Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-03-05

quisite for conflict with the United
States, the cost would be more than
double that of holding Cuba, and by
most conservative estimate, the total
of 1,OOO,O 100000 pesetas, or 5000, ,000,-
900, was made by one we'll fitted for
an intelligent view of the subject.
EXPENSES FOR SIX MONTHS.
Many interesting details are devel-
oped in the course of the estimate for
maintaining the war for six months.
For instance, the item of new guns for
the United States troops would be a
large element of cost during the first
stage of the war. At present, the
Krag -Jorgensen guns is being put into
use as fast as it can be manufactured.
But there are not more than $4,000 of
these guns available. There are some
100000 old Springfield rifles, but in
war with Spain-her men handling
one of the most deadly of modern
arms-the United States would hardly
expect to place Springfield rifles in
the hands of its soldiers. The new
rifles cost from $17 to $50, and to arm
2OO, 900 men, the cost of this one item
of rifles would be S4,O00,000.
The estimate included ration al
lowance of 10 cents day, which, for
100000 men for six months, would be
another s4,O00,OOO. Another detail in
reaching the total estimate for six
months was the cost of uniform, two
suits at So each being allowed. This,
for 100000 men, would be about
50, 100000. In the item of ammuni-
milton, the estimate contemplated 200
rounds for each in six months. Five
dollars would about cover the cost of
200 rounds, which for 100000 men,
would be about 81 100000.
With the modern use of machine
guns, every company of infantry would
doubtless have gun of this character.
They cost about 81, 1000 each, making
another item of about $4,000, 900.
These details of equipment are almost
infinite, and with force of 100000,
the cost in every instance runs into
the millions. Aside from the first
cost, there is the additional cost of
transporting vast supplies of food and
clothing, after it it once purchased.
WHERE WOULD WE GET MORE SHIPS?
The same scale of elaborate ex-
pense runs through all the branches of
naval equipment, limited, however, by
the fact that navy cannot be ex-
panded in weeks or months, as an
army can be formed. Although war
between the United States and Spain
would be essentially a marine strug-
gle, both of the parties would have
much difficulty at the outset in in
creasing the number of their ships.
From the moment war was declared,
every port in the world would be
closed against us in any effort to buy
ships. While free to buy of the Arm
strongs or any other foreign firms at
the present, these markets would be
closed to us the moment hostilities be-
gan.
Not only would foreign govern
ments, occupying the position of neu-
trails, be unable to aid us with ships,
but it would be impossible for US to
buy of private parties without making
the foreign government responsible,
according to the rigid ruling of the
Alabama award. The same restric-
tions would be placed upon Spain, and
only by forming alliances could the
navies of either country be materially
augmented at the outset. This, OF
necessity, would keep down the ele-
ment of naval cost, for, being unable
to buy boats, the countries would have
to do their fighting with such forces as
they had augmented by the merchant
marine.
The arming of merchant ships would
be a costly operation, for they would
be drawn from their regular service,
and the government would have to
pay literally for their use. At such
times "war profits" are expected and
exacted, and there would be no re-
course from it. And, aside from the
first cost 10 the government OF taking
these merchant ships from the coasting
trade, the trans Atlantic, the trans
Pacific, the West Indian and the South
American trade, there would be the
second cost of mounting guns and
giving them such armament as would.
fit them for war service.
The financing of the Civil war was
stupendous operation, as may be
Judged from the fact that today the
government is slowly paying off the
bonds foated at that time, and is
maintaining an issue of sS46, 100000
greenbacks issued on the faith of the
government, to tide over the demand
for funds.