Bisbee daily review., 1911-09-23
HE COST OF MlLIrARlsm
(Technical World Magazine.J

tTechntcal World MagaZine.J
 For the eight years preceding tn, war with Spain our average annual ex penditure for the army was less thar s24.000,0 coo: for the eight years fol lowing the war the annual average leaped to more than SS3,000,000 am TOW for the current year the army ap propriation is $95.44e, ,557. The navy has done even better. For the eigh years preceding the Spanish war tn average annual expenditure was a lii tie more than s27,500,000; for the mex eight years it averaged S102, 400, ,000 and this year the navy gets sl3l,35 S54. AdGing the navy and army ap propriations gives the sum of S226. 791 .421, which is rather a neat pricl 10 pay for initiating the antics those ghost dancers on the farthe side of the Atlantic. But that isn all, by any means. To this sum mus he added the current appropriation fo the military academy, S1,S56,2A9: tn appropriation for forts and fortidca tions. s5,617, 200, and the pension ap propriation of sl55, ,75S, COG, making [ grand total of S390, ,022, ,S76 as the cos of militarism for one year, or at th, rate of S1,O6S,555 a day fer every da, in the year.
 This enormous sum is paid out o tie United States treasury, a benet cent institution which seems too Te mote and intangible to concern the ay craze man But when you bear ii mind, as you should, that even tn United States treasury can not pa, what it does not pay in and that it insatiable nav is fed, but never filled from your pocket and mine, and iron every one eIse's, the matter assume, cutie a different aspect. The realit, of your contribution is in no wise at fected by your inability to perceive when you pay for 1t. Every mouthfu you eat, every thread you wear, ever. need of your life, bears its tax whici gees to make up the vast aggregat' Of government expenditure.
 Three hundred and ninety millio, dollars is SPA per capita for the in habitants of the United States exclu sive of our possessions. But thi counts in the women and children, th, idle and the incapacitated. Gettini down to an average for heads Of fam flies would multiply this per capits tax by five, at least, or $21.20 as tn. sum that each head of family, speak ing in averages, munst contribute ou of his earnings, whether he wants tC or not, toward the support of the arm, and navy and the frills that go witl them this year. Next year the force, contribution will be larger; for tn year after that still larger; for th, succeeding year larger yet, for onc' the military craze gets started ther' is no limit to its extravagances.
 Many men consider themselveI lucky when they are able to sqaande' s2l on one suit of clothes. Lots O them do not get that much for ; weeks work Few can lose that mucl even in a poker game without wincinl inwardly if net outwaTdly. Twenty one dollars would provide porteTkous' steak for two persons for s2 meals CT 1t would pay the hired girls wage ! for a month, or it might pay the pre mium on Sl000 life insurance for ; year. Twenty-one dollars, in short { is most useful sum of money. Whel
 it is multiplied by 1s,400,000, the nun
 Der of families here assumed, its pc | tentialities for good are almost in | comprehsnsible.
 THE MIGHTY WALLET