Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1858-05-28
DAILY APPEAL.
Friday NoREISG,..... MY Is, 1855
DIRECT TAXATION.

-
Z, Friday MORNING, ...... MsY Is, lS5
DIRECT TAXATION.
ABSTRACT or TEE REFOHT or BON. MR ROTol
> or SOUTH CAROL INA, or THE SPECIAL COs
MTTrEE OF Tbs HOUSE or REPREsE STATIvR
- on THE G3TKRNNKNT EXPENDITURES. NAV
CATION LAWS. DUuzs ON IMPORTS An
D DIRECT TkxATIOE.
"a The special committee to whom was refer
70 red the following subjects: A reduction Of ID
! expenditures Of the government; the navigatio
laws; The existing duties on imports, and th
expediency of a gradual repeal Of all duties o
= imports. and a resort exclusively to inteTns
e isxstion-TesPectfully submit the folIowin
The expenditures for the fiscal year endin
y June 80, 1851, independent Of the public debt
as appears from the report ~ the Secretary o
the Treasury, are sos O32 597 76.
The first Qpestion is whether these rxpendi
0 lures are greater than what they shoali b
y under an economical administration Of the gov
: eTnment. We think they are. The best mod
OF determining this question IL 70 compare th
present total expenditures Of the goVernmen
with The total expeud tures Of the government
at some past period Of our history and fur
ther, to compare some Of the leading items o.
d our expenditure now with he leading items o.
our expenditure then. With this view We b. "
. compared the receipts and expenditures Of 1881
! with 1923, the result Of which appears TO b,
the following statement;
I.crease Of s.
Ie2s 1851 over =
{ Pupuistion...... Io6es.o g 5oo0o i7.ses ssr
see-iFis - SO 'soess 2s IS sss pa = IS rs sa6 81
% voguIssios. Isassroo qnssm0 sss 10,
Ezp nditue- ss7a sl 81 es % e5s es IS 2t5 so5 a.
70 Po1ulsnoa. sIsaiOo ass'sIOo I.sssI 100
farF IN
shurs -. soss saI ss 1919 $50 81 osa 22s ~
i1Tes. -. 2sss7ss s. i2,ssI ss4 81 10 i47 o2s "a
If space would permit, this contrast might be
carried into many other items of expenditure
and the results would be startling. But enough
has been done to show that the rate OF eXpen-
diture is far in excess Of the increase Of popu-
lstion The expenditures ought not, fer very
obvious reasons, TO increase IN proportion to
the Increase Of population. Bat eoncsding
that it should, the expenditures OF the govern
Enent in round numbers should not exceed S2S,-
600 600; whereas it is sos, ,032 $50 76-an ex-
cess Of S37 O32 $50 80.
This result Is sufficiently striking; but it is
rendered much more 50 when we consider two
importans i'ems:
/. That 6 1876 600 acres Of The public lands
were granted curing the last fiscal year for
railroad purposes, which may BE- valued at
SIS $4,000, being at the rate Of 81 so per
acre.
That appropriations to supply The def
ciencies Of the last fiscal year have been called
for. amounting, in round numbers, to sl0,000,-
OOO making the total expenditures Of the gov
I ernmpnt. in round numbers, for the last fiscal
year $50 600 y000-sR excess over the rates of
expenditures Ia 1923 Of S62 900 900.
| The administration Of the government in
/ 1923 was not considered peculiarly snonomi
cal; on the contrary, it was pronounced at the
time by some as extravsgsnt, and really was
much more 50 than the first term Of Mr.. Jeffer-
sons administration.
Considering as established the proposition
/ that the expenditures OF the government are
far in excess Of what they should be, we pass
on to consider the remedy, il remedy there be,
for this lsvishment Of the pnblic money. What
is The remedy for this vast and increasing ex-
penditure2 The only remedy likely in any de-
gree 10 be effsctusl is to change the existing
system Of taxation. The regular increase Of
our expenditures shows that il is not sttributs-
bic to any particular party OF administration
for his increase has constantly gone on under
every party and every administration with the
regularity Of great principle. To make an
/ Individual prodigsl you have only 10 supply
him with an unlimited amount Of money /; 10
make government eXtravagaHt you have ogiy O
do the same thing The first economical &c |
feet Of our present stein Of tax 8tOn by duties
/ on Imports is that It operates as A bounty to
one, and that a very important class-ths man
ufa facturers. Under the operations Of this frs
defect tie great manufacturing class, Wh ch I
represents a vest capital. which is instantly 1
alive TO its peculiar interest, which is vigIaut,
active, powerful and capable Of prompt ana
ready combination, Is interested IN increasing 1
The taxation OF The government; for the higher /
the taxes are, If laid on the principle OF prUtec-
ting their products. shs better for them.
