p. 10 | European Letter by Jean Vuilleumier

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 18, 1910

European Letter

By Jean Vuilleumier

(By Our Own Correspondent)

Peace or War — Which?

WHAT is the outlook in Europe, peace or war? This grave question still confronts us at the end of this year of grace 1909. Still it overhangs the political sky as it has for the past nine opening years of this century. That the expected war will not be an ordinary one, was recently acknowledged by M. Edouard Dumont in his Libre Parole: "It will be a universal war. It will be a collision of all nations, and revolution everywhere, besides."

The above question, "Peace or War — Which?" headed a recent article by Gabriel Hannotaux, a French ex-minister of foreign affairs and recently ambassador at Constantinople, at the same time a member of the French academy. He said:

"The twentieth century as it enters in its tenth year begins to reflect upon its near future. In a general way, the situation is, wherever you may look, precarious, unstable. . . . The nations are groaning under the burden of armed peace. . . . If no mutual understanding occurs, new implements running through the earth, the seas, and the heavens, will increase the frights of our old humanity."

New implements running through the sky have indeed marked this closing year as a memorable one. We can not pass this matter in silence, while endeavoring to chronicle faithfully and impartially the trend of events in Europe. With extraordinary suddenness, aviation is becoming a new feature in war. It is only three years since Santos-Dumont took his first flight. 1907 witnessed the first attempts of Farman, Blériot, and others; and it is only since 1908 that this new discovery attracted general attention by its marvelous progress.

Progress in Aeronautics

This progress in 1908 may be summed up as follows: From January to December, the distance covered by aeronauts increased from one kilometer to more than 120 (75 miles); and the time from one minute to two hours. But the year 1909 was marked by a still greater advance, when Blériot crossed the channel in his aeroplane.

Then came what has been called in France the "grand week." A great match was organized on a vast plain near Rheims, in Champagne, in which 38 aeroplanes took part, Farman coming out ahead with 108 miles, while Blériot won in swiftness, with 46 miles an hour. This was perhaps the greatest event of the year in France. Government and people went mad with enthusiasm. Hundreds of thousands of people witnessed the novel spectacle of from eight to ten flying-machines, plying through the air in spite of strong winds, passing over each other, turning around, and describing, with marvelous ease, circles, eights, volts, and ellipses. A conservative magazine, Le Correspondant, remarked that the general impression was that something was changed upon our globe.

The general craze may be appreciated to some extent when it is known that the city of Rheims, organizing the match at great expense and in the most up-to-date manner, netted a fabulous gain; and when we add that, in quick succession, the following cities, and others still, immediately organized similar matches: Brescia, Berlin, Cologne, Spa, Frankfort, Tournay, Ostend, Douai, Juvisi, Zurich.

The Governments Stirred

European governments, goaded on by the press, have already devoted important sums for the development of military aeronautics; Italy has voted 2,000,000 francs for 1910; France, 1,400,000 francs; England, 1,700,000 francs; and Germany, over 5,000,000, not counting public subscriptions for Count Zeppelin's new air-ships, which added 7,000,000 or 8,000,000 to this sum.

As I write, the news comes that quite an excitement is created at Paris over the inferiority of French as compared with German military aeronautics. Germany has now twelve "dirigibles," including ten large ones. A public subscription started by Le Temps, has collected only 300,000 francs. So the National Aerial League is asking the government for an immediate appropriation of 10,000,000 francs. This matter is to come before the chamber at an early date.

Their Use in Warfare

A French ex-member of the cabinet, commenting upon the success of the "grand week," expressed his convictions that the battle-fields would soon be transferred to the sky. This was possibly an exaggeration. The true military role of the aeroplanes will rather consist in reconnoitering. Says Commandant Paul Renard: "In times of war air-ships will never make the mistake of coming down within the range of artillery. But the enemy will seek to suppress this new mode of observation by attacking it in its own element.

There will thus be atmospheric battles as there are naval battles. Of course, the day will belong to the swiftest and lightest machines, as they will be enabled to rise above their antagonists or escape their pursuit."

Naval Matters

Your readers are well aware of the great advancement made by the German navy within a few years. A writer in L'Opinion calls it a "prodigious development," and remarks that in 1870 the French navy was one of the strongest in the world, while the German navy hardly existed. But at present this latter has grown to be the second largest. The comparison between the French and German fleets is made in brief as follows:

FRANCE

24 battle-ships 44 cruisers

GERMANY

34 battle-ships 49 cruisers

Thus engaged, European governments find it necessary to advocate war in order to counteract the influence of pacifist advocates, who are publishing quite a literature. Against these writers, war advocates are springing up, endeavoring to show war as a necessity and even a good thing. Thus, in a book entitled "The Philosophy of War," the author, Steinmetz, says unblushingly:

"Without struggles among men there would have been no progressive development of humanity. Pacifism then is a danger. It favors the development of a cowardly and whining sentimentalism, and bids fair to bring about in Germany the extinction of the warrior type and thus the humiliation, defeat, and foreign occupancy of the fatherland."

The Financial Problem

The great problem over which European statesmen are racking their brains just now, is the financial problem raised by this devouring war spirit. In each government new and desperate methods of extorting money from the people are studied and discussed. "The people," says M. Hannotaux, "tired tho they be in paying too much, are obliged to pay still more."

France is at a loss to find 200 extra million francs. The English government has thrown itself into a dangerous crisis over the attempt of obtaining from the people an increase of 400,000,000 francs; Italy is doing the same thing about an extra 440,000,000; while Germany is bound to increase its budget by 500,000,000!

In England, the new budget voted by the House of Commons is based on the principle of taxing real estate fortune. This bill has been rejected by the House of Lords, and has thrown the country into a strange conflict, involving the existence of the House of Lords, the constitution of England, its social and political organization, and its foreign relations.

This money problem occupies an important place in the German emperor's recent throne-speech, which he read the other day with his helmet on his head.

The French government, "seeking quem devoret (whom she may devour)," says a paper, has also launched an income-tax bill. This bill has been under discussion for months,

and would likely mean death to the present cabinet, were M. Briand as anxious to keep his promise of bringing about this tax, as he is to stay a little longer at the head of affairs.

Italy, as I have said, voted this last spring the fabulous sum of 440,000,000 for the construction of new battle-ships. Four great Dreadnoughts are to head the list at a cost of 60,000,000 each, making a total of 240,000,000. But now the question comes about raising the money. The latest news from Italy is that Signor Giolitti's cabinet has collapsed over an income tax proposed to this effect. A Rome correspondent of the Journal de Geneve, speaking of this, writes:

"Much could be said about this armament fever, this increase of military expenses, while the millions represented by these expenses could be devoted to so many more useful and lasting objects. The only excuse for Italy, is that she is following a universal example. Not to her only, but to all nations almost, could the saying be applied, propter vitam vivendi perdere causas (sacrificing life's necessities in order to live). Our old Europe, in the name of the sacred rights of national defense, is just about on the point of exhausting itself conscientiously, to the great advantage of Socialism; and the worst of it is that one would lose his time in trying to swim against the stream."

Sadder still, M. Hannotaux closes his article by the touching query: "Whence will come the word which will deliver us from the dread dilemma: war or peace? . . . WILL NOT, AT THIS CRITICAL HOUR, A DIVINE THOUGHT OR INSPIRATION BE ABLE TO SEEK FOR AND DISCOVER A FORMULA UPON WHICH PEACE CAN BE FOUNDED?" JEAN VUILLEUMIER.