Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-08
$l42,OO0,00O

O.
Thirty million two hundred and ten
Thousand one hundred and forty-seven
dollars more than those of the German
Empire.
For not quite $1l2,000,W0 Germany
has standing army of 46S, 400 soldiers
and s., ,2S3 horses (without the horses of
officers), and 800 cannon furthermore,
a navy composed of 10 large ironclads,
with 145 cannon and 5,92S soldiers IA
smaller ironclads, 8 frigates, 10 corvettes
and % gunboats Total, 81 active war
ships, with 467 cannon and Is, ,2S4 SOL
diers, without counting the 10 school
ships, with 20 cannon and / ,26S men.
Now what have the United States for
their $142 100000? A small army OF
about 24,O0O soldiers on paper, of which,
in fact, only about 10000 men are in
active service. To this add navy,
which up to few years ago was laughed
at by other nations. Since Grover
Cleveland's election our Government
commenced to build few very good
warships, but up to date our navy is not
one-third as strong as that of Germany
Last, but not least, we have an army
of pensioners which is growing from
year to year. AS estimated by the COM
mittee on pensions, we will have in 1894
list of pensioners amounting to
$50 200, Just about 80 per cent. more in
number than the standing army of Ger
many. In the above figures are counted
for our pension list $77, 100000, but for
the next. fiscal year, July l, 1890, to July
l, 1891, the committee of pensions ask
$98, ,427 ,461, with the cool remarks that
to the end of the year 1894 the neces-
sary amount will run up to SIP, 2,00O, 900.
This would be for pensions only. This
is few hundred thousand dollars more
than Germany needs for her standing
army of nearly half q million men, II
war ships with 1852 soldiers, and also
all her army and navy pension list.
Just remember: The estimates of the
committee on pensions are only based
on the pension laws now in existence.
but there are dozeEs more pension bills
in Congress now, which, if adopted,
would swell our pension list up to-
where there is no end.
The plain facts are that a quarter OF
century after the end OF the war the
number of pensions does not decrease
but increases. ILL. S.
As this correspondent points out him
self, it is the pensions that make nearly
all the difference between the expenses
OF the two Governments. 1t costs us
from $77 100000 to $SS,000,000 year to
pay the invalid soldiers of our wars it
costs Germany less than 10000, 900
marks, or say one-fifth or one-seventh
as much. The cost of our army and navy
is only $65,000,000 a year, outside
of pensions, and the cost OF these
equipments in Germany is more than
one-third greater. Germany Of course
gets great deal more for her money
then we do, but man cannot be sup
ported in America as cheaply as in
Europe, nor do we desire to reduce our
men to the level of living that prevails
among the poorer people of Europe.
Nor, again, do the people of the United
States begin to feel the burden of taxa
ton in anything like the degree felt ia
Europe. At the same time there is a
growing feeling in this country that the
pension business is pushed to a scandal
Gus extreme in certain quarters and that
many unworthy people are living on the
bounty of the Nation.