The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-12-06
Tho Cost Of Government.
HOW THE NATIONAL DEBT MAY BE PAID IN
TWENTY YEARS.
Lst. Louis Republican,

[St Louis Republican:
The new u. s Senator. elect from Connecti-
cut, Mr.. Eaton. who has said some very good
things since his election, recently asserted
that our national debt of 2,100 100000 can be
extingusbed in twenty years, without the
addition of single dollar to the taxes on the
people, by simply cutting down the Govern
ment expenditures to the very lowest limit,
and devoting all the surplus that would be
thus saved annually to the payment of the
debt. The statement looks q little wild-too
good to be true-but we are not certain that it
might not be made absolu tely accurate. There
are Just two difficulties in the way of giving it
q practical demonstration one is the almost
universal idea that the Federal Government 10
imperial in it's nature and must affect the ex-
travagance of Imperialism; the other Is q
popular repn gnance to frugality or stinginess
in the Central Government. We talk a great
deal about economy at Washington, and the
necessity for cutting down expenditures to the
limit of necessity; but We do not mean what
We say. If the Government expenditures
were cut down to such q limit, the people pro-
badly would not stand it. They would begin
to despise what they would consider the parsi-
mony of their Government, and be ready for .
change of policy and moro liberal system of
appropriations.
1t is not easy to estimate how small a cum of
money the Federal Government could manage
to get along with without any impairment Of
the vigor of it's ad IN Illustration but the ex.
ample of an average State Government will
throw some instructive light on the matter:
The State of Missouri has n population of
100000 in r6uUd numbers. There are, alto
gether, thirty-se:cn States in the Union, with
au aggregate populatiou of $4,000, 900. We
give round plumbers. according to the census
of 1870. hssouri, therefore, is considerably
above an average State; its population is one
twenty second part of the aggregate popula
ton of the Union, whereas, in our calculation
it ought to be only one thirty seventh, Missouri
being one of the thirty-seven States What
ever error there is in the estimate, therefore,
will be in favor of it's reason ableness. The
total ordinary expenses of our State Govern
ment are abont 81 800 900 per aunum, SO cents
head for the population. This may be called
o pretty low limit of expenditures for o large |
snd prosperous State, and indeed tits. Our |
State may be called o model of frugality in |
the cost of its administration. And yet, with |
one or two trif1ipg EXCEPTIONS it's departments |
Cd sdmipistration make adj the show and pos
sess all the vigor aud efficiency that are need
ed. Now, how isIit with the General Govern
mentf It governs fer q population of thirty
lures (omitting interest on the public debt) for
1873 were $1S0,463000 or 81 70 4, head for the
This is more than FIVE times the
cost per capita of the Missouri Stataf Govern
nent, and would seem 70 indicate that the
Federal Government cnsts Ave t:rSS5 as Iuucb |
rs it ought to. Why is thiai 10 Is probable
that the only answer is, that tie people per-
mis- it. 1t is true the Federal Government
maintains an army and navy, and thesS State
does not; it is true, also, that, the Federal
:S3 has charge Of world.svide foreign
necessity for the fonrfold gteatet magnitude of
ts expenditures over those Of an average State.
The details OF icceI govern nneht in this coun-
ry are th 81 Stafess and the cost of these
one Tepla think, ought nearly to
the eost OF the foreign relations and
ne gSgerAi supervision on the part Of the
'eatEnh Goyernment. Admitting however. that
no general and imperial nature of the Federal
may cost twice as much "a Che !
minute local administrator of the State THE
yould make the annual ordinary expen ditUres
4 the former only 81 16 per capita of populs-
ion. The $3.50. as, 600 expenditure would be
ed1ced to $780, 200, and the ether part. or
lis, 6O9 600 naight e devoted to reduction Of
re xpubitOs debt shus demonstrating Senator Z
iasoP's assertidR of the possibility Of extin.
uts&Dg 1t IN twenty years, or even in fifteen | .
ears. II the Federal expenditures were to be t
rought down to the Missouri limit-s8 cents T
or capita-1they would be only S33, 440, 600 1
lsteed OF $leO, 4sS 600 per annum, and there 7
Iould be saving of $l47, 900 600 every year, u
devote to the payment of the debt. This
ouid pay 1t in ten or twelve years.