Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 62, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 October 1920 — WAR EXPENDITURE EXTRAVAGANCE [ARTICLE]

WAR EXPENDITURE EXTRAVAGANCE

The administration has been criticised a great deal for its extravagant expenditure during the world war. To get an idea of how extravagant and unnecessary these expenditures have been, it is interesting to compare them with those made during the Spanish-American war. From official and reliable sources we have: Total number of officers and men in all armed forces in war with Spain, in rpund numbers, 300,000. Total expenditures from date of decalration to Dec. 31, 1898, $300,000,000. The war began April 21, 1898, and the protocol was signed Aug. 12, 1898. The appropriations made on account of the war are given as $361,788,095, but it is estimated that only $300,000,000 was spent for war purposes. Total of all armed forces engaged in world war in round numbers, 4,800,000. Total expenditure from declaration to Oct. 31, 1919, nearly a year after I the armistice, as given by the secrei tary of the treasury, $23,424,000,000. This includes the money invested in ships, federal land banks, war flI nance corporation, etc. The oppoI nents refer to the cost of the war as about $34,000,000,000, but this includes loans to foreign countries, which are about $10,000,000,000; To make a proper comparison of expenditures in the two wars, the difference in cost of material, labor and supplies must be considered. The cost of the army ration in 1898 was 12.81 cents; in 1918 it was 40.46 cents. The private soldier’s pay in 1898 was sl3 a month; in 11918 it was S3O at home and $33 ' abroad. The average cost of labor, material, equipment, munitions and supplies was more than twice as £reat in 1918 as in 1898. The average dally cost a man was at least 2.5 times greater in the world, war than in the war with Spain. The world war lasted 5.2 times as long as the war with Spain; there were 16 times as many men engaged, but the average time served for each man in the war with Spain was 2.3 months. The average time served for each man in the world war was eight months. -So that the average time of service in the world war

was only 3.5 times greater - than in ithe war with Spain.* From these figures we find that* had money been spent at the same rate and with the same economy as It was in the war with Spain, the cost of the world war would have been $42,000,000,000, instead of >23,424,000,000, or nearly 100 per’-epnt greater. The following refers to deaths in the army: Total number of deaths in war I with Spain, 2,010. Total number of deaths in the world war, 116,492. The battle losses, killed, in war with Spain was 290; the battle losses, killed, in world war was about 50,000. Yet with these large battle losses the total losses in the ■ world war was .83 of 1 per cent, while for the same time •it was 1.06 per cent in the 2.3 months war with Spain. The losses from disease in the ‘ war with Spain was 2,620, or .95 of 1 per cent for an average of 2.3 months’ service. The same rate of losses from disease in the world war would have brought the number to 133,000, or 100 per cent greater than it actually was, viz.: 66,492. That there were some mistakes made, that there was some waste, and that some scoundrels took advantage of the situation and profiteered is not denied. Neither is it denied that the money appropriated was spent promptly and liberally for sanitation, shelter, food, clothing and equipment. On the whole, these methods proved to have been most wise and economical; for they saved the,, health and lives of the men and kept their morale and fighting spirit to the highest point; and resulted in shortening the war from eight to 10 montffs. It was not until the early fall of 1918 that military men believed the war could be ended before winter. At the time of the armistice we were spending about >44,000,000 a day. Eight months more of war meant nearly >100,000,000,000 more treasure, and from 200,000 to 250,000 lives. These extravagant methods of expenditure that the opponents - talk about have proved to be the most economical and most valuable investments this country or any other country ever has made; for the result has been the saving of hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of treasure. The factors are 3,000,000,000x16x 3.5x2.5 equals 42,000,000,000. —Warren Daniel, in Indianapolis News.