The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-02-19
UNCLE SANS EXPENSES.

ONSAG 0hW . IA G4NOASs
Because Our National revenues are
raised by the insidiOus methods of
indirect taxation, our people are too
prone to overlook the enormous eX-
penses of our National government.
The fact that appropriations at this
session of Congress will reach the
enormous sum of $3.50, OOO, OOO-not
only "a billion dollar Congress, but
almost Il billion dollar session-seems
to have excited little comment. We
do not believe that government
should be run upon parsimOnious or
miserly principles the nation is rich
and our expenditures are necessarily
heavy. Nevertheless, we ought to
look carefully into the Congressional
budget and hold u public servants
to strict accountability in all mat
ters affecting the cOuptry's finances.
In this connection, we give Il few
paragraphs from an interesting
article, What the Government
Costs, " written by Hon. Carroll D.
Wright for the y: tary Century.
They can be studied with profit by
all voters. Says Mr.. Wright:
a very large proportion of the
annual expenses is for pensions, the
largest single expense of the federal
government. This expenditure was
the largest in 1898, when it amour
ted to $l59, 357, 557.87. The smallest
expenditure since that period was in
1899, when it was $139, 1874, 929.O7 for
1900 it was $40, 81, 1916. The pen
sion burden in 1898 was &2.37 per
capita, while during the last fiscal
year it was $1.S4, which the people
of the United States pay to carry
out the promises made at the time
of the Civil War.
1.-The expenses of the War Depart
ment were the largest in the history
of the country in 1865, when they
exceeded $ 200, 600, 600. In 1871,
when the effect of the warand recon
.strucuon had virtuallp passed away,
they We're reduced to $35, 80, 1892.
They varied from that period, never
exceeding $40, 800, 600, until 1894,
when they were over SD, SOC, 600.
This point was not reached again
until the first year of the Spanish
War O098), when they were nearly
1872, 900, 900. They were almost
$3.50, 600, 600 in 1899, for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1900, were re-
iuced to 1874, IA 67.
"The Navy Department expended
in 1871 nearly $40, 500, 600. The ex-
penditures varied until 1897, when
they were over So, 800, 900; in 1898,
nearly $50, 600, 900; in 1899, nearly
S64, 600, 600, and for the fiscal year
1900 $50, 953, O78.
1.-The expenditures on account of
the Indians grew gradually from the
first half of the century until they
reached the highest point in 1898
when they were $13, 345, 347 p; they
are now over so, 600, 900.
The greatest expenditure for in
Oh the public debt was in
1867, being $143, 7S1, 5g2. This pay
ment gradually decreased until 1892,
when it was S23, 1878, 1I6. 30. 1t has
been gradually increasing since that
time, until for the fiscal year 1900 it
was $40, 100, 1873.
The expenditures for civil and
miscellaneous items, including the
expenses of Congress and all the de-
departments and offices in Wash.
other than the War and Navy
departments and the payments that
have already been noted, were in
1877 nearly $50, 500, 900. There was
not very much change in this
amount until 1855, when they
reached $o7, 500, 900, and in 1891 over
5lIo, 600, 900. The highest amount
paid on this account was in 1899.
when it was $119, 1871, 1856. For 1900
t was $1O5, 773, 19O." /