The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-01-08
KEOKUK:



trucsion 70 life ard properly; but itSis
possible tbstls nation may conduct great
war and, instead Of bscoming impover-
ished may increase n both wealth and
power. The condition under which wss'
chiefly impoverishes nation il BY hav-
ing it conducted within its own domain.
But when nation maintains . wars npon
the enemy 3 soil. and 20 manages its A.
fairs that the annual expenses fall below
the. real valus Of itsinaussrial products,
it is evident that it must increase in
wealth. The merchant who makes more
than he spends increases 10 riches and it
is the same with nation. An increase
Of national debt is no sign Of increasing
poverty in the people, for this debt may
be simple transfer Of only small por-
ton Of the surplus wealth Of individuals
to the general fund of the commonwealth
An investment in public instead of pri-
vate stocks. Those who have made poht-
ical economy subject of study know we'll
that Great Britain maintained war with
France and sometimes with nearly all the
nations in the world for many years and
while the Govsrnme debt increased, tho
national wealth accumulated. She bat
tied with Napoleon andclothed the armies
of Russia, Spain and Prussia, and the
sword was scarcely sheathed for thirty
years; and yet at the end of the struggle
she was vastly more wealthy than at the
beginning of the contest. The first con-
dition of this success was maintaining the
war upon foreign soil, thus allowing the
industrial arts-which furnish the sinews
Of war and comfort of peace-to be con-
Quoted freely upon her own soil; and
secondly living within her income. These
facts should never be overlooked by a ma
ton which would carry on an aggressive
war successfully.
As the present war has been and is be-
ing conducted on the soil of the enemies
Of the Constitutional Government, indus
try therein has been paralyzed and the de-
struction of property has been prodigious,
The seeded States are, therefore, neces-
sarily becoming impoverished while the
war is being continued On the other
hand, the Northern States pursue their
industrial avoc.tions in peace, and il they
are 'living within their income" they
must be growing in wealth. Perhaps
the best signs of increasing wealth in any
country are new buildings-manufsctor-
les, houses, barns, ships. &C., and de-
crease Of comm on mercantile and mort
gage debts. At present all these good
signs may be noticed on every hand in
all the loyal States, except perhaps the
Border ones. In New York there are
more new ships and steamers being built
than at any former period within our re-
collection, and in almost every street
many new houses are being erected In
Brooklyn the same signs of increasing
wealth may be seen everywhere. In the
Eastern States new factories are in the
course Of construction in almost every
city, town and village, and in New Jer-
sey and Pennsylvania the same signs of
increasing wealth are just as plentiful
From the West also, the same cheering
news comes floating on the breeze. A
correspondent of the New York Times,
signing himself GA Veteran Observer,
writing from Ohio, asserts that the debts
in that State were reduced $4,000, 900
last year, and he is confident that the
wealth Of the country is increasing at the
present moment at the rate of over six
hundred millions per annum. We have
no doubt this intelligent observer is cor
rect in bis estimate. Never before in
history of the world has God blessed
nation with so much outward prosperity
in the mids, Of such chastisement as
this great civil war.
Tho Cold az Cincinnast.
We venture the prediction that rot for
many, very many years, has there been
experienced in this latitude such a sud
den change in the weather az that which
has come upon Us since Thursday eve
ming. At noon on Thursday the atnos-
phere was mild, with a drizzling rain
falling the entire day. At six o'clock in
the evening the cold winds from the
North Pole froze the rain in the upper
regions into ice-balls of various sizes, and
q hail-storm came pelting down upon
mother earth, forerunner of the severe
northern blasts which we're sure to follow.
In less than an hour the winds came, and
with intense severity gamboled in every
street, alley and common, drifting the
snow hither and thither, to the serious
inconvenience of all who we're unfortu-
nate IN being caught on the streets away
from home. The GOODNESS increased, and
at daylight yesterday morning the Their
mometer indicated a few degrees below
zero, not hitherto felt hereabouts thi,
winter, and we are assured has not been
known here for MANY years. Although
the sun came out full and shone brigb
during yesterday, the freezing process
continued, and last night was unques
tionsbly the coolest that has been expe
rienced here for number of years. Got
help the poor. As an evidence Of th
suddenness of the change, we may stat
that on Thursday evening at six o clocl
the thermometer stood at forty degree
above zero, and at daylight yesterda
morning it was from nine to twelve de
grees below zero. Frosted ears and nose
were very numerous last EVENING" Cir
Enquirer, Jan. G.
BRANDING A DEsERrER. Vince
ing lnteligencer says that on Tuesda
"a Al Al