The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-04-02

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:l4Asiia LnilazziinS Ina raissnns.I at
age annual expenditure exceeded ninety !
million OF pounds sterling, or four hundred
and fifty millions Of dollars, which is abou,
the same sum as demanded of u.s. None, Of
course pretends to say that this rate Of, ex.
Penditure Is not appalling, yet IL concerns
US to know thatit is not unprecedented, and
that these vast amounts have. been raised
from national resources far inferior to our
own. It should not be forgotten, aisa, tina,
they represent the money price Of England 8
independence, and if ours is, secured b. a
far greater outlay, we certainly are Dot, dis
posed to quarrel with the wisdom Of the in
.vestment,, 49,.
The question ~ how were these immepse
sums rsised ineEuyland s..,s The ,maar who
would have predicted at the commencement
ofthe war with France, that the English ma ;
tiona' debt would at its. close exceed one
thousand millions of pounds STEERING, . and
that the country would be able to bear such
a'bdTich, Should have been regarded ass a
visionary as wild as he who IN this country
two years ago. might have foretold the
present amount ofour Irrational debt. and
have coptended that in spite ,oft, the pub.
lios credit 1wonid, remain unimpsired., The
difficulty in England of raising .shese vast
Yast sums was ten fold greater than il lis
.here Napoleon, looking upon England as
the Southern people have been, taughtrto
regard Us, as ?, purely commercial nation,
undoubtedly placed. more reliance for -ulti-
mate, success upon the instinct of money
getting, which. would shrink from the pec,,.
mary sacrifices necessary i in a prolonged
struggle, than upont the mere victories sof
his army. Hence he pursued, during his
whole career, m infex.hle purpose of,ruin.
ing English. commerce., and s,by a,series;of
measures1kaawn As the Con ntiaentai system,
endeayored to exclude English ships an En-
glish prodoctal from the markets of' the
world. Il, The effects Of these measures, oal-
though not 50 5seriousas he, wished and had
anticipated, nevertheless crippled renor-
,nously the resources of England just at the
period when they We're most needed, sardt
! Taking the three years beforeithe issuing
ofthe ORDERS ia Council and q the, vigorous
enforccmsnt eof the Continental .syster,
which was co incidentin point of time with
the commencement Of the Spanish was, the
average annual exports saa k from fifty-sey-
en millions 10 twenty y4three millions, taking
the Average of three years after, they had |
been IN operation. Taxes wereslaid on ss a
most burdonspne, ratesrfa The ipcomes tax
was ten per cent. aud besides, specificb WAR
taAei,i amounting to more i,han tweuty,umil-
lions q year, svvreinposeda Netwith stanfl-
ing AL thesertaxes, the debt increased more
than one thousand millions of dollars dur
ing the Pepinsular war Discomfort and
violence ameng thcdaboring classes became
universal, and it was remarked that the
greatest aehievmentof the victories ir, Spain
was celebratedin England 'samidst a popu
lation who bad been prevented by the bur.
len Of taxatiQn on The xbsoiutea necessities
Of life, from securing a livelihood by the
Strictest indu ,try, and that pauperism had
been generated though out the land, a pau
perism aggravatedeby a spirit of pillase,
which it required strong. military force to
repress.' Bankruptcy and ruin fell upon
the trading classes. and absoluts exhaustion
Of the resources Of the couhtry seemed. al
most reached. The public stocks bad sunk
to such - degree that the three per cents.
which are now always above go per cent.
we're rarely higher durin, the war than 65
per cent, and so depressed at last had the
public credit become, that the last, loan of
he Continental, war, that of April, 1875.
vas taken by the contractor at 50 per cent, /
md paid for in the deprecated currency off
he day, and yet The Chancellor OF the, Elk
,hequer was congratulated even BY the op-
'ositioufor having made good operation
The bank was ii j state of chronic isuspen-
ION, the buying and selling ofgold was pro-
bited 70 the public under severe penalties,
nd yet every gold guinea which was sent
y the government to the army in Spain,- II
no nothing else would answer the purpose Z
naoney in thaS country, cost thirty per
ent., premium. How England survived |e
! this complication oftroubies is one OF the ]
'arvels Of history, but it is not our, purpose q
DISCUSS that question. The great fact I
lat the money required was raised some Z
ow is all we haseto do with 1t PRESENT 5
Then We have been at war for twenty years Z
nd are forced in order to raise lIthes means I
carrying IL on, to submit to ono stithe' of
70 sacrifces which were endured BY the .
nglish, we may then perhaps seriously be- i
p 70 consider the money value Of the I
aion. sSe i.a,a I.s a,'gu aieia9 bar r
The lesson which this review Of III, ptto 9
'ess Of the Peninsnlar war teaches us, is, it I
ems TO AS. one of hope and encoursye Q
ent, for ifit shows anything. II proves =
early, that in the support 81 public. opin- =
p, and in the mepns requisite to. military =