The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-05-26
The Cost OF the War.

10 ne Edstr OF Le fo0neeT:
Now that the great struggle for national ex-
istence Is virtually over, it becomes Us as pru-
dent men, who desire to lessen the burthens OF
posterity, to count the cost of the gigantic en-
terprise in which we have been engaged.
The loss of human lite comes first in the list
of this appalling inventory.
Including the losses of the South, no one
can place the total aggregate at less number
than one million men!
One million men! What tremendous, ter
rible sacrifce-a mortality, that in its immens-
ity, the human mind can scarcely grasp.
Should we include the wounded-the per-
manently disabled-the men who will return
in wretched health, with broken constitutions
and exhausted energies-the vast aggregate,
already stated, would have to be greatly en-
larged.
But We will not dwell upon this awful car.
mage. How many of these lives have been
Mro,cn aaray, by the ertraragaaces of those who
valued one drop of their own blood more high
ly than thousand lives of our own brave SOL
diers, we will not pretend to say. But we DO
iieve this number to be enormous. We believe
that lives innumerable have been wantonly
sacrificed to promote the selfish ends of polit-
ical schemers seeking more their own interest
than the welfare of their country. What care
these fellows for the lives of the poor soldiers
Their only thought is for themselves and their
own ambitious aggraadizement.
Does not everybody know that military ignO-
ramusses have been placed in important com.
mands, and our patriotic volunteers in numer-
Gus instances have been led by them into pits
of useless slaughter? Does not everybody
know that men without the slightest expert
ence or knowledge of military affairs have fire.
quently been appointed to high positions be-
cause they were Republicans, while men of real
ability have been rejected or removed, simply
because they were Democrats? No one with
any sense or regard for the truth can deny
facts so well known to the community as
these. Having disposed of the question of life,
we will now give little subordinate attention
to the vulgar question of money.
Disliking eXaggeratiOn, we will be moderate
and put the national debt, including all out.
standing obligations, at three thousand million
dollars. Almost every one will admit this sum
to be rather below than above the mark. But
Will every aIOWaucc, WuaL al OVerWnelml0g
weight is this to be placed on our children and
children's children, for generations yet to
come!
How many millions of this sum have beer
useles squandered, save to enrich host OF
army contractors, administration favorites and
abolition spectators and politicians, can never
IN this world be accurately ascertained. That
the amount is tremendously great no one con-
versant with the political peculation of the
war can for moment doubt.
The destruction of property is another
grand item of the war. This surely cannot be
put at a less sum than three thousand millions
of dollars.
A considerable portion of the Southern States
has been so completely desolated as to be
changed into little better than a bowling vii.
derness.
The ruin thus occasioned cannot reasonably
be placed at a less sum than that above stated.
The loss of slave property, if it is admitted
that slavery is over, is moderately estimated at
two thousand millions. Let US now foot up
the general total:
Loss in lives. One Million Me-,
Loss in property:
NaIiOuaA uCot. ....... %, VVO,VVOVVU
Destruction OF property. 5000. 900, 600
Emancipation. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1900, 600, 600