St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-15
that stupendous line, which would be

that stupendous line, which would be
| 720 miles long.
| The budget estimates of the leading
countries for the present fiscal year
! afford to the reflective mind some start.
| ling facts ana figures concerning the
| cost of these great armies and the great
| waste and loss they entail upon the tax
| burdened people. Taking the estimates
| for Europe and the United States,
i 81. 900. 900. 900. in round numbers,
! is required for army and navy
purposes for the fiscal year ending
| July l. 1894. This is exclusive of the
! debts incurred chiefly through wars and
! on pensions the direct result of war. 1t
| is within bounds to say that $1,000. O00,-
| 600 annually will maintain all the char
liable institutions, the churches and the
| schools of the world, and leave over a
great sum for the relief of want and
suffering.
Yet this billion Of dollars expendi-
ture yearly for anticipation of war is
but one item in the totality of cost.
Four and One-half millions of men,
chiefly young and at their best in phys
lcal strength aud endurance. are kept
in idleness year after year. If the
sword might be turned into plOw-
share and this vast army of soldiers and
sailors be converted into farm hands
they could cultiyate-allowing but forty
acres to each-an area as large as the
combined acres of Maine. Maryland. Mas
SachuSettS, Delaware, New Hampshire,
New Jersey. Vermont. New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Vir-
GINA, if every foot in every state were
solid, arabic ground. If all this land
were sown to wheat it would produce
2,700, 0O0,0 bushels, Or upwards of four
times more than was ever raised in the
entire United States in any single year.
Or. il they raised corn they could expect
a crop of 4,500. 100000 bushels. Or more
than double the largest crop ever grown
in the United States.
But the soldiers and sailors Of the
armies and navieS of Europe are
wretchedly paid, or the expense Of
maintenance would be much greater.
In the United States, where there is an
army of $1,000 men. the war department
requires i'll round numbers $4,000, 900,
while France, with an army of 598.000
demands but s114,0O0,000. The same
per capita as that of the United States
would swell the sum to $1,000, 0oO,-
900, or one-fourth more than is
armies OF Europe and this country.
The young HEN of the continent of Eu-
rope are snatched from college aud
shop and field, and two. three or more
years of hard service is eXacted, each
one receiving as alleged compensation
scarcely more than coarse food and
clothing. Not only are they ROBBED OF
their time, when ii is most precious in
its results OH their future life, but they
must also serve without money the
hardest of taSkmasters, as recent inves-
LEGATIONS into army life in SaxOny and
other countries demonstrate.
Considering this question Of the cost
of the luxury termed an army and
navy i. is only fair to assume that If
these soldiers and sailors were engaged
in peaceful pursuits they would earn
each $40 per month. This would give
a total OF S54O, 100000 annually, which,
with the cast OF maintenance OF the
army and navy and the interest charge
on war debt aud war pensions.
81, 200, 900, 900, shows total annual
expense Of s1,74O.00O.O0 With