The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-07-10
The War System.
BY ROWLAND B. HOWARD

But in contrast With nearly all tna'
has been said thus far as to the
grounds and manifestation of interna
tional sympathy, one institution re
mains, which, while often denounced
as "a relic of barbarism" land declar
ed by Napoleon I. to be "the business
of barbarians"), the heir of brutal
forces which have ever since Cain, eX
pressed the hatreds of mankind-nev
er was so mighty or so perfect as to-
day. The nations of Christendom are
it's sponsors, it's patrons, and its vic
tins. It commands the genius of in
ventors, the blood of heroes, the purses
of millionaires, the songs of poets, the
elouuence of orators, the labor of histo
rians. 1t devours the fruits of indus
try, deprives millions of the right tC
labor, bestrides the world ut times like
q colossus, and then goes crashing and
crushing like 4 veritable juggcrnaut
among all things sweet, beautiful
grand or good.
1t was in the cemetery at Gettys'
burg, July 9, 1863. standing between
graves, with eyes on the dead and dy'
lug and ears full of groans and curses
around me the splitting of minnie bull
lets and the scream of hustling shells
witnessing there the hot crisis of the
best of all wars, that the inquiry was
started in my own mind; "Is there
not q more excellent way for Chris.
tians to settle their differences "
Since then, the BosphOrus has been
tinged with human blood. Since then
the fairest borders and loveliest cities
of France have been desolated. Since
then, Notwithstanding John Bright's
protests, England has conquered
Egypt and moistened the sands of the
Soudan desert with Arab blood.
In twenty-five years the cost of ma
tional armaments has increased by
one-fourth. A single iron-clad of the
| first class costs rs much as q univerSl.
| ty; n single discharge of the greatest
gun $1,000. 1t is soberly proposed tc
leXpend S10,000,000 Immediately for the
defence of Boston and S5,0O0,000 ,O0(
for that of the entire country.
If war is our method and resource
Especially rs against England the sums
arc confessedly too small and mean tC
be seriously considered. United Italy
starvcs her peasantry and bankrupts
her treasury. France tries to pay fol
her last war and shudderingly levies
taxes for another, Great Britain covers
the seas with iron-clads and threatens
conscription to fill her armies. Hel
government has been advised that at
least $500, 100000 is needed for hel
fleet. Germany drives away her best
blood and sinew by taxation and con-
scription. Russia puts her scrfs into
the worse slavery of her camps and
banishcs her brightest subjects to Sibe'
rian, mines and prisons. America
looks on, and by certain of her so call
ed "organs of public opinion" cries ont
for similar arnlaments, similar taxation
and similar power to threaten war
Her proposed forts will need Il stand
ing army of 100000.
1t is at this point, with the words OF
George Washington ringing i'll oul
ears us we celebrate his inauguration
viz. "Overgrown military establish
ments are inauspicious TO liberty and
especially SO to republican liberty u
that | wish to point out better way
I ask America to show the great na
tions among whom she is the acknowl
edged peer that her sympathics are
still with the weak, the oppressed, the
ovcrburrlencd, even though they bt
crushed under the iron heel of militia
ryism.