The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-08-21
What Royalty Costs.

On the motion of Mr.. Disraeli, Sec
onded by Mr.. Gladstone, the British
House of Commons voted el5,OOO year
for life to Prince Leopold, youngest son
Of Queen Victoria. Come heat or cold,
national distress or national prosperity,
this young gentleman, who was twenty
one wears Of age last April, and has not
vet completed his education, Is to be
paid out Of British taxation elj,OO0
wear during the rest Of his life. More
over, he will have one of the palaces,
free Of rent and taxes, ready furnished
in right royal style, and perpetually
kept in repair, also at the cost and
charge OF the public. This may be fair
ly set down as worth some e3,000 year
extra. By-and-by, when he shall marry
some foreign princess, 10000 a year
more will be added to his income. Such
is the advantage in England of being a
prince of the blood-rOyal-it allows him
TO be State pauper all his life.
There is yet one other scion of royalty
10 be provided for by poor John Bull,
the Princess Beatrice, now in her 18th
year, who, on her marriage, will be
voted $4,000 a year for life, by an Obse-
quiOus Parliament on the motion of the
two leading statesmen of the time. Mr..
Disraeli and Mr.. Gladstone must have
felt rather mean when they asked the
lso-callcd) representatives of the Com
mons Of England to vote els, 900 year,
for life, TO Queen Victoria's fourth son.
IL is easy to be liberal-with the money
Of other people. England has over
100000 paupers in her parish work
houses, and 100000 who are almost as
needy as the workhouse paupers, and yet
her Parliamentary representatives vote
Gl5,DOO year to Il lad of 2l--an income
which, if capitalized, without interest,
on his average expectancy of life, would
amount to ET50,O0O, and, with the usual
increase, when lac marries, will amount
up 10 Il, 900, 600. Would 1t be surpris.
ing il honest labor, compelled TO he un
employed half the time, were indig
nantly TO protest, some day, against tn,
taxes wrung from the sweat of its brow
besHg any longer expended OH princel,
paupers?
There is a homely idea, moderated,
strong among the trading, and increas
ingly vehement among the workin
classes Of England, that a rich paren
ought to support his or her childreI
without being so unreasonable as TO dle
mand, as right, that the public
whether Parliament or parish, shoulr
do 1t. Queen Victoria is credited i'm he
own diminions, and among her owl
"loyal and loving subjects,n with tn,
actual possession of s., ,OO0, 900 Of private
property, Independent of the large in
come paid TO her out of the public purse
The Interest OF these three millions ster.
ling, invested in three per cent. consols
would give a revenue of $4,000 per an
mum, and some of her subjects, who
find it hard TO pay the heavy taxes,
have presumed 10 think, to write, and
to declare, with considerable emphasis
that out Of this additional income her
Majesty ought TO be ''graeiOusly pleased
10 support her younger children. In
stead OF doing so, she asks Parliament
TO do it.
The annual cost to the British nation
Of the royal family can only be approx
mated, its members having so many
sources Of income beyond their regulnI
allowances. Each of them has 4 rent
free and taX-free palace. Queen Nicto-
ria's allowance Of e3Sj, 900 is augmented
TO G425, 900 year by the additional
revenues of the Duchy of Lancaster lac.
tually belonging to the public as Crown
lands, and yielding, in 1872, the sun
OF E4O,OOO over and above all expenses
The Prince of Wales has an income O
G40,000, with an additional elOOOO Z
year to his wife out Of the civil list, anC
the Duchy of Cornwall brought him az
additional f6j,57 clear of expenses
total, ell5,574. Next the Duke of Edin
burgh, co, ,0O6; the Duke Of Connaught
el5,O00; Prince Leopold, el5,O00 Grown
Princess Of Prussia, eS,O00; Princess o
Hesse, 10000; Princess Christian, e6,OO0
and the Marchioness of LOrne, $4,000
Here is a total Of el96,574 per annuu
for Queen NictOria's children.
In addition, her aunt Duchess o
Cambridge has e6,OOO; her cousin 9TH,
Grand Duchess of Mecklenbury) ant
the Princess Teck eS,O0O more. Tn,
Duke of Cambridge has el2. 900 a year
but draws at least as much more from
the public purse as field marshal, com
mander-in-chiefO of the army, colOnel-in
full of four regiments, and Ranger o
II. James, the Green, Hyde, and Rich
mOnd Parks-say e24, 600 to him. Thu
the Cambridge family are an annua
charge on the public purse 10 the amour
OF e34,O00; the Queens children, to tn
amount Of el96, ,574-the Queen hersel
receiving E425,OO0 per annum. So, in
dependent of rent-free and taX-free resi-
Iences, the Royal Family Of Englant
uraw from the public treasury the an
hual sum of e655,674 This makes tn
ilt'te cost on account of that one fam
ilS, S5'SH,S1O per annum i'm gold. /
must be confessed that poor John Bal
iias q very heavy burden 10 carry
forney's Press.