The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1861-06-12
The Effects Of War upon Nations Wealth.

The firing Of inch shell gun like those usei on most
Of naval steamers costs So 81 at each discharge
Nov the burning of 80 worth OF coal in OF cur cotton
or carpet stean-engine manufactures, generally re-
suits in the production Of from so to 20 worth Of value
in some other kind of property but the burning of pow
der in warfare does not produce any other property its
only products noise and smoke, and DEATH which
saleable i'll any market OF all modes OF eonSum
ing wealth unproductiyey the most rapid are eoniagra
tons and war.
1t is frequently the case that the productive power Of
people is great that the aggregate of individual
savings than ceunterbaances the public waste OF
wealth in war; and thus the national wealth may increase
even during the continuance of expensive Macau
lay says this has been the with England IN all OF
her wars and most conspicuous in the most eXpen
sive hathe engaged in, tile long contest against
the opinions of the French revolution which continued,
with two brief intervals from 1898 to 1915. In this
gigantic struggle England not only supported her own
armies but She also contributed vast to her allies
the other governments Of Europeto enable them to
keep up the fight Its that large portion Of this
money war raised by borrowing, the national debt hav-
ing been increased during the period about three thou
sand millions Of dollars. But government cannot Dor
row unless somebody has it to lend and this whole i'm
ense sum was saved by the English people right in the
midst of the war, and loaned to the government.
If put aside the veil which the interpesiton OF
money throws over the transaction shall find that
what really took place this 1t does not require
the whole Of the labor any comm unity to produce the
food and clothing needed and when Suliclen number
of aborers are employed in the production Of these first
uecessaries the remaining labor of the community is
directed to making such articles NEST desired
In times Of peace this surplus labor is principally de-
voted to making machinery, constructing seamengnes,
building railroads. and in short in increasing the vari.
GUS kinds of active capital which facilitate industrial
operations and thus augment the annual production OF
wealth But in war; the labor is diverted to the pro
ducton Of food clothing powder nusksts, cannon &C.,
to be worn and destroyed by the armies and thus
the accumulation Of wealth is stopped, at least,
checked.
In some cases indeed, large portion of the com
munty is taken from productive labor and put to the
work of destroying property in fighting. that the ma
tonal wealth is rapidly diminished When Frederick
the great of Prussia contending with Austria for
the possession of Silesia he said that he would fghas
long as there was potato in the kingdom and hacau-
lay SAYS that he did fight till the great of the peo
PIE had nothing to but potatoes and every private
fortune in the country destroyed Louis NV, too,
kept France at war with combined Europe till the very
mobiles redaced to a diet Of black bread and mum
bers of the people died Of starvation.
Scientific American.