Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1898-09-07
. wHAT A WAR MEANS.
Loss 20 the Wealth of ths world In
the Hood ana Ashes OF Battle.


What mas aclueiiy bs@n io-i to The
wealth OF the world IN che blood and
ashes OF the war since authentic his
tory began Is beyond al estimate Il
has been computed that the loss Of hn-
man life alone in that time from war
amounts 10 fourteen thousand million
souls-a humber equivalent to the en-
tire population OF the globe for the last
800 years. says a writer in Leslie's
Weekly. II should be noted here that
the class Of men who arc drafted or ac-
cepted for military service are inyar-
iably the very clasB who. by reason OF
age. health and strength, are the most
valuable 10 the world from the purely
economic and material standpoint.
They are the stalwart. intelligent. ca
Dable men. In this country economists
have set the definite value Of 5000 up
on the average man. considered as
wealth producer Taking this figure
as the general standard OF the value ~
man. Il can be seen what an inconeelv-
able amount OF wealth In the shape OF
men has been destroyed on the battle
fields Of the world since time began.
The war losses OF the United States
have not been as great. comparatively.
as those Of other civilized nations In
recent times. but even the totals here
are sufficient 20 show the absurdiiy OF
the superstition that either now or at
any other time we may reap financial
gain by the sickles OF battle. The an
nual expenditure Of the United States
during the war OF the revolution was
10000. 900 In specie Most Of the
money was raised by public loans In
the form Of paper currency. The dlmln-
ishing value OF this slender security in
evltably brought about the boarding OF
gold. The consequent scarcity Of real
money. as a matter OF course. was fol-
lowed by suffering widespread and in
tense
Our second war with England lasted
only two years. but Il cost us t72. 600. 900
oyindlcateour cause. Just and righteous
as Il was. And THE did not include the
losses 10 our merchant marine from
English priateering. a loss beyond
computation. even IN those times OF
our comparative commercial poverty.
For the folly Of the Mexican war we
had 20 pay dearly In men and treasure.
loss FOR which our acquisition Of ter
ritory did not compensate. The lives
Of more than 5000 American citizens
aeFe a part Of the price We paid for
that display Of power. and something
more than $4,000 600 for military dis
bursements was another part.
For the civil war the figures Of loss
all around mount up 10 stupendous
totals The Immediate financial losses
were 81. 500. 600 900 70 the north and So
300 600 900 10 the south. with such after
results as a national debt OF 1900. 0OO.-
OOO a crippled merchant marine. a
ruined agricultural community. besides
the losses occasloned In other parts ofthe
world. including those consequent up
on the cotton famine OF Lancashire,
and the loss Of employment 20 more
than 100 900 European iaborers. Such.
al least. are the losses computed by
Leroy Beaulleu In his Les Queries
Contemporaries. causing him thus 10
close his chapter on our civil war:
such Is war. lis nature Is 30 homi-
cidal that Il Stays thousands OF victims
even al distance Of thousands Of
miles from the battlefield"