THE PRICE OF NATIONAL AMBITION.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 131, 12 January 1877, Page 3

THE PRICE OF NATION AL AMBITION.

I ; The -'penalty kwl^ pays ..even for national unity.tSj'a [yast standing' army., -This*, she, T imp,oses,upon her j,rieighpounng (m^ How can ,a^- ' trufce w'iiich converts, every citizen into

hwsoldier, ... and 4 every village into an armed icamj)*, :^e*c^ is now; a armed camp.. Thisjs , mainly because of the battle 'of'SeWn/^ Ger•mS'irty has 1,700,000 men™ under arms, including the -.'arfiiy andfi.navy.: ' i .Foi* these although she -^economical, beyond, any other nation iri Europe, -'she pays r 1 0p,000,0p0do-1?. , , a, , year. ~ I En gknd's soldiers ; and' sailors 'comprise- 'nearly • half a; million men, af a yearly cost of l^PoftPOO^ols. -Austria ;spendi 54-,000,000 a-yeai* fbr -'ah^army ' of 535,000 men, although she has difficulty in paying; her* -debts.;, *; We -find -.even* little countries, like. Belgium .and- Ejenmarkwijthlarge|armies,.cqsting'millions of doljars "every year.' ; Spaing" whose credit; is a mockery 1 iri* v the' -rrioney marketS;> of Europe,, .whose.- industry. ris paralyzed,, ,and-r her, , , .commerce, * little more than a name— -Spain,. with t every' impetus to ecoriom}' and retrench mbh't ! and,, - peace-^m ust ■'■ have- 270,000 ffien;for which*. shepay 8 over 30;000-,000dols.. France; with -her -army n and navy, has l/,70p,000i men f , under ,ar.ms, .costing; ' 1 35, OOOVOOOdbls.' per ' annum. Even Greece, who cannot 'suppress^' the brigands that infest her 'hills, roust' have' 50,000 men. Italy, which, wouldvnoti send ,a commission, .to the. Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia , for reasons of economy, can afford to keep, several thousands of men under arms, at a cost of nearly, sp,oop,oopdols.-per, ; annum. While little Holland, one *6f the most useful and harmless countries in Europe;' finds ! 100,000 ; men-, necessary ..for ■ her independence./^ Even; Sweden, „ away; we should think, .from the, sweep of European ambition, and protected by her isolation, 'is coriipelled to keep 160,000 'men 'under arms. Switzer-' land; has 180,000, and Turkey is rapidly going ,to ,the devil with an army of 30* 000 men, " *-,*.-,<; -..•

Altogether, therefore, Europe td-da'v has over .9,000,000 soldiers under arms, for: which' , she * spends . nearly 700,000,000d0h\ per. annum. „..:,