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Show WAR COMES HIGH. liy the fw of March, KM 7, the Frem-h republic will have expended 72,600,-)MO,000 72,600,-)MO,000 francs on the war. Great Britain Brit-ain in the! same time will have expended expend-ed it'),0OO.0i)U,0nO of francs. This is a lof.al of approximately .'10,000,000,000. If we add the war expenses of the other powers engaged in the struggle an enormous total will be reached. Vet we do not believe the cost of the war in money will have any riling to do with the return of peace. The iron appears to have sunk deeply into the souls of all I he eoiubaf ants and so long as men can be put into the ranks and supplied with food and ammunition the killing will continue. The financial reckoning will come after it is all over and the passions pas-sions cool. So far there is no thought of a repudiation of debts contracted and it is probable the great powers will be able to stagger along under the heavy burden. The one certain thing is that it will be necessary to impose well-nigh ruinous ruin-ous rates of taxation and that those possessed of property will be the chief sufferers. We should not be surprised if taxation does not increase until it amounts to confiscation. "Tomorrow," said M. Raoul Perot, former minister of commerce, addressing tho chamber of deputies on tho budget, "we shall be obliged to go further and deeper in the direction of taxing the riches in hands that have ceased to produce." So far as we know the French people have not murmured over the heavy imposts. They nro aware of the fact that the very existence of their beloved country is at stake and that they must expend the last sou and put the last man on the battle front or go down. Groat Britain, being a far' richer nation than France, is far better able to stand the financial strain and the figures show that she is doing her share, perhaps more than her share, in the expenditure ofmoney. But Great Britain, Brit-ain, like France, Russia and Italy, has staked her all upon tho issue and the, matter of expenso will not be allowed to stand in tho way of prosecuting the war to the bitter end. |