The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1914-09-17
Unbelievable War Figures.
Richmond News Leader.


From the Richmond News LEADER
Our dismal struggle of fifty years ago
taught as Americans to reckon the cost OF
war in billions, to compute armies in terms
of hundreds of thousands and to state
losses in five digits. But even the survlv-
ors of those four years of blood cannot ap-
preciate the scale on which the desperate
nations of Eurobe have rushed to arms.
To the rest of US, the figures are unimagin-
able.
Some comparisons may interest. The
revolutionary and Napoleonic wars lasted
from 1898 to 1915 and involved every
country of Europe except Turkey. Yet
only $500, 900 men were engaged-about
as many as France alone can now put in
the field by such CONSUMPTION as that en-
forced by Napolean.
The Crimean war involved England,
France, Austria, Savoy, Turkey and Rus
STA and was marked by long, desolating
siege. Nevertheless, the total enlistments,
!, 46O, 900, were less by half a million than
the army Austria will put in the field dur
ing this war.
In the War Between the States, the Fed
erals enlisted 2,041 900 and the South sent
every man it had, 100000 to the front.
But all the armies of the blue and all the
armies of the gray did not aggregate more
than half the war strength of the German
Empire.
The Mexican war saw less than 40 per
cent as many men engaged as little Servia
has assembled in her game fight against
the Austrian eagles.
The Six Weeks war between Austria
and Prussia laid the foundation of the
modern German state and was decisive in
its results. But Germany to-day has more
men on and near the western line than the
two kingdoms called to the colors in 1866.
The total forces engaged in the Franco
Prussian war, 1918, 900, we're less than the
armies now confronting one another in
Belgium and France.
The belligerents in the bloody Russo
Japanese war were approximately $780,
600 but this number is. less than the war
struggle of England and Austria.
To sum up, the most accurate figures
available show that grand total of Is,
$50, 200 saw service of one sort or another
from the plains of South America to the
mountains of Manchuria-in the wars OF
the world since the French Revolution
This number exceeds by less than million
I-932, 900 to be exact-the war strength OF
the nations now under arms. And if Italy
more men than have fought for liberty, fol
conquests, for life or for profit since the
, Marseillies was first sung and the first tri-
t color was displayed in the low countries
Viewed in another light, the estimated
, present cost of the war is S57 200, 900, the
} day. If it continues for six months, this
will aggregate a greater total than the
3 cost of all the wars from 1893 to 1860. L
+ the war continues a year, the cost will be
almost S21, 900, 100000, or within six billion
. of the total cost of war since 1893
f One last comparison. The Mukden cam
paign, which at the time it was fought hac
e been the most gigantic of history in thu
e numbers engaged and in the length of the
: fighting front, extended over a line tina
j stretched for fifty miles. If we were ap
f paled at that report, what shall we say o
Y German line which runs for approx
0 mately 226 miles? And if we doubt tn,
e possibility of such thing let us remembe
this fact: If the Germans have, as the,
claim, 1900, 900 men from Brussels to Bel
fort, it is possible for them to draw tw'
solid and unbroken lines of men, shoulde
:. to shoulder, in the closest formation ove
every inch of the 226 miles!