Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-08-21
The Magnitude of the Burden the Nation Has
to Garry.

Tho Magnitude OF the Burden the Nation Has
to Garry,
From tho International Record.
No doubt there arc many who think
that interest in the care OF the
tho criminal and the unfortunate Is an idle
sentiment, more creditable to the heart than
to the head of him who feels 1t, or at least
that this is a matter with which men in or
dinary life have no concern. The growth OF
a spirit OF indifference to the whole subject Is
promoted by our system of local selfgovern-
ment and divided authority. If the budgets
for the support of institutions devoted to the
care of these classes could be consolidated,
and tho actual amount of the drain upon the
people of the country which they involve
were known, popular interest in them would
receive a sudden impulse. 1t Is pitiable to
think that human nature is so gross that
financial considerations have more weight
than any other. Hut inasmuch as dollars
aud cents are universal language intelligi-
BILE to everybody, we will try TO give our
readers some idea of the magnitude OF the
burden which the nation has TO carry by re-
ducing ii to a money standard.
Four hundred and fifty thousand insane,
idiotic, deaf, blind, pauper or criminal inhab-
itants of the United States cost Tor their an
nual maintenance probably not less, on the
average, than SlT5 each, directly or indirectly,
or let us say SIS, 100000 in the aggregate.
Seyenty.fve million dollars is per capita
tax of 81 80 on every man, woman and child
in America, which we pay almost without
our knowledge. At per cent IL is the inter-
est on g, 500, ,OO0,00 And what Is S250O OOO,-
900 When the census of 1850 was taken the
national debt of the United States was y, l2C,-
4lj,37O The investment in the debt did not
equal the permauent investment In misior-
tune and crime represented in the returns
OF tho detective, dependent and delinquent
classes.
The total permanent Investments by the
railroad corporations, including construction,
equipment, lands, stocks, bonds, telegraph
lines, etc, were s., lS2, i45,S SO6. our invest
ment in crime and misfortune was about half
OF lhat in railroads. The amount invested In
railroads is about equivalent to the valuation
OF the yearly products OF manufacturers,
which was reported at s., 1859, 9,5I9 l9l Were
one-half of ell the moneys received by manu-
facturers in any single year to be set apart as
Speak SIlisa 70 70. III care OF the criwipatt
and unfortunate and invested as per cent
| tho whole of the interest received would
| absorbed. The value of farm products is no
| quite half that OF manufactured articles ; it i
| s., Az, ,53S,65S. The whole of the farm pro
| ducts of the United States for one year woult
| not be more than sufficient for the creation
| of the fund suggested.
The assessed valuation OF the state OF New
| York in 1850 was &, 65l, $40, 600, or no create
| than the amount of capital required for th
| care of our unfortunates and criminals. Tn,
| assessed value of the six New England
| states was g, CO., ,000, 900 All of New Eng
| land, with her cities, her mills and her bank ks
| would not be more than enough to appropri
| ate to this special purpose, If the capitalize
| ton of this expenditure were necessity.