Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-03-10

% esarEiages' Noticesof Funerals, and announcements
VI seEnlons' o0 cents each, nouv1I-'69
The Capacities OF tho Loyal ana Reb-
Ell States Compared-The Lessons of
Htstory-The Possibilities OF Success
E1Rmineds
tFOr the Intelligencer.l
The presentiis period OF gloom and ap
Prehension. Our military success during
the past year has not been such as the san !.
guine expectations of the people had an
ticipated. e
Hence. a general despondency in the
public mind, and a, latent distrust in the
minds of many as to our ability to mt
down the rebellion and preserve the Gov
ernment. We are now realizing the expe-
rlence of all llnations engaged in on. exten-
! sive wal. Alterations of success and dis
\ aster, of victory and defeat, of elation and
dependency, until the war is finally set.
lied by the victory of that party which ex-
hibits the greatest power Of endurance,
and possesses the means of holding out the
longest. 3ess
In contest between two civilized ma.
tions, where the 6ghuugs qualities of The
soldiers on either side are nearly equal.
whatever may be the Alterations of the
struggle, victory must finally declare on
that side which has the greatest military
power with the largest means for sustain
ing it. In suchia struggle, history teaches
that the final issue is but question o
time patient endurance.
That the General Government has the
ability to pass triumphantly through this
war we think is clearly shown by the fol-
lowing statistics Of undoubted authority.
BY the latest returns received at the of.
ice of the Adjutant General, the militia
force of the loyal States is shown TO be g.
552, $50, that oi the rebel States .6s2, ,534
In this estimate the entire militia force of
Virginia and Teunesseeis is assigned to the
rebel States; that of Maryland, Kentu cky
and Missouri, to the loyal States. The
amount assigned to the loyal States is
likewise exclusive of the force of Iowa
from which there are no returBs. Fhese.
numbers we believe express very nearly
the relative military resources of the two
sections. We may, therefore, fairly set
down the comparative military power of
the two sectiousin the proportion of three
to one iu favor of the loyal States.
One of the most astonishing develop
ments of this war is the wonderful in!
crease of our naval power At the out,
break of the rebellion the navy of the Uni.
ted States consisted of a vessels, carry
ing 1,o0l guns. To this has been added,
since the-4th of March, 1861, 353 vessels,
finished and in process of constructions:
so that during the coming summer our ma.
val force will consist of 42T vessels, as fol.
lows: 323 steam vessels aud lO4 sailing
vessels, of which 54 are iron clads. Against
this formidable naval power what have the
rebels to Oppose2
la financial resources the comparison, is
equally striking In 1860 the assessed
value of the real and personal property of
the loyal, ,Stateswas 81 ,T59, AIS, ,0O9, while
that of the rebel StattS-dedncttng the
value of the slaves, who are here consider
ed as producers aud consumers of wealth
was S3,467, 1856 thus maintaining
nearlythe same ratio of financial and mil
itary resources, viz: 8 to l in favor of the
loyal States. = 555
Many are alarmed at the enormous debt
which the war is accommodating, aud dis
trust the ability of the country to sustain
itself under it. Let US look at this matter
little, and compare it with the debt of
other countries and our own at different
periods. On the lst of July, 1862, the
debt of the United States amounted to-
$5ll l,646,27 or, ,S21i 60 for each person in
the loyal States: The annual interest on
this debt is $22, ,262, ,Olo, making 04 cents
to each person in the loyal States. e
On the 1st of March, 1851 : the debt of
Great Britain was So, 917,945; 213, making
Sl33 55 to each person, % this sum the
annual interests $l2T, ,965, ,70l, being 81 80
to each person in Great Britain.
The debt of France in 1851 was So,
206, 100000, making S61 % to each per.
son. On this sum the annual interest is
$l1O, 900, or So o5 to each person in
France. so -
10 1871, the debt of the United States
WAS S76, 600, 600; the population then be.
ing 4, ,049, 500, making Sls 76 to each per
sou, nearly as much as to each person on
the lst of July last, 5st
The great depreciation OF the currency
Is another alarming subjectt TO the minds of
many, Butthis is precisely what other ma
tions have encountered 10 similar circum-
stances: Great Britain experienced it in
her War7with this country and Napoleon in
the beginning of the present century from
t1sl1 10 1915. During this period thepre
mium on gold was as follows : In 1871, 244
per cent; in 1872, 80 per cent; from Sep
tember to December of 1872, $50 per cent !;
from December, 1912, to March, 1913, 4li
per cent; tu,lSl4, 303 per cent.
Compare. this with its fluctuations here
the last year. On the 5th OF June, 1862,
the price Of gold was A per cent; 2lst Of
July 20 per cent; 1st of August l54 per
cent; lst of September, IL per cent; IOth
1 of October, 273 percent; lst of November,
80 per cent 18th of November, 80 per cent,
and 18th of'JannaEy, 1855. 4s per eeut.
| Let us again compare the annual expeu
diture OF the British Government for the
army aud navy during the last four years of
her war with:this country aud Bouararte.
These expenses were, in 1911, $25f.O53
43s; in 1912. S275. .321. Dol; IN 1873, $685.
sll ,s2s, and in. 1914. Ss4sJ J6l2, ,656. Now
compare this with one years average Is
penditnre of the rebellion, viz $5l4 sl3,.
I6I2. -
ThusIit is shown by the returns made to
the War Department that the military re-
sources of the loyal States.fn men 70 fght