Suppose the question w-re submitted to the /
cotton manufacturers or the iron manufacturers I
whether the duties on cotton and iron products /
should be increased or diminished, does any
one doubt what their answer would be? So l
far as they are concerned, they consiler high l
duties as boUnties 10 them, aud they would be
IN favor Of them If the revenue thereby derived
were thrown into the sea. Under the present
system of taxation by duties on imports, this
great class are favorable to high taxation.
To form some idea Of the supeudous msgni-
tude Of this manufacturing interest, take the
following statement, showing the value OF the
product of Manufacture Of tha United States
(Statement in detail omitted.
Result, total products OF manufacture in the
United S-ates, estimated az 81 0j5 595 sy9
This reference 20 the produces Of mauufac-
lures nav give rs some idea Of the immense
ca Fital engaged in manufactures This capital
may be estimated at FIVE hundred millions Of
dollars.
ed in high duties-thst is, in high taxation. I
Tie influence Of the manufacturing class on I
taxation is not merely in proportion to the cap /
itsl they represent, as compared " .th the capt
tai engaged in other industrial pursuits for. |
from very obvious reasons, some Of which |
have been already incidentally siludei to, It Is
far beyond this ratio. As al illustration OF
this influence, We would refer TO the facts cor-
nected with the modification of The tariff dur
ing the last Congress. l. is notorious that the
only great interest represented here at that
time by outside agents, wss the manufa ctuTlng
interest. One Of the first steps toward al
economical administration Of the government
is to place that great and active interest per-
manehtly on the side Of low taxation, and the
only effsetusl mode OF doing his is direct tax
alton, which necessarily implies the total aban-
dOnment Of protective duties, which are bur
another name for boenties- When you have
put all the great interests Of capital on the
side Of low taxes, you have taken one Of The
most decided steps that you can possibly take
m favor Of low taxation, which is the neees-
sarY snteeedsnt Of economy.
The mex, prominent evil Of the present sys-
I ten Of taxation is that by its Indirect opera
ton the people are iguoranJ Of what they pay.
/ They are ignorant of what they pay to the
/ government, and equally ignorant Of what they
pay 10 the protective interests in the shape OF
bounties. If the object be 10 obtain from the
people the largest amount possible without
aroHsiBg them, then the indirect systematic
present SYSTEMS the best. But if the OBJ
/ iect be only to obtain from them the leasr
amount that will suffice for be just wants Of
/ the government, then the direct system Of tax
alton is the sest- The happy ignorance Of the
/ people q the United States as TO the amount
Of taxes hey are paying is one great cause Of
/ their remaining 50 passive under he enormous
/ Increase Of cur expenditures, which has been
/ going on for years. Ii We desire an economi-
cal government we must be csndid with the
people, and let each one know exactly what be
pays. The people. ignorant Of bow much tax
they are paying in the enhanced price Of the
commodities, will tolerate an expenditure Of
/ 100000 COO much more patiently Than one Of
1 $4,000 600 when each one has to pay bis as
eertained share directly from bis own pocket
| Economy here must be procured by vigilance
among the constituency. As long as the con-
slitueney sre iudii-reLt on this subject the
/ representatives will be carried along unresist-
I iRglY ia The vortex Of extravaganza.
Arother objection to the present system is
l the large expenditure necessary in the present
mode Of collecting the revenue, in paying the
| army Of employees engaged in the present rev.
/ enue service, 10 building costly structures in
various parts Of the Uuited States, and in
maintaining custom-houses which do not pay
/ their own expenses.
Cson this point we would call attention to
the folloEin facts: The direct cost Of col
/ leciing the revenue from customs in The las
fiscal wear ending June 30, 1851 S6i III 03i 05,
was s., ,552 $50 50, employing three thousand
and eIghty-eigbt officers. This is iudepeI dent
Of the cost Of the custom-houses and revenue
cutters, the interest upon which would largely
/ increase the sum.
To see further the operations Of the present
| system take the following statement;
] AMOUNT or HEFEruE 0LLF CIED AED EIPEEBI-
/ TUhEs OF cERiAIs LUsToM-HoUsEs ToR The Is
| cal YEAk ENDING yUEE, 20, 1871
ReUe Ee EFpelfi- Ezcest Erp.
CoLtcfcf- fures OUCT ReU.
Belfast Ee.....-s 5Oss % ssO.2 81 go g