Evening star., 1898-05-13
WHAT WAR MEANS.
The Actual Loss Since History Began
IL Beyond ALI Estimnte.
From Ieslie'a WeeLlx

IL Beyond ALI Estimnte.
From Leslie's Weekly
What has actually been lost to the wealth
Of the world in the blood and ashes of war
since authentic history began is beyond all
estimate. 1t has been computed that the
loss Of human life alone in that time from
war amounts to fourteen thousand million
souls-a number equivalent to the entire
population of the globe for the last '''3o
years. 1t should be noted here that the
class of men who are drafted or accepted Tor
military service are invariably the very class
who by reason of age, health and strehsth
are the NEST valuable to the world from
the purely economic and material stand
point. They the stalwart, intelligent,
capable men. In this country economists
have set the definite value of $1,000 upon
the average man considered as wealth.
producer Taking this figure as the gen
eral standard of the value of a man, 1t can
be seen what an inconceivable amount OF
wealth in the shape of men has been de-
stroyed on the battlefelds 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 to
show the absurdi.y of the supposition that
either now or at any other time we may
reap financial gain by the sickles of battle.
The annual expenditure of the United States
during the war of the revolution was go
G00,000 in specie. Most of this money was
raised by public loans in the form of paper
currency. The diminishing value of this
slender security inevitably brought about
the boarding of gold The consequent scar
city of real money. as matter of course,
was followed by suffering widespread and
intense.
Our second war with England lasted only
two years, but it cost us 81 1000 900 10 vindi-
cate our cause. just and righteous as 1t
was And this did not include the losses to
nlIr I~@ayp aviin fS h nfiL a.
teering, a less beyond computation, even in
those times of our comparative commercial
poverty.
For the folly of the Mexican war we had
to pay dearly in men and treasure, a loss
for which acquisition of territory did
not compensate. The lives of more than
1000 American citizens was a part of the
price paid for that display of power and
something more than 81, 900 600 for mill
taTy Disbursements was another part.
For the civil war the figures of loss all
around mount up to stupendouS totals. The
immediate financial lcsses were $500. 0O0,-
Vo to the north, and 5000. .00O, 900 to the
south. with such after results as a national
debt of $30oo.Wo,030. a crippled merchant
marine. a ruined agricultural community
besides the losses occasioned in other parts
of the world, including those consequent
upon the cotton famine of Lancashire and
the less of employment to more than 100 OOa
European iaborers. Such. at least, are the
losses computed by Leroy Beaulieu in his
Les buerIeS contemporaries, causing him
thus to close his chapter on our civil war;
such is war. It's nature Is so homicidaI
that 1t Stays thousands of victims even at
distance of thousands of miles from the
battlefield
Coming 10 things of the present moment
1t is proper to bear in mind the fact given
on lndubtahle authority. that according to
the nlans now arranged it will cost about
SI'"""Hs' a month to carry on our mill
tarV onerations. One NAV compute for him
sell what That of
longer. We have also in this expensa ar
count such items as these. That every ono
or ""r hi" defense guns costs from s1O0 OOo
10 S'th'oN for making and 81 900 and nm
ward for every shot fired An engagement
between two great modern battIeships will
rs. .os' apout s''Mhh an hour. And for every
ore or such ha'tleships destroyed an invest
ment of 5000 600 or more will he ur;naa
out Zen OF our war vessels now in service
represent a total expense to the nation of
S-,''"''t'. Ihls Is large amount of capI-
taI placed at great risk
1t NAV he admitted that the fret raer,+e
OF war lust now will be beneficial to manv
hneS OF trade and industry II will stirn,i
la'e some kinds of business as with q gal
Vahlc shock: 1t will give employment to
many unemployed: 1t will create new and
large demands for certain products and
mus u VIII seem for a time to justify the be-
heI that war pays. But experience to sav
roinlne or common sense. teaches us that
we cannot escape the operations of econom-
&c laws In these matters now anv more
than we have in the past The few will
Droht now. the many will lose later on
feter Will be robbed today but Paul will
i haEe MS pay tomorrow. We shall have
hnbble values again. and they will he heau
tliml TO look upon while they last but thew
VIII burst after little as bubbles always
40 history will repeat itself for us in new
addltlons to our pension rolls in Increased
lndebtedness, In demoralized Industries and
reduced valuations ~