The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-09-15

| DEVELOPMENT of tbe country aud draw
their support from thel traffic which they
plans will require an ann ual expenditure OF
500 00O, 900 francs for ten years, or 10 round
numbers, about one thouaand million of
dollars. For the year 1877 the ordinary
service of the public works cost "a .IS4, S95
francs aud the extraordina service gu,
600, ,000-about one-third of the annual
| estimates for the next decade. What
seems to astonish everybo about such q
project 10 the vastness of the expenditure;
| for the interference of Government In rail-
way control is no new thing in Europe,
| and the duty of Government touching the
Improvement of harbOrs is acknowledged
everywhere. It is so unusual thing to
Gee o nation laying aside q large share Of
it's revenues for the permanent good Of
the country, for the erection of great
works, for the advantage Of its people in
the arts of peace, that the act looks like
madness. That France should spend
every year for the army an amount equal
to the sum now to be set apart for public
improvements is taken as matter OF
course that she should have an average
annual expenditure of five times that
amount 10 not looked upon as 80 nnreason-
able as the scheme to divert fifth to in
creasing the fixed capital of the nation. IL
upon us th ut we realize the full danger to
modern civilization that lies in vast poor
debts and standing armies. France con-
templates spending q Thousand millions OF
dollars on public works in ten years, and
men shake their heads over the scheme
and predict that she cannot sffeFd to rick
such an experiment, yet the prospects are
that she will have to spend an equal sum
in that time to keep herself in readiness to
fight her neighbors, and that is held to be
highly reasonable if somewhat costly
precaution. She had to pay that amount
as a war indemnity to Germany, aud about
as much more for the cost of the war and
foreign occupation from 1870 to 1873. Ten
years of interest on her pnblic debt would
be more than double the sum. If, there
fore, in tho expenditure of a thousand mil |
lion of dollars in ten years for pubic i'm
provements the Administration of France
is overstepping the true functions of
government, fostering dangerous tempta
tions to dishonesty and interfering with |
the natural development of the country,
what can be said of the civilization which |
compels not only her but the other nations
of Europe to make far greater expenditures
merely for protection against each others |
rapacity without in the ep d securing safe.
tyr Paternalism in government capnot be |
exercised over the nourishment of vast
armies of conscripted citizsBs without ex-
tending to other matters than war and fos. |
tering great hordes of officials in every de.
partment of administration. The course
of NJ. de Freycinet is doubtless the result
of praise worthy desire to be as active and
extravagant as the War Minister. 1t is a
curious fact, as illustrating the tendencies
of the times, that this sum of one Thousand
millions to be expended by France in pub
lie works is about one half the whole coat
of our own government from l7a9, to 1851.
1t is a more startling fact, illustrating the
rapidity with which war, war debts and
extrauagsuce run away with money, that
our public expenditures since 1861 have
amounted to nearly fourteen thousand mil
lions.
OF course, the opponents of NJ. de Frey
cinet's scheme may urge that the military
expenditure is a matter of vital necessity
to France, whereas his public works can
be dispensed with, and quote against him
the old story of how Solon said to CI0sus
when that monarch showed him his richea:
"If any man come that hath better iron
than yon, he will be master of all this
| gold T" Butthe nrgartttnees OF governments ts
| when the demand is for a work of const,uc
| tion, compared with their profusion when
called on TO provide means of destruction,
nevertheless affords a strange aud instruc.
| tive contrast.