The San Francisco call., 1904-07-07
THE COST OF GOVERNMENT.

these days of political oratory and while the voice
of the spell binder is heard in the land and also the
tapaptapp OF the party platform maker, busy
his work, is we'll take few fore and back sights
The favoritc theme of the politician in campaigns is
the enormous cost of government. Mr. John Sharp
Williams, the Democratic floor leader in the House. is
brightly gifted a manipulation of figures prove that
the tax-ridden people the earth. His
voice is raised denounce the extravaganza of the Re
publican party and his picture of the of the people
is enough to make tax collector weep His
method of promoting the interests of his party does
promote the welfare of his country, does it do JUS
tice to republican institutions. Surely if this, the
greatest of the republics, failure and visits upon its
citizens the several forms of oppression repression and
depression charged against it by Mr. Williams the hi
tory of the United States is a warning the world to
avoid republican institutions, and loud cry adver
se the fact that the Goddess of Liberty is brazen
huzzy.
1t is always lamentabe when the emergencies of
party compel resort to tactics that blackwash the
country If all that said about Government and
its cost is suffering greater oppression than
any other people and bear it with ox-ike patience
than any Fortunately these misrepresentation of the
results of than century of free government
not true in the Of things they be
The cost of the Federal Government has been dis
cussed since the constitution adopted in conven-
ton and the pectcr OF central government costing the
people dearly and rendering equivalent service.
invoked prevent the formation of the Union in 1880
But the effort failed then and though often repeated
has succeeded in separating the and affection of
the people from the Federal Government destroyed
their reliance upon the of order and law and
protection for the institutions of liberty. The money
the people paid support of the Federal Government all
has to be appropriated by Congress, and in the aggre
gae,appropratons get the of the of all
that the Federal Government does.
The attack of Mr. Williams and the peculiar people
whom he leads is made upon what they call the Billion
dollar Congresses" of the Republican party Each
Congress has life of years and make the
necessary appropriations carry the Government
for two fiscal years The reproachful had its or
gin when the expenses OF the Federal Government
a billion dollars for two years $5oooooooo per year
Looked at in the lump it seems enormous sum. Mr.
Williams is fond of figuring it down to much per day.
per hour and per minute make people groan and finch
from their wrung withers
That however, is not the proper way measure the
cost of Government 1t is chosen because it makes
each individual listener feel that he is paying the whole
of it. All stasticians, economists and publcist esti-
the cost of by its per capita The
of Federal Government is just $7o7 per capita
per year That is what each American pays for what
gets from his country. 1t amounts to sixty-sx and
seven-twehs cents month"; sixteen cents week, and
a fraction two day.
The sadly oppressed American citizen for
day gets the of the whole Federal Government
In there only two Governments cheaper than
ours India and China, and when compared with ours in
respect what they do for the money they cost they
are in class at all The reader whose attention
is arrested by this article has his to-day the
whole army and navy every Federal court the Presi-
dent and his Cabinet every Foreign Minister and Con-
sui the Congress of the United States and all and every
power of the Government. for only two cents
The picture is not fancifu it is real IF an Ameri-
can home abroad require the service of his Gov
ernnen for himself alone, day. it costs him two
cents for the of every branch of the Government and
every part of every branch that his need may require
It is we'll to keep this in mind when are told the
Go vernment oppresses through its cost Our Gov
is equal to the best enjoyed by man, and
its economy is excelled only by China and India
L.