The Richmond palladium., 1868-06-30
IRON the New York Mercantile Journal.
NEW Guns AND DEAR BREAD.

.Alittie p, actieal calculation sometimes |
goes further in impressing the mind |
With certain truths than the most elo- /
quent appeal to faith and feeling. At
this moment, vast districts of Europe j
and the adjacent Continents are suffer
ing from an absolute lack Of bread,
and the deaths from sheer starvation
during the winter would count by thous-
ands there Yet still, millions of dol
lars are unhesitatingiy expended by
each Of the great Christian governments
in providing new implements of mutual
destruction. SA 'Ai@ .@a5
France set apart 60 millions of francs
in her budget of 1867 for the purchase
Of new muskets has added thereto al
milloins for 1868, and has even opened
on the balance Of 1869 for 2 millions
more, appropriated to the same purpose.
Thus We have in all los million francs
or more than 20 millions of dollars de
voted to the procurement of an improv
ed deadly weapon in one branch of mil
itary service alone. Twenty millions
one fourth of which expended for bread,
would relieve the misery Of whole prov
inces! Every Chassepot rife costs the
: State 70 francs, and every altered mus
ket or rifle Is francs, and France, at her
present war computation requires about
1900, 600 improved guns !; but, as moth
ing like this number has yet been provi
ded, there must come fresh and heavy
appropriations Of money. aho aa
Russia, too is about to spend $50, ,00O,-
600, and Austria, e16, ,0OO, 900 for new
Remington muskets. England is in the
way Of laying out some Sl5.O00,000 for
guns, and Prussia, putting aside the
in the brief lapse of time since the bat
tie Of Sadowa, is buying up the Pea
body, which is a much more expensive
piece. In fine, probably 100 million dol
lars will hardly cover the combined ex
travagance Of the different European
countries in this one particular of de
stYuctive equipment. The labor wasted
upon the construction OF these articles
is another terrible item to set down in
the gathering account against that pitia
BILE folly which first withdraws millions
Of youth from agriculture and industry,
and then exhausts the diminished reve
nue. of the State in paying for machines
to perpetnate the same madness. AsA
What satire is this upon the boosted
enlightenment Of Europe-to paralyse
the very flower of its productive force,
and let its peasantry starve for lack Of
food, while the taxes wrung from their
emaciated hands are spent on powder
and ball No wonder that finance and
trade are everywhere disordered. and
that guilty rulers fancy the shout of
retributidh in every cry that is heard
around their palaces at night
Pious bodies send forth missionaries
to combat heathenism, infdelity, intem-
perance and vice in every form. This
military imposition upon humanity and
common sense, would afford field of
noble labor, in that way, for years to
come. Unless soon remedied, the evil
will reach such a pitch at last as to revolt
the very instruments now used to fetter
the people. Short rations, scant cloth.
ing, little pay and no real glory, will
finally cause the human machine, In
strfpes and cross bands, to turn upon
bis employer, and then Will burst the
auful tempest Of popular fury which
these impositions are vainly intended to
avert 0 st,fRfb 5oa H~> @9as
Let your expenses be such ~ to leave
rs balance In your pocket. Ready money