Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1840-04-09

their surplus in specie by the stage lines"
A large standing army is kept 10 the pay
Of the government OF France, on plan
somewhat similar 10 that lately proposed Tor
the United States by Mr.. Van Buren,, through
his unit" the Secretary Of war; and the
plan for which. the writer has no doubt has
cmanatcd from Thos. IL. Benton, who looks
forward TO the time " hen he shall be able To
perfect and control both it and the public
pnrsc--and thereby make himself the "greoi
man" and Emperor Of a Western Empire,
in imitation Of Napoleon Buonaparie, whose
character he so much vencrates, and SO often
alludes 10. Mr.. Benton, however, will never
make BnoDaparte; although he may Rob
cspierrc, should circumstances favor the full
dcvelopcment Of his schemes. The people
of France are perhaps better off than any
Continental country in Europe except Swliz
erland, but they are nevertheless generally
very poor, and not TO be compared with the
same class, in America, in point of the ENJOY
ment of the comforts Of life. The price of
labor, on an average throughout France, Is
at the present time from 10 to l6 cents per
day, and the laborers board themselves
They of course can afford to eat but little
animal food. Interest OF money is from ionr
to six per cent, calling the average rate five
per cent. and the average days labor and
board l3 cts. and it will require l92 days
work of a man. TO pay the aprual interest of
500 dollars. while in America, calling the
rate of interest per cent, and the price Of
labor and board one dollar per day, 30 days
work and board Of man will pay the annual
interest Of SEQ dollars showing the Amc rican
laborer to hr better of, by more than six fold,
than the French laborer. This rule of in.
teiest, and prico Of labor and it's product. is
perhop pa the most correct standard to tcst the
comparative advantages enjoyed in any
country, as regards the capitalists and the
productive classes.
The expenses of the Frcnch Government
in 1890, amounted TO 970 1862, ,224 Francs. OF
nearly 300 00C 0O0 dollars which was 500
600 dollars more than tho revenue for the
same period. This would absorb. the pro-
ducts of about 900 600 600 days labor of the
productive classes-while in the United
States the same SUN would require the pro-
ducts of only 2OO,0C0,0O days labor, being
less than one sixth part the labor that is re-
quired in France to pay the same amount
The day laborcr in France probably gives
not less than Two days work out of every
three, for The support Of government aud al
idle aris'ocracy, and for the use of capitn--
ba, that is nothing compared with what they
give in some others Of Mr.. Van BureD's "PAT.
TtRN" " Foreign Gorernmtnis."
II The average price of manual labor in Swe'
den is about IL cents per day, and the labor
er boards himself. In the German States, II
IL something less than in France.
II 1Oh. Great Britain and lreland-are two
Islands, lying on the western coast ot Eu
rope. Great Britain comprises England
Scotland and Wales. & is $50 miles II lrngl
and from 80 to 360 IN breadth. In 1881
Great Britain contained I3S9457l inhabit
ants. Ireland lies west OF Great Brilan
from which it is separated by the Irish Sea
and St. Georges Channel, aud is 800 miles
in length, and about | 10 in breadth, and con.
tanned, in 1881, 7,73I:}65 inhabitants. These
two Islands constitute what is cui'ed the
| Kingdom of Great Britain and iceland. The
total population of the British Empire thro'.
out the world, including all its colonies IN
Europe, Asia, Africa, New Holland, and
America. .nmoun's to about $50 100000 lnhab
Itants. London, situated on the Thames, 1t
lts capital, and contained including its sub
nrbs in the year 1900, a population of GA
$50. In the year e3l. one Century later, i
contained 967 AS inhabitants; and in 1881, i
contained l.474.C69 inhabitants. Londor
may truly be said To be the centre point o
heart of the Worlds commerce. Whct
| England commenced encouraging and tos
terng her present credit aud protective pol
| icy-called "her false system by Mr.. Ben
ton, (who probably put the same phrase il
the mouth of Mr. Van BUREN, it was denoun
| ced by some of her statgsncn-who predict
! ed the most disastrous consequences, cspe
| cally tn commerce from its adoption. So tn
| from these predictions having been fulfilled
| that apparently little insignificant Island
Il Kingdom, at this time probably engrosses q
| greater amount Of ihe commerce fthe world
Than all of the other nations Of Europe CON
| bined-and toye her with the u. States OF
| Amercn, the only other country On earth
where credit and Banks exist to any extent
probably engross more than one half OF the
worlds commerce. These arc the two coun.
tries which nrc said 10 be laboring undcl
n" False Syst m" ruinons 10 Commerce, man
ufactures, and agriculture but which, will
a population Excluding colonlcs) of less thar
4OOO0GOO, now possess more shipping, more
manufactures, and export more products thar
| all the nations of the world besides combin
| ed, containing an aggregate population c
! more than 500 600 coo, and nearly all ofihen
| enjoying the blessing OF n specie currency ar,
| free from the burdens imposed by Fas'
| System" The man who will wilfully ndnp
theory for such experience, is worthy of be
ing supporter of our present "pure an'
virtuous administration. The writer be
no doubt tla, uch men as Mr.. Buchanan
Mr.. Walker, and Mr.. Woodbury., know n,
better than what they say Oh these subjects
owing to n wan, of sound sense and genera
Iiuforna,ion-but it is not so with ,hos,
prime movers, Messrs. Kendall Benton, Blair
& Co. They well know that the measures
now in progress at Washington, are calcula
tod to produce the directly contrary cltrc
they pretend, aud that if carried out they will
reduce the people Of this country TO n levc
with those Of Continental Europe-whilc q
the same time, those attached to the govern
ment will be elevated to the same position
as the oristocracy in those countries. A,
has been before stated, the people Of Grca
| Britain arc at this time laboring under many
heavy burdens. Besides their industry ba
ing taxed for the support OF an es,abllshc,
priesthood, hereditary nobility. and Of al
expensive government, they have to pay ib,
annual interest OF an enormous public debt
which on the 9TH Of January, 1899, amoun,e,
to G76l $4,000, or S3,G5l ,l6S,al2, the an
nuaI interest and charges on which amounte,
ut that tmo to IH,2l0,il0 dollars. This
debt was mostly contracted during the lopI
war with Napoleon, when England, twill