Montgomery County sentinel., 1885-04-17
EUROPEAN WAR AND AMERICAN
TRADE

Now that the black cloud Of war is en-
veloping the countries of England and Rus
sia, and the whole energies of each nation
are turned in the direction OF the army, the
prospect of long and bloody conflict in
which commerce, agriculture and all civil
employments are to suffer, the question nat
urally arises, how far will this condition of
affairs affect American trader Time has
sufficiently demonstrated that war, by lay
ing waste property and interrupting produc-
ton, has diminished for time the aggre-
gate national wealth of the world, and that
those nations removed from the scenes of
strife have profted at the expense of those
Immediately engaged. The knowledge Of
this truth has awakened the hope Of those
who look forward to a European war as
likely to enlarge and stimulate the oppor-
tunities of American commerce and over
come the persistent inertia of trade.
That war between Russia and England
will at once create an immediate demand
for American breadstuffs, canned goods,
meats, &C., no thinking or intelligent per-
son will for moment question. Its i'm
mediate effects are already apparent, as seen
by the rapidly fiuctuating prices in the Chi
cago exchange, where the prices OF provis-
ions are determined. 80 far, however, these
market pulsations are speculative, and ex-
perience has developed that speculative
prices do not always run parallel with the
natural relations of supply and demand.
Whilst we recognize that India and Rus.
sia are the two great rivals Of this country
in the grain markets of the world, it is by
no means fixed fact that war in opera.
ton on the confines of these two rich and
productive countries would cut off the grain
supply from either one Of them The pro-
gress Of wealth and production for the past
twenty years in India has been rapid in a
most extraordinary degree, and has gone far
TO oblterate the deep furrows which the de.
vastating wars and interminable oppression
of former times had produced; it enjoys the
full advantages of European skill, and its
rich harvests Of grain now reach Europe
through the Suez canal, and even the sus-
tanning OF large Indian army would not
affect very seriously the products available
for export. Russia can do without the com
merce of the Black sea, and can send her
grain by rail directly to Germany and
Western Europe. 1t will therefore be OBJ
served that If the war cloud does not settle
also upon the central European powers as
on those of the extremes there is not likely
10 exist the same disturbance Of the food
supply as has existed in previous wars.
A war of vast proportions between two
such great powers as England and Russia
will be likely to afford great opportunities
for American shipping, but ii is known that
We are not in a position to avail ourselves
of these, and modern wars with the modern
appliances are soon brought to an end--so
rapidly that we could hardly build up a
merchant marine. Where we would bt
most likely to gain by the war in Europe
would arise as we would be called upon tc
supply arms, military stores and such other
articles as we have mentioned; but even in
this event the demands may not assume such
a magnitude as is predicted by many Any
event or measure which has tendency Il
excite the export trade will stimulate and
lead TO a business revival of the country
50 far the war in Europe will help us, and
OF course the longer il lasts the better it will
be for US. But any exaggerated or rose
colorcd statements resting on foreign de-
mand might prove to be dangerous delu.
sion by encouraging production beyond any
legitimate demand, and thus naugurate the
result of panic and its attendant evil.