THE CZAR'S ENCYCLICAL.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:] SIR,—I regret to find the Spectator among the papers which have only praise for the Czar's motives in issuing his. "Encyclical," but no belief in the possibility of good resulting from it. I entirely agree with you that no Confer- ence can at once still the discordant passions of Enrope, or by itself bring about permanent and universal peace. But what the Czar seems to me to aim at—proportional disarma- ment—is a much humbler and less ideal object. If even a. majority of the six leading Powers of Europe were agreed upon it, I believe it could be secured. It is admitted by everybody that the present armaments of the European nations are quite beyond their strength, and are urging- some to bankruptcy, and all towards Socialistic revolution. What, then, is more in accordance with the obvious dictates of common-sense than to cry " Halt !" in this march to ruin, and even to try cautiously and gradually to retrace some of the steps made since 1851? The armies of the five great Con- tinental States may be taken, I suppose, at about sixteen millions of men. Let it be agreed that each State shall reduce its armies 5 per cent. in 1899, and so on in each suc- ceeding year till they stand at half their present figures. Do you say it would be impossible to guarantee the loyal obser- vance of such an agreement ? Surely those clever Military Attaches of whose doings we have heard so much of late,. could not be altogether hoodwinked as to the existence or non-existence of a quarter of a million of men on the muster- rolls of the Russian or German Army. And besides if, as I firmly believe, it is not merely humanitarian, but financial,. reasons which have led to the issue of the Russian Circular, you would have the great State financiers working with you in order to obtain for their terribly harassing Budgets that relief for which they long. I believe that all the Continental States are feeling the strain of the present absurd competition in armaments to be almost unendurable. To Italy, especially, it is a question of almost life or death whether at all, and to what amount, she shall reduce her military and naval Budgets. I must not occupy more of your space, but I venture to express an earnest hope that you and the other leading English journalists,. whose responsibility is great at this crisis of the world's. history, will not meet the Czar's suggestion with a mere moan of non possumus.—I am, Sir, &a., Bamburgh Keep, September 5th. THOS. HODGKIN.
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