Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1888-01-20
'OvER HERE AND OVER THERE" "

Els hEhE ann w Ell iHEhE.
tChcago, Stats zeitung (Ind.,) January 4.
AT the present moment the possibilities
OF peace aud war are nearly balanced
Two weeks ago people were talking over
the certainty of war. Since then il has been
reduced TO the probability and IN the last
few days to n bare possibility, From this,
OF course, is not excluded the assumption
that in the next few weeks the war clouds
may become as dark, the outbreak of the
storm as immient as ever. No one in fact.
knows anything about it with certainty,
and the wisest course is TO hold our tom
CUES and leave prophecies to the would be
politicians. But let us assume that in a
few monts the great war shall come upon
us, which our Vienna correspondent go
confidently anticipates, the question arises
what and how much will the United States
be n gamer or loser by il? In the first
place the imprission is dominant that n
ready market will be acquired in Europe
for our breadsluffs aud meat. But we
should not reckon too confidently upon
this. Nearly everywhere in Europe inter-
dicts and embargoes are laid upon our pro.
ductions, which cannot be removed MS
quickly as they are enacted. But il the
necessaries of life over there..should become
30 dear that it would pay, notwithstanding
the high duties, to send over our cereals
and meat considerable increase in our ex-
ports nigh, take place. But this slight
gain would be more than counierbalanced
by an increase IN the import of industrial
products, the price of which over there
would so decline that it would he worth
while to bring them over here, IN spite Of
our high tariff. This growth In our i'm
port trade would be promoted by the heavy
demands OF the belligerent powers for mon.
ey. Whoever Ia engaged in war must Oh.
tain money, whatever be the cost that is
to say, however high the interest. The
same United States whose credit stands
now, in relation 10 the German empire, as
40 10 100 whose obligations now yield
scarcely 2! per cent, must sell for $40 in
gold their bonds Issued IN 1864 at 500
gold, bearing interest in gold at Sc. and
consequently pay 10 per cent. interest.
At that cost they would obtain all the
money they require. In like manner
would Russia, Austria, and Italy have TO
procure money for war purposes. They
would attract into their own Golfers the
gold, OF which we have more in America
than is needed, for the requirements OF
commerce and 1t would thus happen that
America would purchase more goods in
Europe than could be paid for with the
productions OF her soil, so that il would
have TO cover The surplus with ready money
in gold. In other words, great European
war, like snction-pumP, would act upon
our supply Of gold, 30 that the manifold
relations between gold and silver would be
changed, much 10 the prejudice Of the for
mer, and the value OF our metallic curren-
cy would consequently suffer. On the
other hand. a war would have;lhe counter
balancing advantage, by no means a small
one, OF checking the annual exodus OF
American tourists. and thus reducing the
withdraw of money from America to Eu-
rope to modern cipher. This yearly dis.
placement Of money by tourists the loves.
computation values at twenty, the highest
at more than fifty millions of dollars.
Heretofore the ready money brought 10
this country by immigrants has operated
ne n compensation but would immigration
itself be augmented or diminished by
war in Europe? The latter is the more
probable snpporiiIon. All things taken in
TO confederation, the United States have no
ape1ial interest III European nations TAX
ing each other by the ears. II is true that
an old adage says: "What is one mars
meat is another man's poison" but this
IL moi as true as IL il old. In the inti-
mate relations Of commerce that to-day
prevail among the cultivated peoples Of
both hemphispherea il conld mol be other
wise than that tile troubles ana enbarrsss.
menis oi one are made sensible In some
way or other on the rest. Peace In Europe
Is blessing TO mankind also In America