The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-28

| Porte admitted itself indebted to Russia in
the sum Of l,4l00O0.000 rubles about SIPS
! OOO00 as indemnify for the losses and ex-
penses of the war. The items in the ac-
| the south coast of Russia, her
| export commerce, industries and railways
| S5o,OWN9 for injuries caused by the iuva-
sion OF the Caucasus, and 100000 for |
injuries suffered by Russian sub |
! Jects and establishments in Turkey In |
consideration Of the financial embarrass-
ments Of the Ottoman empire. the Car
consented to accept in substitution for |
about-three fifths of the total sum The va
rious territorial cessious sanctioned by the |
treaty of Berlin. This left a balance of /
SD, 10000 due TO Russia by Turkey. and |
a part of II is still unpaid
The latest and most lenient war indem- |
nifty was that levied by the victorious Tur- |
Key on Greece last year. The sultan was |
Obliged by the great powers OF EuroT- to |
cut it down 10 $2000000O. which was MOI a |
fourth part of what il actually cost him |
our war for Independence lasted eight |
years, and its cost is officially recorded as |
$l3500,0O, using round figures. There were |
about $4,000 troops engaged i'm that war |
ono-third more than have been called out |
in the present conflict with Spain. IL fo,- |
| lows, that accepting Mr. Dingley's esti- |
mate OF $4,000 O0O a year as the cost of
| the present war, 1t is going to cost -four !
| times as much to fight Spain for one year |
| In 1898 as it cost to tight Great Britain for |
the eight years from lT75 60 1883 The war
| of 1872, which lasted two years and eight |
months. cost the United States a little |
over Sl07 100000, and to carry il on we put
| in the field 576 600 troops. nearly three times |
| as many as we have now under arms.
The Mexican war, which lasted two
| years and three months, cost the American
! people Sl00.0o0O00 and 112000 troops were
| engaged in IT,
The cost of our great civil conflict has
been put down at $3.50 500 800 but that es-
| innate includes all expenses growing out
| OF the war, wen as the actual cost
! of the military and naval operations.
| The direct outlay of the United States
| government in carrying on the war for
| four years was 50. 400. 900 000 and in the
| course of the struggle 2S59, 1872 Union
! troops We're engaged Il IL estimated that
| the number of troops actually engaged
| on the Union side averaged 2326.l6S for
| three years. Hence it appears that the
| direct cost of the war, counting it ON this
| three years basis, was about 81. 1856 coo, 600
| per year But Mr. Dngley has told us
| that it will cost $500 O00C coo to- keep 200. 600
men fighting Spain for one year. which
Is more than One-third as much as ii
cost the government to keep 2,326,0O0 men
fighting the Confederate states for the
same length of time
1t Is easy to understand why modern
warfare is so much more costly than the
old-fashioned kind, if We turn 60 a few of
! the ledulug bJeUS III tue ullllldfY ana
naval expenditure of our time The av-
erage cost of a first class battleship Is
100000. The cost of the never-to-be-for-
gotten Maine which was a battleship of
the second class, was $3.50 900. An arm
ored cruiser of the Brooklyn type costs
$1,000 900. An armored ram like the Kat
ahdin costs $l.000O)0. A double-turreted
monitor costs about 81 100000
A single. turreted monitor costs
| about 100000. protected cruiser
costs an the way from ST.,
100000 to S27000O); the Charleston cost
the former and the Columbia the latter
sum. An unprotected cruiser of the De-
troit type costs $780, 900 An unarmorod
gunboat like the Concord Is worth $4,000
A composite gunboat of the Newport
class costs $4,000. A dynamite gunboat
like the famous Nesuvius Is worth $3.50 coo
A torpedo boat of the Barragut pattern
costs 1925 900.
We have not lost any of our vessels in
the war with Spain. The Maine, destroy
ed in Havana harbor before the war be-
gan, Is the only item Of this kind that
will figure in the coming bill Of costs.
The Maine cost about s., 100000 to build.
A more serious item will be compensation
for the lives Of 2G6 American sailors that
were destroyed with her This may well
justify a claim of 100000 more to be
distributed among the surviving families
of the men who were thus treacherously
killed.
The high cost Of modern ordnance and
ammunition will also help swell SPANS
indemnity bill. A complete supply of ann
munition to fill once all the vessels sent
to sea against Spain costs about $f750 900.
one battleship's full supply of shot and
shell costs about $4,000. Every time one
of our monster 13-inch guns is fired the
charges costs 81 500; a great many Of these
charges are already included in our little
account against Spain. The smaller guns
are fired at a cost running all the way
from 500 up to 81, 600 for each charge. The
guns themselves are costly. too. The bill
for 100 high-power steel guns for seacoast
defense. built at Bethlehem, Pa, IS 50 500-
0O0-averaging $4,000 apiece.
Mr.. Dingley's estimate OF $500 100000 as
the cost of our war operations against
Spain for a year covers all these things,
and is probably a calculation well within
the actual expenditure. Even though
Spain sues for peace quickly, it is not pos
sible for our government 70 avoid large
portion of this estimated outlay. as the
troops have been called out. and contracts
Of all kinds have been made for many
months ahead.
The Indemnity demanded of Spain.
therefore, will probably be not less than
the cost of nine months Of war, based on
Mr. Dingley's estimate $375 100000 But,
then. there is the alternative Of territory.
Where the victorious nation has elected
to take large areas Of territory from the
conquered nation, it has usually been
counted as part Of the indemnity So
that If the ownership Of the Philippines,
| the IadrOnes Cuba, and Porto Rico,
passes from Spain to Uncle Sam, or to
the people of these islands under the pro-
lection Of the United States, that may be
allowed 70 cut down the amount of the IN
demnity very considerably
-~-o-e-
-sousa, the musician and composer Of
military marches, says he thinks the pres