THE COMING WAR.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1109, 24 May 1883, Page 3

THE COMING WAR.

We have already said in these columns that the only Europeans who ever have definite knowlepge of the future course of political events are the members of secret societies. Long before Skobeloff spoke at Paris; long before the Cologne Gazette published (he article which has sent the English Press into a frenzy of prophecy and large capitals, we predicted the approach of trouble between Germany and Russia. While Loudon journals, cleverly inspired by the revolution pressman, were informing us that Krapotkin was enjoying idyllic leisure by the Mediterranean shore, we said that Krapotkin was filling Item town to town like the storm bird that he is. The prince has now been captured, and his papers prove that our information was right, and that the revolutionists are in full activi y. They have not at present much power, but they have a very great deal of useful information, and there is not a man of them who is not awaiting the sound of the gun. These secret rulers never dealin conjecture ; their organisation is so perfect that they see clearly where the persons described as statesmen only grope blindly. From the convict towns on the White Sea to Odessa from Tobolsk to Dresden and Paris, their unseen machinery extends. While the police of St. Petersburg are blundering hither and thither; while /Western statesnen are sitting in dignified ignorance, the revolutionists leaders are receiving accurate news from cities and towns and villages. Ordinary politicians rely on organs of public opinion, forgetting that the men who pretend to represent public opinion have no means of learning the truth. But the secret society men make no such mistakes; their agents especially in Russia, live with the people, work with them, suffer with them, and gauge their thought rightly. At this present moment there are about 8000 well born and well educated men and women in Russia who are w arking in the factories, toiling in the fields, plying in ferry boats between obscure villages on the obscure streams, setting up the type of journals, drinking with the lower classes in vile vodka shops, and sleeping in dens where the poorer subjects of Holy Russia pig together. A secret system of correspondence brings all these threads of propagandise! to one centre, and thus the heads of committers in Switzerland or London know eve'y passing tremor that agitates iho national mind. People in England ash—“ Why should there he war between Germany and Russia? The revolutionists answer--“I cannot stop to discuss whys and wherefores ; i only know that war cannot be avoided. I only know that the people of Russia want war with Germany, and that they will have war, whether official ‘Russia ’ likes or not.” _ Then the common sense rearoner comes in, and remarks with proper gravity—“ Russia is just recovering fr»ra an exhausted war ; her finances are disordered ; her population suffer here and there from .starvation She cannot enter on a contest with a firs)-rate power.” The man of fact once more makes answer— "l can show no reason for the v a-hke feeling that would satisfy the maker of logic bonus ; I may, however, say, in passing, that if nations reasoned, there is not a leading statesman in Europe whose neck wou'd bo safe. The Russian people in the present case are not moved by reason at all, bnt only by emotion.” \ T hat has raised the present feePng in Russia we do not know ; we only know that a blind, violent hatred of Germany has become the ruling passion in Russian society of all grades, and that Skobeloff spoke with the voice of a national majority when he declares

that the Slav must crush the Teuton. Reason and foresight are put aside, and eager ferocity has taken their place When Skobeloffmado his tour, the official classes wore in doubt as to what steps they should take, It was after the young general was attacked by “ contusion of the heart ’’ that the men of the sections and the Cabinet saw where to go. A curious position has now arisen. The figure-heads of the departments and the leaders of the revolution are both pushing toward one end. Terrorism has ceased for a time because the acute men who handle the vast and murderous Russian Caucus think proper to leave the ruling classes alone. The more the men who wield the power, and finance or Russia choose to predare for war the more the revolutionists encourage them, so that the national tendency is not being stayed by the slightest drag. If a Russian of the advanced school hetrs war mentioned, he only says “ The sooner the better for us.” The ruler hopes for a prolonged lease of power 1 the conspirators hope to get rid of the Germans, and to cause a regenerative anarchy. Thus it is that war is impending. The newpaper man in a foreign capital goes about gadding with junior diplomatists, and with other newspaper men ; then he telegraphs Home and informs ns that “ the clouds have passed,” and then the writer of leading articles tells us in slipshod English the glad tidings of great joy. Neither the correspondant nor the scribbling paragraph monger knows anything about the matter. They guess before the event and prophesy after the event, while the stirrings and advances of national feeling are totally darkened to them. No one can say with an approach to nearness at what time the war may break out, but it is rapidly coming, and any morning may bring news of the final and momentous step. The Russians fully expect to be defeated heavily at first, but they are strangely confident. When reminded of the way in which the Prussian hosts moved at Paris they smile. They say :—“ The cases are altogether different. They crush Paris and you paralyse the central ganglion of France. Rut France is as it were,of another organisation. Crush one ganglion and there are still a hundred national nerve-centres unharmed,” Ihe zoological simile is perfectly apt and true, and no one knows better than Prince Bismarck what a task Germany has before her. But at any rate it is to be feared that nothing can now avert the catastrophe, and we can only await the events which are marching towards us so quickly.