The Shropshire Examiner and all round the Wrekin advertiser. — 1874-07-18 (Wenlock, Shropshire, England)

ENOLAND'S MILITARY SYSTEM.  The proposed Com:Tess at Brussells, however, will hove a tendency to aid the cause of peace, by drawing the attention of the working classes to the means to be devised by the representatives of the Europeau aristocracy to alleviate the sufferings of those who will be injured in future was. Whether the means they will devise will ever be afford..d an opportunity of being practically teed, is a 'pie:igen which the growing intelligence of the people must answer. There are many who contend that the question of the justiee of the people being compelled to maintain a large fitihtilig, force is of secondary consideration coinparel with other evils which oppress the working classes of this country, but those who argue thus lay themselves open to the charge of not having given the subject that attention and consideration which its importance demands. Let them read the histories of the military system of England—from the time when the Norman conqueror, with his unsalable love of blood and plunder, invaded her shores, murdered her inhabitants, aid divided their lands I,tween his followers, on condition that they should place at his command an equiv., lent in the form of armed vassals—up to the time when the aristocracy, with their charaeteristic love for contimeation, repudiated the contract, and while rn.ddling the Itln;nkesl...,,o. nf *be 0.0.ki, foreei nu the nation, kept imssession of the land—let them read these things and they wili not then deny the claims the advocates of peace principles put forth, that these question deserves to be treat si as one of paramount importance. On material grounds the injustice of the present military .systeal is clearly demonstrated, when we considcat the efforts which have been made to reduce the taxation of the country, by the formation of Poor-law and Local Government Boards, and by various enactments which have been passed with the intention of curtailing the continual influx into our workhouses, is it not a paroday on their efforts, that while endeavour-, lug to reduce the pauperism of the country, they should legalise the causes which prodtice it. ".80 long as constitutional Knyland has etisted, there Las been a jectlousy among all classes against the exist. I arc V standing army. Now we have a standing army of large amount, quartered, brigaded, and en. camped permanently in England, and fed by a considerutile and constantly inreasing reserve. It will, in due time, be officered by a class of men eminently scientific, but with no relations necessarily with society, while the militat is withdrawn from all load influences, and placed under the immediate cononand of the Secretary of War. Thus, in the Dth century, as hare a laive standing army established in England, contrary to all the traditions of the luud." Such are the words of an eminent statesman— the ilig,ht Hon. Ilmjamin Disraeli—when addressing the citizens of Manchester, in April, 1872. And he s;mke truly. There us a jealousy among classes, a jealousy among the working class, a feeling of indignation, that, contrary to all traditions of the laud, contrary to all ideas of civilisation, they should have to maintain a large standing army-500,000 men. Men withdrawn from all the occupations of .productive industry, men who might be producing wealth for the country, and whose labour might materially reduce the toil of their fellows, but who, on the contrary, not only consume what they have never assisted in producing, but who are trained, and their lives 'devoted to the destruction of the