The age-herald., 1898-08-27
THE COST OF CONDUCTING WAR
From the New York Herald.


 problem, with 8 two-fold import in money and life, it's twin powers. Tradition and history consists almost entirely of wars, battles and slaughter, for as far back as we can peer into the mists of antiquity we find that man has been killing and being killed, and the death roll of this incessant struggle confounds the reason and over- powers the imagination by its immensitY Commencing with the Trojan war, tho first chapter of European and Asiatic hisA tory, it Is estimated that "giorious war'' has claimed as his need 100000 human beings every century. The estimated waste of human life in Europe alone averages between 1900 900 and 20.0o0.OOO souls a cen- tury. Three thousand years may have elapsed since the battle ragged around the walls of Troy, and in that time probably the almost inconceivable number of 1,2OO,- 900 900 men have pershed in order to enforce sundry systems of politics. to decide the ownership of some few square miles of land, or to avenge the wounded pride of a ruler or of a ruling estate.
 If every man, woman and child now living on the planet were massed together on vast plain, and by their sides were ar- ranged all the dead who perished in war, the two forces would nearly equal one an- other If every human being on earth were struck down tomorrow by some dreadful plague the loss would be no more than that which the weapons of the soldier have ac- complished in the past
 In the wars of the last century no less than twenty million were killed, and at least as many women and children bereaved and of ho half of this century slew twenty-five hun- dred thousand men, at cost of $6S5o001,Voo. The great exhibition of 1851 was supposed to mark the commencement of the era Of peace and progress. It was seriously ex- pected that when men had once been pre- vailed upon to meet in friendly and peace- full rivalry they would no longer draw the sword against each other.
 But the exhibition, instead of marking the beginning of the reign of peace, may more truly be said to have marked It's close The Crimean war broke out ere the exhibition had ceased to be talked about, and the Indian mutiny quickly followed Then came the Chinese war, the Franco- Italian, the American civil. the Austro- Prussian the Franco-German. the Russo- Turkish wars. together with innumerapie minor campaigns, little in comparison, out oreat in slaughter of life and loss of treas- ure:
 Since 1850 no less than 3.000,000 men have perished in war. The American civil war stands foremost, not only by reason OF brother fihting brother but by the slaugh- ter of 800 GOO men. The war cost S3,70j,U0J- 000-a sum suffic icient to have purchased the freedom of all the slaves. Added to these items must be added the sorrow Of be- reayed relatives and the paralysis of com- merce. Great as was tho victory of free- dom the war achieved. it cannot be gain- said that the cost was terrible.
 The Crimean war cost Great Britain s35O 900. .OO0 of money, while Russia and France spent S1, ,15O ,00O,000 to say nothing or the 800 900 slain. The Franco-Germann war cost France not taking into account the war indemnity to Germany and the loss or Alsace-Lorraine, $S50. .000.000 for the seven months. Russia's victory over Turkey Tn 1S77-7S cost her $950, 900. In the last sew enty years Russia has spent $l,6io,o0JoVu and lost 700 900 lives in war. The struggle with China and Japan cost 211 100000 yen.
 But the only effect that the slaughter Of life and the cost of war in the past has had upon states has been to make them 1n- crease their armies and spend still more in preparing for war. In Europe to-day there are 425O00O men studying and preparing for war while an additional 12OOO0OO men would be called out on the declaration or war, with a reserve force of 1S,0OooOo men to fall back upon. Incredible though 1t may seem. in the event of a universal call to arms, 40, 900 900 men would be placed In the field.
 The great powers of Europe alone spend s2OO ,O0O, ,OOO year in maintaining their fight ing forces In the last six years the war budgets of Europe have increased 20 per cent. The national debts of Europe amounting to over s25 900 900 ,00O have been contracted almost entirely to defray the cost of war. England is not eKtravagant compared with other powers in military matters, but one-third of the national rev" enue is spent in preparing for war. oneH third in paying for past wars and only one third in actually governing the country.
 In 1869 the European peace armies num- bered 220O,0O0 men; to-day they number 41OO. 900. In 1869 Europe spent Si17.0000OO on her armies and navies; to-day she spends nearly $240,000,000.
 Never Qn the history of civilization were there more men under arms, and never was there a more general and genuine shrinking from the idea Of war So multi piled and matured have become the means of destruction. SO great are the risks that will be involved and so unmanageabie are the operations which the vastness of the armies now swollen beyond all magnitude. will impose upon their generals. that sov- ereigns and statesmen responsible for war may well hesitate before bringing about an explosion. No statesman wishes for war, yet all are increasing their prepara- tions for war And probably the best guar antee for peace is the preparedness for war. But the present state of things cam not last forever.
 War is a great, but may be a necessary, evil To liherate the Soudan from the cruel, bloody rule Of the Mahdi is only pos- sible by means of the bayonet; Cuba can only be freed from Spanish misrue by force.
 The world is in a state of armed peace, and things aust be worse before they can be better No nation will propose volun- tary disarmament, and until all the nations agree to disband their armies and navies the present state of things must inevitably continue And the millenium-that time when nation shall no longer lift up sword against nation; when the lion shall lie down with the iamb-should it ever arrive,