Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-03-18

.tF W
iition to the national debt. would
show an increase Of = bill
Ion and ~ quarter to q billion and 2
half dollars for the last twenty years
and al grand total or over two and
III quarter billion dollars: about
double what 1t was in 1890. HI
#'Debt figures, however, do not be-
gin to tell the story OF our national
Only a small part OF
our expenditure is represented by
debt tables. The rest is raised by
Increased, taxation. I know Of moth
ing bearing more directly or forcibly
upon the subject Of national waste
and the conservation Of national re-
sources than the profigacy disclosed.
by our public expense leigers.
Although, the great business ex.
pansion Of this, country began right
after the Civil War, the expenses for
1890 were but four million, dollars
greater than those of twenty, years
before. Since 1890, these expendi-
lures have grown by $4,000, 600
each nine years on. the average, or
$50, 600, 900 year, until now they.
are 1914 per cent more than they
were eighteen years ago. Expressed
in terms of per capita outgo, these
charges, which are only part, of the
cost of maintaining the federal gov
eminent, rose from $4.75 in 1890 to
$6.39 in 1900 and to $7.56 in 1908.
s"It is always asserted, when the
truth is told and a demand for econ
omy Is made. that the development
of the country and it's increase of
wealth have been so great as both to
require and justify enlarged outlay
The answer to the charge of a billion
dollar session of congress is that
this has become billion dollar coun-
try. The apology is neither relevant
nor true. It Is mot necessary, that
should increase in the same
ratio as growth. But the growth of
has so far foutrun the
growth of the country that the &C.
tual figures are almost incredible.
'"The phenomenal Increase Of
public expenditure has already pro-
duced plentiful crop of public ills.
1t is one of the causes of the in
crease in prices now disturbing the
people. This increase follows In a
suggestive way the imitation of ma
tional and local budgets. The aver
age cost Of the supplies that must
be bought for practically every house
hold has increased about so per cent
between 1896 and 1900. During the
past year, there has been a marked
lifting Of the price level. Food.
stuffs cost from 10 to 70 per cent
more than ten years ago. III
"Something is due to enormous
currency imitation. The total per
capita in the United States in 1896
was $21.41, and in 1909. it was
$35.01. Although population had
grown by many millions in these
thirteen years, the amount of money
to each individual had increased by
1880, or moro than 60 per cent.
The increase in the total gold pro-
duction of the world, which rose
from $11s,S4S, 900 in 1890 to over
$427 900 900 in 1908, has been made
the basis for one form and another
of credit issues aggregating a vast
sum. - 49,. 49,.
: 1.-THE tariff is another contribu.
ting cause. It is true that it can
furnish but a partial explanation.
For to only limited extent can the
rise in food prices be effected by or
traced to the tariff. AS to commod-
tiles that we export, the tariff is in
operative. It generally affects pric-
es directly as we become importers.
the tariff must bear
it's share of responsibility for rising
prices.
combinations which are actually
in restraint of trade, which have
their field and are
either controlled by common secret
or secret agreement
to maintain exorbitant charges are
partly responsible.
"Still more of the rise of prices
is due to the decline of agricultural
products as compared with the in
crease Of population" Decrease in
the number of cattle and swine was
also given as reason.
when due allowance has been
made for the effect Of these forces
that, make for dearer living, there
still remains large unexplained
said Mr.. Hill. "This must
be credited to the lavish expenditure
which has now grown to be nation
al trait.
"Waste, idleness and rising wages,
all inter-related to one another.
now as cause and now as effect, are,
next to an over-issue Of irredeem.
. hlo M nor the threo ynOaf n0wnrfu1
forces in the world to raise prices.
Perhaps the greatest factor of all
In the price problem is the wage