The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-01-31
THE COST OF WAR.

The proposition 20 have a permanent
tribunal OF arbitration for al English
speaking nations has some very attractive
features. Il might no. be necessary %
have q permanent board. II Is sufficient
to Atm the principle and establish
friendly understanding This would be In
kssof1g with the destiny OF the Anglo
saxo1 race. and result IN a union which
shoaid almost keep the world ar peace
In recent number OF the Contemporary
Review. It was predicted that BY the year
1870. an approximate time. the world would
b dominated by two great races. one be-
Ing the Anglo-Saxon. represented by the
United States, Great Britain and the col
onles, and the other being the Slav or Rus
sian
The enormous cost OF the standing arm
les and the ever-increasing burden OF
t!onaI cebt due to wars and the mainten-
ance OF armament must become a very
serious problem before long. Scarcely
single nation Ia appreciably reducing its
indebtedness: every outburst of national
rancor serves TO increase IL. Where Is IL
TO end7 The day must come when the
liquidation shall begin, with the terrible
alternative OF reputation and bankruptcy.
The army OF the United States Is less
than $500. but in addition there is the
state militia, which affords about 114.00o
exclusive OF naval reserves. The total
number OF mer in this country Liable TO
military duty is given by the war Depart
ment as l0.ls0.04s.
Germany has war strength OF 100 900;
Russia. 5.Oeo.ooo: France. 10000: Italy,
100000: Austria, 10000, while England
has only Gs2.0oo. or 80 per cent. less than
Turkey. But even In peace their standing
armies form al enormous tax upon the
people. The peace establishment OF Russia
is So. $50; that OF Germany sos, 100; France,
80. 7J9: Austria, "a. is5; Italy, 273 a62: Tur-
key. 1890: England. I50.362. exclusive OF
the indian army. AL the minor states
keep up a standing army Of from l4l,Si3 in
Spain down 10 25.422 In Greece. Even neu-
tral Switzerland keeps e standing army Of
l3l.424.
Besides this are the vast navies OF the
world. 1t is less easy to demonstrate In a
brief article the strength OF naval ar1na-
ment, some rstlons being so much further
advanced than others. and the variety OF
warships being so great. bat the number of
guns VIII AFFORD some idea ca the relative
strength and the extent Of the burden i'm
posed upon the people. Great Britain has
in her navy e.4os guns; France. 6.23O; Rus
STA, 1850; Italy. 1887; United States. I.255;
Germany. i.0o9; Spain. 335; Austria. sos:
Turkey. GIG; Netherlands. $50. The number
OF men on the active list is. in the United
400; England, e.s0s: Russia, 42,ss4: Ger
many. 1884: Italy. z2.sls; ard SO on.
These enormous sink-holes Of expense.
with no value whatever from an Industrial
standpoint. are kept perpetuslly open be-
cause OF the menac. OF war. although the
Indebtedness OF nations amounts to 81. 1885,
o5s3sa. The United states owes 81. oo0. Co.,
600: France, si.4is. 7s3. Ses. besides annuities
amounting to another $. aoo. 900 600; Great
Britain, s. $50. 7i9 5sS: Russia. So 4sl 0ls ora.
Austria Hungary, s.. s6s, SSs. $50. italy, 81
81, So. s2s
Tho United States IS In q very solvent
condition, compared 10 other countries, but
a war OF any kind would soon swell the
total OF debt. The per capita OF debt IL
this country is only s11; in Great Britain
It Is sS7.7s: France. slls.s5; in the German
empire it ranges up to sol; Russia. sSo.l9;
Italy. s76.06.
While, therefore. this country has less
reason than most others 10 dread the cost
OF war. the warning afforded by them
should not go unheeded. There are other,
perhaps higher. reasons for advocating ar
b!trauon. but these viii commend them
selves to attention.