The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-06
FAT SALARIED RULERS
M'KINLEY's PAY WOULD NOT BE PIN
MONEY FOR SOME OF THEM.
Queen Victoria Is Paid IA Total of
$4,OOO,OOO AnnuaIIy-PrinceIy
Pay of Little Kings.
Philadelphia Times.


ceives a salary of $4,000 per year At first
blush this seems so tremendous as TO take
our breath away. 1t appears to be far and
away ahead of the earning capacity of any
individual, no matter how great his ability,
and no matter what the energy or hard work
involved. But second sober thought must
convince us that the salary of the President
of this Republic, who rules over 100000 of
PEOPLE at the present time, and who is likely
to be the ruler Of a much greater number Of
citizens in the near future, if measured by
mental strain and responsibility and the
amount and character of the labor involved,
is but a mere pittance. This view of the
matter was undoubtedly in the minds of the
members of Congress a number of years ago
when they successfully advocated legislation
by which the Presidents salary was in
creased from $4,000 to $4,000 per annum.
In this country there is absolutely no limit
to the earning capacity Of men Of genius and
energy. There are several railroad presidents
at the present day who make as much, if not
more every year in their existence, than the
President of the United States There are at
least a half dozen lawyers in each of the
great cities of the United States whose in
come is double that of the President of the
United States, and there are numerous in
stances of men in the learned professions,
physicians, lawyers and others, whose sal
aries and fees exceed 100000 per annum.
But 1 am diverting slightly from my sub
ject What | started out to say was that
the salary Of the President of the United
States, as compared with the incomes OF
the rulers of the old world, is ridiculously
small. and this applies equally as well to
the republic as to the monarchies on the
other side of the Atlantic. Indeed, the Pres
idents of some of the opera bouffe govern
ments or republics of South America have
stated incomes almost as great that of
the United States. But it is particularly
when we look abroad that we discover the
startling differences that are made by what
might be termed ''odous" comparisons.
To begin with, take her royal Majesty,
Victoria Queen of Great Britain and Ire
land and Empress of India. According to
the official budgets of England the Queen
is annually voted 100000 each year. The
civil list of the Queen consists of a fixed
parliamentary grant, and it must be said, TO
the credit of the reigning house, that 1t
amounts to much less than the incomes of
previous sovereigns. Under George l this
sum was about $5,OO0,000.
HER MAJESTYS EXTRAS.
In 1777, when the pigheadedness of King
George led him into the historical contro-
versy with our own George and cost him
the loss of all the American colonies, the
parliamentary grant was reduced to $780,
900. Victoria at the present time has paid
to her for the benenG of the royal house
hold, IN annual allowance of $1925,OOO, of
which the lords of the treasury are directed
to pay yearly 100000 into her Majesty's
privy purse, to set aside 81, 900 for the SAL
aries of the royal HOUSEHOLD $2400O0 for re-
firing allowances and pensions to servants,
and $50 600 for the royal bounty, aims and
special services. There is an unappro-
priated surplus of $4,000, which goes for
miscellaneous purposes, probably for seal
skin SacqueS, spring DonnetS and other
feminine extraVagances. The Queen also
has paid to her the revenues of the duchy
of Lancaster, which in 1896 amounted to
The Parliament includes in each of the an
nual estimates the consolidated fund" In
the royal family: $4,000 to the Duke of Ed
inburgh reduced from $4,000 on the acces-
sion of the duke to the dukedom of Sake
Coburg Gotha in 1893: $125,OOO to the Duke
of Connaught; $4,000 to the Empress Vic
toria of Germany $4,000 to the Princess of
Scheswig- Holstein; $4,000 to Princess
Louise marchiOness of Lorne; $4,000 to the
Princess Beatrice of Battenburg; $4,000 10
the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg- Strelitz;
$4,000 to the Princess of Teck, formerly
Princess Mary of Cambridge; $4,000 to
George, Duke of Cambridge; $4,000 to
Princess Helena of Waldeck Duchess of AL
bany
The Prince of Wales receives an annual
grant of 100000 and by an act of Parlia-
ment, passed in 1889 he receives $lS5,0OO IN
addition for the support and maintenance or
his children. In addition to this the prince
has revenues from the Duchy of Cornwall,
which in 1896 valued at over $4,000 per
her the annual sum of 500, 900, to be increased
to $4,000 in case of widowhOod.
Altogether $4,000 600 in our money would
be an inadequate estimate of what it costs
the people of England to enjoy the luxury
of royalty. Imagine for a moment the Con-
go l,o Cd tato f11qr act
sums of money to the brothers, sisters,
aunts. uncles and first, second and third
cousins of President Mckinley and the abb
surdity of the whole thing from an Amer
lean standpoint, of course, would be APP
parent.
continent the results are quite as interest
ing. The Emperor Franz Joseph, King of
Austria Hungary, has a civil list of about
$4,650O00. One mOety of this sum is paid to
him as Emperor of Austria out of the reve-
nues of German Austria and the other
moiety as King of Hungary out OF the reVe-
nues of Hungary. Leopold H. the reignng
King of Belgium, has a civil list of about
$4,000 This is quite modest in comparison
to the sums paid to other European mon
archs and the wonder is how Leopold ii
manages to get along SO economically
Christian TX of Denmark has a civil list
of $277,755 set on him by the vote of the
Rigsdag. Even for such a small state as
Denmark this seems quite modest. The
heir apparent to the crown receives sum
that is equivalent to 10000 year ian our
money If both these sums are put to-
gether they seem moderate enough &c. make
inapplicable the remark of MarcelluS to
Hamlet that there was something rotten
in the state of Denmark"
RANKS WITH M'KINLEY.
King George l of Greece by decision
Of the national assembly has $4,000 set on
him. In addition to this the governments
of Great Britain France and Russia have
each added $4,000, making the total income
Of King George $4,000 of American money
This comes nearer to President McKinley's
salary than anything on the other side of
the water
King Humbert of Italy has annually voted
to him about $1.6OQ0O0, and out of which
the Prince of Naples has an allowance of
100000 per annum.
The President of the Mexican republic re-
ceives $4,000 per annum, while the Mikado
of Japan receives s, 500, 600 per annum.
The President of the French republic re-
ceives $40 900 per annum. In addition TO
this lie is given $4,000 each year for neces-
sary household expenses.
Wilhelm II of Germany, the war lord has
money to burn Until short time ago
the kings of Prussia enjoyed the whole in
come OF the state domain. amounting 10
about a million sterling per annum This
time. The total "kronodatrons rente," as il
IS called, far as known, amounts to be-
tween three and four millions of our money.
The reigning house is also in possession
of vast amount of private property. com
prising castles, forests and great landed es-
of the court and the royal family not to
speak of private yachts special railroad
trains and magnificent escorts used by the
erratic sovereign in his wanderings on land