The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1909-11-11

Der 1000, 900 OF men; on war footing,
l2,000,0O0. That notwithstanding the
larger peace areas and longer peace per-
iods, the preparations against war have
increased during the last century near
ly five hundred per cent in both the
financial drain and the blood drain.
Thus, even in time Of peace, war is con-
suming the people. On the other hand,
industrial production and addition to
population are both beginning to flag
He also shows that in actual warfare
not only are the nations' resources of
wealth squandered, but the resources Of
the future generations are pledged in a
national debt, and the future genera
tions themselves are imperiled by the
blood drain, it being the youth and
flower OF the nation who are sacraficed
in war. Some nations have passed into
extinction because of its blood drain an
nihilating the best blood Of the popula
ton, as Athens, Rome, and witness the
terrible blow given to France by the Ma
poleonic ware. To which may be added
the costly blood-drain from tie South
during our Civil War.
Lord Lansdowne said, at the
close of the Russo-Japanese War,
that this latest instance of the cost and
drain Of warfare made it still clearer
that at no very distant day economic rea-
sons would compel nations to find
some other means of settling their dis
putes than war.
Molinari says sadly: Nowhere has
the press been known to act as a curb
on governmental tendency to lavish ex-
penditures for war purposes"
What noble mission is here open to
the press, if instead of infaming passion
and prejudice, letting loose the igno
rance Of the masses for the cheap profit,
or cheaper sensation of an hour, it
would take its place as one Of the in
structors and benefactors of mankind
and strive allay passion, to overcome
prejudice and to bring about universal
brotherhood of nations
Molinari concludes one of his chapters
in these words: The saving to be effect
ed by the cessation Of state of war will
be apparent, however cursory has been
our glance at the consequences it en-
tails. The grinding costs under which
nations labor, and the losses directly or
indirectly originated by it. Bnt this
economy in blood and treasure will be
no more than an incident OF the benefits
accompanying the advent of state OF
peace"
Nations are only aggregations of in
dividuals, and what is essentially good
for the individual is good for the nation,
and what is essentially bad for the aver
age individual is bad for the nation, and
as fighting and waste of property and
debt are admittedly bad for the indivi-
dual, they must also be bad for the ma
tions, and the only question is one ol
time when the nations will find cheap
] er, more effective and more sensible
method of settling their disputes than
by war. In fact, at the end of every
war, the disputes are finally settled by
conference, anyhow.
A battleship costs about ten millions
of dollars, Who can doubt that this
money would be better spent in con-
structing railroad through Centra
Oregon, or elsewhere? In deepening
channels in founding college; in rec
lamation of arid land; in development
Of water power. Indeed, there is moth
ing on the constructive peaceable side
which is not better expenditure thar
anything on the destructive or warlik'
side. All expenditure in war is pur,
waste, except as it guarantees peace, o.
protects from invasion. And if thes'
same ends can be accomplished withou
war, war becomes absolutely an econo
mic folly.
The Spanish-PhilippIne War cost us
in round numbers, $1,000, 100000. L
would have paid the national debt. l
would have net-worked this countr.
with railroads and automobile roads ant
wagon roads; built canals, draine'
marshes, irrigated lands. 1t is Difficult
to assign limit to what it would no
have done. Yet it is true, as Molinar
says, that the saving in treasure AM
life is but a mere incident of the henefit
which will come when there is friend
ship among the nations and universe
peace, Think of the bodies and brain
that will be let loose for the welfare c
r mankind when the fear of war sha
; have ceased; of the freedom of inter
, course and commerce when every flag {
every land shall be welcome in ever