The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1861-05-23
91ljstrIla0eOUs.

3tllStGllaNGOlts.
The Effect Of War upon a Nations
Wealth,
The Scientific American says that
the firing of a 9-inch shell gun, like
those used on most Of our naval steam
ers, costs 1894 at each discharge
Now, the burning of SO worth of coal
in one of our cotton, carpet or steam en-
gine manufactures, generally results in
the production of from $40 to $40 worth
of value in some other kind of proper
ty; in warts only products are noise,
smoke and death, which are not salea-
bic in any market. OF all modes of
consuming wealth unproductively, the
most rapid are conAagrations and war.
1t is frequently the case that the
productive power of the people is so
great that the aggregate of individual
savings more than counterbalances the
public waste of wealth in war, and thus
the national wealth may increase, even
during the continuance. of expensive
wars. Macaulay says this has been
the case with England in all of her
wars, and was most conspicuous in the
most expensive one she ever engaged
in, the long contest against the opin-
ions 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 contributed
vast sums to her allies-the other gov
ernments Of Europe-to enable them
to keep up the fight. 1t is true that
large portion of this money was rails.
ed by borrowing, the national debt
having been increased during the pc
riOd about two thousand millions of
dollars. But a government cannot bor-
row 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 veil which the in.
terposition 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 a sufficient
number of laborers are employed in thu
production of these first necossaries, thu
remaining labor of the community is di
rected to making such articles as arr
most desired. In times Of peace this
surplus labor is principally devoted t
making machinery, constructing steam
engines, building railroads, and, in short
in increasing the various kinds of activl
capital which facilitate industrial oper
ations and thus augment the annua
production of wealth. But in war thi
labor is diverted to the production
of food, clothing, powder, muskets
cannon, &C.. to be worn out and de
stroyed by tho armies; and thus tn
accumulation of wealth is stopped, or a
least checked
In some cases, indeed, so large
portion of the community is taken frou
} productive labor and put to tho worI
] of destroying property in fighting, tina
the national wealth is rapidly diminish
, ed. When Frederick the Great, o
Prussia, was contending with Austri
= for the possession of Silesia, he sail
= that he would fight as long as ther
was potato in the kingdom, and Ma
caulay says that he did fight till tn
great mass of the people had nothing I
j eat but potatoes, and every private for
tune in the country was destroyed
J.. Louis XIV, too, kept France at WI
with combined Europe till the very NJ
bles were reduced to a diet of blac
d bread, and numbers Of the people die
Of starvation.