The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-16

diture of G2O0 0O0, 900 in few months, would
probably leave the combatants in such a state
that economy in other expenditure would not be
difficult. At present the cost of governing
France, apart from the debt and the depart
mental and local budgets, is something like
G50O00,000 year; and in England we spend
lees than G40 000,0 600 though all our salaries are
on higher scale. Clearly France need not be
undone by an addition of eight or ten millions
to the annual interest of its debt when economy
is practicable aud its revenue is so elastic. 1t
is true that after such war, its debt, which is
upwards of G500, 600, 600 now, would equal or
surpass that of England: but France in 1870 is
certainly more powerful State than England
was in 1915.
Turning to Prussia-or, as we should rather
say, Germany-we can see no trace of inability
to make ut least an equal effort The antago-
mist of France displays a curious equality with
it in almost all financial conditions except one,
in which it is strikingly superior to France. In
population, to begin with, the North German
Confederation and the South German States
allied with it number about the same as France.
The Confederation itself includes 80 000,0 600;
Baden, 100000; Wurtemberg, 1,750, 600; and
Bavaria, 4SOO coo. Total, 3S, ,0OO, ,0OO And the
last census of France in 1866 gives exactly the
same figure.
In economical advancement the two countries
are, moreover about the same; they are two
thirds agricultural, and though Germany has
more ships, and more coal and manufactures,
yet as French agriculture is naturally more pro-
duotive, the two States may be considered very
nearly balanced. The aggregate budgets of
Germany, again, approach very closely that of
France in bulk. The gross revenue of the Con-
federation is G40, 900, 600, and the other States
e12, 2,OO0, ,O0O-total, ESQ, ,000, ,000 which, with the
smaller debt of Germany-the one point where
Germany is superior-leaves much as in
France for all the purposes of government.
Oddly enough, the expenditure on the
two armies is about the same. France
spends between thirteen and fourteen
millions sterling, and Germany between twelve
and thirteen Millions no very striking difference
though it should be noted that the French have
lately had great deal of extraordinary eXpendi-
ture besides. But even If Germany is not so
rich as France, her resources are much less
pledged. The total debt of the confederated and
South German states is under goo 000, 900, about
one-third of that of France, so that there is q
margin of G400, 600 to draw upon before
they become as indebted as France now is. 1t
cannot be thought then, that Germany any
more than France, is financially unfit for the
struggle now about to begin.
Germany has smaller revenue than France,
because it's people in proportion to their means
are less burdened; and it needs smaller reve-
nue. because it has less debt, and is also more
economical. Its margin will be so much the
greater for an indefinitely protracted struggle.
At the same time, the resources of France are
such, that long before financial exhaustion comes
to it, both combatants will probably enough Se
weary of the strife.