The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-01-11
THE COST OF CITY GOVERNMENTS.

Every incorporated town and city has a
greater or less burden Of expense to bear in
the way of interest and a sinking fund for
created debt and for the yearly support of It's
various departments. 1t seems that IS soon
asa town or city is incorporated, about the
first thing il does 10 TO create debt. This
doubtless cannot well be prevented, a, the
government starts of penniess, and of
course always with "grest expectations"
hence bonds are issued and marketed too
often, alas here ia Texas especially, bonds
arc Issued and paid for securing presumed
railroad advantages and facilities, and the
future is drawn on 10 meet the exigencss of
the present, New York is the great mstrop-
oils Of this country; 1t is the commercial
centre of the American union, and its bus-
mesa prosperity is almost at full tide. There
is never, 10 a comparative sense, q season of
business stagna!on and syOtuds there, and
every month in the year trade of some char
acter and from some direction socks the mart,
of that great city, Yet when wo talk
about city expenses and the cost of municipal
government, We have but to lock at great
Gotham to b silencsd. WITH population
of 100000, the cost of city government in
New York is $3O.OOO,OOO psr anuum, a per
capita tax Of S25. We, here in free
America, talk about the monstrous expense
OF European governnontS. Why there arc
six nations in Europe, the annual expenses
OF which are less than tboIs of New York
city, AMI not ono but has q greater popula-
ton, all keep a standing army, and Ave Of
them g navy q; well. The ontits annual
expenditures OF ths whole six Is only $40,
100000, or thraa times that of New York
city, 1t true thasc powOrI ara small and
weak but they ara nations with all tire pre-
negatives, all the responsibilities, all tho
diguitiss o. nations, aad which they must
maintain among the o,har nations of Euro %
AMI of the world. These powers are PJr
tugal, Denmark, Switzerland, Greece, Nor
way aud Sweden. Thair aggregate popula,
is 100000, to govara whom il costs So
per capita, including the support of ak
standing armies and Eve nayie,, while
it costs S25 per capita, Ave times
as much, to govern 100000 in the city of
New York. Portugal, small and insignia-
cant power, 1t is true, among the nations of
Europe, has population of 4,50O,0 and It's
annual expenditures are $40, $50 600, Of
which $l1,0O00OOis interest on the bonded
debt. She has an army of $4,000 men, and
navy manned by $500 sailors and marines
Switzerland, with population Of 5000 900
and standing army of 100000 mon, spends
annually $S,420,60O; Greece, with bstvs i,
1,7Oo,sOo and 100000 inhabitants m army
OF $4,000 soldiers and a navy of fourteen
ships, spends $l072S. $50; Denmark sxpends
only $ll,4o2,olo, with apopulstiOn of 2oOo,-
600, soldiers Of oil arms $4,000 and twenty
steam naval vessels, of which seven are
iron-clads. We mention these figures and
details simply by way of comparison to
show how wall off are the bulk OF cities,
Dallas, we will say for instance, alongside Of
New York, in the way of municipal cx-
psudisures AID the cost Of municipal govern
msnt. Now, we believe that lhere /,
. vast amount Of money uselsssly.squandered
IN New. York, taxes thrown away, for which