The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-05-09

"OUR BLOODf WOHh IN SOOlH AhlCA.
1--WE are not all mad with the war fever. Some
OF us are still sane We see through the mist Of
lies and know that there is murder being perpe-
trated.
''when passing along the streets, read the
flaming newspaper posters Brilliant Work,
Splendid Cavalry Charge Beers Cut to Pieces,
and the like headlines; we men hurting mis-
sles of concentrated destructveness at their fell
low men or rushing at each other thrusting their
cold steel into their fellows quivering, sensitive
bodies we see them falling, lying the ground,
to be trampled undcrfoot bleeding to DEATH
do not any glory. 1t matters nothing to
us whether the killed and the wounded British
soldiers Beers; they are our brothers. Talk OF
'Boer treacheryl' On both sides the is trea
son against humanity. 1t is all unmitigated saw
agery and diabolism, the work OF darkness and
deluson. There may be little more or little
less military etiquette this side or on that, but
etiquette does not disguise the sayagery TO any
one that remains sane. When missile from one
of our naval guns comes crashing along. it does
not stand ceremonies. 1t kills everybody with
in reach. That is war.-From Brotherhood. Lon
don, December, 1899.
"War is the argument of the savage,
not of the civilized man. 1t Is the re-
sort of brute force because one side or
the other or both have not enough
Christianity in them TO be willing TO
find brotherly ways and means out Of
q difficulty other than physical force.
which is contrary to Gods higher law
and always results in enormous loss
and misery.
"a glance at the cost of war will
give us some idea of the awful waste
of life and property which this un-
Christian method of settling human
disputes entails.
"Take the cost Of a war vessel like
the Oregon, $3,791.777. and that is only
n small item to begin with, for the cost
of equipment, ammunition. pay for its
officers and crew, cost Of moving 1T or
even Of letting it lie idle in any port, is
something enormous. The coal bill of
Admiral Dewey for one month two
years ago was $S1,S12y During our
brief war with Spain in Cuba we spent
$17,74S.3S5 for additional vessels to use
as transports, ferryboats supply ships,
etc. A single gun with its mount costs
as high as $4,000. and it costs $500 to
fire ii each time. The total expenses
ofs the Spanish war in Cuba for the
United States are difficult to estimate,
but for every day of that war the gov
eminent paid out $S60.000 If we add
to that the destruction Of public and
private property, it would be safe to
say that for every "A hours during the
war in Cuba over 100000 was practi-
cally consumed. And, in addition, for
several weeks after the war actually
closed this same expenditure went on,
owing to the expenses which the war
involved, for sustenance of troops. etc..
which continued just the same as IL
war were in progress.
'The entire amount of money paid
out by the United States during March,
April, May, June, July and August of
1898 was $9S,000.000. All this money.
remember, was expended to destroy
life and property. No matter what the
cause of a war may be, whether it is
for freedom or rights or anything else,
the expense is the same. And that Is
all we are discussing now. A cannon
fired in defense of ones country kills
and destroys just the same as one
fired in conquest Of tyranny. 1t is the
awful waste Of property that war
brings that makes 1t such a fearful
way Of settling human quarrels. The
wars Of the world have drained 1t Of
vast resources and left a legacy of
pauperism and bankruptcy and suffer
ing that ages cannot make good. Ma
poleon's wars cost Europe over $780,
100000 and 100000 lives. The Crt
mean war of only two years cost ST..
100000 bodies laid side by side would
extend IL an unbroken line from here
to Chicago. The Franco-German war
cost third Of the entire French army
In killed and disabled, over 100000
lives, and an expense Of $1,000. O00,O 600
"Our civil war. beginning in 1860,
cost us $2,500,000 a day for five years
1t cost us In actual. direct outlay ST.
400. OOO, 900, and counting destruction |
to property north and south $4,000 |
100000 would hardly cover the cost, a |
sum representing nearly one-fourth the |
entire valuation Of the United States In !
1860. Single battles In that war cost |
In lives up into the thousands: Bull |
Run, 5000; Shiloh, 24.000; Gettysburg. |
55 900, on both sides; Vicksburg, 81. |
600; the wilderness, $4,000; Stones |
Run, $1,000. The entire number of |
northern soldiers killed was not far |
from 350.00O If every man killed lie
the civil war had had private funeral. |
the hearses would have made a solid |
line from New York to San Francisco.
Add to these killed all the losses in
cidental in the families that were be- |
reaved and beggared and you have
only one of the awful chapters which |
war has always written In the history
of sinful world. In the last century
1t is estimated that Christian nations |
have destroyed S20.000,000,000 worth |
of property and killed 100000 men.
Put these men in single file and they
would make procession that would !
ctratoh olaor ocroce tho IIuita6 Stofac |