The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1898-07-15
t,,,
TIE COST OF w.p

Baltimore sun.
Inc administration expects I'm
10 last u year, aud tocost not les
o,Ooo'ooo This suggests soma
ter csting reflections On tbe
greater costlincss OF modern wa'
compared with that OF former II.
The war for independence l,''
eight years, and its cost is urlci.e'
recorded lis sl35, 900, 900, usipy
figures. There were about a,o u y.
troops engaged in that w~ar-one,r,
as many more as have been 81 ~
called out IN the present conflict win
Spain. 1t follows, that, accen,,.'
Mr.. Dingley's estimates, it is soing
cost four times as much to tight Sp,''
for n year in 1898 as it cost ia sah.
Great Britain for tho eight years m"
ITS to 1903.
The wal of 1912, which lasted in.
years and eight months. cost ,'
United States a little over s,m
Ooo,OOo, and to carry it on We mn
the field $4,000 troops, nearly Tina.
times as many as we have now und,,
arms. The Mexican war, which l,S,d
two years and three months. cost n,
American people 500, 0O0, 900, and 10
coo troops were engaged in it. II III,
number of troops who carried orr IA,
VIGOROUSLY TO the Capital of Mexi~
had been doubled, they would lac
about equalcd the number of the army
now IN the field against Spain, and Tia
the cost OF their two years and thrm
months OF operations would have been
about 5000, 600, 900. From which il hi
a plain deduction that, with the sa,m
number of men under arms, a year d
war ia the 1898 style is about aa
times as expensive as was a year Of
wal or the lS46 style.
No fair comparison can be made he.
tween the cost Of Il civil war and A
foreign war. In the nature Of lhs
case il civil wal is far more destruc.
i've of property and values, and, BY
reason Of its menace to the very ey.
istence OF the nation. far more expen.
J sive, because when a nations life Is at
stake it's credit is at the lowest point,
and money can be raised only on the
most cXacting terms. The cost Of Ur
great civil conflict has been put down
at So, 1S9, 929, 800, but that estimate In
cludes all expenses growing out OF The
. war, as well as thc actual cost OF the
military operations. The direct out.
!. lay Of the United States government
: in carrying on the war for four years
: vas S. ,400, 900, 600, and in the courS
I of the struggle 2,s59,l32 Union troOp
4 were engaged. 1t is estimated thai
2 the number OF troops actually engag
cd on the Union side averaged 1895,
J l63 for three years. Hence, it appear
I that the direct cost Of the war, count
2 ing it on on this-years' basis, was abOu
81. 466, 000, 600 per year. But Mr.. Ding
ley tells us it is going to cost 100000
600 to keep 200, 900 men fighting Spai
. for one year, which is more than ON
Z tt I'd as much as it cost the govern
. ment to keep 2.326,00 men iightin
\ the Confederate States for the sam
= length of time.
= These comparisons serve to shO
I. that in wal as in peace, we are dom
things on "A far more expensive seal
4 than we did IL generation ago. II I'll
X cost Of war increases at the same
q ito for the next thirty years that
= has for the thirty years past, it vi
require the expenditure OF at leas
\. 81, 006, 100000 a year, which is equiv
r lent to nearly 50 .000, 600 a day, to ket
q 200. 600 American men fighting on Ian
= and sea in the year 1923. Supposed
q number OF men engaged to he LOU
900, which would surely happen IL
4 went to war with a tlrSt-class powt
8 and the cost Of war a generaIN
q hence will be SIS. COO, 600 "A day. I'm
= will be 1925, 600 an hour, or over vi
. 900 for every minute the war lastS'
\. may at last come about that war "
= disappear because it will cease 10
q possible sat popular prices"