OCR Text |
Show PUBLIC EXTRAVAGANCE IN ENGLAND. The chief organ of the government, the Standard, reads the United StatoB a solemn homily ou Ihe unwisdom of lixing the salary ol the president at $25,000. Ihe essence of the article 1b mat, so long as officials of such eminence emi-nence are poorly paid, they must continue to steal; they have plainly done so in the past, and they wdl do so iu the future. I canuot, however, see that this country is much better aatifcfied with the royal articles it socures at a far higher cost than Americans are. However that may be, it certainly is rather droll that the salary ot the American president should have been just fixed at less than one tilth ot tho sum expended by the city of London ou a tingle ball given lo the priuco of Wales. On his return from India, the corporation cor-poration invited ihe prince to a ball at the Guildhall, and the grows cost ol it was exactly 27,079. This is no doubt the costliest ball ever given. There was erected a temporary blructure arid marquee just outside the hall, which cost 9,42o; it was all pulled down next day. Among tho upholsterers and decorators was distributed dis-tributed ihe additional sum of 5,S00. The supper cost 5,000, lo which must be added 1,971 for wines. The llowers coot 780. Mineral water., 50 10s.; gloves for the committee (who must hava gloved all their hunily connections) 60 5s. 8d.; their gold badges 429, their wands 121. I Printing, 1.237; music, 538; to the Common Council for extra services, 000; to iho extra police, 280; samples of wine, 35; spreading gravel, 30; toilet arrangements, 25. And so forth. Had the prince been received at the door by a bevy of pretty girls, conducted to a decorated room wilh a j fountain of Clicquot in the centre, and sent home to repose, all of which could have been doue for less than ' 10,000, he would have been quite as well satisfied and the people would have regarded Ihe expanse as a flea bite. The money expended would have kept here all ihe Cejuola col-leciiont, col-leciiont, i:ol Gri'.ou college out of inuihleo kciiflera tor w nit of 2,000, and endowed an Indian professor ship at Oxford. How the prince appreciated the costliest ball ever given a human being may bo csti-I csti-I mated by the fact that he forgot to secure the contested baronetcy which I was probably at the bottom ol it on the lord mayor, under whom it occurred, aud who has now retired to the shades ot private life to peruse the works of bis favorite authors, as he declared at our Fourth of July dinner. Longfellow, Macaulay and Mr. Franklin. M. D. Conway's letter to Cincinnati Commercial. |