The Clifton clarion., 1885-04-15
Business Effects of Russo.
 British War.
From the Chicago Tribune.

d Many people are led to believ
 that war between Russia an, England would be bushes e blessing to the United States. Tn 'O prevalence of this idea proves no only the existence of unsound ant u vicious notions in political econo
 my, but shows how much of or1gi . nal barbarism still fingers in civ illzed human nature and prompts U the belief that one nation car U thrive and fatten on the miseries and blood-shedding of others. Il IS rarely the case that one country '' can be a permanent gaine1 through the calamities of another. War between Russia and England D might advance the price of wheat ' Tn this country possibly 15 or 20 ! cents bushel above the present prices, and to that extent 1t might | be considered a great advantage to the Western States and to grain dealers generally; but prolonged struggle between these great pow CTS would also produce other
 effects that would be serious in
 deed in this country and poorly
 compensated for by bloom" in
 the wheat market. The specu-
 lators in wheat might gain by
 lucky turns in the market, but it
 is matter of grave doubt whether
 the people of the country as
 whole would not be greatly in-
 jured by a war between England
 and Russia.
 One of the most certain results
 of such war would be to injure
 the cotton market. Russia IS one
 of the great buyers of cotton from
 the United States or cotton goods
 from England, and dealings of this
 character are made through the
 English markets. The effect such
 a war would have on the cotton
 exports by blocking them from
 Russian ports is already so well
 appreciated that in these ex,
 changes quotations are weakened
 by every alarming report in al
 most the same degree that the
 grain markets are stimulated. |
 Every person in any way con
 cerned in the growth or manufac-
 ture of cotton has occasion to
 watch the reports of war in Europe
 with increasing anxiety. Another
 effect of such war would un-
 doubtedly be to draw gold away
 from this country in steady
 streams. England and Russia
 would become great borrowers,
 and American securities would be
 returned to New York almost by
 the ship load and gold taken away
 to invest in the war loans of the struggling nations. Such a move ment would derange the monetary system of the United States more or less, and would be specially dangerous at the present time, when other causes are operating to induce a drain of gold from the country. The depression of the cotton market and the derange- ment of the currency that would almost certainly result from war between England and Russia would more than offset any gain made through enhanced prices for grain. Fortunes might be 1 made by lucky speculators in wheat, but the people generally | would feel many results in the way of reaction and compensation that are not considered by the ! grain gamblers as they chuckle [ over the prospects of a foreign war. (
 Every war leaves the world f poorer and weaker. Slaughter t 5hins the ranks of both producers I and consumers. Waste consumes t the funds that should stimulate V new enterprises and give employ | nent to labor. Enlarged war 0 lebts cause increased taxation and and poverty. The i plain truth is that war, like fire, is e scourge to all civilization, ex- o 'ept when successfully waged to overthrow tyranny and promote human freedom. As the great ', nations are now V inked together in interest, one r annot long make profit out of the :" gonies of another. It Is only in c circumstances that ' uch a thing can be done, and as o' ule every war of conquest is sim v 'ly one more proof that mankind s'' hould unite in common purpose '' 0 destroy this most fearful form ,s' f barbarism. It IS opposed to Y very interest of civilization, and II ., he nations of the world should u ong ago have agreed to submit s heir differences to peaceful arbi- '-