The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-09-12
Written for the vIRG1N1AN.
British Civil Service.

Written for the vIRG1NIAN
British Civil Service.
1t has long been the fashion for 'scivil ser
vice reformers," opposition partizans an
chronic grumblers, when arraigning GU
government and its administration for ex
travagance, corruption, and divers othe
faults and errors to point across the Allan
tic to the British monarchy as shining ex
ample to be admired and followed. 1t doe
not seem worth while to these gentlemen
however, to submit the details Of this exam
pie in facts and figures for our enlighten
ment and practical emulation, but being my
self an humble searcher after truth, and o
a plain, practical turn Of mind, would fair
supply their omission to some extent, and +.
stray copy Of the London Financial Reform
Almanac which has fallen into my hands
affords me the opportunity Of doing so upor
the authority of the official statistics it con-
tains.
From this mass of valuable statistics we
gather some interesting and instructive fig
ures, showing how economical is that SNOWY
piece of armament, the royal family. In
addition TO the $50, 900 appropriated to Hell
Majesty's privy purse, and e346. 239 to the
payment OF salaries and expenses Of the
royal household, we find that the Princess
Royal receives annually $4,000, the Prince
Of Wales, 100000; the Princess Of Wales,
e10,0 900; the Duke of Edinburg, e25, 900 ;
the Duke of Connaught, $4,000; Prince
Leopold, $4,000; the Princesses Alice, Lou
lisa and Helena, e6, 900 each; Princess Mary
Of Teck, $1,000; Princess Augusta, $4,000
the Duchess Of Cambridge, $4,000, and the
Duke Of Cambridge, sl2,000; besides the
recent allowances granted to the Duchess OF
Edinburg, the Duke Of Connaught, on his
marriage, and the Princess Beatrice. The
amount thus far received by the above men
toned members Of the royal family, exclu-
sive Of the Queen, aggr egates fully two mil
lions sterling or ten millions Of dollars
The private income Of the Queen is reported
to be nearly el00, 900, and that of the Prince
Of Wales at nearly as much, that from the
Duchy Of Lancaster alone being nearly
100000. No wonder that the heir to the
throne is so poor that his special expenses
have to be paid by the nation and that his
debts are said to be almost as great as those
of George w when Prince of Wales.
We pay our President, while In office,
what the lovely Princess of Denmark re-
ceives annually for condescending to marry
the heir to the British throne.
Turning to the alphabetical list of per-
sons receiving annuities, pensions, super
anuat;on. compensation and other allow
ances,' we find the annual amount to be
e1, 020, 963, 14s, Cd, exclusive Of army and
navy pensions, ard the aggregate amount
drawn from the treasury, by the persons
named, up to 1878, to be Ell 1887, 744, a sum
which the British taxpayer may contem-
plate complacently in view OF depressed
finances, dwindling trade and manufac-
lures, increased expenses in the East ard
another sixpence in the pound income tax.
When we abolish an office there is an end
both to office and officer, but in Great Brit
ain the office appears to be a vested right
and the officer who is ousted receives "com-
pensation allowance" gen rally equal to
the salary, for life. In the case Of the late
Ecclesiastical and Prerogative Courts,'
these allowances amount to ELS, 075, i6s, sd,
annually. The former judges of the Irish
Chancery Court continue to receive their
salaries Of e3,692 each. and Of the Court of
Bankruptcy, e1,s0O, each. why did not
some Congressional reformer move last ses-
sion to pension the poor Registers in Bank
rupcy, whose occupations are now gone p
Lord Chancellors of the Kingdom, though
elevated to the peerage, and serving but
few months or years. receive an annual PEN
sion of $4,000. Up to 1873, Lord Broug
ham and St. Leonard had drawn their pen
sions twenty years; Lord Chelmsford eleven
years; Lord Westbury, seven years, and Lord
Cairns, four years, making an aggregate Of
e310, 1000, or over a million and half of dol
lars. Other pensioners for judicial service
are Lord Peterborough, who gets $1,000
(since 1887; Judge Erie, $500; Judges
Brewster and Napier, e3,692, 6s. Judges
Sir ]. T. Coleridge, Kindersley and Will
liams, 93 500, etc.
Among the diplomatic and political pen
sioners occur the distinguished names of
viscount Eversley, $4,000; Sir j. Stuart,
e3, 500; Earl Morley, in trust for Earl Am
herst, since 1903, $4,000; RI. Hon. Benja-
min Disraeli, Rt. Hon. T. M. Gibson, Sir
Geo. Grey, and Ri. Hon. S. Fl. Walpole,
e2,cOO, each; Rt. Hon. G. P. Villiers,
e1, $50; Sir Henry Bulwer, Earl Cowley,
and Lord Bloomfield, Ell, 700 each /; the VEN
cradle Viscount Stratford deRedcliffe, el.-
1856, since 1913; and others who receive the
insignificant sums of 81 300 and under per
annum.
Several pensions are hereditary. In 1890,
the Duke Vt Schomburg was accidentally
killed at the battle Of the Boymn, by one of
his own men, wherefore the heirs of the gal
liant mereenary have drawn from the Brit
ish treasury over e400, 900, and will continue
to receive e2,160 per annum forever. Since
the middle of Queen Anne's reign the Duke
OF Marlborough and his heirs have received a
pension:of $4,000, and this same sum, dat
ing from 1890, is put down annually to VIM.
Penn and his heirs forever. The heirs Of
Sir Thomas Charges have drawn $500 per
annum for over two hundred years, and the
Earl of Bath Ell, 200 for twenty years.
Lord Rodney and his male heirs forevever get
81, 900, and Dowager Lady Rodney has re-
ceived an equal sum Tor seventy-eighs
years.
Among the special pensions for military
and naval services are e3, 800 to Earl Nelson
and the successors to the title, 81, 800 to
Countess Nelson, which she has drawn for