The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-13 00:00:00

CONCLUSION.

It was originally the intention of the Commis-
sioner to discuss, in connection with this report, the
relations of the present tariff to revenue and do-
mestic industry ; the practicability of converting
duties now ad valorem into specific, and the results
of a comparison of the prices of labour and of raw
material, and of the conditions of production in the
United States, and in Europe. So much space has,
however, been occupied by the topics already pre-
sented, that he has thought it expedient to make the
subients now passed over the hnqig of a. subsequent
report; especially as some further time is necessary
to render their exhibit more complete and satis-
factory.

A review of the revenue systems of Great Britain,
France, and Prussia will, however, be found in
the appendix to this report marked E. With this
explanation, I have the honour to be, yours, very
respectfully,

DAVID A. WELLS,
Special Commissioner of the Revenue.

;From the Anglo-American Times.)

The Report of the Hon. DAVID A. WELLS is the
most cheery document that has for a long time
crossed the Atlantic from the United States. The
industry and commerce of the country is, notwith-
standing appearance, not only in a healthy con-
dition, but the most prosperous in the world. The
epidemic of commercial disaster that, has passed
over the world has affected America in common
with all countries, but in a lesser 'd'egree ee than
England and France, although the circumstances
were such as to justify people in looking for far
more ruin in America than in Europe. It is, in-
deed, almost impossible to check the growing pros-
perity of the United States, and whatever may be
the temporary difficulties generated by a false
policy, or by a great disaster, the aggregate
of individual energy and prosperity carries the na-
tion triumphantly through it. Our space last week
was so fully occupied by the proceedings in Con-
gress that the Report of the Special Commissioner
we now publish was unavoidably postponed. Our
readers who glance over it will be reassured as to
the future prospects of the United States on all
material points. Considering the circumstances,
the figures given are marvellous indications of the
industrial power of the nation. The United States
is suffering from a state of things generated by a
prodigious war. From being untaxed, its citizens
have become the most heavily taxed of all people.
With society in the Southern States transformed,
with the relations between capital and labour there
wholly changed, with the old channels of commerce
almost obliterated, and while labouring under the
effects of a world-wide financial panic—Mr. WELLS
is able to convey to the nation the gratifying infor-
mation contained in his Report. When the duty
of providing a revenue equal to those of the greatest
monarchies of Europe suddenly fell on the legisla-
tors of the United States, it was not to be expected
that they could at once wisely and fairly adjust
the burdens. The science of political economy was
new ; and as they had to act immediately they
could not fail to commit grave errors. But how-
ever wise might have been their legislation, having
no machinery to bring it into operation, the Exe-
cutive they had to create for the purpose, would
necessarily be far from perfect. It required time to
point out blunders, and experience to rectify them,
as well as to qualify their instruments to bring into li
operation the checks required to enforce honesty.
Mr. APCuLLoca is an able Minister; and he has an
able coadjutor in Mr. WELLS. But the vanity of
Congress has hitherto prevented the nation benefit.
ing as largely as it ought from the knowledge and
skill of these financiers. Mr. WELLS points out not
only how the internal revenue might be reformed,
but how it might be honestly collected. lie states
that over 50 per cent. of the amount of the internal
revenue taxes is received into the National Trea-
sury, and as that sum for 1867 amounted to
$265,920,474, it follows, if he be correct, that an
equal sum was lost to the nation by the di,lionesty
and incompetency of its agents. That the taxes
should be so adjusted as to be easy of collection,
and so collected that none escaped, and all went into
the Treasury, are the great points for which Mr.
WELLS strives. The tax on distilled spirits has been
placed at a rate so tempting to fraud, " that aver-
age human nature, as it exists in the United States,
is not able to resist it. One gallon in three is all
that pays duty, and it is no wonder that he calls the
attention of Congress to the fact that the officers
selected to collect the tax and supervise the manu-
facture have not been chosen for honesty, intelli-
gence, and business capacity, as the first, only, and