Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-09-18
COST OF PHILIPPIANS

washington Cor. N. Y. Herald
IL has cost the United states an
Proximately $4OO. geo. 900 to acquire
and hold the Philippine Islands.
That conclusion Is fairly warrant
ed by data presented herewith. and
the Herald has raised the pertinent
question whether the game is worth
the candle. But when figures soar
into hundreds OF millions the aver
age intelligence fails TO grasp the
significance except through process
OF comparison. To give any ade-
quate conception of the meaning nj
SO vast a sum one must note what
might have been accomplished nv tho
expediture of $500. coo 600 ~ that
river OF wealth had been detected
INTO various other channels of hu-
man endeavor instead OF having heen
emptied into the Philippine Archi-
pelago.
III 1t had been diverted TO mr.
poses of national defense. for in
stance, 100000. 600 would have
sufhced to build forty-fve 10000
Ton oattleships of the most powerful
type represented by the Delaware
ana thus to have given the United
states the most powerful navy In tho
world. Or it would be sufficient To
pay for nearly thirty such battle
ships and still leave a balance large
enough to defray the estimated cost
or the Panama canal. The samo
sum would pay for about 13O hat
tieships of the type of the Oregon
OF the Indiana, which were consid-
cred formidable a decade ago.
Estimated on the basis OF the most
recent congressional appropriations
$4OO'OOO,OO0 would suffice for the
maintenance of our present naval
establishment for four years. the an
preparations for the present vaar
having been only slightly in excess
OF SlOO'OOO,000 1t would sustain
the United States army. estimated
upon the same basis more than fve
years
Expended upon coast defense for
tlhcations 1t would have made our
atlantic and Pacific seaboards prao-
ideally impregnable to attack II
would pay the federal appropriation
lot the maintenance of the militia OF
all the states in the union and ua-
wall into the bargain for a period NJ
zoo years, IL that annual appropria-
ton should not exceed the a. mn
900 voted for in 1907; or it would
derray the governments enormous
pension fund for nearly three wears
should that vast sum OF S4On
100000 be devoted to less warljlKe
purposes it would maintain for two
whole years the entire public school
system OF the twelve states in the
union which appropriate the largest
sums for that purpose. namely New
York Pennsylvania, Illinois. Massa-
chusetts, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana.
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota. Missouri
and California. Devoted to purposes
of higher education it would richly
endow a score of first-class unIver-
stiles.
Estimating the cost Of building
and furnishing a comfortable mod
ern dwelling house at $4,000 II
would erect $4,000 such homes. or
enough to house the population of
large city.
IL would more than Indemnity
San Francisco for all the Asses sus-
laihed in the earthquake and conla-
ratigont and would leave a balance
large enough to Offset all the other
fire losses in the United States for
the same year.
Applied in the line of great pub
lie improvements OF an engineering
character, $4OO.OOO,OOO would pay
Tor the Suez canal. which cost 800
100000; the Erie canal, which cost
about $5O,OOO,OOO: New York's Gro
ton water system. which cost about
$4,000, 900; Central Park which Is
put down at a cost of $15.OOO,OOO:
the state capitol at Albany. which
was not cheap at $25.OOO,OOO and
the New York City subway, the CON
tract price of which was 100000
600. AS those items foot up Just
$255, 100000, there would have been
balance Of $145,OOO,O 900 left.
which happens to be the estimated
cost Of the Panama canal construc-
ton.