He has a
standing army of ten million men, and his people possess slaves--white slaves--to the number of ten or fifteen million.
"The king hath begun the raising of the
standing army ye suggested to him; one regiment is complete and officered."
They boast here of representatives, ministers, a
standing army, and governors: so it is no wonder that they have their revolutions.
A FARMER, an Artisan, and a Labourer went to the King of their country and complained that they were compelled to support a large standing army of mere consumers, who did nothing for their keep.
In a few years the national distress was so great that the Farmer, the Artisan, and the Labourer petitioned the King to reorganize the standing army.
"But where was my
Standing Army at the time?" inquired his Majesty, looking at the Soldier, gravely.
His revenues were rather less than 400 pounds yearly, and they were expended on the maintenance of one elephant and a
standing army of five men.
Also, such a war would create a large
standing army that need never be disbanded, while in the minds of the people would be substituted the issue, "America versus Germany," in place of "Socialism versus Oligarchy."
The objections which have been brought against a
standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government.
Your
standing army is good, beyond a doubt,--a well-trained machine, an excellent plaything for a General to move across the chessboard.
But, if what I told him were true, he was still at a loss how a kingdom could run out of its estate, like a private person." He asked me, "who were our creditors; and where we found money to pay them?" He wondered to hear me talk of such chargeable and expensive wars; "that certainly we must be a quarrelsome people, or live among very bad neighbours, and that our generals must needs be richer than our kings." He asked, what business we had out of our own islands, unless upon the score of trade, or treaty, or to defend the coasts with our fleet?" Above all, he was amazed to hear me talk of a mercenary
standing army, in the midst of peace, and among a free people.
Instead of a large
standing army, she developed an immensely larger and splendidly efficient militia.