, 1875-05-15
The Cos. Of Government


1t will scarcely be credited By the
people of this country, says an eN-
change. that the expenses Of support
ing their National Government in 1874
were almost as great as those OF Eng
land. Yet such is the fact. The ex-
penses of Great Britain during the past
year were s371, ,64O,0GO. Those of the
United States for the same period,
$3.50, ,23S,700. The difference III our
favor does not reach 10000, 900. Yet
England has an immense civil list 10
keep up. the Royal Family are costly,
and each year there are visits from
foreign crowned heads, with their fol-
lowers, which eat hole in the public
funds of large dimensions. Besides,
Great Britain has large army and
navy. That nation has one hundred
and thirty thousand men and officers
to pay, feed and clothe. The United
States have twenty-four thousand men
and officers on the pay list. England
pays for one hundred thousand soldiers
of all ranks S6j,000,00O per year.
The United States are taxed S42,3l3,-
927 for their twenty-four thousand
men. 1t costs FIVE dollars per month to
support the soldiers Of England. In
the United States the cost Is over sew
enteen dollars per soldier per month.
The British navy has two hundred
and forty ships in commission, and
sixty thousand officers, sea,men and
marines on the payroll. That roll
amounts to S5l 100000 per annum.
We have forty vessels in commission,
and the complement OF men and OIL
GERS Is twelve thousand. The diSpro-
portion between the expenses Of the
two sea services Is startling and shows
why the cost OF maintaining the gov
ernment of tEiS nation should he near
! ly as great as that OF England. The
receipts from all sources in England
during the fiscal year 1871 were
! 1886, sos, ,3S5; expenses during the
same period, S5S2 ,S32 $40. Since and
including the year ending April lst,
1889, there have been but four years IN
which there was deficiency of reve-
nue., and these were years marked by
the war Of China and Abyssinia. The
income tax has been changed fourteen
times in thirty years. 1t is now three
fourths OF one per cent. Ore year ago
taxes to the amount of S25 100000 per
annum were repealed, and another re-
ductiOn is talked of to take place in
1876. From 1872 to 1874 the annual
reduction Of taxes III excess of increase
and inadiiLiou to the tax list and rates
aggregated Sl00,000,000 and yet the
revenue has suffered no diminution
England draws her revenue from few
articles. The postal service OF Eng
land yields a yearly profit to the Gov
ernment of SO, 900, 900. In this coun.
try there is a deficiency of more than
SG,O0QpOGO per annum. There are no
good reasons why the expenses Of This
Government should be nearly parallel
those of Great Britain. We have no
royal leeches to feed, no titled droneS
to keep in idleness and luxury. We
have small army, smaller navy.
No such leaks as these afford chances
for the peoples money TO escape from
the Treasury. \ Arepubic should have
an economical government That Is
the meaning OF the system under
which we live. When, therefore, the
governmental expenses of this country
mount upon the same plans with those
of such a nation as England, there is
evidences Of abuses which the people
shonld not fail TO take into serious
consideration.