The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-05-03
fN1PI1RIAIIsN.
FtSurcs Showing Cost of Our I'm
pcrinlistic Folly.


Before the civil war broke out in 1861
the expenses OF the federal government
ranged between so and 60 millions
year, and only in one year reached as
nigh figure as S730JO,000. During the
Mexican war the highest yearly outlay
was S5iOO0000 The year the civil
war commenced the expenditures were
only s66,650.O00. but they mounted UP
very rapidly after Fort Sumter, reach
ing their maximum in 1865, the year
the war ended, with over a million sol
diers in the field, the enormous total
Delng 1,295 millions of dollars. There
was big drop after the war closed,
and In 1866 the expenditures were $40
millions, then falling to 2i2 millions in
lSS5-S6, the first year of the Cleveland
administration. After the census Leg
islation of 1890 there was rapid in
crease, and in 1898 the expenditures
went up over a hundred millions and
were 443 millions of dollars.
Secretary Gage on Monday, as re-
quired by law, sent to congress esti-
mates for the appropriations for the
next fiscal year ending July 1, 1901.
The aggregate is $63l ,0Sl 1874, or 3S
millions over the estimates for the cur
| propriations.
The total on account of pensions is
| Sl45, ,232, which is a decrease of
$3,3S0 compared with the current year,
! from which IL would be supposed that
pensions were on the down grade, but
the West Indian and Philippine pen
sions remain to be heard from. Our
army and naval expenditures are in
creasing. For the army next year 1870
millions is asked, and for the navy 76
millions, an increase over the current
| year in both branches of the service Of
| So millions.
Our army navy and pension expen-
| ditures for the coming year foot up the
enormous sum of $411,S12772, leaving
from the grand total the sum of s219,-
269,221 for all other purposes of gov
ernment We are not only nearing
but passing the totals of European i'm
| perialism. Nearly two-thirds of the
/ enormous aggregate of national expen-
| diture goes to war and navy and the
| pensions Of past wars.
| President McKinley's national book
keeper figures up that he will need for
the closing year of the Mckinley ad-
ministration the neat sum of S63l 0O0- :
! 900. The average rate of expenditure
| of Cleveland's administration was
! S270000 900 year, and for his second
administration 1865, 100000, the in
crease resulting mainly from the de-
! pendent pension law, which he vetoed
| his first term and became a law in the
! Harrison interregnum.
To state the case fully, the appropri-
ations and expenditures of the four
years of the Mckinley administration,
accepting Secretary Cages estimates
for the closing year, will be as follows:
| lSSi-9S ................... S4f3 ,3oo,ooo
| lSSS-99 ................... iOU,O53,oo4
| 1S99-1900 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 600 O,95S, III
| 10000 ................. 631 .OSl ,394
The difference between 631 millions
of dollars year and 270 millions of
dollars year represents the difference
in cost between Cleveland's American
policies and McKinley's imperialist
rage. Are we not paying little too
much for our whistle? And yet Presl-
dent Mckinley at the outset of his
message declares that the conditions OF
the country "are of unusual prosperity
of universal good will among the peo-
pie at home and in relations of peace
and friendship with every government
of the world" We are paying at the
rate of six and seven hundred millions
of dollars year for 1t, for every penny
is drained from the pockets OF the
people by taxation. 1t is their sub
stance that Is being thrown away on
anti-American policies.