The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-08-27
The Cost of War.

\ dispatch from Washington in
forms us that up to this time slOu. oOO.-
600 has been paid out for war expenses.
This includes the money paid for ships
and other naval supplies. and for mill
tafy expenses of every sort. OF
course. this does not indicate the total
cost of the war. for doubtless there.
a. many UGpaid bills and consider
anlr more moncy must Yet be spent
before We return TO d ss.rmanent peace
| basis. But even all@aving the most
I liberal estimates for unsettled ar-
counts. IL becomes pasrnt that the war
expenses have been Insignificant when
compared 10 the results achieyed- On
| the presumption thai Cuba will even
tualiv come to uS, ftrnay truthfully be
said TINT the value ,sf this island alone
eNc'--i- the total 0f our war eXpeni.-
| lures
Wa always il expensive. Sino.
! the Declaration of isdepence the Amer
lean EeOple have spent $S.WE. .'kN.@st
and ROst more than 3.OW.UH men ifl
the Gars in which they have engaged
| The Revolution cost SI:s5. I93.Hu. The
war Of 1872 requirei an expenditure of
1900. 900. The Mexican var can
sumrd $1O9. WNU. 0tSL On both sides the
civil war cost s. I'M. .OCD. 900. of which
the North expended $1,000. .WE utN and
| the. Confederacy s., 400. .0m.U Add
"a all of this the expenses incurred in
our Indian wars and the total reaches
abuve the eight billion mark. No war
of modern history cost so much a. our
civil war. In th- Franc0-PruseIan
war both nations expended about
81 IWp. .OOU.0U The Russo-Turkieh
war cost but Sl25. .OUO. 900, and the wal'
between Prussia and Austria shows Il
total for both countries of about 800,
0oO. .tsn. The Chioa-Japanese way
cost the pair about S2o0. 900. 600.
II l. estimated by an authority that
since the beginning of European and
ASiati. history war has rlii imed BOO
OUO. 0GO victims. The loss of life in
Eurup. alone has averaged about
II. .OOO.0nO souls each century. The
European wars in the first half OF this
century slew 2.5OO.O0O men at Il cost Of
ST. Is, 900. 900. Since 1870 no less than
1000. 900 men perished on the battle
field and The cost was as much or more.
Commenting on the number of men
killed in the wars of the world a num-
bcr 80 great that it almost overmast
ers the pow@, of mental assimilation
"a recent writer said: If every man,
woman and child now living on this
planet were ma sscd together ON Il vast
plain. and ny their sides Were ranged
all the dead who have perisEed in war.
the two forces would nearly &c ual each
other If every human being now on
the earth were struck down tomorrow
by some dreadful plague the loss
would be no more than that which the
weapons of the soldier have accom-
plished in the past.
With such figures As these in mind
the casualties and expenses Of our war
with Spain seem small indeed. No
authoritative figures have Yet been
given of the death losses, but on the
American side they cannot have eX-
ceeded 600 men. while the Spanish !
losses must be less than 1000 And |
yet no war of the century has seen
such complete and overwhelming vic
tories as those which We're gained on
the American side of the late conflict.
And it may truly be said. too, that no !
other war has been more pregnant of |
great results. or left more impOr-
tant influence upon the world : people.