The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-24
Kansas CITY Times.

Dispatches come daily from the peace
congress-and how many Americans read
them? In spite OF Mr.. McKinley's amb-
tions, our people do not feel the trepida-
ton as to the possibility of war that
keeps the European always on the feather
edge. The comparative isolation of The
republic during its first century aud the
policy of strict attention to our own bust
ness and to nobody elses has ored In our
people a feeling of security and confidence
for the future that is found nowhere else
on earth.
But all this is 70 be otherwise now, II
Mr. Mckinley and Mr. Hanna aud their
friends shall have their way. Your Uncle
Samuel is to go marching about the Dom
nybrook fair of diplomacy, trailing his
starry coat on the ground and spelling for
row. When we hear of wars and rumors
of wars in place OF complacently figuring
up our stock of breadstutfs and clothing
and getting ready for a rush at our ma
tional counters, we will take the alarm
with our neighbors CT beyond sea, close
cur shop, put up our shutters and get
down our shooting irons and prepare to
kill or he killed. And more and more all
the time we shall realize that war is what
General Sherman said it was.
We have in point of fact far more in
terest in this peace congress ;he ear has
gotten together than most of us have
thought at first. All the world is inter-
ested, for war has been the greatest curse
OF the nations since history began. In
its train the other evils, pestilonae, fam
Inc and license, have trooped IN erisly
bands. They are but hyenas, these hor-
rors, that follow the lion of war
And war is doubly terrible when hmert-
cans wage it. History in all its records of
5000 years shows no battles 10 match, or
to approach the bloody conflict between
our North and South. There have been
butcheries in the past. but four years Of
such butcheries as marked the terrible
period from 81 to SO the world haS known
but once and that was here in the land
of the free.
And it is not In lives alone that our war
ring is eXtravagant. Nowhere else on
earth are wars waged with such bsgsar-
ing prodigality, Our teeming wealth has
stood the strain in the past--but then we
fought but once in a generation. Take the
hgures from the records The t7rimean
war cost N,IJ0, 900. 600 rAe Franco Prus-
sian war S2,538 100000. The Russo Turk
lsh war Of 1876 81 200. 600. The Austria
Prussian war $3.50, 100000. The Italian war
ol zoos S-oo'VOOOOo These five great Eu-
-" '"'' lN6NAutT SptUuV, UUU, 900.
And our civil war alone cost us 81 400
100000 in cash and 81 600 900, 900 in de-
stroyed property-as much as the ave Eu-
ropean wars together. This is saving
nothing at all of our pensions, our 1a3 "a
pensioners, with their $3.50, 600 900 a year
In pensions alone We pay the cost OF a
standing army Of the highest class. Ger
manys total war budget for 1895 was hut
Sl4-'VVO'OuO Since :he close OF the war
between the States we have laid M,
$500 S'1S76S In these pensions half
Ssaih the money cost of the actual strife
no nation, no three nations. in Eurona
have srent as much rs we on war and is
consequences since 1861. And yet we have
Deeh pilding ourselves that we are ma
enter into the strifes and contentto,s ~
EUROPE. what are we to expect? our in
calculated. Ho' Us