The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-06
WASHINGTON CITY.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY ., 1900.

There ia no principle OF democratic policy, more
absolutely settled than that the tariff should DO so
arranged as 20 produce. 10 conjunction with the
proceeds of the sales of the public lands, revenue
sufficient TO defray the expenses OF economical
administration Of the federal government. The
legislation of Congress- determines what the expend-
lures of the government shall be, and thus fixes the
standard Of outlay This legislation may not be al
together proper, wise, or economical. In far as
it is not So il is for Congress to apply the correc-
tive and to arrange its own legislation on the proper
! economical basis This done, or left undone, it
is the legislation Of Congress which fixes the scale
aud amount of the expense of administering the
government and the laws. This amount and cost of
administration being fixed, it then becomes the duty
OF Congress 80 to arrange the tariff and SO to pro-
vide the ways and means of administration, as
to enable the Executive to conduct the government
on the basis of the laws thus settled by itself.
The ordinary expenditures for the administration
of the government and the prosecution of such oh,
jecs of public moment are incident to current
administration, is, the basis of existing legisla
ton, about $50, 250, 900 per annunh Desidcs this
outlay for ordinary purposes Congress- usually APP
propriates for extraordinary objects OF expenditure
say 1927 100000 per annum including payments for
the interest and curtailment Of the public debt
This extraordinary class of expenditures grew up
in great part during the period of redund
ant revenue and surplus treasure which resulted
from the tariff act of 1916, operating upon the in
flated imporatons of the series of years which had
their climax in the notable one of 1857 These ex-
taordinary appropriations of Congress in great
part for works Of permanent construction which are
not yet oil finished many of which require for compile
ton still other appropriations This class of appro
prations will doubtless be greatly curailcd but they
cannot be made to disappear altogether from the an
nual expenditures Of the government certainly not
that portion of them which so in payment Of the
public debt These being combined with the ord-
nuy expenditures of the government the two classes
Of outlay have amounted in past years to aggre-
gate of about $50 100000. 1t is hardly probable
that they be possibly made to fall short of $685.
100000 per annum for some time to come.
1t would therefore be unsafe to calculate upon a
minimum of public expenditure less than fifty
two millions aud quarter for ordinary, and twelve
millions and three quarters for extraordinary expen-
ditures of the government per annm. Certainly the
existing legislation of Congress calls for annual
at least equal to sixty five millions, and some
such sum must be provided to enable the Executive
to administer the laws as settled by Congress.
What part of this necessary annual sum will be
supplied by the sales Of public lands is altogether
uncertain. II the bills for donating public lands
now before Congress, and which evidently find
great favor with that body, become laws, the
from this source would necessarily fall to a very
meagre AT present they amount TO very
| small proportion of the annual sum necessary for
administering the government and laws In 1867
they but $685., $780, in 1862 but 50, 5l3,-
Il5. 1t would be very unwise and unsafe to cal
cuate upon any material increase of these receipts
for year two yet to come and it is thus appa
rent that more than S6OOoooOo per is required
to be collected from the tariff in order to execute the
laws of Congress they stand upon the statute book
If this sum be thought too large, lesser expen-
diture be thought advisable it is for Congress to
reconstruct its legislation as to call for smaller
outlay for its execution.
In this discussion obliged to proceed upon
the basis of existing legslaon and it is clear that
upon that basis, at least sixty millions probably five
ten millions than sixty, viii be required to
be raised by the tariff for conducting the govern
ment.
! We rccm therefore TO the democratic doctrine
with which we commenced this article to wit, that
the tariff should be so adjusted is TO yield reve-
nue. sufficient with the aid of the proceeds of the
public lands, to administer the government and exc
cute the laws Of Congress. This doctrine excludes
the idea of defraying part Of the expenses by
creating public debt; though it does not forbid
the contraction of debt in such temporary ext
gency as overlook the commerce of the country in
1857 There is another democratic doctrine, that
"public debt is moi public blessing" and that
the current expenses Of the government should be
fully met and discharged by its current revenues
These democratic doctrines have entered truisms
into the policy of country and form part of the
settled convictions of our people
The only remaining inquiry, therefore, is, whether
the tariff IS 80 adjusted to produce revenue suf
foent with the aid we have mentioned, to execute
the laws of Congress, and conduct the government
of the Union. The actual results of the present
tariff show product of precisely nineteen per cent
ofrevenuc on the dutiabe imports of the country.
I.Nyitl this datum, let what revenue may be
expected from the importations of the country
as estimated by those Of past years since 1850,
We append a,tablc showing the amount of dutiable
goods which have been imported into the coun-