In the first place. thew
are scattered over an immense area
Then, the navy absorbs $4,000 of them.
Frontier guards require $4,000 The
Cossncks contribute $4,000. Fortress
artillery and military engineers work
5000, pA'i'n -
Many Noncombatants.
But when you have added up all tho
men who are in more or less active
service. you will miss large item of
100000 men. On close Investigation
yon will learn that they are immobil-
lied, some guarding military ware
houses, others keeping ward over gov
eminent institutions and third cata-
CORY doing duty as rural police, watch
men, and messengers. In other words,
% per cent of the Russian army con
sists of non-combatants. In fact, the
redoubtable army of 1,450,000 shrinks
under studious gaze to $4,000
The serious increase in the German
army, which recently passed tho Reichs-
tag, bringing up. its peace strength to
ToO,O 900 IN October, is causing grave
s4atsna1n gn5fs in 1oDntor aasGss France Gth its
taking advantage of its steady human
growth TO build up an army against
which France will be powerless. For
some years past it has been the belief
OF the French army that they are ca
pablo of meeting the Germans in tho
field and defeating them That NAV.
or may. not, be true. But it is quite
clear that the new policy OF increase
adopted BY Germany means the end of
that dream,
Strain Forebodes Strife.
1t therefore now becomes the policy
of tho military party in France to pre-
,ipitate Il conflict, and we must real
ze that that will now be the aim of
he French military party. Happily,
.he French officers are not allpower-
'ul in France. and there is strong
,ivllian feeling in favor of peace
The real danger is now, as it always
las been. that the general European
trnin may become intoIerable. France
md Germany are little nearer together
low than they were at the end OF tbs
franco German war. and the recent fp-
discretion of the German emperor over
Alsace- Lorraine must have revived the b.
interest memories, aud perhaps TO
nentcd the most dangerous hopes in
he minds Of the French As long as
ho question Of the annexed provinces
emains in any way open, that bitter
ess will continue peril to mankind.