The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-07-27
us. MONEY IN ALL LANDS
Its Uses are Varied, and Many
Debts are Paid.
A SLAVERY FUND KEPT
II Settles Many Old Accounts In Re.
mote Corners of the World Con.
tributions to the Expenses Of the
Family Of Nations-items Of Ex.
traordinsry Expenditure.

OnCle sam money mas It's way
into many remote corners Of the
world. where 1t settles many odd ac-
counts. This years Book OF Esti.
mates for example, calls for $3.50 as
our annual proportion Of the ex-
penses Of Cape Spartel and Tangiers
Light, on the coast Of Morocco, in
Guiding loss by exchange" AS II we
did not have criminals enough here,
5000 Is asked for the purpose of
bringing home persons charged with
crime-a sum annually appropriated.
The African slave trade does not i'm.
press one as a living issue, and yet
we appropriate the sum of 800 a
year to meet the share of the United
States In the expenses OF the special
bureau created under the Brussels
agreement of 1890 for the repression
Of that trade and the restriction of
the sale in q certain defined zone Of
firearms. ammunition, and spirituous'
liquors. This is cheap prohibition.
Scboolboys who rattle off "oblate
spherod,' as II that geometrical term
settled the question of shape Of the
earth, forget II Is a continued story,
for which Uncle Sam contributes ST.
500 towards each years instalment,
This is really for membership in an
association Of earth measarers. and Is
Independent of the much larger sum
which the Government, through its
own bureaus. each year spends in that
investigation. In fact, like any re-
sponsible citizen In private life. Uncle
Sam has certain subscriptions to make
Of public-spirited sort, in the family
OF the nations. He subscribes $500
year towards an international bu-
reau Of weights and measures, and
about half as much towards an inter
national bureau at Brussels for the
translation and publication of customs
tariffs. He gives his share towards
the Hague court, 1850 year-which
is, by the way. the cost Of the navy
for just six and One-third minutes
The army, the navy, and pensions to-
gether, legitimate war expenses, con.
sumo every ninety seconds of the
year, day and night. holidays and Sun
days, a sum equalling, to quote the
words Of the Book Of Estimates"
"the share Of the United States in the
expenses for the year 1903, of the In
ternational Bureau of the Permanent
Court Of Arbitration, created under
article % of the convention concluded
at the Hague for the pacific settle
ment Of international disputes" Let
Congressman rise to their feet and in
solemn silence pass this appropriation
The court has already settled not
few important questions, some of the
first of which got there by the insist
ence of the American Secretary Of
State.
Our membership fee in the Interna-
tional Prison Association is So 900 a
year. Samuel J. Barrows, an officer
of the New York Prison Association
and formerly a congressman, is usual
ly our commissioner to its annual
meetings. We pay for keeping and
feeding American prisoners in China,
Korea, Siam, and Turkey, providing
no more than fifty cents day for each
we dlSO HlIt IL DIlSDu LOT
American convicts in Turkey, and pay
wages Of keepers there. The wages
of our prison-keepers in Korea are
just 5000 year, but no doubt the in
cumbent of this strange office would
hate worse to be dismissed than our
ambassador at the Court of st. James.
Some things come SO cheap as to oc-
casion wonder what we can get for
the money. For example, this great
republic annually lays down $25 to-
ward the support Of the Somerset
Hospital at Cape Town, upon the as
surance that suffering seamen and
citizens of the United States will be
admitted to its privileges" 1t is to
be hoped that they do not fill a arge
ward. II our subsidy bill accomplishes
all that is intended, we may have to
raise the contribution to $45. At
Panama, on the same terms we pay
$500 year, but If we could insure
ourselves sufficient hospital accommo-
dations there for the next ten years at
$50 600 n year il might be a bargain