The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-16
GERMAN A|RSH|PS
KEEPING ENGLAND
|NSTATE: OF WORRY
lingo Press Finds Am
pie Material on Which
to Work.
NEW WAR SCARE
NEARLY EVERY DAY
Kaiser's Aviators Surely Entitled
to Honorary Membership in
British Army and Navy
Clubs-Country Being
Forced to Increase
Its Armaments.

London. March l5.-Some witty mar
rator, Immediately after the recent suf-
fraSetLe outrages. suggested that Mrs
t'ankhurst and her licutenauts ought to
ne made honorary members of the Wo-
mems Antisunragc League In consid-
Grafton or their distinguished services
10 that BODY. ON the same principles
Count Zeppelin. Colonel Parscval and
few other distinguished German
aerial Inventors ought surely be made
honorary members Of the British Army
and Navy Clubs. several British lingo
associations. and in addition be given
large block OF preferred shares in
tho Daily Express and other sensa-
tlonal newspapers, for not only have
these Germans done the big navyites
and tho Tory party Invaluable services
/ but they have also acted as stimulants
10 the imagination Of the said part Of
the press and furnished copy for war
! scares without number
Recently they were served up as an
1 appetizer to the House of Commons
when the right TO shoot act" was laid
d nefoTe that body, and before long any
airship visiting these islands unless
i whom required by signal 10 do 90, is
liable TO be shot at and perhaps, though
this is less likely. hit by the excellent
british marksnen.
That act was introduced some time
ago, and the English already imagined
IE Germans turning pale with fear
and in powerlcss fear rclinquishinG
4 their Nights over here. But did they
no 20? Not bit Of II. and that shows
how deadly is their hatred OF England
i and what dangerous enemies they are
Coming Thicker Thnn Ever.
Ever since the right TO shoot act
i was proposed they have been coming
over hero thicker than ever, and IL is
not more than week ago that in one
OF the Daily Graphtc's realistic spiri-
tualistic photographs nfteen of theae
dreadful German dirigibic aerial mon
siers on one single page. their power
ful Rearchlights penetrating our foggy
atmosphcrcs. were counted
The papers Interested in these night
mares have been full OF the most
alarming reports and though some OF
these may have been invented by am :
bilious space writer's one however
was subsCintiatcd in the most positive
manner
on Friday night February 81. the
London papers reported enormous
airship was seen passing swiftly across
| the diGnined but harmless English
market town OF Selby. which deals in
vegetables and moi N ''canards," by
thc way. disappearing in westerly
direction Some people thought they
heard voices in the air singing "Wacht
am Rheln.' and IL is also said that a
mysterious barrel Of sauerkraut was
found near the vegetable market: but
these are, OF course, mere inessential
details.
And now for the confederation. The
ttirship was seen dying over Selby on
Friday night February 81. Accord
ing 10 reports in German papers, the
German military airship Zeppelin T..
z. ]. on Saturday night. February %,
effected n flight over Wuerzburg, AS
chancnburE and other German towns,
the whole hight lasting thirteen hours.
Think Evidence Conclusive.
The London paper serving this SEN
srional dish of news modcstly calls
this an "extraordinary coincidence"
j but where would you find A British
jury not willing TO submit the verdict
that here is conclusive evidence of a
/ secret visit OF German dirigible to
/ England?
or course any one must admire the
4 most praiseworthy moderation OF the
paper which merely dosigna;es tina,
/ as an eXtraordinary coincidence. but
Il there is a coincidence more eXtraor-
II binary still. and that is that the scare
II should have turned up again just
II when the British naval estimates are
II due. and when any cutting down OF
Il these would be so detrimental TO SC
n many interests Is 1t not obvious on
the face OF it that Zeppelin is worthy
OF an honorary membership in the
III Navy Club for his unselftsh endeavor
10 speed up the British shipbuildins
program?
Another coincidence! In Germany,
II we are told. there are twenty-five aA-
ships owned by private people. and ii
II is alleged that eight OF these are cap
| able Of crossing the North Sea and re-
/ turning.
Is II not possible that some people
/ say, remotely interested in warship
| construction have, by coincidence, ar
/ ranged pleasure trip Just at this
Z time?
Il AS matter of fact, it has always
h here in England been believed that
Is though 1t may. OF course. possibly be
Is OF some value to England to be in al
III lance with France and Russia. it can
~ not be doubted that England Is far
Is more valuable ally 10 those two coun-
II tries. that have thus got the better
N end OF the bargain. and now that Presi-
III dent Poncare is championing an
X enormous increase OF the French
III army. one is convinced more than ever
g of the justice of tho argument.
RI Evidently the situation in France is
vi a very grave one. The French press
n entirely in the hand OF fnanciers, many
H OF them interested in vast expenditure
H on war material. daily invokes sup
III posed national peril TO stir up a spirit
III of jingosm.
ri Tire war Office. thanks 10 NJ Mile
Isl rand, is now entirely in the hands OF
H men who hate democracy. and whose
8 aim is to militarize France.
81 They declare that three years
III service IS necessary and that the leas,
81 they will accept is the extension OF
IA the period to three years for the cav
H airy and artillery.
IA what VIII Workers Do.
% II remains to be seen whether the
al workers OF France, who bear the chief
~ burden OF taxation, will view with APP
III prevail the addition of 100000 to
81 the enormous sum that France already
u spends on the army.
81 Why. they may we'll ask, has 1t sud-
"a denly been discovered that the fort
81 resses. ammunition and war material
IA generally arc in so unsatisfactory a
III condition as to need this huge expen-
M diture?
y Quite recently sthe very mon who
81 demand 1t were telling the public that
81 the French army had never been SO
"a ready, for war as at the present time
The proposals OF the French govern