The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-04-06
A National Prosperity VS.. 0oldbug
Prosperity.

ing out of war is always attended with
a great revival of industry among the
people of the country which engages in
war, especially if the nation is wealthy
one and strong government.
The expensive war which England is
engaged in on the Beers of South Africa
has created an increased activity in bus
mess in that country. Our war with
Spain had a similar result, an increase in
business activity accompanying the prep
arations for war
The four years of the shareholders war
exerted remarkable influence on every
line of productive industry, which con-
tinued for several years after the war had
terminated and only ceased after large
portion of the money was destroyed or
taken out Of circulation, which was Great
ed for the emergencies brought on by the
war; Let us enquire into the cause of this
seeming paradox. War is the most de-
structive visitation which scourges the
human race, apparently. But amid its
devastating power the greatest periods of
prosperity often appear.
What the world terms prosperity is the
employment of labor in productive indus
try. This result is brought about in the
troubled periods, by immediate demand
for products of many kinds, and TO meet
this active demand labor is largely en-
ployed. Numbers of the hest young man.
hood are taken from the ranks Of peaceful
industry, which creates a demand for
labor equal to or beyond the supply
What this increased activity of labor pro-
duces is destroyed and consumed by the
armies in the field, which keeps the
markets bare
But large sums of money are necessary
to pay both laborers and the soldiers in
the field. There is not always, unless the
war is protracted, an increase in the cir
culating medium of the country, but
boarded and idle money is brought into
activity by an increase of taxation and
the government making loans by issuing
bonds. These latter are the methods re-
sorted to by the financiers of the
American-Spanish war and the British
war on the Beers. Thus we see that
placing money in active circulation and
activity in business accompany each
other. The destruction of the products
of labor stimulates and spurs on labor to
produce more wealth. Consumption is
only another term for destruction.
There is deep philosophy underlying
this apparent prosperity which is created
by the waste of war. Why could not the
same activity and prosperity among the
producing class be stimulated in periods
of peace by similar methods, shorn of the
horrors of war? There is no sufficient
reason can be given why such condition
Of active industry could not be promoted
when the country is in state Of profound
peace, by application of similar means;
which is by the employment of as large
numbers of the population in useful in
dustry instead of in the deadly wasteful
activity of war. The taxation and bor-
rowing by the government to obtain
money to pay its labor bills would result
in the creation of that which might be of
inestimable value to the public in future
and which would reimburse it for all the
outlay caused in its creation.
To confne our discussion of this eco
nonlic problem to our own country, what
useful work conld be accomplished with
the money which is being worse than
thrown into the Pacific ocean, One
hundred million dollars year it will foot
up, il not more, when all the bills are
paid. We have vast empire of arid
land, between the foothills of the Rocky
mountains and the Missouri river, as rich
in all the elements of plant food as ever
the sun shone on. All that is required
to make this desert bloom as the
rose is abundance of water. There
is abundance in the Rocky mount
aims to irrigate every foot ofthese dry
lands if it were utilized. There are thous-
ands of men in this country and compe-
tent engineers ready to jump at the job of
constructing reservoirs, aqueducts and
irrigating canals and executing all the
necessary labor to create the greatest
irrigating works in the world.
Such outlay of money, whether raised
by the war taxi or war loau,' which
the people submitted to so willingly,
would create source of future wealth for
the country that would pay back the out
lay hundredfold in the future years.
But there is not nearly enough money
in circulation to move such an added vol
une ofbnsiness, but the power rests in
Congress TO create enough money for
such an enterprise, as it created money to
conduct The wasteful war of the rebellion.
The silver that sleeps in the ore in those
mountains whose waters from millions of
springs run to waste. if utilized would
fructify trade and pay the bills of labor
which labor had created in forming new
sources of wealth out of barren desert.
But the power that created the greenback
Which carried successfully through one of
the most gigantic wars in history, could
supply the necessary legal tender paper
money, which would serve the American
people in all enterprises they might EN-
bark in far better than gold, the most
Elusive and treacherons kind of money