Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-05-30
CAPITAL NOTES.
The Comparative Expenses Of Eng
lish and American Towns.
uNFAyoRABLEToTHEUNITEDsTATEs
Difficulties of Office Hunting---The Nice
Little Tale of Big Hearted
PenSioner.
GENERAL WASHINGTON DISPATCHES.


WASHINGTON, May 29.-Consul Lsthrop,
of Bristol, England, sends to the State De
psrtment some interesting figures eompar-
ing the expenses of English cities with those
Of the United States. He gives tables with
q dozen or more leading cities in the United
States and as in England, giving their ex-
penses, taxes, ETC., for comparison. The re-
suit is very interesting. Fourteen Ameri-
can cities, taken together, owe S4l.56 for
each inhabitant, while fourteen English
principairies owe $2l.26 per capita. The
former owe nearly twice as much as the lat
ter, or to be exact, 81 6 per cent more. But
this is not the worst. For every town add
to these tables the comparison would be still
more unfa7orable to the United States, and
for this reason, that there the smaller towns
have the most burdensome debts, while the
contrary is true of England. The gross
debt, for instance, By the census Of 1880, of
Bath, Me-, with population Of 1874, was
S2l6,69 per capita; tnat of Portland, Me-,
with population of $3.50, was Sl2T.s4
per capita; that of Memphis, population
33,592) was Sl35.5O per capita;
and that of Middletown, Connecticut pop
ulation II, 1927, Sll997. The expenses Of
the English municipalities were per gear
81 tor each inhabitant This does not
include expenditures for public buildings or
for other exceptional matters on capital &C
count, nor does it include amount repaid
on loans. Against this we have the expense
oi the American cities as 1864 per capita
more than twice as much, or, to be exact,
IL Fer cent. more But this is not all;
for the principal Of special assessments,
though practiced somewhat in England, IS
nowhere carried so far as in the generality
Of American towns. The taxation per
csrita is in the English municipalities
SO so; in the American, Sl4l3. 1t IS ~
Der cent. Of the expenses in the former and
So Z in the latter. This discrepancy may
be accounted for by the large productive
properties owned by many English towns
which, OF course pay q considerable portion
of the expenses; and, besides, the General
Government pays everywhere one half the
cost oftbe clothing of the police and one
half of their wages and salaries. The most
expensive English FIRE department is that
of Manchester which costs each of its In
habitanto 2 cents per year, the most costly
American brigade is that Of New York,
which costs each inhabitant 3l.22, or eleven
times as much.
DiHiculties of ONCE Hunting.
at would be very amusing" said Con-
Gresham Butterworth, IF it was not so
absolutely painful, to see what the general
opinion is as 70 the ability OF Congressnen
10 fix up appointments on short notlce;
Now / have been receiving kilograms all
day wanting me to 60 right to the White
House and see about a certain appointment
that IS said TO have been agreed upon ol
nerhaps actually made. The people seem
10 mink that one has nothing TO do ou
to walk into the White House and take tn'
;Ssss;dcnt by the arm and say, come owe
here. Grove, | want TO talk to you, ah'
tben get whatever he wants.
"Yes," said General Bragg, Of Wisconsin
vbcy was standing by, that IS what the.
seen to think. got a Letter TO- day ITO u
Ne of nv constituents saying, let have
IA fooEshness stopped. Go ahead an
ikye the appointment made at once. Ina
very nice but the fact is l have see
be President only couple OF times snc
4 came here a month ago, and then out
brief time. There is little satisfaction TO 0
had from such an interview. The Preslden
ia oyerruu with visitors. They SIT with eye
and mouth and ears open anxious to Sc
and hear what you are saying, and Wonds
how LONG YOU are going to keep them wal
no OF course the President hears was
yo1 have 10 saw, but he has so much to mes
that you feel compelled to stop oetore ~
have said half what you want 10 say.
anybody suppOses it is easy to get an on>
fxrd up he is very much mistaken
That Big Hearted PensiOner Luuatic'
A very pretty story was sent out from ne
some days ago about penaoner WI
ceIIed At the pension Office to say that
r,on,ed his pension stopped, because ne "a
rscovered and didn't need 1t longer
trrDs ont that he was insane. de W
g-antsS a pension o! S72 per month, t
Il ,rgest allowed, because OF nus entlre tusa La
y ,ty, he being so thoroughly insane tnAt
VAS necessary to have an attenaant
him. More recently, however ne
came somewhat improved and was peru,
tsJ ~ 90 about alone, and took 1t INTO
Soo5 IN come here aud have his PensI
stonned The result will probably De u u
b;s pension will be cut down more than Il
No, cent The Government pays 10 M
Ebo have lost both arms or legs, or VINO :
,otsIIv disabled so a. to require the s'u
On Attendant, $72 per month; lie
nno Of tbis class. HIS coming here \
however, developed the fact tnas ne was
fer and able to disp anse with the serve Nc
the attendant, and it IS Prooa99is In"' !,
nsrs;on will be re iuced accordingly
Rsps to about $50 per month