The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-03-15

New York journal of Commerce:
The progress of. Germany is one Of the
most impressive facts of the history
of modern times. Prussia is the kerr
mel Of the German empire, its central
force, its governing impulse. It was
by a combination Of events, but more
obviously by the will OF her master
full rulers that Prussia grew up a ma
ton in arms. In the last quarter OF
the eighteenth century with a popula-
tion of $500, 900 the Prussian standing
army in time Of peace numbered 1885,
900 or 3.6 per cent of h population.
Even after the Increase which is con-
templated today, the standing army of
Germany will bear less than half of
that proportion to the population
which numbers now between 5,000,-
600 and 10000, 0o6 During the. last 225
years the population, of Great Britain
has increased fvefold. During the
same period the territory ruled by the
HohenzolTerns has grown tivefold in
size and@thei population OF their do
minions has Increased nc less than
five times more Inhabitants than
Prussia, but the present population of
Germany&ts s60sper cent greater than
that of the United Kingdom. In the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
the little state of Prussia used to main
tain a much larger army than Aus
tria,. France. and other great and
wealthy states. This army was as a
rule exceedingly well drilled and abso-
lutely ready for war, and it is unques-
tionably to her army that Prussia
owes the successive gains In territory
which finally eventuated in the form
alton of the German empire. The rate
of economic progress has not been less
striking. In forty years the foreign
A--I-.AF ~H-aa 14r han tRnhInA In aye n
In twenty years the total German do
mestic export trade increased from an
average of, $3.50, 600, 900 to 81, 500, 000,-
900. That the excellencies of the
German educational system and the
admirable organization of German in
dustry have had much to do with this
result is beyond question, but the
economic development of Germany
has also owed much to her situation
in central Europe. She has the most
important markets of the European
continent right at her doors n can
get. her goods into those markets gen.
orally at the. cost of n handling and
one train journey at very low rates.
Thus, in the twenty years between
1889 and 1913 German exports to Rus
STA increased from an annual average
of $3s, 900, 900 to one of sos, 600, 900, to
Switzerland from $43, 000, 900 to $685.
100000 and to Austria-Hungary from
$685. 00, 900 to $1~59,000, 600.
But while Germany's position ! n cen
trail Europe gives her an enormous
commercial advantage. it also greatly
Increases her liability of attack, ant
makes the assured friendship of hel
neighbors. as indispensable requisite q
Internal tranquility. The rude disturb
ance which the issue of the war in thu
Balkans las given to the balance q
power in Europe makes Germany more
vulnerable, because 1t a greatly de
creased the military value OF her onl.
secure ally, Hungary. Tn
Austro- Hungarian empire is a fedora
state. not a Homogeneous nation. 1t i
made up of clinical fragments, mos
OF which are subject to the attraction
of a larger body of cognate origin owe
the borders. The Roumanians are ap
to be drawn more powerfully toWar'
bucharest than toward Vienna, Will
the Serbs turn naturally to Belgrade Q
even toward st. Petersburg, while othe
subdivisions of the southern ga
nationalities find in the success or thel
Linsmen in the war with Turkey tn
augury OF coming greatness for
of Siavonic people. Mazzini is SAID I
have predicted that one day the TUX
fish empire would be overthroWn by
coalition Of the Balkan states, and tha
changes would then ensue when Woul
ring about the collapse or the Qua
monarchy. Whether there is a later
.aar in Austria OF such a contlnsen
or not. there can be no question tha
recent events have given a shock !
This somewhat loosely cenented com
hination of races and
which has been productive of as PFC
fo,nd a. financial and economic dis
turbance as it has been of political un
rest. Economically speaking, ali tnes