The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-06-22
The Effect War Upon a Nations Wealth.

The firing of nine.inch shell gun, like
those used on most of our naval steamers
costs 50 81 at each discharge Now the
burning of 80 wofth of coal in one of cur
cotton. or carpet, or steam engin manuiac-
tories, generally results in the proportion
Of from $40 to SO worth of value in some
other kind Of property; but the burning
of powder iI warfare does not produce
any other property: its only products are
noise, and smoke and death, which are
not saleable ia any market. Of all modes
Of consuming wealth unproductively the
most rapid are contlagration and war
1t is frequently the case that tie pro-
ductive power of people is so great that
the aggregate Of individual savings more
than counter balances the public waste Of
wealth i'll war, and thus the national
wealth may increase even during the
continuance of expensive wars. Ma
calay says that this has been the case with
England in all of her wars and was most
conspicuous in the mot expensive one that
she ever engaged in, tie long contest
against the opinions of the French Revo-
luton, which continued with two brief in.
tervals, from 1893 to 1915. In this gigan-
tic struggle England not only supported
her own armies, but she also contributed
vast sums to her alies-the other govern
ments of Europc-to enable them TO keep
up the fight. 1t is true that large por-
ton OF this money was raised by borrow
ing, the national debt having increased
during that period about two thousand
millions Of dollars. But government
cannot borrow unless somebody has it 10
lend. and this whole immens sum WAS
saved by the English people right in the
midst Of the war, and loaned TO the GOV
ernment
If weput aside the veil which the inter
position OF money throws over the trans
action, we shall find what really took place
was this. 1t does no. require the whole
of the labor i'll any continuity to produce
. the food and clothing needed, and when a
sufficient number OF laboiers are employ
. ed IN the production OF these first neces-
saries, the remaining labor of the commu.
nifty is directed to making such articles as
are most desired. In times of peace this
surplus labor is principally devoted to ma
king machinery, constructing steam en-
cines, building railroads and in short, in
increasing the various kinds of active cap
ital which facilitate industrial operations
and thus augment the annual production
OF wealth. Bot in war this labor is diver
ted to the production OF food, clothing,
powder Inuskets, cannon, &c, to be worn
out and destroyed by the armies; ard thus
the accumulation OF wealth is stopped, or
at least checked.
In some cases, indeed, go large por.
ton Of the community is taken from pro-
ductye labor and put to the work Of dc,
stroyug property in fighting, that the
national wealth is rapidly diminishing.
When Frederick the Great, of Prussia
was contending with Austria for the pcs
session of Silo>ie, he sail that he would
fight is long as there was potato left IN
the kingdom, and Macaulay says he that
he did fight until the great ni,ss OF the
people had nothing 10 est but potatoes
and every private fortune WAS destroyed
; Louis xiv, too, kept France al war with
combined Europe TIL the very mobiles were
reduced 10 Diet 0! black bread, and
numbers Of the people died Of starvation
/ -Scie,,t.!fc American