Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-09-28

diture Is greater than in the United
States. Even In the case OF Russia
with It's population of al million, the
per capita Of government expenditure
Is about the same as that of the Unit
ed States. While it Is true that a
larger proportion of public %expendi.
lures is borne by state and local gov
ernments In the United States than
in many Of the more centralized gov
ernments Of Europe, these figures Of
relative national expenditures Of the
various. governments are at least in.
teresting at the present time.
The table puts The population Of the
United States at S0,372, 900, the gov
eminent expenditure IN I503 at $640,.
1928, 900 and the per capita expenditure
at S7.97. The per capita government
expenditure of Canada Is given at
$3.50: the German empire. $9.45: Italy
1907; Austria Hungary. $14.27; Bel
GUM, sl7.4o; France, $17.S4; the
United Kingdom, s21,39. and Austria
liza, $3.50.
Russia's annual expenditure Is put,
for the latest available year, at 81
ZIG, 0s5. 900, as against $6i4,s33,000 In
the United States: but the fact that
Russia's population is given at 141
million brings the per capita %expendi.
lures to about the figure shown by
the United States.
The table of the Bureau of Stats
ties presenting the figures Of popula.
tion and government expenditures In
Guided all countries in which data on
this subject can be had, and its ag.
gregate show for the, countries In
question a total population of 1905
900, 900 and the government expend!-
lures amounting to 1880, 1856. 900 with
government revenues amounting to
81. 901 $4,000.
The table In question also shown In
the case OF each country the excess
of revenue over expenditure In the
latest available year, and In this par
ticular the United States also pre-
sents a satisfactory Showing, the ex-
cess of revenue owe expenditures
being greater than that of any other
country, while In many countries the
expenditures exceed the revenue. For
he latest available year the United
States shows an excess OF revenues
over expenditures amounting TO only
$4,000. Germany, an exces of ex-
penditures over revenues amounting
TO $57, 900, 600, and the United King
dom an Xce of expenditures over
revenues amounting TO Sl60, 000, 900.
These figures show that with the
exception Of France which is barely
keeping within her income, the Unit.
cd States makes an infinitely better
showing than the other great ma
tons of the world. Judgment in this
case must be by comparison, IL our
government is administered more
economically than the great nations
Of Europa the charge Of extrava.
gance will certainly have to be we'll
s~uhstantiated before the people of the
United States will give il any con.
sideration.
The criterion of extravaganza with
nations as with individuals. must be
the expenditures in comparison with
the revenues. What would represent
extravaganza for the man of small
means in his yearly expenditures,
would be niggardliness for his veal
thy neighbor. So with countries.
Our government for 1908 showed a
balance of s50,000. 600. Germany
showed a deficit Of So, 100000 and
Great Britain a deficit Of $685. 0.o00.
So long as we continue 10 make such
a showing, the democrats viii have
Ia find a better campaign argument
than that of national eNtravasance.