Evening journal., 1901-04-30
NEWSPAPER OPINION
The Profits in War
From the provIdence journal.

{ From the Providence Journal.
Does war pay 'pecuniarily? This old
Question is again brought to notice by
the statement of a writer in the Sat
urday Evening Post, who SAYS that al
ways and everywhere war is a bad fl
nancial investment. and cites the South
African case to prove his assertion.
His statement is not true, and the ex-
ample he depends upon is especially
unfortunate for his purpose. The mere
TACT that the entire present worth OF
the two South African so-called repub-
lies, gold mines and all, is but two
hundred and fifty millions dollars, while
| Great Britain has already spent six
/ hundred millions in her efforts to ac-
quire them, and will doubtless have to
spend many millions more, by no
means necessarily means that the Brit
ish have engaged in a losing business
in this matter.
A very few years hence the real
value Of the African territory obtained
by the war will probably be expressed
in billions instead of millions. Great
Britain is trying to build up in Africa
great empire like that which she has
In India. These republics divided her
previous possessions in that part of
the world in way that hindered the
progress and development she was bent
upon ensurng for the benefit of her
self and civilization in general In
the final event. the annexation OF that
land will be worth to the race MANY
times what the war cost. The truth
was well put by a recent writer in the
Fortnightly Review, who said: Eng
land has 10 other colonial possession
which promises so much for her as
Africa. She can build there a great
white mans civilization, such as she
could not lave in India. Australia or
any other region, and therefore the
value OF the Boer conquest is to her
almost inestimable."
So much for that particular case
Win equal certainty it may be said
that almost all wars have been pecun-I
arily profitable. History warrants che
statements; abundant examples with
Whleh we are all familiar go to prove
IL. The FrancO-Prussian war richly
l2id bcah CT the nations engaged in it,
Vormany obtained a rich piece OF ter
ritoiy and the full payment OF all her
war expenses. France was newly vital
izcd by the experience and launched
upon an era of prosperity such as she
had not enjoyed since the davs of the
hrst Napoleon Spain is now going
through something of the same exper-
lence as the consequence of her war
with the United States. She has lost
territory, to be sure, but she has been
awakened from dream of foreign do
minion that had enthralled her for gem
erations and has already begun to de-
Velop her internal recources with un-
precedented vigor. Twenty years from
row she will doubtless be far better off
than she was before the war or than
she would have been but for the war.
Inc gain to Cuba, Porto Rico and the
philippines is of course obvious; while
the accruing advantage to the United
states Is too large to be even guessed
at
Even when neither party to a war
acquires any new territory there is
often. and even usually, a pecuniary
gain to both in consequence Of the
conflict. This was notably true of our
civil war the most expensive war of
modern times. No other war of the
nineteenth century cost so much I'm
Dlocd and treasure, and territoriallv
the result was to leave nothing chang
cd. Yet everybody knows that that
war stimulated and began. for both
sections OF our country, a period of
material progress and advance in
wealth that was never equalled by any
country on the globe. Fearful as the
struggle was, great as was the loss for
time in blood and treasure. the civil
war was a richly paying investment
measured in dollars and cents forI
North and South alike. Indeed. the
party to that war that suffered the
most and seemed to be losing the most
was the party that really gained the
most in the final event
The same would be found trua nv n
comprehensive review Of almost any cfI
the wars of history and the conse-
quences This, of course, is not Fay-
ing that war is so profitable an invest
ment on general principles that il
would be wise for nations TO engage in
one whenever they can find or invent
an excuse. But Il does amount to say
Ing that when a real necessity for re-
sort to arms arises no nation need hesi-
tate to accept the gauntlet because Of
fear OF costs and losses. War has been
one Of the greatest agencies-not the
best agency, it is true. but a very real
and effective agency-for the uplifting
of the human race and the advance
ment Of civilization. Il. as well as
peace, works for good, as a rule. The
Psalmist spoke not idly when he said:
surely the wrath OF the man shall
praise Thee"