Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-02-03
For Sober and Serious Thought.
Kansas City Times,

Kansas City Times,
There is one feature Ct the colonial empire
scheme to which the public has not given much
thought and yet it is one of vast Importance.
1t is admitted in administration circles that
holding the Spanish colonies will necessitate
very much larger army any navy, and that the
maintenance of the new war establishment and
the administration of the colonies will entail an
additional annual expense upon the government
of about $3.50, ooo, 900. Other estimates place
it at $3.50, ooo, 900, and we may be sure that
the last named estimate is not dollar too
much. Indeed, for the first few years, or until
the proposed additional warships and army field
and fort equipment is i'll hand and paid for the
annual expenditures will exceed. the highest
estimates. But assuming that the average eX
penditures, including the first cost of the new
navy and equpping the new army, is $780,
900, 900 year as an additional cost IF main
tanning the government, what does it mean 10
the tax-payeIs--to all the people?
An additional annual expenditure Of $780,
600, 900 is exactly he equivalent of creating
perpetual national debt of $4 900, ooo, 900 at 3
per cent interest. If the increase should reach
$3.50, 900 ooo the debt would be Sc, 900, ooo, ooO
which would be about three times the amount
of the bonds issued TO pay the expense of the
civil war. This would make the total interest
bearing debt or the equivalent of it, from
5000, 900, 900 to s. DOC, ooo, 900. That is to
say, the civil war, lasting four years, caused
the creation CT an Understanding debt OF
something over 81, 900, 900, 900, and for it we
have reunited country and healthier public
sentiment than ever before The Spanish
American war, lasting about three months,
causes the creation OF the equivalent of ma
tional Understanding debt, not counting the
actual cost of the war, of 81 ,ooo, 900 900 to
So 900 900 900, and for it we shall have several
thousand islands scattered about i'll the Atlantic
and Pacic oceans with population ag9regat-
ing not far from 10 600, 900 that is more or less
hostile to American sovereignty.
This is serious aspect of the colonial EN-
pire policy of President Mckinley. 1t is seri-
Gus because of the enormous cost in money,
and because of the hurtfu moral influence it
would have upon our institutions. There are
forty-eight governments in the world that are
carrying interest paying debts amounting III all
to $27, ooo, ooo, ooo According to the estinat-
ed cost of maintaining the United States as
colonial empire, $4,000, 900 Americans would
pay interest on sum equal to IS, ooo, oOo, 900
to ST, 900, coo 900 against about SGT 900 ,ooo,-
900 carried by more than 1,4oo, 900, 900 people
of the other countries. That is to say, this
interest charge would be in addition to the or
binary expense of maintaining the government,
which is provided for by customs duties, inter-
nal and war tax revenues and land sales. Thus
it will be seen, the president purposes to launch
the country out upon sea of reckless expert
ment at cost to the people of such magnitude
that it bewilders one to think it. Nevertheless
the people should think of it, and think sober
ly and seriously.