Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-02-12

sequel
In this condition of affairs the Secretary of the Treasur
in his annual report Congress- asked our interpretation
For some time we could transact business, IN cons
qencc OF our not having organized for that purpose o
these expenditures went The Senate ben5 rst orar
zed took tho subject in advance of u.s. That body pas
ed the joint resolution before appropriatng for II
present fiscal year the expended IN the year cnt
Ing 3Oh Of June 1913; although the revenue collected II
that year 1873 6 and for this year the Secretary
matcs it ut S3 100000 1t acceptable on all Sides
passed wno' ~ @ Gas & II o' l in
fiscal year ending June l9iS But represented to
committee by the Secretary of the Treasury that this wou
r give him no relief. According his construction he a
ready had 5S00U and this resolution only gave him $50
739 52difcrence 500 739 S. 1t contended that t
sudden reduction which this resolution would make nece
sary would be highly injurious the public service; and
proposed that should appropriate for the last half
the present fiscal year. onehaf Of what expended in III
year 1919. This was agreed to- and it is the aendner
now before you.
We expended as have already said in the year endn
1913 g. l32 half of which is 81 OG63lS Add tla
which has already been expended in the first six months
viz 81 S97 81 and il makes S235S25 81, or s25
more than expended in 1913. The amount which "
thus appropriate is upwards of per upon the
timated receipts
But Notwithstanding the Secretary estimates that
cepts the fiscal year will be s50O000 less tina
S49 yet in addition this surplus in the appropriate
over that year S225579 it s asked that Oregon and Ca
urnia should be excepted! But the Secretary Of the Tea
suy himself docs estimate for the expenses OF the ncs
districts in Texas Oregon and California for the last hal
of the fiscal year but OOU and add his estimate
$50 0O0 for increase of business and il only amounts
s750O0 which would leave surplus Of s50579 OF apprn
priaon for the Atlantic coast what expended il
S4S But il will be said that the warehouse system, which
it supposed wond cost the government nothing has BE-
charge upon the treasury OF s9l63 TO- To MAKE
this up items included which ought not to be ciarg
ed ID the warchouslng system.
But let this pass will make point abont which there
be- controversy Still il must BE- ec0eclcd that sl52
- expended for warehouses in The year ending 3O
june 5Sbcng but 81 $40 81 less than the charged
To warehouses for this year, which sum, deducted from the
surplus above stated would leave Cos appropriated
by this bill than was expended in lSS after allowing ht
Secretary all he asks for California; Oregon the new dis
trcts established since then, and what he terms increase
business (Which last do not exactly understand, as he cs
tinates receipts less than they i'll that ycar anc
also the difference of the expense of warehouses in that
and this In addition 10 this S2ll,Ub was expended N
thai year upon revenue cutters. The Secrclry last sum
mcr-to say nothing about his lac circular greatly reduced
this branch Of expenditure ind TO the extent he did so add
cd his available means for other service Cannot gentle
men BE- satisfied with this Are wc by the adoption o
either of the amendments OF the gentleman from Oho (3r
yxroS,) to increase this sum- which is at the disposal
the Secretary indefinite amountl My only fear Is wt
havo been yielding already S We are asked to gran
more; and how much more, am unable 10 say ns tht
amendments OF the gentleman from Ohio llr NNros) ap
proprialc indefinite sum.
Thus it will be seen that all the Indignation which it has
been ATTEMPTED raise against Congress throughout the
country utterly uncalcd for Ii there be Tor ndig
nation elsewhere. II the Secretary o The lre
sliry had commenced his curtaments in tme II ne had e1
tended them from July lSI9 10 June, l5oU instead o IN
cesns his expenditures in the first six months by multi
pyng offices and increasing their salaries he has done IN
many instances the whole operation oi reduction would nave
gone easily and smoothly, and no one scarcely Wol
have known that il was going all. But, instead o
that the expenditures increased in the first six months
and thu result rs the nr which the reduction called ior IN the
last is felt
Mr. Chairman have said feared that in agreeing 10 h'
amendment ID Scnatcs resolution have conceded too
much We certainly have il We had the whole year TO 60
oycr but have The Secretary as have already
shown has greatly exceeded The limits OF the law, ana o ne
cessity in the first six months Another month"; on the same
or nearly the same of high expenditure is There
Ian. i've rt
Vice compress the whole reduction within live months
think not Let not bc said that the Secretary has brought
upon himself and that he must suier the consequences
II Secretary alone primo pay who Is 10 nule
look the country, and II he has erred, we mus
noi 1t will do punish the country for his faults
am willing give relief for the present. even II 1e extra
warrant But sir this whole thing be looked into, and
if Congress will sustain il shall be looked' and pooed
10 lis bottom.
