Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-11-18
THE COST OF MONARCHY AND
DEMOCRACY.

Another favorite subject is the burden O
taxation and the amount of public expendi
ture. Of all the pretensions of democratic
government none is more false than that i
Is cheap 1t is the dearest in the world, be
cause the claims made on the Treasury o
the public purse in the name of the sover
elgn people are irresistible. The two prea,
Republics of the United States and France
enjoy the sinister privilege of supporting the
largest debts that ever existed and the heav.
lest amount of interest-far exceeding that
National Debt of England, after twenty
years of war, which was formerly the won.
der of the world
Such are the opinion and assertion of a
writer in the Edinburgh Reoiew for July,
1885. The impression conveyed by the
above is false, and it is impossible to
avoid the conclusion that the above was
written with the purpose of conveying a
false impression. The impression con-
veyed by the above is that the Govern
ment of the United States contracted its
enormous debt through mismanagement
and pandering to popular prejudices.
To one unacquainted with the history of
our national debt, the idea here given is
that it is the result of great salaries to
Presidents and Senators and Representa-
tiyes, and to all other employees of the
Government. Let us examine the cause
OF our national debt and compare it with
the debt of England.
The debt of the United States on the
first day OF January, 1871, was $40, ,463.-
1862. This debt was the result OF a LONG
war with England, war in which the
Colonies sought to and did free them
selves from the tyranny of England. In
1872 the debt of the United States was
S45, ,2O9, 1890, a reduction of $50. .253.-
1882 In twenty-one years. From 1912 |
to 1915 the debt of the United States in !
creased $l4, ,623, ,922.25. Why should the
debt OF the United States increase over
fourteen and half millions of dollars
from iSl2ito 1915? Because, during that
time the United States sustained sec
ond war with England, and this readily
explains the great increase in the
debt of the United States dur
ng those years. In 1861 civil
war broke out in the United States, and
asted four years. The debt OF the United
states on the first day of July, 1861, " IS
'9o, sO,S73.72. In 1912 the fiscal year of
he United States was made to begin on
he first day of July instead of on the
irst day of January, as Heretofore. The
lvil war in the United States came to n
lose with the surrender of Lee at Appo-
nattox Court House, April II, 1865.
'hlch Was Just four years and one day
tier Fort Sumter was fired upon. The
ebt of the United States reached its
maximum in 1866. when it reached the
normous sum of $2,77S, ,236, 1850. On
ne first day of July, 1884, the debt of the
United States was 81 $3.50, ,52S, ,923. In
lghteen years, then, the United States
ad paid $942, ,7o7. .25O.12.
What did the country gain by this inn
lense expenditure of treasure? If nro.
'iNeo ,iie Union, and thereby kept one
all OF the country, and this simple fact
one, considered as monetary matter
one, justified the outlay. The gain to
and liberty through the preser-
ltlon OF the American Union is beyond
nputahon on money basis.
We see, then, that the enormous deht
the United States was contracted to /. .
eserve Government, and in so pre.
rvlng the Government, demonstrated
capacity of man for self-goyernment II
q the strength of free government y
Nv, let us look at the debt of England,
d see if, by the monetary test. mon
'lty Is any cheaper than democracy
At the commencement of the French
T In 1888, the debt of Great Britain :.
s e247 ,S74, ,434. At the Peace of nj
mems, 1902, the debt of Great Britain
S esq.,, ,65S .00s, an increase during the II
rteen years of war of 1885,, ,7s3, ,ss7. AT sch
Peace of Paris, in September. 1873 La, La,
date terminating the twenty wears, bot
spoken of by the Edinburgh reviewer F
debt OF Great Britain was e9oO, ,4s6.-