The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-03-23

from troubling and the trenches be a
rest By general consent it is assum
ed that hostilities win continue durin
the current year, but that they will b
ended early in 1917. Everybody seem
agreed to brush aside the nightmar
thought of a persistence of this organ
lied calamity into future years. o.
that basis 1t is possible to discuss tn
effects Of the war; without some sucl
assumption Of its length 1t is futile t
try to make any sort of forecast OBJ
viously II the nations are to fight un.
til one side is crushed, invaded, de-
vastated, then all the current ideas
concerning the trend of industry in
this country are childish. Should
either the central powers or the en-
tente nations be conquered, destroyed
or disintegrated, then the United
States would certainly suffer keenly
from the cataclysm. We do not be-
lieve that such will be the result, nor
do others better informed. On the
contrary, 1t seems likely that as ma
tional industrial organisms all the eX-
listing countries will survive, although
changed as to boundaries and suzer-
ainties In regard to some parts of
them. We accept the idea that the
war will last not more than IL months
or thereabouts. If so, what then will
be the effect? Not so catastrophe in
a material way as Is suggested by
many authoritative writer's; more
calamitous in a psychical sense than
is assumed by many thoughtless ones.
1t is a characteristic of the English
speaking people that they take 1t for
granted that eminence in any one
field of human activity fits a man to
express an authoritative opinion on
every other subject. Mr.. Ford and
DR.. Jordan are quoted continually on
subjects not even remotely connected
with motor cars or fishes; the opin-
ions of Mr.. Hall Game or Mr. Kipling
on the war and its many political
complications are more seriously re-
garded than those of Mr. Hirst of The
Economist or Dr. Dillon of the Daily
Telegraph, For this a sensational
daily press is largely responsible Yet
the observant reader has been offered
many thoughtful treatments of the
all pervading subject by competent
observers. From them he may con-
clude that the scaremonger, as usual,
has been more noisy than intelligent
The actual loss of life as yet has been !
FAR less in proportion to population,
than 1t was in the American Civil war;
and even If the fighting in Europe
lasts for another IL months It is un-
likely to reach the 2A per cent of IA
talities in the north, much less the 4
per cent of loss to the confederacy. AS |
regards the destruction of capital. il
Is probable that the wastage of nat
lral resources has been exaggerated
even in Belgium and Serbia, for ex-
ample, and that the natural PRODUCTIVE
ty of those regions, as of other areas
occupied by embattled armies will be
'estored not long after peace is de- 7.
'lared. We read already of the grow
ng grain that hides alike the graves
u the invader and the defender on the
battlefield Of the Marine. In an ex
ellent article in Golfers Mr. Henry
:. Emery quotes John Stuart Mill I'M
Import OF his contention that rapid
ecovery from the effects of war is in
ceord with the theory that the de-
truction of wealth incidental to war
are is different in kind rather than in
mount from consumption during !
eace Sacrifice of comfort and COM 9
ulsory thrift during war time go far /
offset the obvious financial losses.
nd the good habits learned under the
tress survive in such measure as to S
ecome source of economic strength h
nation, which, on the declaration t
peace, Is able to widen the margin d
etWeen maximum production and n
minimum consumption. Hence the ex- .
aordlnary recovery made by France Il
tier the war of 1870 and of Russia D
tier that of 1904 The Civil war af- h
'rds an even better example, for II t
Iustrates two phases: The south did b
d recover for years because its labor tC
lppiy collapsed when the slaves were tc
eed. The north continued the in m
lstrlal development that the war had 81
lly checked, for this country was bl
en- on the eve of great expansion w
lie to the exploitation of natural re- u,
urces that had barely been tapped W
need not foresee a collapse of labor tn
Europe, but We may anticipate a
tier organization of that industrial
eapon, including a more intelligent en-
e OF women in certain kinds of work ne
which they are naturally fitted gu
cas- OF general bankruptcy may be tel
'regarded. AS Mr. ]. Lawrence wi
.ughlin shows. in The Annalist. the I'M
lr has not destroyed the store of gold mi
the countries likely to trade with tie,
; on the contrary, France, England ms
q Germany have increased the all Ise,
ute amount of gold held in reserve tie
thelr central banks. Even those gu
lntries now burdened with excess att
issues Of deprecated paper will be of
e to redeem their obligations in the
d. While we have been bemused div