The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-10-24
From the Philadelphia Public Ledger
THE COST OF MONOPOLIES.

y gain by exchanging conditions with the subjects OF
Mohammed Ali. We find the following ebullition Of
Taih in political paper of Ohio, issued immediate
ly before the late election in that State Let our
friends IN other States be prepared TO hear the voice
OF an earthquake, when next the people Of Ohio
speak their opinions through the ballot boxes Let the
corrupt, the ioresworn perfdous, hooking image Of
Executive rule al Washington, and the yultures who
are dividing with him the spoils Of their cOuntr,}
ruin, trembe when its thunders begin TO break over
the crests Of the Alleghanies Their doom is fixed
better day dawns upon the Republic light from
new quarter, from the free West is bursting athwart
The political horizon, and millions of patriotic heart,
VIII soon be leapng al the glad tokens the redemu
ton which is at hand" There That's mv thun-
der! the author of this stupendous paragraph might
have said If the exeriion of producing il had left HIM
nervous energy enough TO say any thing.
we might offer a comment upon the civil terms in
which the editor mentions the President of the United
States, the first magistrate of free country chosen
directly to the second, and contngenty the first trust
In the whole land, by the free suffrage of a nation Of
jreemen We might say that such language would
cost him his liberty in some countries, and his life in
others But leaving that affair Of taste we will
conhne our remarks 10 his picture of his country
condition and prospects He tells US that
Try ruined that corrupt, peridious, perlured
Executive is dividing with uuiues the poiis of that
rum And after thus despalching US, he gives Us the
consoling tidings that redemption is
| Rutned Our country is ruined Ii is ruined by
by IFS Chief Magistrate and flock of yultures Per
haps it is But Ditis its condition is infinitely worse
than that OF any country in Europe, for part Of
that region is ruined, though parts Of it may
be rather diapidaed. But let us make comparisons
and thus ascertain which farthes from that ruin so
confidently predicated of us, the United States or
the principal nations of Europe. The four great
powers OF Europe, Russia, France Austria and rrus-
sia maintain two millions of men in arms at an an
nual expense OF one hundred and six millions Of dol
lars The aggregate population Of these empires is
one hundred and thirty eight millions; and Therefore
this annual tax imposes burden of about II cents
upon every human being. The army of the United
States costs about five millions annually, which, TO
population of eighteen millions, imposes burden Of
only u cents upon every human being Therefore
the European burden is nearly three times greater
than the American; and as neither of these Euro
Pean countries is ruined ours certainly cannot be-
far armies are concerned But this tax is not the
only burden imposed by European armies. They are
maintained in idleness, while the labor of others is
taxed for their maintenance and thus society loses
not only what they would produce if usefully en-
ployed, but must relnqush aige portion Of its pro-
duce to support them in this destructive occupation
Allowing the proceeds of every mans labor beyond
his consumption, to be worth twenty-five cents daily
which estimate is moderate enough, and allowing 3l2
working days to the year, find that these two
millions of men, usefuy employed, would add one
hundred and fty-six millions of dollars annually TO
the capital stock of society Therefore these four
nations lose this great sum annually, and msapply
LOG millions annually besides in supporting their mil
! itary system. If We consider this non-prodtcon a
human being of these 1873 millions amounts to 81 l3,
which, added to II cents, make aggregate of
$50, the tax upon each human being for the
military system. The army of the United State,
being 5000 ITS ionproducfion, at the same rate, must
be S46S,OU0, which, among Is millions is annual
burden to each of two cents and a half Hence the
difference between the American and the European
in military burdens, in favor Of the former, is sl60
I Again While IL millions of Americans pay five
millions for the maintenance Of armies and lose
| mil
OF these Europeans pay l3 millions and a half, and
lose about 20 millions and half; the difference be
ing 2S millions and half in favor Of the Americans.
IT, upon such facts, country is ruined, what must
be the condition Of France, Russia Austria or Prus-
STA And If neither Of these countries be ruined
how can ours be?
But for what purpose are these armies supported
We answer to enable the few to live in power and
splendor upon the labors of the many to enable
privilege to tramDle upon right to enable arisocra
ores to trample upon the people, to enforce upon
them TINS very system of taxation. We must re-
member that the cost of armies is small norton of
these burdens. Thrones diadems palaces LI,
uries of all kinds cost much more than armics
and armies are the mere instruments of en-
iorcing this cost And us the European subject
| pays an enormous sum to his tyrants for the very
Soos with which he Expresses them. Let us exam
me some OF the details Without mentioning Prince
Aiperts oogs and parrots, or Queen Victorias re-
vels while thousands of her subjects are starving we
WI" cal the attention OF our readers TO the cost of
|
and furnishing of single gaming house in that CITY
iaeiy, cost hall million of dollars and the receips
oil the proprietor amounted to as much more in one
year! lhe money lost annually, in all the gaming
houses IN LONDON exceeds thrtyfve millions Of dol
lars and at Crockford's alone, five millions were re-
Gently lost in one night. All this enormous rroA
gacy, not tenth of what is annually exhibited m
continental Europe il the result of aristocracy the
necessary consequence of that system which enrcbcs
The lew from the labor of the many And what he
MATED by the loss, for they merely pass from one
ganesters pocket TO another. But not dollar of 1t
all spent IN any useful purpose, beyond the mere
consumption OF The holders The greater portion of
III floating capital of gamesters passing from one
TO another, and therefore not EMPLOYED in creatin,
any thing new.
But we have presented the cost of armies TO main
tam aristocracies, for single year only Assuming
'e same sums as the annual cost and loss since the
peace oil 1913, we find the whole expenditure of
these four nations, since that wear to be $50 mil
mons, ana the whole loss from non production APP
millions; an aggregate Of 1914 millions of dollar,
! MS sum would pay for railroads enough throughout
those four nations to supersede every other mode Of
conveyance, and establish schools enough to afford
every human being of their population a good
education IL would drain every swamp and subdue
every acre OF cultivable land in Europe now unpro-
ductive. Or it would construct comfortable hahi
taton for every family in Europe Rightly applied
II would enable every European TO be well fed
well clad, well lodged and well taught Yet nobody
VIII pretend that either of the four nations in which
we witness this enormous misapplication of power.
is ruined Then, if such is not their case. how can
zoe be ruined who have suffered comparatively no
thing from such Interpretations Who pay trine
Tor armies, and nothing for thrones diadems and
other trappings of government
DO The partisan editors who utter such nonsense
ever re fleet upon their folyi II So they must long
Tor trap doors through which to reach the centre Of
he earth, to hide their shame If they do not thus
reflect, and really believe what they say we advise
their readers to replace them their stewardship by
so many balloons, for really those animals must pos
scss higher order of intellect