Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-05-04
The Effect of War upon 8 Nation's wealth,

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i The firing of q 9.ipch shell gun, Ike those
used on most of our naval steamers, costs
$9.S4 at each, discharge. Now, the burning
of SO worth of coal in one of our cotton, OF
carpet, or steain -cngiho manufactories, gcner,
oily. results in tho production Of from $40 to
$50 worth of value in some other kind of prop
crty; but the burning Of powder in warfare
does not produce any other Kind of property
its only products are noise, and smoke, aud
death, which arc not saloablo in any market.
OF all modes Of consuming wealth unprodtic-
lively, the most rapid arc conhagrations and
war: ~ 2"5" .H'1H ff
1t is frequently the case that the produc-
tive power of aSpeople is so great that tho ag-
gregate Of individual savings more thnn coun-
tcrbalnnccs the public waste of wealth in war,
and thus the national wealth pay increnso
even during the continuance of expensive
wars. Macaulay says that this has been the
case with England in all vf her wars and was
most conspicuous in the most expensive ono
that she ever engaged in, the long contest
against tho opinions of the French Revolution
which continued, with two briof intervals,
from 1903 to1S15. Tn this gigantic strug-
glo, England not only supported her own ar
mics, but she also contributed vast sums to
her allics-the other governments of Europe
Ito enable them to keep UP the fight. 1t is
true that a large portion of this money was
raised by borrowing, the national dobt having
bcon increased during tho period about two
thousand millions of dollars. But n govern
ment cannot borrow unless somebody has it to
lend, and this whole immense sum was saved
by the English people right in the midst Of
the war, and loaned to the government.
If we put aside the vail which the intcrpo-
sition of money throws over the transaction,
We shall find that what really took place was
this. 1t does not require the whole Of the
labor in any community to produce the food
and clothing needed; and when sufficient
number OF laborcrs are employed III the pro-
duction of these first ncccssarics, tho remain
ing labor of the community is directed to ma
king such articles as are most, desired In
times of peace this surplus labor is principally
devoted to making machinery, constructing
steam engines, building railroads, and, in
short, in Increasing the various kinds of ac.
tive capital which facilitate industrial opera
tons and thus augment the annual production
of wealth But in war, this labor is diverted
to the production of food, clothing powder,
muskets, cannon, &C., to be worn out and de-
stroycd by tho armies; and thus the accumu-
lation of wealth is stopped, or at least, checked
In some cases, indeed, so large a portion of
the communityis is taken from productive labor
and put to the work Of destroying property in
fighting, that the national wealth is rapidly
diminished When Frederick the Great, of
Prussia, was contcnding with Austria for the
possession of Sclesia, he said that he would
fight as long as there was potato in the king
dom, and Nlacaulay says TINT he did fight till
the great mass of the people had nothing to
eat but potatoes, and every private fortune in
the county was destroyed Louis XIV, too,
kept France at war with combined IGuropc
till tho very mobiles were reduced to diet of
black bread, and numbers of the people died
of starvation