lis departments and in more than IN collecting our re-
venue When consider the carcer :" our system pf!o
10 the w OF March. 1919, against which such clal"r
raised perceived how II could nave been otherwisc
No appropriations made by law; accountability every
thing left to the discretion of the Secretary Of the Treasury
and coectors My only surprise is that things have no
been worse But they have been bad enough What do yol
SUPPOSE il grant the Secretary all he asks VIII De IN
cost of collecting the for the present fiscal year hi
expended in the past sX months as we nave aeaGy SEN cen
81 sg7 He asks for 81 25 900 more making s2bl6S9I
He estimates that the revenue from customs VIII d
s3l 5OOO6 SO the expense Of collection would be upwards
Of eight per cent. With the sum we give him ii wall be up
crng the six and near half per cent; III ioa:
| il was upwards Of seven per cent.
The Secrctny estimates that the receipts from the customs
for the wear ending June 1885, will be s520O0O0O; and HI
puts expenses Of collection al Or al the rate
nine per cent 80, ,
country pays much for collecting its revenue! VIVA
State in this Union where direct taxes prevails pays s.
muchl speak with confidence To one CFglna) WIN
which am better acquainted than wth the rest our coi
lectors who have call personally upon every axpaye
and receive the dues Of the Commonwealth III sa sums
some of them less than dnlarand who are renreo 0,
law take their expense what they colecl 20 'c sra
o Governments all risk and pay il into the treasury
are allowed but five cent and III some instances WHERE '
collections large even less IL Is true lcr Pro" Iay
n,i the shers are allowed and hulf per cent uoi
the land and property but the additional Two ana ai
per cent in the of an insurance upon Inc co!ec
ton; and it, the sheris are compelled ih mos! III
stances to advance the taxes and depend upon coleco
far reimbursement presume greater amount is not pa
in other States Yet, their system of taxation by drec
tax; and know shat leading argument IN avor o lhu
reel taxes has always been that from the fact that they ar
received in large sums and few places they can be col
| lected at less expense. =,
But in looking into the matter, have not stopped will
the cost Of collecting the revenue by direct taxation IN TN
States During and Just after the war with Great Britain
we had direct under the general government The ex
pense of collecting il in 1916 when the ne' receipts "e
4 only S3560,65l, was 3-l6 per cent - :.
i Nor have stopped here have examined the Engllsl
documents Their system of collecting revenue by customs
is more analogous than any other ne per cenas
which the collection of the customs in the United kngdo
cost in the year ending the 9Th OF January as e
turns which we haye-was 92U For tircat Britain aoh
~ and excluding Ireland Scotland, and the small islands
where the revenue collected is comparatively small, ant
where the preventive force guard against smuggling mus
ho or.e the par cenage less than 5; and take Londo
alone where the great of duties is collected II Is les
han 3 For many years prior l943 the cost OF collector
vas about the same. But to appreciate this comparison
nropery we must advert other facts The uni'eu Ming
dom has larger than have Her seacoas, III
clding the smaller adjacent isles is three thousandve nun
ldred geographical miles. Our Atlantic coasts one tnousah
five hundred exclusive of our islands, most OF whlch IRON
the shallwTcss of the between them and 'he MAI
Hand cannot be said have properly more tnan one sue
seacoast The only important is Long Island; ana
e,s IRE all sides of it, would only increase the lengh aoo
one hundred and twenty miles Our gull coast ls one hou
soud Two hundred miles and Pacific one thousahd on
hundred: altogether three thousand eight hundred niesA
ceenn The English but three hundred mics vi
f,rna and Oregon mostly unnhabed; ana IN We"
tho aroment am prosecuting viz as 10 the hecessii
i nj n preventive force obstruct smuggling II may
thrown out of the estimate Do go and include our lax
frontier and our exposure and that OF England wona no
yary great deal rs far the length of seacoast concern
n ed
Il Mr. BROOKS Gir BAvLy yielding The floor Tor an nte
roqatory Does the gentleman from Virginia assert that u
j Atlantic seaconst is but | 500 miles
j Mr. BAYLY. do. ,oo
II Mr. BROOKS. The seacoast ot Maine alone ie ioo
miles a. he vas informed by members from that State
Il Mr. BAYLY. do not wish or mean to DC discourtcoh
but must saw the statement OF the gentleman Is not on
incorrect but preposterous Why, sir il is not 1000 mill
from the Capes OF Virginia 10 the n0rthernmos port
Maine.
Mr. BROOKS. Did the gentleman from Virginia inclu'