Search -
An inquiry into the principles of political economy
An inquiry into the principles of political economy Author:James Stewart Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: It is not therefore trade and induftry which have given birth to Handing armies, they have only ren- dred war impoflible without them. It is the ambition of Prin... more »ces to extend their dominion, and even fome- times to extend their commerce, which gives occafion to war. And we fee daily how difficult it becomes to provide troops for thie purpofe, from no other rea- fon fo much as from the progrefs of trade and induftry. Thofe who have the money cannot have the men, thofe who have the men cannot have the money. Do we not fee how the greateft monarchy in Europe, the Prince who has the moft millions of fubjects, cannot preferve the rank of power he has prefcribed to him- felf textit{(bis political-neceffary for war) without a body of above thirty thoufand ftrangers, in the time of the moft profound peace, and after the greateft reduction judged confiftent with the fafety of the country ? Thefe coft vaftly more than national troops, and brave men of all countries are alike ; fo that the only reafon for keeping up fo large a body of foreigners, is to facilitate augmentations when occafion requires it; and not to fpare the fubjects who- are willing to ferve, but to fpare agriculture and induftry, after the fuperfluities of thefe have fallen in, to compleat that body of troops which experience has determined to be proportioned to fuch fuperfluities. From this fhort expofition let me deduce a principle. That fince every ftate has occafion, according to the prefent fyftem of Europe, for a certain number of armed men for their defence, the firft care of a ftatefman, is, to difcover to what number thofe of his fubjects, who willingly prefer the conditions offered for military fervice to the occupations of induftry, may amount. If he finds thefe exceed the number wanted for recruiting the army...« less