Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-04-13
From the New York Times.
Luxury Against PafriOtisu,


| From the New York Times
Luxury Against Patriotism.
An allegorical figure of New York just
at this period, if true TO the life at AL.
would be man or woman-either would
do-inficting wounds with one hand, and
salving them over with the other. We
are to open q Sanitary Fair, at Palace
Garden. on Monday, to heal up the hurts
of soldiers. while doing the best we can
to multiply those hurts. -r~.~,
New York never before used so much
foreign fnery. This fnery can be paid
for only with gold. Every dollar of gold
sent from the country enhances its price
here, depreciates greenbacks, impairs the
credit of the Government, and directly
tends to prolong the war, out of which
comes all the suffering we seek to relieve,
or TO defeat the war and make all that
suffering vain.
1t is odd how times have changed. War
used to be priyation and distress. OF
earthly viststions it was counted the
direst. It went in company with all the
Furies. But so far as the land at large is
concerned, it has latterly taken to new
ways 1t has dropped its old scourge.-
What it carries now Is a cornucopia, and
bigger and fuller one than Peace could
ever boast of. Grass does grow in its tracks
now-the very thickest clover. Juvenal
complained that peace, with all its luxu-
ries, more ruthless than the sword, was
killing Rome:
"Nunc patimur longe paeis mole; Ssvor arms
Luxuria incubmit, vietuque uleisitur orbem."
The explanation of this change is sim
pie enough. 1t lies mainly in two mod
ern inventions-nationald debts and paper
money. By the former the pecuniary
burdens of the war are mostly shifted to
the shoulders of posterity. By the latter
the liabilities not thus provided for are
met by large emissions of paper money,
which of necessity initiate the currency,
from which imitation always come 8 spirit
of enterprise, of adventure, OF Of specu-
lation, an artificial prosperity alike gilt
tering and hollow THERE'S third circum-
stance which has some influence. For
merly, war was waged with simple means,
involving few outlays that were not met
bY leVies and contributions on the very
theater Of the war, whereas now enor-
nous material has 10 be provided which
industry alone can supply, through con-
tracts that yield private fortunes-thus
getting clear in great measure of the
burdens by throwing them upon the fu-
ture. and infusing an unnatural stimulus
into the industry of those who are not
personally engaged in the fighting. Mod
ern war instead of depressing q people.
actually makes them flush with every
means of high cheer.
Probably this was never before felt in
quite so large measure as IN our present
case. Present taxes for current war ex-
penditures were never before comparative
ly so light. Paper money has seldom
been so extensively manufactured. Gov
ernment contracts were never larger or
more varied. The result OF it ell haS
been that great numbers Of our people
find themselves quickly possessed Of rich
es that in other times it would have taken
them years to accumulate. And what
is thus easily gained is speedily spent
on the old principle, ''ightly come, light
ly 60" A wild extravaganza becomes
the general order of the day. There Is 5
rage for costly display never known N
our republican history.
The moral poison which this neE-oloHn
| luxury is infusing into our popular char
acter is a filter theme for the preacher
than the journalist. But, in fact, it needs
no expounding. Every body who knows
any thing of human nature knows that
nothing is surer than wild luxury to can
ker and corrupt it. 1t requies neither
ancient satire nor modern homily to tell
that. But what Immediately concerns us
is that the greater part of this extraya-
gance is INDUCED in at the cost OF embar-
assing and weakening the Govern
| ment, which IS struggling for its exist
ence. and of frustrating the war. for
which so much life has been given. The
fact is unquestionable. This ostentation
is kept up mostly by foreign, which only
gold can buy. The specie basis, which
alone can sustain currency and credit, Is
being more and more largely drawn away;
and without currency and credit no war
] can be effectuany prosecuted. The dis
proportion between gold and paper can
not go increasing for great period with
out producing financial collapse. And
should that collapse come, the war, We
may be sure, viii strsightwsy end. Our
GoVernment can practice no such repudia-
ting shifts as the rebel Government Is now
essaying. There Is too mnch moral prin-
ciple yet left in the Northern people TO
tolerate any national turpitude OF that
sort. When il comes to the point that
this war demands reputation, the war
will be abandoned, and all the sacrifices
our soldiers have made in it will go for
naught.
We say, then, that this extravagance y
treacherous TO the soldiers and betrayal
of the country. These diamonds Hash
gaily, but there is blood on them. These
silks rustic royalty; these laces float ethe-
rally, but they smell the smell Of tres-
son.