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 of
taxation and the amount of public expendi-
ture. OF all the pretensions of democratic
government none is more false than that it
is cheap. 1t is the dearest in the world, be-
cause the claims made on the Treasury or
the public purse in the name of the sover-
eign people are irresistible. The two great
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
writer in the Edinburgh Review 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
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-
tives, 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 S75, ,463,-
476.52. This debt was the result OF long
war with England, n 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
$45, ,209, 1870, reduction OF $50, ,253,-
1882 in twenty-one years. From 1872
to 1915 the debt OF the United States in
creased $14, 1923, ,022.25. Why should the
debt OF the United States increase over
fourteen and a half millions of dollars
from l8l2ito 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
ing those years. In 1851 civil
war broke out in the United States, and
lasted four years. The debt of the United
States on the first day OF July, 1861, was
90,5S0, ,S73.72. In 1S42 the fiscal year OF
the United States was made TO begin on
the first day OF July instead OF on the
first day OF January, as heretofore. The
civil war in the United States came to a
close with the surrender OF Lee at Apo
mattox Court House, April IL, 1865
which was just four years and one day
after Fort Sumter was fired upon. The
debt of the United States reached lis
maximum in 1906 when it reached the
enormous sum OF $2,773, ,236, 1850. On
the first day of July, 1884, the debt OF the
United States was 81 $3.50, ,52S, 1928. 81. In
eighteen years, then, the United statet
had paid $942, 10Y ,25OI2.
What did the country gain by this i'm
mense expenditure OF treasure? 1t pre.
served the Union, and thereby kept one.
half OF the country, and this simple fac,
alone, considered as Il monetary matter
alone, justified the outlay. The gain tc
mankind and liberty through the preser.
walton OF the American Union is beyond
computation on money basis.
We see, then, that the enormous debt
of the United States was contracted to
preserve Government, and in SO pre-.
serving the Government, demonstrated
the capacity OF man for seli-goyernment
and the strength Of free government.
Now, let us look at the debt OF England.
and see ii, by the monetary test, mon.
archy is any cheaper than democracy.
AT the commencement of the French
war in 1898, the debt of Great Britain
was e247 ,S74,434. AT the Peace OF
Amiens, 1902, the debt of Great Britain
was e537, ,653, ,0Os, an increase during the
thirteen years OF war of e337, ,7s3, ,s37. AT
the Peace OF Paris, in September, 1915.
the date terminating the twenty wears,
] war spoken Of by the Edinburgh reviewer
the debt of Great Britain was 5000 43G q.