The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-03-24
Who're the Money Goes.

1t looks as if, as the nation increases
in population, the cost of government
per capita would grow less. We have
no more Presidents now than we had
at the beginning, though we have
very properly doubled the salary of
the one we have. We have only
about one fifth as many Congressman
as we had at frs. in proportion to
population. In proportion to popula-
ton our army is much smaller than it
was at the beginning OF the century.
We have only eight members of the
cabinet, where we had six in the time
of John Adams, in spite OF the fact
that the country is now fourteen
times as populous as then. We have
added little to our diplomatic service,
and one foreign minister now repre-
sents, 71,5O0,0O0 people, instead of
5, 400, 900, and yet our annual ordinary
expenditures have increased tiftyfold,
and our expenditures per capita, in
stead of diminishing, have increased
from $l.39 in 1900 to $4.93 in 1896. 1t
looks as if either our ancestors were
very stingy, or we are very extrav'
agent. As a matter of fact, however,
the greater part of our increased ,eX:
nend,t,res ia due TO gratitude, and
gratitude is thing to be proud Of
not ashamed of. Wepay $40, 900, 600
annually to the men who saved the
Union, most of them for getting hurt
in saving it. There are about 100000
of them thirty-two years after the war
closed, which shows that the 600, 600
Confederate soldiers were dangerous
| lot of fellows, and that wounds re.
ceived in defending the Union were
conductive to longevity. Deductlng
the amount made for pensions and
the interest on the public debt, the
per capita of expenditure is 81 46.
For our war department we pay
about $4,000 for every soldier in the
field. This ought to make enllstments
popular. In Europe, as rule, they
pay only about S4OO. If Russia paid
as much for her army in proportion
to its numbers as we pay to our war
department., it would cost her about
81, 800, 600, 900 q year, in time of peace,
and in about two years Russia would
have to quit preparing to fight. As a
matter of fact, however, she pays lit.
tie more than dimes for our dollars,
and can continue tothreaten the peace
| of Europe. One of our queerest
| in increases expenditure, is in
appropriations for the Indians.
We paid in Indian appropria.
tions something over $4,000, 600
last year. As there are only about
quarter of million Indians in the
country, wild and tame, this amounts
to $4S per capita, or $240 for a family
| of five. 1t pays to be an Indian al
most as well as to be a pensioner. In
| 1864 the Indians, as numerous as now,
cost only about one.sixth as much,
which shows that they are apprecist-
ing in value. AT present rates OF IN
crease they would cost $270 per capita
thirty-three years from now, and
would be the aristocrats of the land.
Perhaps by that time Congress will
decide that it is better to buy them
all and present them to our worst ene-
my. It would certainly be economy
to buy them off now. We can bor-
row money at 81 per cent. and $4s
per annum per capita would amount
| to nearly $500 per Indian, or SO, 900
per family. This is fully 900 times as
much as the Indians are worth to them
selves, and 5000, 900 times as much as
they are worth to anybody else.