OCR Text |
Show THE PEACE OF EUROPE. For weeks a rumor has been current cur-rent that In the beginning of tho new year after the newly elected imperial diet will be coqvoned r further strengthening of the army will bo proposed by the government. As this bit of news has been credited In the papers of all parties without being called In question bv the semi-offjclal press, we may take It for granted that there Is a certain amount of truth behind It. Only that question cannot ue anaworoa yei, wnemer me increase in-crease will be confined to either the army or to the navy, or whether both armaments will be increased. We cannot doubt the Inclination of the French to seize any opportunity for taking advantage for their crushing crush-ing defeat of 1S70 and 1871, has considerably con-siderably grown during the last few months. Nor must we overlook two additional moments for their present warlike spirit: firstly the preparation for enlisting colored recruits from their African colonies and secondly the uncontroverted revelations of Captain Faber, that England Is prepared pre-pared to help the French In case of a war with Germany not only with her fleet, but also with a considerable army on shore. Nevertheless we .may be sure that the Incrense of the German army will keep within moderate bounds It is meant merely for purposes of defense. If Germany had any plan of aggression, aggres-sion, she needed only follow tho example ex-ample of France and enroll all young men capable to serve in the armj. Thereby her standing army would certainly count 200.000 more men than at present. Nobody doubts that the new bill will comprise only a fraction frac-tion of that figure. Whether the German navy will also bo increased, and to what extent Is quite uncertain Here again the expectations ex-pectations are held within narrow limits The principal change Will probably be that a larger number of warships Is kept In commission, in order to meet a sudden attack with appropriate strength As nobody doubts In the least thnt the German army and navy are tx-cluslvely tx-cluslvely meant for defending the honor and the territory of the nation, and not for "revolutionary" wars like those of Louis XIV.. the granting of this hypothetical bill by the diet is qulto certain. Even If the Social-Democrats, Social-Democrats, who on principle oppose such propositions, gain a number of Eeats, they will not command more than a quarter of the house. All the other parties, however. Conservatives, Centrists and Liberals are suro to vote for the bill and to carry It with an overwhelming majorltv. Continental Conti-nental Correspondence, Berlin, Germany. |