Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1863-01-20


Il may be deemed e1podisnt to provide that
the salary OF assessors In districts which yiUld
a revenue Of 100000, or less, shall be fixed AZ
81 800 per annum and that In Districts whore
CD ahapal roccipt exceed the sun Of $500, 600,
Gle ae1essor shall be entitled 70 receive 10 Of
ouo ptF cent. on the excess over 800 900, In
addition 10 HE aked salnry, provided, that IN
nd case shall such commissions and salary OK
coed the lsum Of thlrty.Hye hundred dollars
per annum. In this connection II may be
proper 10 suggest, also, that the Government
should furnish 70 each collector, and 70 each
assessoT, q suitable safo for tho preservation Of
the books and moneys belonging totho Goy-
eminent.
Assuming that some additional compensa-
tion will be allowed TO assessors, have made
the following estimate Of the annual expenses
Of collecting the revenue, Wis For expenses Of
assessing the taxes, the sum Of ten thousand
dollars In each collection district, or total Of
81, $50, 900. For the collection Of the taxes In
each district, the sum OF eight thousand dollars,
or 81, 464, 900 In all. For stationery, seventy
thousand dollars. For advertising by asses
aors and collectors, thlrty--- thousand dol
lars. For salaries Of the commissioner and
clerks In the office Of Internal Revenue, one
hundred and twenty thousand dollars. For
blank books and advertising, ten thousand dol
lars. For printing stamps, elghty-hyo thou
sand dollars. For stamp agency at Philadol-
| pnlh, seven tnOubhnQ nNc hundred uOllnTbs
| Total, three million six hundred and sixteen
thousand five hundred dollars. Tho only re-
naming item of expenditure Is that Of printing.
OF this make no estimate.
These estimates Of receipts and expenditures
show that tho cost OF assessing and collecting
the taxes, under the present system, will be
2 41-100 per cCntum; and have the strongest
confidence that, In the States now acknowledge
ing the authority Of the Constitution, the ex-
pense can never exceed 3 per cent. When the
authority of the Government ls re-establlshed In
the rebollious States, tho expenses win be In
creased without proportionate Increase In ro-
coipts. The returns received show that the eK-
penses Of collecting taxes in the Territories are
altogether, disproportionate to the income;
indeed, the income will barely meet the cost Of
collection. Il may be deemed wise economy 10
limit the operation of tho tax law TO the States.
This relief would encourage immigration, and
ultimately Increase tho revenues Of the country.
When ! entered upon the duties Of the office,
the subject which first engaged my attention,
was the preparation of revenue stamps. By
tho provisions Of the law, Il was necessary that
each stamp should indicate upon It's face the
nature Of the paper or instrument 10 which Il
was TO be applied. This requlsition involved
the preparation of large number of engrav.
ings and dies, which should DO dissimiiar in
design or In appearance, As the time was
limited for so great an undertaking, and, In
case an attempt should be made TO procure
stamps OF various designs, the risk of failure In
some instances at least, would be great, II was
thought advisable that tho leading feature In
each should be tho same. Upon consultation
and with your approval, the head Of Washing
ton, after stuart's painting, was adopted. Pro,
posals, a copyof which Ia herewith transmitted
were issued on the Goth day of July, 1869. Or
the 9th day Of August, tho bids wers opened In
the presence of the bidders, and the contract
was awarded to Mossrs, Butler d Carpenter, Of
Philadelphia, at the price Of 10 cents per thou
sand, deliverable in Philadelphia, or 49, cents
per thousand, deliverable in Washington; theil
bid being much more advantageous 10 the Gov,
crnment than any other.
It is but simple Justice to say that tho con,
tractors have displayed great energy and good
degree Of taste in the prosecution of the work
and the preparations of the engravings. Had
the law been so framed originally, that STAMP
Of a given denomination could have been used
for Its value upon any instrument, without re-
gard to its kind, the work of preparing the
stamps would have been much diminished, and
the public would have been supplied at an car
ller date. The supplemental act of the 25tt
day Of December last permits the use of stamps
without regard to'the nature of the Instrument
to which thOy are applied. It will, however
> be advisable TO retain the existing distinctive
: characteristics, lnasmueh as persons engaged
! In particular pursuits, such as life or fire In
surance, for example, will prefer stamps spo
cially designed for their use. As the dies arr
, engraved and plates aroprepared, these stamp
can now be furnished at less cost than woulC
be incurred in the preparation Of new stamp
of general character.
= During the months Of October, November
/ and n portion Of December last, the supply o
\ stamps, both In amount and kind, was made
1 quate, and the Office was unable 10 meet tn
demand made upon II. Consequently, man
orders remained unanswered, In whole or II
/ part, for a long period Of time. In some case
complaints were made, but ! am not awar
, that any neglect could Justly have been attrlbu
table, under the circumstances that existed
either TO the contractors or 10 this office. A
tho present time, the supply Of stamps, of ever
4 kind, Is equal 10 any probable demand that cal
be made. Tho arrangements " this onlco ar
such, that stamps will be forwarded from Phlls
' delphla within three days aftet tho receipt Q
: the orders. The system of checks aud glafd
= adopted Is such as justlfies the belief, tina
+ losses TO the Government cannot occur, elthe
a In connection. with the recgipt Of moneys o
q the distribution Of stamps.
!, Numerous applications have bocIi made 70
: the establishment OF stamp agencies In dlfferen
4 portions Of the, country. These application
y have been uniformly declined, not only in ObI
o dienco to the plain provisions of the law, b.
n also from firm conviction that 1t would
: unwise In the Government 10 encourage th
C establishment of such agencies. The law al
Q thorizes the allowance Of a commission 10 thoG
d who purchase stamps In sums Of not less tina
= fifty dollars. Under this authority, the follow
ing commissions are allowed
i On purchases Of $50, or more, . per centuu