| Show IS THE WAR approaching WAR rumors in which england and russia appear as the he principals are still floating and causing the air of europe to be thick with the smoke of prospective battle notwithstanding the serious symptoms sym indicating the near approach of an international breach of the peace on the eastern hemisphere some leading statesmen keep on asserting that war will not be the result of the critical situation caprivi caprisi to is one of those who express pa cefic views such ideas are not to be relied upon judging from the fact that similar utterances have in variably issued from high sources immediately preceding every resort to armed conflict the franco german war was no exception to this rule it is not usual for or men in ruling positions to admit the probability of a dreaded ended tr calamity even when it ap peary to be imminent this reluctance is evinced under various circumstances it being exceedingly common as an illustration when a great and capable Dubli publicist cist to is at the verge of the grave to publish announcements to the effect that the patient has bridged the crisis and to is on the road to re covery co very these bulletins are generally supplemented with the statement that the great man has pawed passed away it seems to be a prominent neut peculiarity exhibited by humanity to an to admit truth when it happens to be of bain a disagreeable chaft character eter to in such cawa came N expressions and conduct are ordinarily at variance hence the rulers of europe who prefer to announce that there la is no near prospect of the peace of that continent being disturbed are making gigantic prep nations in great haste baste evidently in view of just such a situation arising in this respect there there is not one exception among the leading nations england is specially active in this ibis line although she does not make as much outward display of the fact as do some other countries the arsenal at 01 woolwich has been running night and day during the greater part of the present year when the many thousands of workmen engaged there are considered some slight conception of the enormous quantities of equipments and munitions of war turned out may be formed expressions of men like caprivi caprisi on the war subject may be as fit consistently taken as weighing in V favor of the opposite of their apparent purport as otherwise they do not constitute an argument in favor of a prolonged pacific situation some journals in this country assume that an outbreak between russia and great britain is Jm improbable probable because it jig is unlikely that the czar should desire war while his empire is in its present condition it is held that the famine and consequent distress with which some portions of russia are stricken will act as a deterrent in other words that this condition would render it well nigh impossible for the czar to hazard the possibilities of war this position must be considered in unison with the risks of the situation to the empire without war famine and revolution are usually closely connected starving millions with death from want staring them in the face are ripe for internal strife in the desperate hope of appeasing the pangs of hunger if it be even for but a ka brief peri odThe revolutionary spirit has infected the army for years A disruption in the military department combined with a famine inspired popular uprising would constitute a danger to the czars azars dominion that he has good reason to dread comparing it with the ch chances aces of a foreign war which would absorb the attention of the armpit army it is a matter of speculation as to which course the emperor would be the most likely to choo may be in a quandary in relation to choice owing to the difficulty of deciding ai as to which of the two giant evils would be the lesser it is probable that the selection will hang upon the ability of russia to complete the pending negotiations for a loan the utterance of eremya Vr emya a semiofficial semi official organ published in st petersburg is significant on the war subject that journal states that unless great britain wants war she should avoid interfering with russian movements on where she will only meet with a check it if her claims are not su supported ported by arms 1 the character of the newspaper making this declaration indicates that the sentiment is in that of the czar even if the were not a semiofficial journal the censorship of the entire press of the country is retained in the grasp of the emperor and it is not likely that he would permit the publication of such belligerent expressions unless they were in accord with his own views the declaration means if it signifies anything that russia is not unwilling to light fight the tactics of russia are similar to those employed by her previous to the breaking out of the crimean war for some time pre previous vigus pus to which she threw her troops southward massing maning them at various important frontier points this she has been doing during the last two years by this preliminary process she has a decided advantage over any distant enemy being in a position to overrun any special objective points and probably gain good vantage ground before her enemy could reach the scene of operations As the question now stands the situation can only be judged specula lively according to the indications although the latter seem to strongly favor an early conflict it may possibly be yet more or less remote that the crisis must be sooner or later reached however appears to be a point regarding which all seem to be agreed that the time will come when great britain shall be compelled to call upon other nations in order to defend the interests of her vast empire we have not the slightest doubt and there is not much reason to believe otherwise than that russia will be the power with which she will mainly have to contend in the approaching struggle which all statesmen are agreed is inevitable |
