The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-11
BabSon Sees Peace Hope
in Deadlock of Armies
Says Beligerens Will Be Forced to Conclusion That Set
Element of Issues at Stake Cannot Be Reached
Through Fighting


nonic causes OF war OF course these
ENJOYS from South America are simply
the mouthpieces OF their respective Gov
ernments,' the real authority and power
resting in the capitals of our sister re-
publics Of South America. In order to
ascertain just how powerful this pressure
Ii shall next week leave for that contI-
nent 10 as to be able TO give readers some
first hand knowledge OF the extent OF
these plans.
Mig Cost 20 America.
I cannot close this weekly letter with
out referring to two statistical facts. One
is that our own country Is losing about
s2,bO0,o00 day In exports. This, taken
with collateral losses. must mean that
the war is costing this country about
100000 day. When It IL realised
that this amount IL nearly the sum Of
the net earnings OF all the big Industrial
corporations whose securities are listed
on the New York Stock Exchange Its Inn
portance 10 apparent II there has been
a reduction OF this amount In the pur-
chsses of American goods, IL Is very
clear why 80 many OF our factories have
been obliged to close and why so many
people are out OF work
There is no doubt OF the existence OF
an immense number OF idle men In this
country, a condition which is much worse
in the West than in the east have
just returned from a trip through the
central West and was absolutely as
founded At the number OF unemployed
reported by the authorities OF Chicago
st. Louis. Plttsburg and even cities like
Detroit which, II has been stated. In
very busy. In Detroit where ] spoke
before the Board of Commerce last Tues
day, I saw a thousand unemployed regis
ter for work in the course OF few
hours and was told that every day sees
from 900 to 800 persons clamorlng to
be registered. The people in charge OF
this unemployment situation I'm Detroit
!. ave already recorded about $4,000 men
and estimate that there are from
30. 900 to 10000 idle men in Detroit now.
II this is the condition OF affairs In De-
troit what must II be In some OF our
other cities?
Failing on I'm british Trade.
The other statistical item " the 1914
figures for English exports, which show
a falling of Of more than S47b.00O,0O0.
When one realizes that the war did not
begin until August and that these hgures
are for only one OF the nations involved
! il certainly seems reasonable to hope
/ that before the end OF 1915 the world will
return to sanity. As proof that there
are grounds for this hope let me close by
quoting from a leading editorial in the
London Economist OF December IS
The longer the war lasts the moro
complete will be the prostration OF en-
| terprise in Europe. Germany must al
ready have realised that an almost irrep-
| arabic calamity has befsllen it's ship
ping and foreign trade. Our own losses
are largely concealed and proportionately
reduced by our fortunate position AS an
| island and by our voluntary service sys-
tenn. which together have helped to keep
! most Of our factories and most of our
shipping busly employed. France Ia
| largely paralyzed by the effects OF inva-
sion and conscription and Russian COM
merce Is blocked at the Black Sea end
| by Turkey and In the Baltic by the Ger
man navy. II we were to Judge merely by
the tone OF the British. French and Ger
man press and by the political uttcrances
| OF those In authority II might be supposed
| that the war might last for many months
and perhaps for many years But on
the eve OF Christmas we venture to cX-
press the hope and belief that a long
duration OF the war Is impossible.
"a month on this scale, whether we
| look at the loss OF life or the loss OF
! treasure, is equal to at least twelve on
| the older scale, and so by the end of De-
| cember We must consider the war to have
| lasted not five months but five years
One simple consideration may be adduced.
In the war OF 1870. which lasted from
| July 10 February. the Germans lost in
dead about $4,000 men. Rut by the end
Of this month or at any rate by the end
OF February IL must be conceded that
| they will have lost at least ten times
| that number. We dare not suggest the
corresponding figures for France. Our
| own losses, OF course. are on a much
smaller scale. but they have been far
heavier than in any previous war In his
tory and as we place more and more men
on the Continent the casualty lists must
be correspondingly heavier"