American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-12-24
THE FOLLY AND EXPENSE OF WAF
BY ELIHU BURRETT.

The king of England took from the pockets
OF his subjects $4,000, 900, 900 to replace tie
Bourbons on the throne Of France. The IN
tereSi of This sum, at 3 per cent, would be
S20O, 000. 600 annually; which would 20 so far
to place Jesus Christ on the throne of this
alienated world, as TO support a standing army
Of 4OO,QO missionaries Of the gospel in pagan
lands, and Christian lands paganized by sys-
TENS OF grinding oppression and moral degra-
dalton, The interest of the money thus
wreuchcd from the hard, lean hands of the
toiling people of Great Britain, would build
10000 miles Of railway every year; until the
habjlable globe were interseoted by the iron
highways for the nations. The amount Of
principal, if divided among the cid, 600, 900
inhabitants of Europe, would put $ls,69 into
the hands of every individual!
The debt Of the Netherlands, contracted, as
all national debts are, TO meet the expenses
of war, past or prospective, amounts TO $685.
100000 To quidate this debt would require
a tax of three dollars and twelve and half
cents on every inhabitant Of Europe, and
seventy-fvc cents on every individual on the
globe. Divided among the population of Hol-
land, the share of each inhabtant would be
Se66. The wages OF laboring men through
out the world probably do not average 20 cents
a day. Then, at this rate, three thousand three
hundred and forty millions of hard-toling sons
Of labor would have to work one day in order
to foot this war-bill of little Holand
Let every Englishman read this fact, and
look upon the hungry millions of his country
men, and ponder, feel and peak:-During the
year 1885, one of great commercial prosperity,
the value of all the British and Irish produce
and manufactures exported from the United
Kingdom, was Se0S, 4s7,9 $50. The appro-
priatons for the payment of the interest OF the
British wai-debt and for the support of the
Army, Navy and Ordnance, during the cur
rent year, amount to 1925 ,403, 500!!! Think
of that, all who love humanity The war ex-
penses, in time of peace, exceeding, by nearly
$50, 000, 900, all that the human and iron ma
chnery of that great kingdom can produce be-
yond its home consumption J!
But let us end, if we do not begin at home.
Let us assume the average price of cotton, at
all places Of expectation i'll the Union, to be
l2 cents per pound. The crop for 1916 is es-
timated at 100000 pounds; worth, at the
above rate, $50, 400, 900. In 1884, the capital
invested in the production of cotton, was $780,
600, 600, and the value Of the whole crop,
SO, 900, 600, at Sirteen cents per pound, It. may
then he fair to suppose that 81 900, 900, 600
nave OCen lnus invested IN 1919. Inc interest
of this sum, at six per cent. amounts 10 $780,
600, 900; which, being deducted from the home
value Of the entire crop, leaves but S. ,100,-
600, clear profit of the business itself Now
the app opriatiOn TO he United States .Nacy for
The current gear, tgdS Sc, $50, 1867! Let cotton
growers ponder on this fact, and on another Of
vital interest to themselves: A war, to prepare
for which, we are absorbing threo-iourths Of the
revenue of the nation, would annihilate at least
half Of their capital now invested in the pro-
ducton of cotton; for they wonld find that
$500, ,000 Of their money were invested in
stocks, which would not bring one cent on The
dollar, in time of war. ain case ola war with
England" the function of ouE glorious little
navy and The glorious great navy Of Great Bril-
tai n, would DO a mutual effort to destroy the
commerce of both nations, an interest which
they own in partnership, amounting to $780,
600, 900, per annum, ofwhch raw cotton makes
an item of $50 100000! So that all our navy
would do for the cotton growers in such war,
would be to destroy market for Fifty Millions
of Dollars worth of cotton year. +. b.