The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1900. A GREAT PROBLEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 52, 7 March 1900, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1900. A GREAT PROBLEM.

What little space and attention remain at the disposal of the leading exponents of international politics and public questions apart from the South African War and its circumstances and contingencies are mostly taken up with the question of the future of Militarism. This is not much to be wondered at seeing how huge and fearful this worldspectre is growing and at what an alarming rate. Unfortunately the discussion of this matter has so far been barren of any other result than that of showing the immense drain and strain that the maintenance and increase of armaments is subjecting the civilised nations co—it drain that is rapidly exhausting its sources of supply ; a strain that is fast approaching breaking point. There is a consensus of opinion that no hope is to be expected from anything in the way of peace conferences —tho failure of the Hague Convention demonstrated this beyond all doubt. Sanguine men of the Manchester school have prophesied that the advance of commerce would make it a matter of self-interest for the nations to have done with war and the means thereof, but somehow the thing seems to work out in the contrary direction. Nations have so little confidence in their own security, so little faith in the goodwill of other countries, that as fast as their commerce increases they must needs increase their armies and navies to protect it; more especially is the case in regard to over-sea trade. If the signs of the times count for anything we may judge that the old fable of the serpent swallowing itself is likely to have practical illustration in the case of some or several of the nations that are now so feverishly pushing on their military projects, The cost of armaments is mounting so rapidly that it will soon exceed the earnings of the nations affected; in other words, they will be spending more on the unreproductive material of war than their whole national resources are capable of producing. The business analogy of this state of affairs would be bankruptcy, but with nations there are far graver results than even this. In these days an individual can survive commercial ruin—not so, however, a nation. In olden days this was not by any means the case, and even now there are nations existing that are practically bankrupt, but they are known as the " dying " nations, and the reason that they are not yet dead is that they act as buffer states to serve the present convenience of those that rank as " powers." There is, however, an alternative to bankruptcy and its consequent penalty, but the penalty attaching to its failure is even more swift and diastic. We allude to the passing of a 1 nation from a state of passive militarism to one of militarism in action, and so we may expect to see nations, singly or allied, throwing themselves in desperation on the common enemy or enemies, choosing the risk of battle—which, while it might end in destruction, lias also the other possibility of resulting in victory and an extension of the term of "national life - rather than suffer extinction through the crushing weight and grinding power of its own mditary burden. In the consideration of this question there is one factor which we have not yet mention, d, .and which, 1 hough an " unknown j quantity " as regards its influence ami j power- gainst international war, has got jto be reckoned with. We refer to the ! gi-owt.li of the Socialists— a growth so j rapid that their voio must in the near ! future exercise a conf roiling power over European politics, and in relation to both home and foreign affairs. An English contemporary states that in France in 1899 the .Socialists polled 01, QUO votes. In 1893 they recorded 800,000, and in 189(5 1,400,000. In 189:! the Socialist Deputies in the J.'iench Chamber numbered 53 ; in 18 9(5, 62 ; while to-day they reach a total of 107. Already the one solution of the deadly problem with which the sphinx of militarism has confounded iv publicans of all shades of opin ; on has been solved by a Ministry which owes its main strength to Socialist ' adhesions, and which we trust is des- ; tined to guide the gieat Republic out t of the dangerous shoals into clear water in Germany, wheie so recently as 1871 . the Socialists polled 124,655 votes, and ! seated two mc-mbers in the lteichsb'.g, - they numbered 2,120,000 in 1898 and won Lit' seats. But for the jerry- ! mandering of constituencies they would . iutve a', least. }!jo luvmbwtf in the 1 j Lleichs tag. In Italy, where the Socia-' ' j list vole i'o 1893 v. as under 20,000- ir.j.' i y-9,000 in i , , ia the Chamber by muotyfeoumhst audi

Democrat members. Austria, wiliLl 90,000 Socialists in 1895, was startled! by their growth to 750,000 in 1897, and v the election of fifteen members in the Austrian Parliament. In Belgium a total of 344,000 Socialist votes in 1884 has grown to 534,000 in 1898. In ' Denmark, where 315 votes all told were polled in 1872, 30,019 were recorded in 1893. In Switzerland the figures were 29,822 votes in 1893 and 46,468 in 1896, In Spain 7000 votes in 1893 have swelled into 28,000 in 1897. In Servia 50,000 Socialist votes were cast in 1895 ; and even in German Poland the Socialist total of 3,018 in 1890 had grown to 6,265 in 1893. There are indications that Socialism will, if it gets the chance, make a stern attempt to crush the monster of Militarism, but much depends upon whether the present unrest can be kept in bounds until the Socialist forces_ are numeious j enough and sufficiently well organised to take the matter in their own hands and mending Militarism by ending it.