The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-17
TEE ENGLISH WARS AND ENGLAND y
DERrA.

DEBTS.
The following queer paragraph is going the
rounds, having appeared already in a hundred
journals that We have seen
"Thc battle of Waterloo closed sixty.hy years
of English war, in which time the British GOV
I eminent borrowed Si,l7j,00O,00) and raised
Sl05 9i50 100000 by taxes; II toal of SllO l2O,-
100000 expended in war, for purposes which GER
tanly did not rise to the level of national prcser-
vaton. In twelve years Of warag tins ipOleon
the same country expended Gj,79j, 600 0JO or five
hundred millions per annum."
u will be observed that the figures in regard to
English war expenses make rather muddle but
we let them pass, and condne our corrections to
the time mentioned Atthe sixty-ive years men
toned terminated in 1915, they must date from
1850. In 1850 England was at peace and so re
manned until 1856, when the Seven Years War
began. Thus six years are taken OIL at once
!, from the sixty-fve. The Seven Years War ter
minated in 1903, and England remained at peace
until the spring of l77j when the war of the Ame-
rican Revolution began. Thus twelve years more
are taken from the sXty-fve years Of British
war.
The pe,ce made in 1888 lasted until the begin
ming OF 1898, when the contest with Republican
France began. Thus are ten years more Topped
summer of 1915. The war with Republican
France terminated in 1902, and that with Ndpo.
leon began in May, lS03 Napoleon then being in
the course OF spelling into an Emperor, rs the
Il Republicans had It. Thus more than year is
to he added to the time OF British peace. The
first war with Napoleon lasted until April, 1874,
or not quite eleven years, and was followed by
peace with France for about year, when the
second war with Imperial France began,
as the consequence of the EmperOr's return
from Elba; but as England was az war with the
United States for most Of the time between
Napoleons first abdication aud the date of his
brief resumption of power, we suppose that
peace can claim next to nothing of the interval.
The second war with Napoleon lasted but few
months. OF the siXty-tiye years that terminated
in the summer Of 1910 England was at war about
thirty seven years. What we suppose is me ant
by the writer of the paragraph we have quoted is
this, that England was at for sixty-tye years
between the date of the beginning of her national
debt and the date of the final fall of Napoleon the
4 First. II so, be is not far wrong; but then the
force of England's example with regard TO ma
tiOnal debt is lost TO Our debt has as ii were,
sprung into existence per Sdhtp, at bound, that
Is while the English debt, as ii stood in 1875 was
Of slow growth extending over period of almost
one hundred and tW enty seven years. The Eng
l lish debt was but small when William and Mary
! began to reign, carly in l6S0
\ The war that followed with France was ter
\ minated at the close of 1897, by tbe treaty Of
, Ryswick, leaving England with IA large debt
Peace was maintained for four years and half,
and was closed by the treaty of Utrecht, in l7l3,
the national debt being much increased. Then
there came long peace, broken only by a
few short and unimpOrmnt affairs that hardly
deserve TO be called wars. The war with Spain
/. began in 1889, and soon rau into the war of the
Austrian Succession, which was brought TO a close
in l74S, by the treaty of AK Ia Chapeile. Eight
years of peace then came, TO be followed by the
Seven Years War and that war was followed by
more than twelve years of peace.
Then there was war again for eight years, or
4 thereabOut; and then ten years of peace; after
which there was almost unbroken war for more
a than two years. Ii will be seen that England
4 had long breathing times, in which to recover
from the effects OF war; and II Is notorious that
the vast industrial sysiem which has enabled
England to bear SO great burdens of seeming eX-
pendiInre and permanent debt WAS developed
since the Revolution of 1858, and most of IL since
4 l763 at which later date the debt had become
alar1Dingly large. The growth of the English
national debt is as follows -In 1859, E66i ,253;
! in 1902 fl6,394, ,7O2; in l7l4, E5i.li5,3G3 in
1863 El3S S6j,4sO in 1888, E2i9,S5l 62S; in 1915
E840, ,85O,49l.
The English debt grew at the rate Of six and a
half million pounds, or little more, during l27
+ years, but the wealth of thut country grew at a
much greater rate during the same time. From
y these facts, however, inference uniavorable 10
the sOuudness of our credit can be drawn for we
possess resources of increase gre iter than Eng
4 land ever possessed. We have "a vast unpeOpled
territory, full OF every good thing that can attract
& the industry and demand the energies of hu man
iiy; and Into that territory tens Of thousands of
foreigners are now gOng,-lud on the Tc-tOra-
ton Of peace and unity hundreds of thousands
4 would annually enter IL. IL Is possible that we
might feel the burden Of debt of 81, 500 000,00O
rather hard for the first -four or five years
after the cessation of hostilities, but it
4 would not be so heavy as the burden which
we now bear, but would be considerably
lighter; for then we should not be paying
4 war taxes, as the army aud navy would be
Nreduced to small proportions. Surely, If we can
Apay heavy taxes in war time, we should be able
20 pay what would be, comparatively speaking,
light taxes i'm time Of peace Five years got
over, and the debt would not be felt rs q burden
at all. The increase of wealth aud prosperity in
tie settled part Of the country alone would suf-
fee to oblitorate all the consequences OF war and
4 to effect the thorough rehabilitation Of the Re
public. Both North and South would be in the
I possession Of prosperity, while the heroic deeds
Of both parties 10 the conflict would form a
j common fund Of national reputation, and the
country would have q character TO maintain
that would le0d IL 20 be careful Of ts action
as q debtor Then the opening up Of new ter
ritOrics, and the addition in that way made
70 our means would be 50 much clear gain;
and as before tho war we never felt the annual
kpenditure Of almost SlOO,OOO,OOO, 50 then we
4 should experience no pressure in paying three
times that amount. Tho increase of property and
l enormous and that as one Of the consequences Of
| the war Such moving Of the mind and ener-
| gles as we have undergone Is never without
l eject, The sword is terrible deyasiatOr, beyond
question, but equally is II moral pl0ughshare,
that turns up the mental field, and prepares the
/ way Tor production such as never follows from
Long period OF unbroken peace. Englaud's wars
nave cost her much, but they have paid that cost
over and over again; and what has happened In
I In d.