The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-10-04
What Kings Cost.

1t is interesting to compare the ex-
pense of maintaining monarch on a
throne, and that of supporting Presi-
dent in the executive chair of Repub-
lie.
For many years the salary of the
President of the United States was
$25, 900 year. This sum, indeed, did
not represent the entire cost to the
country of the executive Office. The
White House was supported, to some
extent, from the public purse; and
there was sundry other sums spent on
the Presidents office. The salary of
the President was raised to $50, 900 a
year during Gen. Grants term, and
continues at that figure; and the whole
expense to-day of the Presidents Office
is probably something less than $780,
600 yearly.
The cost of Kingships in the various
monarchies of Europe is much greater
even in the smaller nations. The SOW
ereigns, in the old days, used to spend
pretty much what they pleased out of
the public revenue. They were mostly
absolute, and would impose taxes at
will, and so raise an indefinite income
for their own display and pleasures.
This Is still the case with the Gar of
Russia, whose expenditures are never
reported and cannot be estimated. The
Sultan of Turkey, too, has power to
raise all the taxes he can squeeze out
of his impoverished and indolent SUBJ
jects, and cannot be called to account
for his spendings.
But in all the other European mon
arches the sovereign is restricted.
Absolute despotism with them has been
replaced by constitutional systems.
The Emperor or King can only spend
what is voted to him by the Parliament
of Congress. A device new to this
country called the Civil List" has
been adopted by nearly every monarch
zeal country, and also by the French
republic.
The Civil List is designed to provide
the sovereigns with a fixed income.
1t comprises number of items, or
heads of expenditure; and these are
discussed and passed upon each year
by the several Legislative bodies.
OF course, each sovereign has o
greater or smaller private property of
his own, as family inheritance, with
which his subjects have nothing to do.
The revenues he receives from the Civil
List, therefore, are what might be
called his salary in his public capacity,
and by no means show what his entire
income is.
The English Civil List, for instance,
provides Queen Victoria with an income
of about 81 100000. But she has also
large private fortune, 80 that all her
receipts for the year reach over So, OOO,-
900.
Germany provides the veteran EN-
peror William with Civil List of about
SO, 900; which it must be difficult
for a monarch so frugal and simple in
his tastes and habits to get rid o. in the
course of a year. His private property,
moreover, adds at least million to that
vast sum.
King Humbert of Italy's Civil List
is $3,0S0,000 year, somewhat larger
than that of the German Emperor;
while young Alfonso of Spain has only
about million and half, so impover-
ished are the people of his historic
kingdom.
The lesser nations are, of course, more
economical. The sovereign of Denmark
has Civil List allowance of 1925, 900
year; which, however, is at least three
times what our President costs, and
much more, if we consider the differ
ence in population between Denmark
and the United States. The King Of
Holland gets $500, 900, and the King of
Greece $220,000.
Thus, it is evident that, without re-
gard to any other aspect of the differ
ence between monarchies and republics,
at least the former is much the more
costly luxury of the two to the masses
of the people who have to pay the bills.
-Youth'S Companion.
Knowing Child