Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-08-21
" independent of all Men-Indifferent to None"
War :?
From the Chicago Courier.

| FROM tue ChlcaSo courier.
Charles Sumner made his philip
pic in the United States senate, and
the national heart commenced beat
ing for war. A cry for war seems to
| strike responsive echo in many a
heart. The Fenian wants it to
aVenge the wrongs of Ireland the
unemployed soldier of the late war
wants it, to give him new field for
military glory the over sensitive
| American wants it, to teach Eng
land manners Ben Butler wants it
to increase the nations commercial
and manufacturing prosperity. But
| why Charles Sumner should want
1T, is of all things the most inexpli-
cable. In the year 1S49 the Ameri-
can Peace Society held an anniver-
sary in the city of Boston, and the
| orator was Charles Sumner. He en-
larged upon the miseries of war, call
ed 1t "damnable profession''-a
trade of barbarians, and pictured
with that rhetoric and sentiment of
which he Is master, the desOlation of
that system-that "Hell of EARTH -
And then he drew fancied picture
of the remote future, and saw peace
| spreading her wings over the nations
to usher in a brighter day.
| ,'When the drums shall throb no longer, ,
| ana the Dattle-nagS be furled
| In the parliament of man,
| The federation of the world.''
Have times changed have prin-
ciples changed =? Is peace no longer
the worshipped deity? Or, has her
follower lost his primitive faith and
gone after Mars, the God of battle.
Wherefore this skepticism, this in
fidelity, this desertion of the bases
OF belief? Is not peace as attractive
to-day as ever 4? Is not the plow-
share more beautiful than the sword,
ard the pruning hook than the spear
Mr.. Sumner is but another illus
beliefs. To-day man throws the
whole energy of his soul into an
idea, which he cOmbats tomorrow
And yet above all this clash of
words, all this rise and fall of con-
f1icting theories, all this turning and
overturning of modes of thought the
eternal principles remain as IN
changeable as Gods throne. War
to day, Mr.. Sumner to the contrary
Notwithstanding, is as great an in
} jury to humanity, and insult to Je-
hoVah as in '49. The words Of Vol
taire are as true to-day as ever
Put together all the vices Of all the
ages and places, and they will not
come up to the mischiefs of one cam
paign." One would think that the
American people had fully learned
this, and, having Just emerged from
fire and desOlation, would naturally
, turn from it in the future. Is it pos
slble that men forget so soon? Are
the hard scourgings of experience
obllterated in day, and must hu-
manlty, sore and bleeding, keep up
continued march through the in
struments of torture ?. Will the
lessons OF political economy never
be learned, and men brought to see
the influences of war on nations
life !?
The late war has cost this country
hVe thousand millions of dollars
expended in paying hundreds OF
thousands of men whose labor has
added nothing to the wealth of the
country nay more, has not only
J been totally unproductive, but has
been specifically devoted to the work
OF destruction. 1t has been expend
ed IN the purchase of food for these
non-producing men, of arms, which
are their destructive tools, and with
out value except as such, of ammu
milton which they have consumed
ana OF transportation from place tt
place. 1t has been expended in the
purchase of thousands upon thou
, sands of horses and mules, taker
: like the men from the pursuits of in.
dustry, and which like the men have
been killed or manned bv wounds
} or worn out by fatigue. 1t has been
expended IN the construction Of nu-
merous war vessels, which not ONLY
DO not produce anything themselves
but require the continuous with.
drawal of labor from production in
order to keep them in repair, and
: many of which were DESTROYED by
the enemy or wrecked at sea. Every
dollar spent by the government foI
war purposes was spent in the pay.
ment of unproductive labor, and in
the purchase of articles which have
been destroyed. In other words
every dollar spent by the govern.
ment on war, is, economically, q
total loss to tke nation.
: Such are the incidents of wal
viewed from mere pecuniary stand
point. When there is thrown in tC
the computation the ravage, desc
! latIon and anarchy, the homes made
miserable, the widows and orphans
left unprotected, the sinew of the ma.
ton destroyed, the revenge, and hate
and cruelty, is not the picture suf.
hciently sad to make the mos. bel
| ISeTeHt hesitate
And yet Mr.. Sumner proposes war
and that, too, based on no liuuidated
claim against England, but upon
J some indefinite claim founded on the
want of sympathy of Johnny Bull
with the northern cause during the
rebellion. He complains of want OF
sympathy, but will a war be apt to
increase the Englishman's sympathy
! Tor America He complains of the
Alabama but if we eXpend millions
or dollars to recover thousands shall
we be any richer
No, the American people do not
want war. Instead of seeking pre-
texts to get into it, they should
rather seek preteXts to keep out OF
1t. Away with these glittering gen
erallties about national honor, ,"and
1.-The flag" and the dignity of a
great people" They are illusions
and mean nothing. War should be
: the last resort or people, and ac-
cepted as dire necessity and not a.
pastime. America has no more
men than she needs. The countries
of Europe, ever-ridden by a poor cit
lZenship may demand a campaign to
contract the misery of over-poula-
ton but here where men are scarce,
and the inhabitants limited, war is
national suicide. The man who rec
ommends it is false statesman, and
Is worthy the rebuke of the whole
people.
A Hong Kong correspondent OF