The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-08-31
Governmental Extravaganza in Tbs
Country has Gotten to be
AN ALARMING PROBLEM
During Recent Years Expenditure by
Congress Have Reached Serious
Proportions and it Seems That tho
Situation Grows Worse and Worse
as the Years Roll BY.
as the Years Roll BY.

Governmental extravaganza has
gotten to be serous problem in
the United States. During recent
years expenditures by congress have
reached alarming proportions and il
seems that the situation in this res
pect is getting worse all the time
Reform in the matter Of spending
the peoples money is badly needed
but such reform will not come from
| a republican congress. That much
| Is certain.
The following statistics compiled
by an authority on this subject will
give some idea of the extent Of gov
ernmental extravaganza in this coun-
try at present:
National expenditures for the en-
suing year made and authorized by
congress amounted to s1,09S.847.-
184-considerably more than q
thousand millions! Let us see what
that fact means
In the first place it means that we
are spending every year nearly one
per cent. of our entire national
wealth-s120, 900, 900, 900; or near
ly one-half of the natural wealth OF
switzerland-s2,400,Oc0,O0o; or OF
Portugal-$2,5O0,O00,000; or more
than one-flfth of the national wealth
Of the thrifty Netherlands-s5, ,008.-,
100000.
Secondly, it meands that we are
spending every year more than the
entire assessed valuation, real and
personal, of most of the states in t!ler
union, in only IA of which is there.
property in excess of thousand mil
lions.
Thirdly, it means that we ara
spending every year almost as much
money as all the farms, city lots and
building lots and buildings in so
4 great and rich a state as Indiana ara
worth for taxation--s1, i 1881 $685.
l." ,Fourthly, 1t means that re ara
spending in one year one-third OF
the entire output of all our gold
mines in one hundred and twenty
years, s3,O63,7S7,oO0
/ Filthy, it means that we spend
every year more than the entire cap,
ital of all the national banks in the
United States, $919,143,825, and
nearly one-third of all our savings
bank deposits-s3,713,405,709.
hot
in one year one-third Of the value
of our foreign commerce--S3, ,055,-.
l115,138.
Seventhly, it means that we spend
each year our entire corn crop
%, 900 bushels, and that
our wheat crop for single year
664, 100000 bushels-would be sufh-
cient to run the government only six
months.
Eighthly, it means that, excluding
Sundays and Holidays, there is spent
at Washington every day in the year
the enormous sum of $3,567, 7,685-66!
N'nthly, it means that for every
man, woman and child in the coun-
try we spend each year S11.
Tenthly, it means that for every
) family in the United States the yearly
expenditure at washington is $55.
If the waste at Washington is
$3O0,000,000 year, as Senator AID
rich has estimated, every American
: family suffers by this profligacy to-
the extent OF s16.66 every twelve
} months.
This is enough to buy q suit of
=. clothes. 1t will buy an overceat or
l cloak. 1t will buy good dress.
, 1t will furnish a room. 1t will buy
: nearly three tons of anthrocite coal.
2 1t will buy four or five pairs of
shoes. 1t will put two or three bar
It. rels of flour or over three hundred
loaves of short-weight bread.
The cost of one battleship-$12.-
100000 to 100000, needless and
, an incentive only to jingoism and
war, would endow great university,
establish and support a dozen fine
hospitals or equipt and maintain for
; ever one hundred good libraries.