The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-16
Napoleonic War
Brought Havoc
Comparisons Of Today and &
Century Ago Show Startling
Similarity

The unrest that has descended on
the world as the aftermath Of the
great WAY. together with the dis
turbance Of trade, unemployment
/ and ether evils, followed after the
! Napoleonic wars Of course, in
I those days it did not affect Amer
/ ica in the same fashion as the at
! tern2ath Of the world war does to-
day. This country was too far re-
movtd from Europe in the days
/ Of the .ailing vessels and it did not
! depend TO such a great extent on
/ exports and foreign trade for its
! prosperity.
1t is interesting. however, to note
with what similarity the situation
IN England has shaped itself to that
OF more than g century ago.
] William Cobbett. famous political
writer and reformer|told of the dis
! illusionment and discomfort that
followed Immediately after the end
+. Of tie wa,, With Napoleon. In his
! Weekly Political Register for Oc-
tcber 2Sth. 1915. he wrote:i
Everyone, however ignorant. be-
gins to pcrceive that this career OF
war and this harvest of glory have
not Welded happiness. People do
not know how it is; but they know
that they are in distress As-
ricultuce languishes; trade follows
agriculture; nobody has money to
pay rent, taxes, or debts.
"A Corn Bill has not protected
the farmer. The cheapness OF food
has not lessened the misery Of the
poor. Nothing sells. The nation
perishes in the midst Of the spend
ing Of the produce Of successive
abundant harvests The peo-
pie DO not perceive the real cause
Of their distress The farmer sees
his wheat fall from 15s. to IS. a
busial He ascribes it to the defeat
of Napoleoy.. and says that he was
the best friend of the farmers g $
Others damn the French, and say
that it is their produce that lowers
ours in price Nobody sees, or,
at least, appears to see, that their
distress arises frol24 the debt and
the military establishment and 9TH
ei fixed expenses entailed on us by
the, war, and from the attempt
which is now making to brin@ us
upon par Of exchange with other
countries. by diminishing the guam
Finding employment for the
former soldiers and those engaged
in war work was 1t problem in
those days. just as it is today. In
the London Times of November %,
1916. was the following:
We perceive with the greatest
pleasure that all humane and
i benevolent minds are now turned
to the consideration Of the various
modes by which relief may be most
effectually administered to the poor
We may point out two or
three ideas which seem TO deserve
the notice either Of government or
of private individuals. We men
toned yesterday that this had been
done at Salisbury, at Plymouth and
at Ryton. We have to add that at
Exeter employment is siven to as
many of the poor Of the city as
choose TO apply for i in the brick
and tile mandatory near the
wCrk.lcuse A meeting Will be
neSd in the united parishes Of ST.
! Andrew. HolborI, sand st. George
the Martyr. In this populous and
extensive district some benevolent
individuals have set on foot plan
for supplying the distressed with
neat, bread, potatoes, and Goals,
under prime cost.
1t is now universally admitted
that the most humane as we'll as
the most polite mode of relieving
the poor is by finding employment
for them. The great evil to them,
at present, is want of work. The
supply of labor is greater tl,an
the demand; consequently, III that,
/; as III every other article, under
similar circumstances, the price
falls; the laborer's wages are re-
! duced in some instances below
what is absolutely necessary for his
support. The proper remedy is TO
increase the demand for labor
/ In those days the state did not
take over the burden Of providing
! for the needy. 1t was suggested
thai every person comes TO the aid
of the helpless, and the following
extract from the London Times Of
! November 2S, 1916, is a co-nment
t on this practice:
'Of the modes Of private bene-
Gccnce which seem peculiarly
] suitable TO the. present circum-
stances, there is none more simple
than that of making soup of the re-
naming victuals too often wasted
This practice says one Of our cor
respondents, has been adopted by
myself ever since the complaint OF
distress became general; and
have often had the satisfaction tC
afford some nutriment to Il dozen
or twenty poor starving: creatures
in the course Of a day -