Washington sentinel., 1900-03-10
millions Won War.

that war; II Waged successfully, IL
one OF the finest methods OF ma
tional money making it is possible
TO conceive, and this point OF view
is particularly interesting just now
when we hear so much about the
enormous expenditure in des-
patching an army to South Africa,
and the tremendous bill Of costs
the English are being let in for
through the fighting there. OF
course, when the campaign is lorg
and arduous, and the losing side is
in an impoverished condition, the
victors at the finish will find the
loss bigger chan the profit. In
most wars that have happened
during the last twenty or thirty
years, however, the victorious ma
tions have at the close been able to
regard their banking accounts with
a considerable degree of compla-
cency, and to agree with the re-
mark which statesmen make that
there are some things worse than
war.
How Americas balance sheet
in connection with the war with
Spain will come out is not pleas
ant to contemplate. The cam
paign has proved considerably
more harrassing and expensive
than expected, the wretched Flip
mos being, Of course, responsible.
But the war before this one in
which we took so much interest,
Turkey versus Greece, resulted
highly satisfactorily to the former
from financial point Of view.
Japan made an exceeding fine
thing out of her war with China,
which she managed so well. Japan
had only 10000 men engaged, and
the war cost her altogether the
comparative trifle Of S3o, ,ooo, 900.
China had to pay her afterwards
the nice little sum SI85, 900, 900,
leaving a clear profit OF SI55, ,ooo,-
600, which, reckoning the time the
war lasted, worked out to a profit
of $50 per Jap per week.
Sixty years ago, when England
was at loggerheads with China,
she made profit Of $40, 900 900 as
the result OF nearly three years
fighting. This was not such a
good haul as the Japanese had,
but, regarding war as a business
for the moment, it gave on this
occasion an excellent percentage
of profit, for her expenditure only
came to $4,000, 900. But a bal
ance in hand at the close is not
always certainty even for the
vIctors, for some years after this
England had to draw her sword
against China again, and while this
time she spent SIS, 900, 900 she only
demanded quar- er of that back
from the Celestials when they were
properly beaten, and has ever
since been wondering at her mag
nanimity.
Germany must be the admira-
ton OF 6nanciers for the way in
which she runs her wars, and the
little pile she makes out oi them.
Her famous war with France in
1870 is what Ministers OF Finance
dreamt about. This war cost her
roughly about Ss7s,ooo.ooo. The
Government voted $500, 900, 900 Of
this for expenses, and the pensions
she had to pay aiterward to her
disabled soldiers cost her Sa5o.-
900, 900. To these items has to
be added one Of Saso, o,ooo,o 900 for
the loss sustained by her million
soldiers being taken away from
their OCCUPATIONS.
On the other side we find France
paying up an indemnity at the fin
ish OF no less than 81 900, ,ooo, 900,
and even this hIge amount by no
means represents the total OF Ger
many's receipts. Alsace and Lor-
raine. which she captured from the
enemy, are valued at S3ao, 900, 900;
she took general goods home with
her to the value Of $50, 900, 900.
another IS, 900, 900 in railway car
riages and engines; and she got
SIso, 900, 900 worth Of food and
clothing for her army while in
France, giving the French trades
men acquisitions" or receipts
which were handed at the close of
the war to their own Government,
who paid up accordingly. Add to
all this the 500, ,ooo, 900 which Ger
many received as interest on the
indemnity before it was all paid,
and we get S1,sI8.ooo, 900 as her
war receipts. Subtracting her loss
OF S57s, ,ooo, 900, we find her with