Year: 1874

COSTLY PEACE ESTABLISHMENTS.


Just before every great war the most omin-
ous sign of trouble is the complaint OF each
nation engaged that the other Is armlng.
Each government instructs its envoy to say
that it is deeply grieved at the mcnacing
attitude of its ancient friend and ally; and the
one who is most active in preparation usually
complains most loudly of the activity of the
other. The wolf of course Out-howls the lamb
when disputing about the troubling OF the
stream There was something almost pathetic
about the remonstrances of Count Bismarck
against the military preparations of Austria,
at the time when the Prussian army
had thoroughly organized the campaign OF
Silesia, and fOreseen everything from
Berlin to Sadowa. The Peace Societies,
if they have done nothing else, have at least
made it desirable that nations which go to
war shall have decent excuse for It, Among
all the blunders of the late Emperor of
France, there was none more ineXcusaDle than
that of rushing into hostilities with Prussia
without color of pretext. The silent and
colossal military preparations which had been
in progress for years for precisely this con-
tingency were not mentioned as a reason for
fighting. and the Emperor and his congenial
satellites, Gramont and LebGuf, went jauntily
into war on the strength of q mysterious dis
patch from Benedict which they did not publish,
supposed to contain some unutterabe insult
from the King of Prussia, which Benedict now
states he never received. This was enough,
as Edmond About says, to cause the milk
soup of the Legislative Body to boil over, and
the mob of Paris, which the Conservatives
despise so much when it does not vote for
them, caught the cOntagiOn and approved the
war. But the blunder was costly one after
all, for it not only consolidated all Germany
into one army, but gave to the Germans in
the struggle the immense moral weight of the
worlds sympathes.


1t is somewhat remarkable that in both
countries, after war of unexampled magni-
tude and destructiveness we now see the same
immense and feverish preparation which is
customary on the eve of such struggles. Each
side considers it necessary to appeal to the
impartial judgment of the world for the recti
tude of their intentions, and to throw upon
the other party the burden of responsibility.
When, few weeks ago, Field Marshal Won
Motke rose to discuss the new military bill





or confidence in regard to the future. He said
that what Germany had acquired in six
months, they must protect by force of arms
for half a century; that France, notwithstand-


ing majority of her people were convinced
of the necessity of peace, was initiating the
German organization. The remark was as true
as it was sincere. There can be no rest for
champions so heavily loaded with the spoils
of battle But Count Won Moltke's speech was
none the less i'll received in France on ac-
count of its truth and sincerity. 1t was
considered I, discourteous = and y threaten
ing The " French = papers complained
of it so bitterly that one might be led to
think they had never dreamed Of unkindly
feelings toward their late adversaries. But
there is not the least pretense of cOncealment
about the preparations France is making.
While they admit the absolute necessity of
peace, while their finances imperatively de-
mand the utmost economy, while every inter-
est of the country cries out for time of rest
and recuperatiOn, the point in which every
one agrees is that no expense must be spared
in putting the army upon a strong and per-
manent basis. Their preparations are even
noisly and ostentatiously made. The Ministry
or w ar allows ltS Irlenub III Tile press 10 KNOW
and to tell what an ardent activity
reigns in all tho Bureaux. In every depart
ment vast depots of material are being
established. At Bourges. at Besancon, at
Lyons and Toulouse, as well as at Paris,
workshops and warehouses are opened for
military stores. A vast chain of outside for
tifcations is to be constructed outside of the
present system of defenses of the capital. A
series of forts is to be built on the eastern
frontier. General Pc de Arros of the artil-
lery and General Ser6 de Riveres of the en-
gineers have gone to that region to make the
preliminary surveys, and work is to begin
early this Spring.


Not only are these works to be pushed forward
with all expedition and without much regard
to their cost, but the Government by recent
act has shown distinctly that it regards the
military interest as paramount to that Of the
general welfare. An important line of rail-
way has been prohibited by the Minister of
War because, in obedience to an evident pub
Lie want, it united several other scattered lines
and formed sort of belt-rOad, surrounding
Paris, but out Of the range Of tho noV line